Graphic made in Canva by Fluco Journalism.

Traditionally, FCHS seniors have the privilege of painting their parking spots, so a number have chosen to take advantage of the privilege. “I chose parking spot A7. I picked this spot because it was close to the school and I didn’t have to walk far. It’s a whale shark and dot [and], the swimming path is for my name. I painted that because I like the ocean, and I think whale sharks are majestic. I painted because it’s my senior year and I’m making as many memories as possible,” said senior Lila Gochenour.

Senior Margeaux Cantagallo decided to paint what was a very special and personal design for her. “I painted my parking spot to look like the ‘Hungry Caterpillar’ book. This was an incredibly meaningful design to me, as it was painted on the walls of my nursery,” she said.

Senior Ja’Kiyah Johnson said the inspiration for her parking spot was “very random.” “I know I wanted something very different that wasn’t on Pinterest or TikTok. For my first idea, I wanted it to revolve around Snoopy. I’m not sure why, but that idea didn’t run through. My next was UNO. I’ve seen people base their senior jeans on the Uno card design, but never a parking spot, so that’s when I started drawing a sketch, and everything came to life,” she said.

Johnson said she made the background color of her spot teal because it’s one of her favorite colors and it’s bright. “It took over nine hours to finish. It was really hot the day I finished painting, but it was definitely worth it,” she added.

Senior Mikaela King chose summer colors for her spot. “It turned out well, it’s beautiful. It wasn’t the most fun process, but I’m happy. It really represents me. I just love the beach so much. I have a couple of my friends’ handprints on there, too,” she said.

Despite some challenges, King said the experience was memorable. “It was hot the day I was painting. But even though it was super hot, it was so worth it. I really do like my spot. I’m proud of it,” she said.