What do seniors dread each and every morning? The pandemonium of the senior parking lot. With such limited spots for hundreds of seniors and oversold passes, there is never a guarantee of security when trying to acquire a parking spot. That 5 dollars we dug out of our pocket the first day of school in return for a small sticker can’t even guarantee the parking spot to the car it sticks to. It means nothing. And I don’t want to hear “Be responsible and wake up early to get a spot.” We as high schoolers already wake up as early as 6 am with the anxiety of trying to get a spot with such limited parking adding to the stress of school and activities.
Not only were more passes sold than parking spots available, there are many new drivers that do not qualify for this parking lot. The spots that are meant for seniors who waited three years prior and paid their dues for the chance of parking are being taken by those that feel entitled to senior parking. The first few weeks gave everyone hope that this problem would be solved by a simple glance of a sticker, but as the year goes on, the matter gets less pressing and the juniors parking in the senior lot seems to go more and more unnoticed. This can be very frustrating for the seniors that paid money and then watched it appear to go for waste.
Many seniors with study hall first period get to school during the second period when the spots are already taken by stickerless cars. This forces seniors to park on streets far from the school which can usually result in tardiness or even a ticket. Sometimes seniors have no other choice and have to park on streets that do not allow parking during certain times in order to avoid lateness. The consequence of this is a ticket, a financial punishment for doing the right thing of trying to get to school on time. This is becoming more and more of an issue, as just the other day, a whole row of cars were served with tickets.
The juniors are given several options other than taking spots from the people that paid for them. Some examples include parking in the junior lot and walking a little further to school, taking the bus, or getting a ride from a trusted senior or parent. Waiting one more year to use the senior lot is not so hard when you remember everyone else had to do it as well. I know the struggle of walking to school as I did it everyday since elementary school, so having the ability to drive my senior year has been very rewarding and everyone else should have the same great experience… when they are seniors!
