Local high school seniors showcase creativity with personalized, art-filled parking spaces
From school projects to themed dances, the creative side of a student body unveils itself in myriad ways.
With students eager to express themselves upon a return to campus, some local schools have taken to allowing seniors to do just that right outside their front doors.
Several of these pavement artworks have been spotted at Marina and Ocean View high schools, both in the Huntington Beach Union High School District, this academic year.
Marina introduced the option last school year, and the idea had such popularity that members of the Class of 2023 who showed interest in the personalized spaces had their name entered into a raffle.
Along a row in front of the main office, vibrant, painted spaces serve to brighten one’s day. Beyond the rite of passage of driving oneself to school, the students enjoy a sense of ownership with a reserved parking spot.
The paintings showcase a wide array of interests and personalities — some incorporated floral patterns, while one student whimsically painted cow hide into their slot with the words, “Holy cow! It’s senior year.”
Kiersten Magula, an art enthusiast who said she plans to go to cosmetology school, featured Winnie the Pooh flying away with a red balloon in her parking spot.
“There was a lot of meaning behind it,” Magula said. “My middle school teacher … she was really there for me all through middle school, and she made sure that I did everything, kind of really helped me through school. Her favorite character is Winnie the Pooh, so that is why that is there.
“Then I have the little saying, ‘It’s only up from here,’ because senior year, it’s kind of a cute thing, so I just put that next to it.”
Magula added that she was able to select a parking spot next to a childhood friend, and she had other friends help her paint her spot so it could be completed in one day.
Remarkably, the artworks have remained intact despite being run over day after day, a thought that worried Ocean View senior Savanah Bernal.
“I was really scared for that,” Bernal said. “I was like, ‘No, it’s going to get messed up.’ We’re right next to Home Depot, so we went, and we got a couple gallons of paint that were for outside, so they’re really holding up. They’re doing a great job, and it’s just super fun to get to look at it. We got the right paint, so we were able to keep it throughout the year.”
Bernal, a member of both ASB and the cheer squad, advocated with school staff to give the artful parking spaces the green light at Ocean View this year.
Students were charged a fee on top of their school parking permit to personalize their spaces. Both Marina and Ocean View have utilized the additional charge as an ASB fundraiser.
“It goes into our ASB fund, and at Ocean View High School, our ASB fund pretty much pays for everything,” Sara Spilsbury, the activities director at the school, said. “It pays for kids who don’t have the money to participate in athletics, but we don’t say ‘no’ to them. We find ways to help make it open for everyone. When we do fundraisers on our campus, it really is for the benefit of all.”
Interested students had to submit a mock proposal, have it approved by school staff, and then largely adhere to the original drawing when recreating it in the parking lot.
“I wanted to participate in this activity to make the most out of my senior year,” Ocean View senior Mackenzie King, whose space features a tiara, said. “These past four years have been tough with COVID and all of our activities being canceled. Painting senior spots was a new activity for seniors, so essentially, we were making history. Pulling in to my spot every morning makes me feel at home here at Ocean View.”
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