Painting the Path to a New Tradition

What began as a casual conversation about the painting of senior parking spots turned into a plan for an ambitious group of EHS students, who now hope it marks the start of a new tradition at their school. With a mix of teamwork, determination and school spirit, seniors Amulya Girada, Sean Henson, Alyssa Ragsdale, Luke Slater, and Libby Strahm and junior Aurora Wilhelm led a project that transformed a plain parking lot into a colorful canvas reflecting the personalities of the Class of 2025.  

The idea was sparked during a meeting where they were discussing Tik Tok trends, including one that involved high school students painting parking spots.  

"All at the same time, we said, 'We should do this,'" they recalled. 

They approached then principal Dr. Steve Stuart, who said he had been asked about this nearly every single year, but that no one had ever followed through to organize it.  

“So, we wrote a proposal, gave a presentation, and had it ultimately approved by Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton,” said Slater.  

From there, the group created a promotional video for Friday morning announcements to spread the word.  

In total, 88 senior students signed up to paint their parking spot. The group had to review and approve all the applications, which included an initial design of each painting, before passing them on to high school admin for final approval. 

The application process included a fee of $25 to help cover costs of some day-of-painting supplies, including snacks and water. Each student was responsible for purchasing their own paint. The painting took place the weekend before school started.  

"We are really happy with how it all turned out,” said Girada. “A lot of people were really excited about this, and it was cool to see people driving through the parking lot looking at the painted spots.” 

“There were so many great designs and there were not any two of the same kind,” said Strahm. “Each spot represents that individual.” 

The group hopes this initiative inspires more students at EHS. 

“Seeing all this work we put in, it makes me excited to see what else students can do to help make the EHS experience more fulfilling for students,” Henson said. 

The students anticipate that the remaining money from the application fees, about $2,000, will be donated to Special Olympics. However, they are still determining whether there will be any costs involved at the end of the year to cover the current painted spots. 

The group also learned valuable lessons throughout the process, which they plan to incorporate to make next year’s effort even smoother. Wilhelm, the only junior in the group, is eager to take the lead with Slater’s help to organize the project for her class.

“We definitely want to increase the number of painted spots. Hopefully with more time to plan and have students apply, we will get more students engaged.”