Senior year symbolizes the achievement of being within reach of the end of a thirteen year academic journey.
Since the early 2000’s, seniors in high school have personalized their parking spots by covering their assigned sliver of pavement with a customization that represents them. Selective Virginia counties have decided that this particular Senior privilege should be eliminated.
One of Clover Hill’s administrators, Renee Green, explains the process followed by seniors, to paint a parking spot used during previous years.
“You would have provided a sketch to make sure it was school appropriate, prior to painting,” Green said.
This system ensured that there would be zero representation of anything inappropriate or hateful illustrated on the parking spots.
Clover Hill high school senior Bri Miller reflects on the true meaning behind the privilege of painting a senior parking spot.
“At school there’s not a whole lot of ways you can really express your individuality, so I feel like [with] painting your parking spot, you could paint pretty much anything, and really leave your mark that everyone can see,” Miller said.
Students and parents shared their confusion surrounding the removal of the tradition with administrators and peers. Direct answers seemed to be out of reach.
Senior Mario Brown expressed his personal effects from the ban.
“I see the other painted spots and I think it looks cool and I feel kind of left out, you know?,” Brown said.
Shortly after initial confusion arose, answers emerged during a conversation with one of Clover Hill’s administrators, Renee Green.
“Its been determined that because there was no process to repaint the parking lot, and with safety concerns, this was not something we are able to do moving forward, and because no one had actually asked permission in the past,” Green said.
This reasoning may appear to be valid, if the majority of Virginia counties were up to date with their repaving schedule of its high school’s student parking lots. Additionally, there are steps to create a safer experience surrounding this tradition. For example, when water based pavement paints and proper skin and face coverings are implemented, the process of painting a parking spot is harmless. The removal of the parking spot painting privilege is unnecessary and accomplishes only the act of disappointing high school seniors.
“Now there’s nothing and all the other painted ones will chip away,” Miller said.
In light of the senior body’s frustration, a senior-only “Chalk-Out” has been proposed. This event would include seniors coming together to decorate the parking lot with a washable alternative, chalk. This compromise highlights Clover Hill’s ability to never stop compromising for its students. Collectively, the reasoning behind removing this tradition, does not justify the stripping of individuality and celebrations of seniors that the removal wholeheartedly caused.
