Parking Spot Chalk Decorating

Sunday, August 23, 2026 5:00 to 7:00 PM AFHS Parking Lot

This event has passed.

How It Went

The weather was beautiful and everyone had a great time. Families spread out across the student lot on Sunday evening with canopies, coolers and buckets of chalk.

There were so many amazing spots. It was genuinely impressive how talented these students and families are - full designs, lettering, and artwork that took the whole two hours and then some. A chalked parking space reading You're Gonna Go Far, with mountains, a sunrise, pine trees and a camera, above the words L'aventure Commence A chalked space with a hand-drawn portrait of seniors in graduation gowns and caps under the word Seniors A chalked space with theatre masks, a video-game character, musical notes and a record album A chalked space reading Four Years Later, surrounded by large chalk flowers A chalked space with crossed lacrosse sticks reading Three Down, One To Go A chalked space with a car, a rocket and stars around the year 2027 A chalked space quoting Michael Scott - Occasionally I'll hit someone with my car. Sue me. The AFHS student parking lot on chalk night - canopies and umbrellas set up across the lot under a clear blue sky, families decorating spaces Families prepping and sweeping their parking spaces before chalking, canopies set up along the row Rows of chalked parking spaces filling in across the lot under a blue sky, families working under umbrellas Families spread out across the student lot, bent over their parking spaces with canopies and chalk supplies around them

Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert came out to see the lot and spent time with seniors and their families among the finished spaces. Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert with a Class of 2027 senior, standing in a chalked parking space on a bright Sunday evening

Families used all kinds of techniques. Plenty went with the ground-chalk trick from the tips below - stick chalk crushed to a powder, mixed with a little water in a bowl - and then worked it into the pavement with a sponge or even a push broom rather than a brush. That is how the big blocks of solid color got covered so evenly. Chalk supplies on the pavement - bags of ground chalk, bowls of chalk mixed with water, and the finished artwork around them A Proud Family of an Apex Friendship High School 2027 Graduate yard sign standing over a freshly chalked parking space

Thank you to everyone who kept to washable stick chalk. That rule is the reason this tradition gets to happen again next year.

Award winners have not been announced yet. They will be posted here once StuCo and the committee have them. Three senior committee volunteers at chalk decorating on a sunny Sunday evening

Shelley Cox and Christina Winter with Kathleen Cole at chalk decorating.

Roxane Warren of Photography Eh photographed the whole evening and is sharing the full set with the committee. Most of those pictures are of the seniors themselves, so they belong on an official channel rather than here - they will be posted on the AFHS PTSA senior page, with more on the PTSA's Instagram, @afhsptsa. This hub is a parent-made resource and does not post pictures of other people's students.

The message below, the rules, and the tips are kept on this page as a record and as a head start for next year's families.

A Message from the AFHS PTSA President

CHALK INFO!! Senior Parking Spot Chalk Event. Sun. 8/23 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm ONLY

Only WASHABLE Chalk is allowed. No spray chalk. No chalk pens. No oil-based chalk. The chalk MUST say washable. The poor staff have to spend hours power washing the chalk off the parking spaces. It was really sad last year since the parking spaces were just repaved. The staff have more important work to do. PLEASE do not use anything else but washable chalk.

We ask that you come between the allotted time of 5:00 - 7:00 pm. We understand many would like additional time but this is what is allowed by the school. Please don't get us in trouble....

Safety: PLEASE DO NOT drive into the parking lot especially when people are in there decorating! Kindly park in other designated areas - not on the side of the street. Safety of our community is our top priority.

The AFHS PTSA loves seeing everyone having fun and bringing out their creativity as we celebrate our seniors. This is a loved tradition, the spirit of which is to show our seniors support, love, and best wishes as they start their last year at AFHS. This event is NOT about a contest on who has the best art.

Lastly, to protect this beloved tradition, parking spots that use anything else but washable chalk will be excluded from our contest.

We respectfully request your cooperation.

Thank you! And, have fun!

- AFHS PTSA President Allowed: washable chalk only. Not allowed: spray chalk, oil-based chalk, or chalk markers.

What It Is

StuCo hosts the chalk decorating, and it is one of the best ways to kick off senior year. Senior families come out to decorate the senior's parking space for the first day of school. The school calls it Senior Parking Space and Sidewalk Decoration. If your senior does not have a parking spot, there are sidewalk areas to decorate instead.

The goal is community, not competition. Families approach it in different ways. Some decorate together as a family, some decorate it as a first-day surprise for their senior, and some seniors decorate their own space with friends. All of these are great. It is about building community and enjoying the start of the school year.

"Should my senior come, or is it a surprise?" This comes up every year in the class Facebook group, and the honest answer from families who have done it: there is no right or wrong way. Some seniors put in the work themselves, some come along and help, and some families decorate without them and then bring the senior by near the end of the window to see the finished spot, take a picture, and visit with friends - a nice middle path, since the parade rolls through before sunrise the next morning and they will not get a good look at it then.

Just for fun, there are gift card prizes for a few of the most creative spaces (1st, 2nd, and 3rd).

A Professional Photographer Was There

Roxane Warren of Photography Eh donated her time to photograph the evening. She is a working photographer, and she offered - the committee did not have to go looking. She also donated $500 toward Class of 2027 senior activities.

What that meant for families: they got to decorate with their seniors instead of trying to document it. Nobody had to be the parent backing away from the chalk with a phone held up, trying to get the whole space in frame in bad parking-lot light.

If you have ever hired a photographer, you know what a couple of hours of that work is worth. Please show her some Class of 2027 love - take a look at her work and keep her in mind for senior portraits and graduation parties. Her details are on the Donations page.

StuCo ran this event. The PTSA senior committee's part was small: handing out senior yard signs and shirts at the distribution table, and providing the gift cards for the awards.

The PTSA senior committee is still collecting donated gift cards, now for Mr. Patriot and Senior Sunset later in the year, and for thanking the AFHS SROs and the Apex Police officers who work senior events. Gift cards are the one item still being collected. Email [email protected], or see the Donations page.

Chalk Rules (Kept for Next Year)

Spray chalk is not allowed - stick chalk only. You'll see spray chalk recommended in general "decorate your parking spot" guides online since it covers large areas quickly, but AFHS does not permit it at this event, even versions labeled washable.

There is a strict requirement on what can be used, and only this is allowed:

Washable chalk only. It has to wash away easily and be completely temporary.
No spray chalk. Even "washable" spray chalk is not permitted, because it does not come off cleanly enough.
No permanent chalk, chalk markers, or paint of any kind.
If it is not plainly temporary, washable stick chalk, it is not allowed.

Please plan ahead and bring only washable stick chalk. This rule protects the parking lot and keeps the event possible year after year.

Tips & Tricks from Families Who've Done This Before

Kept for next year's class.

Ideas that came up among parents who've chalked a spot in past years. One reminder first: every technique below still has to start with washable stick chalk - no spray chalk or premade chalk paint, even versions marketed as washable, since those aren't allowed.

Planning the layout

Grid method: Sketch or print your design on paper with a light grid over it, then measure out a matching, scaled grid on the pavement (painter's tape works well for the lines) to keep proportions accurate across the whole space.
Painter's tape borders along the space's edges or between sections give cleaner lines and shapes.
Work top to bottom so hands and knees don't drag through finished sections while you're still working.
Stencils are handy for lettering or repeated shapes if freehand isn't your thing.

Color and texture

Grind it into a paint. Crush washable stick chalk into a fine powder, mix with a little water, and apply with a paintbrush. Covers large filled-in areas faster and more evenly than coloring by hand, and still washes away like regular chalk - it just goes on more like paint.
Dip the stick in water before drawing directly with it - families say this makes colors noticeably brighter and more solid on asphalt or concrete.
Blend with a damp sponge, paper towel, or gloved finger for shading or gradient effects.
Rub ground chalk in with a sponge or a push broom. Families did this in 2026 to fill large blocks of solid color fast and evenly - a brush is fine for detail, but a broom covers a whole parking space.
Jumbo-sized chalk sticks cover big background areas faster than standard sticks.
Premade chalk dust (washable, pre-ground chalk) is sold online if you'd rather skip grinding sticks yourself. Color options are limited, but it saves time.

Supplies and prep

A broom or leaf blower to clear loose gravel and debris off the pavement before you start.
A spray bottle of water and a towel to fix mistakes or clean up fuzzy lines as you go.
A hula hoop is an easy way to trace a large circle.
Knee pads or a foam kneeling pad make a couple hours on pavement easier on the knees.
Bring more chalk than you'd guess. It takes more than expected to cover pavement, even with a full stick.
Plan your design ahead of time so the two-hour window goes to decorating rather than figuring out what to do.
Bring water and snacks, and shade if it's warm out - a pop-up canopy or umbrella works well. Families who've done it say it's worth slowing down to walk around and see everyone else's spaces too.

How the Evening Was Run

Please come during the 5 to 7pm window, not earlier. The facility is rented on Sunday until early afternoon, so families are asked to wait until 5pm to be on campus.
Cars are not allowed in the student parking lot while families are decorating. That is the whole point of the evening, and it has to stay clear.
Where to park: there is space behind the school, and at the middle school and the elementary school next door. Park in one of those and walk in. Please do not park on the side of the street.
The drop-off loop in front of the school is for unloading, not parking. If you are bringing something bulky, pull into the loop, drop it off, and then go park - just do not block the roads while you do.
The PTSA had bottled water on hand. It was warm.
Weather: the plan was that rain would move the event, with Principal Pittman announcing a new date. It was not needed.

Still Need a Yard Sign or a Shirt?

Prepurchased yard signs were handed out at the distribution table that evening. Signs that were not collected are ready now for pickup from Christina Winter's porch - email [email protected]. See the Senior Signs page. This round of sign sales is open through September 15, and that batch will be announced for porch pickup when it arrives.

Senior shirts are a StuCo item, not a senior committee one. If your senior still needs one, contact Ms. Wooten ([email protected]) and pick it up at school. See Senior Shirts.

Questions?

Questions about this event go to Assistant Principal Will Kasapidis ([email protected]).

Photos

Roxane Warren's full set from the evening is going up on the AFHS PTSA senior page, the official home for senior photos, with more on @afhsptsa.

Questions about donations or volunteering? [email protected], or Christina Winter at [email protected] | collegehound.com/community/afhs/seniors

Last updated: August 25, 2026