Painted Spots Brighten The Lots

When you walk through the Building 5 parking lot things may look a little different than they have in the past few years. The formerly monochrome parking spots have been painted with colorful and unique designs created by the students who bought them for the 2018-2019 school year.  There were meetings held with administration throughout the fall of 2017 and into the spring before selling the parking spots in May.  “This fundraiser was spearheaded by then-Junior Class Secretary Bailey Nowlin and supported by the other Junior Class officers,” says Shianne Fouts, a teacher who helped with the fundraiser. ”We were given a certain limited amount of spots, I think 163 or so and at this stage there are probably 125 sold.”  The $65 fee that students paid to reserve and paint a parking spot for the year goes directly toward the Class of 2019 prom, benefiting seniors who did and didn’t buy a parking spot.  Fouts also says that it was a great success, especially for it being the inaugural year and, as long as administration and campus police continue to be on board with the fundraiser, they would consider doing it again.  “In the very likely event that this fundraiser continues, it’ll be known as a Junior Class fundraiser that is initiated by the then-Junior Class Officers and carried out in the fall by the newly elected Senior Class Officers,” says Fouts.  The fundraiser would also continue to be for Seniors only, giving underclassmen something to look forward to. The seniors who bought a parking space appreciate the fact that there will be a spot for them every morning.  “I like having a reserved spot each day and being able to park by my friends,” says Hailey Berkinshaw, a senior, who also enjoyed the opportunity to paint her spot with her own design. In addition to raising funds for the Senior class, this fundraiser allowed students to express their own creativity while also making sure they always have a place to park.