ELKHART — What is high school about if not learning who you are and expressing it? Elkhart Central High School has taken this to heart. To see that, you don't even have to enter; just go to the school's parking lot.
There, in what could have been the most boring of places, colors and shapes tell stories of high school life. About 50 students have reserved a spot throughout the school year. The price is $30, and with it comes the right to decorate. And they take it seriously.
Nick Conner, a senior, painted his spot with help from his dad. Seeing it, there is no doubt that Conner enjoys sports. "We were just trying to think of ways that really express me during my high school career, and I thought of my sports," he says. His spot, made using stencils, depicts a football with his jersey number, a track and field logo, and a wrestler with the letter 'E' for Elkhart.
"We were going to have my name down running on the side, but (my dad) painted it and then that night it rained. We might come out and put my name on it," he said, "but I'm not sure."
Senior Sydney Beane went to her family for help as well.
"When I first found out I was going to buy a parking spot, I started looking on Pinterest and so did my mom, and there are a bunch of different designs on there," she said.