By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The concrete around Great Bend High School is a little more colorful. This week, GBHS seniors have been busy personalizing "Senior Parking Spots." Elly Somers was part of a group of students who approached the administration last year about implementing the program for the first time at GBHS.
"I've always seen other schools do this, so I thought it'd be a fun idea," Somers said. "Me and three other people brought it to our principal and really pushed for it to happen this year. I felt like it was going to be a good way for the senior class to get together, and for underclassmen to look forward to when they're seniors."
To claim a parking stall, seniors must have a grade-point average of at least 3.0, and the stalls cost $20. The stalls will be reserved for that student from 7:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on school days. Students painted on all sides of the GBHS campus, from the big parking lot south of the school, to the stalls along 19th Street, and even some on the 21st Street side. Students painted a wide variety of designs.
Reserving the stalls may have been the easy part. The seniors had to endure temperatures near the century mark as they laid down their designs throughout the week. Somers said it was worth the sweat.
"I've had fun with it,"she said. "I think other people have had fun with it. Some people have gotten sunburned. I think it's been pretty fun. It does take a lot of work. It took me like three days, but other than that, I think it's really been fun for people."
The Senior Parking Spots raised more than $1,000 for the senior class. How they will spend the money is yet to be determined.
