By Cheryl Conway
Photos Credit: Richard Maggio
The parking lot at Mt. Olive High School in Budd Lake has gotten a colorful makeover, with about 100 students turning their assigned spaces into personal expressions of school spirit, creativity and the excitement of their final year.
The Senior Parking Spot Painting Initiative, introduced for the first time this year, was the idea of members of the Class of 2027. A group of seniors brought the concept to school administrators after seeing similar projects at other high schools.
How inviting it is pulling into their spot self-created by their own hands.
Students “thought it would be a fun way to build excitement and community around their senior year,” explains Dr. Sumit Bangia, superintendent of the Mt. Olive Township School District.
The planning for this creative initiative took place over the summer, with the painting occurring just before the start of the 2026-27 school year, says Bangia. Approval by the Mt. Olive Board of Education was not required.
“It was handled as a school-level initiative and reviewed administratively, including the logistics, supervision and requirements necessary to safely use the parking lot,” she says.
How it
worked
“Students who had an assigned student parking space were given the opportunity to personalize their space by painting an approved design,” says Bangia. “The goal was to give students a creative way to celebrate their senior year while adding some personality and school spirit to the student parking area.”
Not all seniors were granted permission to paint a parking spot. Approximately 100 students participated.
“Seniors with a paid parking space were eligible to participate,” notes Bangia. “Students who did not have their own parking space also joined friends and helped them paint their designs.”
“We are still confirming the exact number of individual spaces that were painted,” she says.
Anyone who drives through the MOHS parking lot will see the scattered designs through the campus.
Students painted during two designated days during the final week of August, just in time before the hectic first days of school began.
Not any old paint would do and designs required approval.
Students were required to use exterior, water-based paint appropriate for the parking surface, notes Bangia. To avoid costs to the school district, students provided their own paint and supplies.
“Students were required to submit their designs for approval before painting,” notes Bangia. “For safety purposes, students were also instructed not to include names or other personal identifiers in their designs.”
No two spots are alike!
“There is a tremendous variety,” details Bangia. “Students incorporated interests such as music and sports, while others included handprints from friends or designs inspired by ideas they found online. Some included humorous sayings, such as “If You Are Reading This I’m Running Late.” The end result really reflects the different personalities and interests of our seniors.”
Bangia is loving the parking lot makeover.
“I think it is a great example of what can happen when students bring forward a creative idea and our staff finds a way to make it work,” says Bangia. “Walking through the parking lot and seeing all of the different designs, you immediately see the students’ personalities coming through.
“One of the things I especially like about this initiative is that it came from the students themselves,” she continues. “It gave our seniors an opportunity to take some ownership of their school experience, express themselves creatively and start their final year at Mt. Olive High School with something fun and community-oriented. It was also nice to see students helping one another with their spaces and making the painting days a shared experience.”
With such positive vibes from school staff, administrators, BOE members and students, the initiative may be one for the books that will be repeated each year.
“Given the enthusiasm we saw this year, I would certainly be supportive of continuing it,” notes Bangia. “As we do with any new initiative, the high school administration will review how the first year went and determine whether any adjustments should be made before next year.”
While it may seem simple to paint a parking spot, there were some obstacles, she admits.
“A project like this looks simple when you see the finished parking spaces, but it required coordination among our high school staff, security and buildings and grounds so students could safely work in the parking lot during designated times,” says Bangia. “I appreciate everyone who helped make the students’ idea possible.”
