A student steps out of her car, shaking the ink out of a marker as she climbs onto the roof. She writes ‘Class of 2026” in bubble letters, as more seniors drive into the lower parking lot. An hour later, every outside surface of her car is covered in different colors and patterns, all bearing the same number: ‘26.
This year, seniors like this student, Alina Parikh, continued the time-honored tradition of car decorating. “I had so much fun,” Parikh said. “Spending time with my friends and getting hype for our last year of high school felt like the beginning of a really fun year.”
Seniors met in the lower parking lot this year on August 24, where they brought multicolored markers to decorate their cars with graduation-themed phrases and pictures. The classic “Honk For Seniors” decoration was a common pick this year, along with drawings of graduation caps and personalized car labels. Additionally, students reserved a space on their car for other students’ signatures.
For Gabi Gberby, senior car decorating was a way to reconnect with her fellow seniors while stepping into the last year of her high school career. “I loved it because it felt like the beginning of all the seniors coming together for our last year,” Gberby said. “Everyone drove in and brought different colored markers, and me and my friends took turns decorating our own cars, and our other friends’ cars. Then me and my friends took photos and spent time together for the rest of the time. It felt really unifying and was such a great way to come together as a class and transition all together into our last year.”
Senior Elani Leizerov decided to take a different route, by using labels to decorate her windows. “One of my friends is a junior who I drive, so I wrote ‘Passenger Princess’ on the passenger side,” Leizerov said. “I had a lot of fun decorating my car because I feel like it really solidified me becoming a senior. It’s also a great way to represent our school and our senior class.”
According to alumni and English teacher Melissa Kaplan, the tradition only recently has risen to popularity. “Looking back, when I was a senior here in Wootton, I don’t remember decorating our cars as a tradition,” Kaplan said. “We also didn’t have a senior assassin. But traditionwise, homecoming, prom, junior banquet, they were all as big as they are today. I did drive senior year and I did have a parking spot. I gave rides to my friends, but it wasn’t a big thing at all to decorate your car. I still remember my first class was in the portals, and I would roll right in making sure I got there on time.”
Regardless of its popularity throughout this school’s history, senior car decorating remains a tradition that lets seniors come together and enjoy their last year as high schoolers.
