Senior parking at Valley Regional High School (VRHS) got a colorful upgrade on Oct. 12 as members of the Class of 2023 took to the pavement with paint to express themselves.

The event was organized by Valley Safe Grad (VSG), in collaboration with Tri-Town Youth Services, as a fundraiser for providing the graduating class with an alcohol- and drug-free night of celebration at VRHS at the end of the school year.

“Prom and graduation are the two high-risk events for kids. They go out, they party, they go out to the woods, and drink and drive. The mission is to provide a safe graduation celebration for all graduating seniors,” said Julie Glaski, one of VSG’s co-chairs this academic year.

Glaski’s co-chair, Katherine Hilliar, added that for many seniors, the Safe Grad event may be the last time they set foot in their alma matter.

“We think it’s a fun spin-off of the mission,” Hilliar said. “It’s potentially the last night they’re all together as a class because not everyone comes back for the reunions all the time.”

The night of celebration will have a currently unannounced theme selected by VSG for the seniors to enjoy, and will run from late at night until before dawn. The theme from last year’s celebration was based on the idea of travel and adventure, with inspiration pulled from Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go, according to Glaski.

The painting of the senior parking lot this year is the second time VSG has hosted a fundraiser of this kind. According to Glaski, nearly all graduating seniors participated in the event. The high school’s principal Michael Barile also assisted in organizing the layout and organization of the event. With this year’s junior class looking to paint over the design when they become the top class next year, Glaski and Hilliar hope to make this project a tradition at VRHS.

VSG’s co-chairs have encouraged the community to visit the senior parking lot and witness the numerous and diverse designs that have given the lot a plentiful amount of character, acting as a spirited welcome sign for all those attending the different events at the school.

“Also from a parent’s point of view, it’s interesting to see what your kids come up with, and what’s important to them,” said Glaski. “It gives you insight into, ‘Oh, he’s really excited about going to college, or you watch too much Spongebob!’

What was important, personal, and insightful to many of the seniors was in the making in the mid-morning of the event, when parking spots were painted with many different designs. Creations ranged from those mimicking parking signs, others being humorous, or, like any art project, such as a design of a fantastical mountain-scape at dusk by senior Skye Roberts, which featured mountains, a rabbit, and a fox with antlers.

“I love nature, animals, and mountains. I recently got to see mountains for the first time when I went to Washington [state], and I want to be able to see that when I come to school,” said Roberts. “I hope people can take comfort in this and stand here and feel like they’re here as well.”

Other parking spots were painted with logos, references, and album cover art of the student’s favorite professional sports teams, movies, and musical artists, respectively, including senior Mason Erwin’s space, where he painted the cover to the Metallica album Master of Puppets, with his name above in the band’s font. Erwin is a guitar player who wanted to let people know about his passion for rock music and its meaning to him with his design.

“I wanted to find something that incorporated an ‘m,’ so I thought of one of my favorite bands. I really like the font they use and the colors they use,” said Erwin. “Some people may look at it be like, ‘Oh, it looks interesting,’ they may not understand it. But people who know their rock bands and Metallica, they’ll know it.”

Like Erwin and Roberts’ designs, the seniors’ paintings are meant to leave a mark for their fellow classmates, the lower grades at VRHS, and the community. It’s one of the ways to make their final year in high school meaningful and memorable, according to senior Matt Roscoe, as he finished his Monopoly free parking-style design.

“We have to make our senior year count. For the upcoming, they’re going to remember us by this, until whenever they’re going to paint their own spots, leave their own legacy, this is what we are going to be remembered by.”