“It’s still a mess… park at your own risk,” secretary to the assistant principal Ms. Roerden said.
Due to overcrowding and unsatisfactory conditions, seniors have been experiencing issues with finding available spots in the student parking lot. Some juniors have been parking their cars in the spaces as well, causing a dispute regarding which students should receive priority to park in the lot.
“As a senior, I feel like it’s a right of passage to be able to park my car that I bought with my hard-earned money in the senior lot. However, that lot is becoming more and more of a disaster,” senior Rosie Zehnter said.
As many seniors begin to take advantage of the opportunity to drive to school, there has been a lack of open parking spots for students. Since multiple juniors have also begun to park in the lot, students have experienced parking jams and overcrowding. Many have also had to park in puddles or amidst other unfavorable areas due to the structure of the lot.
“I’ve had to park in the massive puddle many times since it remains undrained, and people don’t know how to park since there are no lines… our lot shouldn’t have a lake in the middle of it,” Zehnter said.
Many seniors believe that parking in the lot should remain a privilege for seniors exclusively. However, some juniors have disagreed, arguing that juniors who are 17 years old can legally obtain a license through specific conditions under NY state law.
“I personally think the lot is manageable,” junior Mackenzie Moon said. “I don’t think it’s overcrowded, especially if you get there early. Anyone with a class D license and NHP parking sticker should be able to park there.”
To combat this issue, it was decided that parking tags would be given to those who require parking spaces in order to keep track of the students who were parking in the lot.
“I think parking tags are really helpful to determine who belongs in the lot and who doesn’t. I think it’s a privilege given to seniors and they should have priority to park there,” senior Olivia Tomalska said.
Unfortunately, many students are still experiencing difficulties finding space due to the fact that the amount of cars has exceeded the available space.
“I’ve had to weave between cars parked in the middle of the lot just to get out… and some of these juniors have parking tags, which means the main office isn’t making sure it’s just the senior lot,” Zehnter said.
Though the school is making an effort to ease the conflict, a solution that satisfies both juniors and seniors has not yet been reached. As of now, all the students that park in the lot are adjusting as needed to the current conditions.
