By Jim Meyer – Staff writer
The parking lot at Oil City Area High School is noticeably more colorful this year as seniors and juniors have turned their parking spaces into works of art.
As part of the state Department of Education’s School Climate Initiative, high school administrators invited students to make their mark.
Teachers and staff worked with parents and students to generate creative ideas on how to improve the overall climate and culture of the school environment.
Students who participated were required to purchase a parking permit and were assigned a space on a first come, first served basis.
The painting took place Aug. 17 and 18, which Caden Highfield, a senior, remembered as being particularly hot.
“It was really hot, and it took a lot of paint and a lot of hours,” he said as he explained his design on his personalized space, which depicts a baseball and his uniform number.
“Baseball is my favorite sport, so I decided to paint that,” Highfield said. “I play football and basketball too, but baseball is my favorite.”
Highfield, remaining humble, allowed Weller to explain how he used his math skills to complete the art project.
“He used a weedwacker string like a compass to complete the circle,” Weller said of Highfield’s baseball painting.
Students were encouraged to create a design that reflected their interests, showed school spirit or was interesting and creative.
“The paint dried fast, so that was a good thing, but I’m still sunburned,” she said.
An avid fan of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” Chapel’s design combined a logo from the show with the slogan, “It’s a beautiful day to save lives.”
Chapel said she believed the project achieved its goal of instilling greater school pride in the students.
“I think a lot of students are proud of being able to make a mark on their school year,” she said.
Weller said many parents showed up to help paint, which created a family-focused atmosphere.
In the back parking lot near the tennis court, the art was noticeably more kaleidoscopic, featuring tie dye designs and multi-colored flowers by Breanna Johnson, also a senior.
“My mom and I free-handed it,” she said. “I think it’s pretty and looks like people took some time back here and prettied up the tennis courts. And it was all done with donated paint.”
“Everyone has half a bucket of paint just sitting in their garage,” she said. “So people just decided to clean house and give them to us.”
Another painting day is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30.
