Whether we drive ourselves or carpool with friends, many of us upperclassmen have up close and personal experience with the Coronado parking lot.  Obviously, it is not generally reviled as the classiest or most visually appealing part of our beloved campus.  Over the past few years, many students have suggested various projects to reduce littering and improve the overall appearance of the parking lot.  The latest and greatest of these projects has recently been designed by Arielle Bakken, 11, a student dedicated to taking pride in our school and keeping Coronado classy.  

Arielle has spent the past year serving as vice president of Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).  “This semester, I am taking part in the the STAR program- or the Students Taking Action with Recognition,” says Arielle. The goal of this program is for students to get involved in their community by addressing an issue on which they can have a direct impact.  Arielle’s idea of advocacy is to beautify and tidy up our own parking lot to give Coronado an improved appearance and a decreased  epidemic of stray garbage.  Her plan is to sell specific parking spots to students who utilize the parking lot every day.  When a student purchases a spot, they will then be permitted to design and paint the space in any appropriate way they desire.   After putting their artistic skills to use, each student’s beautifully painted parking space will then belong to that student for the remainder of the school year.  Arielle believes this will increase student awareness and compassion for taking care of our campus, hopefully decreasing litter and increasing school spirit.   

After formulating her idea, Arielle got the rest of Coronado involved in this community service endeavor.  She spent several days traversing Coronado to survey students about their opinions on the overall proficiency of the parking lot, as well as posting survey questions on her own social media to reach as many students as possible.  Arielle states that “most students think the parking lot could potentially be a much more pleasant place.”  Her surveys reflected this attitude- the majority of Coronado’s student body think the revitalization of the parking lot could greatly improve the campus.  “The goal is to benefit our community as a whole,” Arielle said, noting that there is always room on a high school campus for art and creativity.  

The details for this project are still under discussion, but Arielle is confident that her efforts will pay off for the Coronado community.  Here’s to keeping Coronado clean and classy!