On Sept. 15, the Parkie Selection Committee announced Deep Run High School as the recipient of the 2025 Parkie Award via an official press release. The Parkie, awarded by a panel of experts from a wide range of parking-related backgrounds, represents the pinnacle of parking lot artistry, functionality, and cultural significance.
“Never in Parkie history have we received an entry so deserving of the award,” the release stated. “It far exceeds even such classics as the Short Pump Town Center, the Cook Out on Pouncey Tract, and every single Trader Joe’s location.”
“We were surprised to learn that the parking lot is unpopular among Deep Run parents, students, and staff. We can’t possibly see why,” the release continued. “They should consider themselves lucky to experience this masterpiece of postmodern vehicular architecture every day.”
In an interview with The Sentinel, Tess LaCarr, the Deep Run parking lot’s chief architect, expressed gratitude for the highly coveted award.
“This is truly the highlight of my career. Every parking lot architect dreams of this moment, but not many actually get to experience it,” LaCarr said. “Now my parents will finally shut up about my sister’s Nobel prize.”
Though LaCarr was honored by her initial nomination in July, she did not expect to win Parkie gold.
“Frankly, I’m shocked,” LaCarr said. “I put off the project until the night before the deadline. I’d had a few too many that night, so I sketched out the whole parking lot on a cocktail napkin. ‘Not my best work,’ I thought at the time. How wrong I was.”
Will Valet, a leading parking theorist at the University of Phoenix and author of The Modern Garage, was especially impressed by Deep Run’s “revolutionary” submission.
“I’m fascinated by Deep Run’s avant-garde approach to parking,” Valet said. “Parking nowadays is a painfully straightforward process. At Deep Run, however, it’s different. It’s a thrilling experience, one with twists, turns, and obstacles galore—a Homeric epic of the morning commute. The driver is Odysseus; the asphalt, the mighty Aegean.”
Valet also lauded the parking lot’s strategic lack of access to and from Twin Hickory Road.
“Deep Run has very few entrances and exits, effectively eliminating the age-old dilemma of choosing which one to take. We very rarely see this level of intentional design,” said Valet. “And since nearly all pedestrians are funnelled into the same small crosswalk, students have a built-in opportunity to catch up and chat as they jostle for an opening. Evidently, they enjoy it so much that they often forget red means ‘stop,’ our field team noted.”
The Parkie Selection Committee was also impressed by Deep Run’s parking staff and their tireless support of the school community.
“Deep Run has spared no expense. They’ve even hired a full-time traffic marshall, so dedicated that he’s almost always seen wearing a suit and tie—even in 90-degree weather. He runs that parking lot with such ruthless efficiency, someone ought to promote him straight to school principal,” Julia Cruz-Contrell, lead of the Selection Committee, said. “I overheard a student refer to him as Dr. Fellows—a doctor of parking, no doubt.”
Despite her overwhelming praise, Cruz-Contrell had one notable critique to offer.
“I appreciate LaCarr’s decision to design parking spaces accessible only through the drop-off area. It gives commuting students a chance to take a long pause to practice mindfulness as they wait behind unhurried parents,” Cruz-Contrell said. “However, this single drop-off zone simply isn’t enough. Nowadays, having two or three choke points is considered optimal, as it allows drivers to pause for an average of 14 and a half minutes to take in the natural environment before sliding into a parking spot.”
LaCarr is set to officially accept the award on behalf of Deep Run High School on Oct. 5 at the International Car Park Convention, held in the parking garage of New York City’s Madison Square Garden. While there, she will also share details on her upcoming appearance on the Netflix reality series Parking with the Stars.
