Senior Parking Spots

By Lauren Chavez, Features Editor

As the 2025-2026 school year begins, wind isn’t the only thing blowing leaves around. New cars roll into the parking lot and into freshly painted spots. Senior parking spots are a time-honored Maria Carrillo High School tradition, inviting the senior class to the school over two weekends to customize their parking spots, blast music, have snacks and drinks, and enjoy time with their fellow seniors as the sun rises on their final year in high school. 

The painting parties are spread out over two weekends so seniors have time to complete their projects, and some students spend hours finishing details, reapplying coats, and making their design perfect. Designs can be a favorite quote, a simple symbol, or something more creative, but each one is individual to the student and means something special to them. Most include the student’s name and their graduating year in the corner. 

Senior Sophia Partovi gave some insight on her parking spot, which she was able to finish in one Saturday. Inspired by Phoebe Bridgers’ second studio album, Punisher, Partovi’s spot features the album’s cover art with the lyric “the end is near,” from the final song on the album, “I Know the End”. Partovi said that this was special to her, as Punisher was an album she listened to often throughout high school, and that she feels is “very reflective of [my] time in high school.” She added that many songs throughout the album delve into the idea of growing up and moving on, so using the album’s artwork was a perfect way to commemorate and represent the end of her high school career.

Many felt that the best part of the experience was getting to be in a creative place with others and just enjoy time with their fellow graduating class, especially being able to see how others individually represented or commemorated their senior year in one design. 

Most students spent both weekends of painting finishing their designs. It took senior Chanel Desor nine hours to complete her design, which was a sunset used to capture the feeling of her final year in high school being a new beginning, both in school and looking forward into the future.

What made the event even more special was the presence of parents, who helped to set up the event and helped their children restock on paint, taped their designs, and provided helpful insight on something symbolizing the last year of the high school experience.