Senior students at Poplarville High School were granted a unique privilege this year, the ability to customize their school parking spots.
After years of trying, the student council convinced Poplarville High School Principal Jon Will to approve their request to allow seniors to paint their parking spots, Student Council Advisor Allison Lee said.
Student Council President Tatum Davis and Historian Gracie Smith researched similar projects at other schools and presented their findings to Will last year, Lee said.
Under the rules of the new privilege, seniors are required to submit a drawing for approval along with a $40 permit fee before being allowed to customize their spot, Lee said. The fee covers the standard parking permit as well as enough grey paint to cover the spot at the end of the year, she said.
About 25 seniors have participated so far, Lee said, and from what she’s been told by other schools that have done similar projects, that’s a lot for the first year.
Designs were approved as a way to prevent obscenities or any offensive language/images from being painted on parking spots, she said. And so far, the new art has received high praises from staff and community members, Lee said.
“We’re very excited about that,” she said. “Everybody has been surprised.”
The designs range from patriotic tributes, to school spirit emblems, beachside escapes and everything in between. The project is expected to continue in subsequent school years as a special privilege for senior students, Lee said.