By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green High School seniors spent hours this past week personalizing their parking spaces with gallons of paint.
This is the first year seniors have been given the opportunity to paint their parking spots, according to Lauren Tiell, a BGHS English teacher, who along with social studies teacher Baley Nye, heads the Stu Crew organization at the high school.
“They don’t normally get assigned spots,” Tiell said as she watched students apply their artistic skills to the asphalt on Thursday. She introduced the idea to the administration after seeing personalized parking spots at other schools.
“I keep going to schools and they have their parking spots painted,” Tiell said.
Bowling Green’s administration got on board, and seniors were asked to submit their ideas. As of Thursday, 52 seniors submitted sketches for their parking spaces and had them approved.
“There were some that weren’t approved,” Tiell added.
“We had a freshman show up, and we said give us three years,” then try again, she said.
It was up to the students to supply the paint, sweep the asphalt, tape off spaces, and create their artwork.
Several parents, siblings, and at least one grandma chipped in to help personalize the spaces.
On Thursday evening, Kendalyn Robinson was busy painting giant strawberries on her space. She was joined by her mom, Jennifer Robinson.
“I never thought they would let us do this. I collect strawberry stuff. I really like strawberries,” Kendalyn said of her choice to personalize her parking spot.
“She drives a red car,” her mom said.
“She hasn’t painted them on her car yet,” said her dad, Gene Robinson, as he watched his daughter put the finishing touches on the berries.
At a nearby spot, Mallory Brotherton and her mom, Michelle Brotherton, were working on a parking space sized “prescription” listing senioritis as the ailment, and the cure being Mallory’s “bucket list” of getting her diploma and flying a plane as an aviation major at Bowling Green State University.
The stencils made at home with her mom’s craft cutting tool made the paint job easier.
“I cut all these out with my ‘Cricket’ at home,” Michelle said.
Senior Chloe Higgins had a similar idea with her remedy for senioritis being sitcoms and snacks – with an expiration date of 2023.
Another spot featured a black background with white spots, stating “Holy Cow I’m a Senior.”
Kate Ruthenberg and her dad, Mike Ruthenberg, were busy painting ducks on her parking spot.
“They are my favorite animals,” since they appear graceful on the surface, while paddling furiously underwater, Kate said.
“Anything to make her happy,” said her dad, as he added blue paint to the asphalt.
Lauren Carmen was in the early stages of her artwork, planning a silhouette of Bigfoot. While others were painstakingly taping off lines and stenciling, Lauren said she was going to wing it.
“I’m just going for it,” she said.
Zach Dorman’s space focused on “Adventure is out there,” dedicated to his grandparents and the movie “Up.”
“He’s always hovered over me,” he said of his grandfather, who died when Zach was young.
Emma Ferguson created an “Emma-nopoly” board on her parking spot. The game board spaces highlighted her extra-curricular involvement in FFA, dance, drama club and cheering. She was thrilled to be able to personalize her space, estimating she spent 10 hours on the project.
“We’ve always been gunning to do something new,” she said. “We were all pretty excited about being the guinea pigs.”
Tiell was impressed with the finished works, noting that when she was a high school senior, her artistic efforts were less sophisticated.
“I would have literally doused mine with glitter,” she said with a smile.
One parent was particularly impressed with a student who took great care to tape off straight lines for an American flag on his parking space.
“This kid’s so good I think I’m going to hire him to paint my house,” Rachel Fletcher said.
