Parking pride: High school seniors celebrate individuality with custom spots

Riverside High School officials use their $30 fees to fundraise for Project Grad, a nationwide initiative where high schools organize supervised, alcohol- and drug-free celebrations for graduating seniors as an alternative to potentially risky, unsupervised activities.

With the rules set and fees collected, seniors are free to unleash their creativity — using gallons of paint to turn plain asphalt into canvases that reflect their interests, passions, and personalities.

Blank canvases, big ideas

School starts Friday in Kanawha County, but not everyone has picked up a paint brush yet.

Owen Anderson, a 17-year-old George Washington High School senior, acknowledged it's a big deal to paint your parking spot, especially since the GW tradition is reserved for graduating seniors. While he came to school Thursday to prepare for a new year with other members of the student council, he hasn’t started his Spider-Man design yet. But that doesn't mean it's any less important to him.

“[Spider-Man] has always been ... an inspiration for me for my entire life," Anderson explained. "If I get to paint him on my spot, then I get to represent him and what he stands for." 

Eliza Bell, 17, another GW senior and also student council president, hopes to bring a cheerful Snoopy design to the parking lot.

“I hope it makes me seem friendly. I like to just always be smiling," she said with a laugh Thursday. "I want people to see it and be like, ‘That is literally Eliza as a parking spot.'"

Bell and Anderson say the tradition is more than just a fun activity — it’s a way for seniors to bond and leave their mark on the school.

“It kind of characterizes them. It’s basically just a 15-foot representation of what they want to be, and it’s kind of cool,� Bell said.

Painting a hopeful year

Illustrations dotted the parking lots at both GW and Capital high schools Thursday, including a bold, statement in black: I am punk rock.

Inspired by the hopeful message of the new "Superman" movie, 17-year-old Anna Dunlap's design, which she began painting Thursday morning, reflects her aspirations for a positive and uplifting final year.

“I want that kind of energy for my senior year," Dunlap said. "That’s really good to influence having good grades.�

While she and her grandmother, Sharon Spencer, painted over the cracks in the pavement, Dunlap reflected that high school has been a happy blur, full of football and soccer games, taking early college classes, and hanging out with friends.

“I’ve always had a good experience in high school,� she said. “This year, it feels like you’ve got to try to do everything before it runs out. It goes by in a blink.�

Kaylyn White, who loves being on the cheerleading and track teams at GW, said her parking spot — which reads "let your light shine" -- is a reflection of her faith and upbringing.

“So this is a Bible verse — Matthew 5:16 — and I just feel like that really reflects who I am as a person,� she shared.

Her mother, Carrie, said she happily took off work to help her only daughter complete her parking spot Wednesday. In pink paint, they created hearts, butterflies and a cowgirl boot to showcase the things Kaylyn loves.

By next spring, these painted patches will have faded under sun and snow, and these students will move on to their next stage in life. A new set of seniors will repaint the parking spaces, leaving their own mark. But for now, they remain fresh and bright — a lasting reminder of the creativity, personality and school spirit of the Class of 2026.