What was once a blank, black asphalt landscape with occasional streaks of white paint, the athletics parking lot now showcases BOHS seniors’ artistic talent through a new tradition: seniors painting their parking spots.

On April 24, and then again on May 1, seniors gathered at allotted time slots to paint their parking spots. Students illustrated the coveted spaces with their favorite TV show characters, inspirational quotes, and other original designs to express themselves.

Activities Co-Director Pam Valenti “loved seeing the students’ creativity and making their space unique to them,” and thought that being able to drive to school with this personalized spot helps “give [students] a connection to our campus.”

Jackie Piepkorn, senior, decided to paint an elegant floral design for her parking spot. “I painted it this way because it seemed like a fun design that would brighten my day,” Piepkorn said.

Senior McKenna Grigoli, painted a design resembling a “Tiffany & Co.” box with her name on it. “I love their jewelry, and [I] think it represents my personality really well,” Grigoli said.

Any senior with a parking permit was allowed to purchase and reserve a single parking spot to paint for $20 on a first-come, first-served basis. Before painting on their designated spot, students were required to submit a design proposal, which was approved by BOHS administrators and senior class officers. A total of about 30 parking spots were painted, and the money raised from this event will go towards senior activities for this school year.

Brylee Denbo, Senior Class President, planned the event. She was inspired by other high schools that celebrate their seniors with tradition and reached out to BOHS Activities Directors to receive permission to paint the lot. Denbo said that she is “so excited that this will be [her] legacy at Brea Olinda High School” since this event will continue for every senior class in years to come.

As this is the first year of the senior parking lot paintings, Kara Dietz, Activities Co-Director describes it as a very special event for the Class of 2021. Dietz was pleased with the results and recognized Denbo for “being able to make this happen and come to life for her peers,” Dietz said.

Originally, the parking lot paintings were intended to be a “welcome back to school” event, but were delayed due to COVID-19. Next year, parking spots will be available at the beginning of the school year to allow seniors to have their painted spots for a longer timespan.

Morgan Williamson, senior, encourages all future seniors at BOHS to participate in this event because “not only is it fun and makes the parking lot brighter, but it helps [seniors] bond with [their] classmates,” Williamson said.

The painted site will remain the students’ assigned parking spot for the remainder of the school year, which will be painted over during the summer to create a blank canvas for the next senior class to continue the tradition.