Seniors have the opportunity for many privileges such as taking first or fourth period off, being exempt from finals, and not participating in standardized testing, except for AP. And next week the class of 2016 will have the opportunity to register for a new privilege: reserved parking and even the chance to mark their spots with a custom paint job.

There are a limited number of reserved spots available and even fewer spots available for painting. There are 59 reserved (not painted) spots in the student parking lot, and 35 (not painted) spots reserved only for athletes by the stadium. Thirty-seven additional spots will be available in the teacher lot and can be painted to the owner’s preference.

Spots will be determined by the number of seniors who register for a painted spot or reserved spot. A lottery will determine who gets a painted spot and which spot it will be.

“If we have 31 kids that want [a painted spot] there’s no need for a lottery,” principal Jeffrey Kajs said. “We would still wind up drawing for placement.”

Seniors who register for a painted spot and don’t receive one will automatically have a reserved spot. The remainder of the spots will be chosen by a lottery for those who only wanted a reserved spot, Student Council adviser Allison Stamey said.

Registration for senior parking will begin on May 18 and will close on May 22; forms can also be found in the Student Council room. The fee for a painted parking space is $100 and reserved is $50. Students who choose to register for spots will be notified on May 26 and 27 as to which spot they receive.

For all seniors who wish to paint a spot, a mandatory meeting will be held on May 22 in the lecture hall during A block.

Spots will be be marked with a number and students will have hanging parking tags to match their spot number like teachers and administrators have now. Other schools in other districts have had similar programs. Denton, Coppell and Rockwall High Schools have all allowed students to paint parking spaces.

Some of the money raised will be used to cover the repainting of parking lines or power washing spots at the end of the year. The remaining money will go toward purchasing cones and other items to ensure student safety in the parking lot along with other purchases the school makes throughout the year.

“Part of this money is going to go into the school account, so that we can help with graduation gowns, and a whole bunch of different things,” Kajs said.

The student advisory board, representatives of the five high schools along with Superintendent Dr. Kevin Rogers, approved senior parking in 2009 which then began at the other high schools in the district.

“We didn’t [begin senior parking then] because we were in the middle of construction and with parking movement we just put it on hold,” Stamey said. “This year they brought it back, but they wanted to be able to paint some of them.”

Students who receive the painted parking spots will be required to submit a parking space design to Stamey from May 28 to June 4; designs will not be accepted after the turn-in date. Once the design has been approved, it may not be changed.

Designs must follow the LISD Student Code of Conduct and any artwork which depicts items, symbols or language that is inappropriate will not be allowed on the space.

“Once the approval is given they’ll have to keep the same paint design for the entire year,” Stamey said.

Throughout the summer a painting party will be held for spots to be decorated. If all the spots are not painted on the designated day, a makeup will be held on a later date.

Junior Kayla Connor, student body president-elect, said the hope is that senior parking will kick off the school year and get seniors excited for the year.

“It’ll just be a really fun bonding experience, and it will make people excited to come back to school and know that they have some place that they’re leaving their mark,” Connor said.