FROM ASPHALT TO ART: PARKING LOT PICASOS

After the overly complex process of selecting their parking spots for the year, our graduating class of 2026 finally got to participate in the annual painting of their senior spots. In this instance, decorating a parking spot serves as a means of celebrating the beginning of your senior year of high school with friends and family in addition to being an efficient way to claim your spot.

With music and, of course, that wonderful Florida heat, the senior student body makes new memories with people, even sharing their supplies. As one student says: “Everyone brought different things to this event, and everyone was borrowing stuff and interacting with people they typically wouldn’t even speak to.”

This type of community building is something that is key to the senior experience. It also adds a bit of whimsy to an otherwise chaotic area of Cardinal Mooney. Through these parking spaces we see students' personalities shine brightly and boldly through. With some referencing their taste interests in food, music, sports, art, nations, and religion. It was also a time to flex your creative muscles if you have them, and if you do not, then it was a wonderful time to just hang out and be a part of this wonderful Mooney community. As one student said: “I thoroughly enjoyed seeing people working together and being creative.”

This wonderful event is truly a beacon of optimism in the midst of one of the most stressful times of the school year. Between college applications, sports, and classes, the senior class typically feels like they are being pulled in all directions, so having these little events with time to goof off with peers for a few hours without the pressures of school is pivotal, and even if you do not have a car, it is still enjoyable to walk around the parking lot for a bit after school and look at all the wonderful artwork made by our graduating class of 2026.