Senior year is a huge year. It’s students last year in high school and their last year to fully live up their teenage years. From day one of the seniors last year to graduation day students get to live up their life and party with their friends while enjoying the last of their final year. However, with everything going on due to COVID-19 the senior class of 2021 has been feeling ripped off and at a loss of a senior year. Between starting the school year off online to missing out on special events like homecoming and cheering on the football team everything just feels wrong. For all the seniors know the new normal of a hybrid schedule will last for the rest of their senior year leaving them feeling hopeless with a not ideal year. However, there is still hope.

The senior class of 2021 should be the first class to be allowed to paint their own parking spaces. They can spark a new tradition and bring more joy to their already disastrous year. Seniors painting their parking spots is a tradition that has gone on for generations in some schools like Keller High School in Texas, Chelsea High School in Alabama, West Orange High School in Florida, Messalonskee High School in Maine, and many others. So why not bring it to Frederick High School?

While thinking it through fully it was realized that for each senior class to have and paint a parking space every year the designs from years before are going to have to come off. That itself will wind up costing a fortune. The price of power washing a parking spot will average out to be around $25,800 more or less annually depending on the class size. However, other concerns consist of who will be paying to paint the parking spaces. Will FHS be expected to pay it all or will the seniors be expected to pay it? Also, how will students choose their parking spaces? Would they just choose at random? Be assigned a certain spot? How will that work?

While talking to classmate Paige Owens who’s been trying to get Frederick High School’s principal to let the graduating class of 2021 start the tradition she mentioned something about painting our spots over the summer. Since we’re just coming back to school now, in October it wouldn’t be the best time to paint the parking spaces. However, seniors can still paint them over winter break. By painting the spaces over winter break it will give students something to look forward to after the break. This will also give the spaces plenty of time to still fade out before being power washed at the end of the year.

The only problem that comes up again is what’s going to happen with the pricing? So taking Paige’s idea I came up with a similar plan. FHS could easily take half of the school’s parking lot and designate it to the seniors. With that half they can number the parking spaces one through however many are needed. The school can then take those numbers and have prices already set making numbers 1-10 the most expensive. Before lowering the prices as you go down the number of spaces until there are no spaces left. Another option is just having a set price for each parking space.

Add on the cost of the parking passes needed for parking spaces and the school is looking at a decent amount of money that will help to power wash the parking spaces every year. Along with that, the school won’t even have to pay for the supplies to repaint the spaces. The supplies would be up to the seniors to purchase. This makes pricing fairer so that both FHS and the seniors are paying and it’s not all one-sided.

The last question that comes up is designs and what students will be allowed to put on their spaces.

In order to make sure that nobody is offended the students who have their own senior parking space will have to create an image of their design and get it approved by Mr. Young before winter break. If Mr. Young isn’t around then seniors should find another admin to sign off on their design to be able to paint their spaces.

School is finally back in session and the senior class of 2021’s long-awaited senior year is finally here and completely different from what was imagined. So far we seniors have lost out on homecoming, cheering on our sports teams with the rowdy crowd, making it to that senior spot in the gym for pep rally’s, and so much more. As a senior myself this school year is not turning out the way anyone expected. For us seniors however it’s even harder. With everything going on we deserve to be able to gain something back and to have something to look forward to. We don’t know what else 2020 has in store for us and our senior year. Why can’t we bring this new and fun tradition to FHS?