At the end of every school year, juniors rush out of class and down the halls. They compete to get out of the school and into a line with their fellow eager juniors. This is the day senior parking spots become available to purchase for $50, although the urgency to get in the line is only partly due to the convenience of a senior parking spot reserved for them near the school. The real appeal is the opportunity to paint these spots and use them as a creative outlet. Students brainstorm and design these parking spots long in advance and spend hot summer days painting to create a unique spot that represents part of who they are.
Giles throws shot put and discus for the Shadow Ridge Track and Field Team as well as being a varsity athlete of the Shadow Ridge Football Team. Being a multi-sport athlete means practicing constantly to sharpen his skills and stay in peak condition, after these long practices, a way that Giles relaxes is going to eat with his friends, more specifically at Taco Bell on Decatur. He and his friends enjoy Taco Bell for the good deals and its close proximity to Shadow Ridge. Near his friends spots, Giles painted a mild sauce packet from Taco Bell, which may seem simple but even simple spots can help underclassmen learn more about the seniors who shape the school.
Just a few spots over from Giles are some of his best friends. Connor and Skyler Fife are now in their senior year; they didn’t want to miss this opportunity to paint their spots. The brothers aren’t just close with each other but also close to each other in the parking lot. They purchased spots adjacent to each other and began to think of a theme they could both follow.
“Growing up together, Skyler and I would always watch Phineas and Ferb on our days off from school,” Connor explained. “We still love the show now and thought it would be fun to revisit that time and challenge ourselves by painting our favorite characters.”
The parking spots reflect Connor and Skyler’s childhood together and tell admirers about one of their favorite memories of growing up together. It’s important for seniors to hold onto these memories before they go face the real world. The Fife brothers know they may not see each other as much as they do now and enjoy reminiscing about the nearly 18 years they have spent together. Another benefit of these spots together is that they drive one car, this gives them plenty of room to park in these two spots and also helps others around them. Adjacent to their spots is their cousin Aiden Wood, also a senior, who grew up spending lots of time with the Fife family.
“It’s definitely a lot easier to park since I have more room around my spot and don’t have to worry about the spot to the left of mine,” Wood stated. “It’s also fun to have spots next to my cousins so I get to see them more.”
While these spots are convenient and make parking easier for the seniors, they are more than that. These simple spots can tell the stories and help to learn more about the seniors, they also can tell about family and friendships. Students who admire these spots gain the opportunity to learn more about the seniors soon leaving the school. The spots are more than just paint on the pavement, they are memories the seniors are subtly sharing with the young students on their path to graduation.
