Quincy Williams
Contributing Writer
Students have faced ongoing challenges with parking availability, with some reporting frequent tardiness, warnings and difficulty finding spots near campus.
By sharing student experiences and facts, it calls for the school to take a closer look at the problem.
Secretary Julia Huelsman said there are 190 student parking spots, but only a portion is available to most students. Some are reserved for Thrive, SouthTech and Junior Buddy programs.
Passes cost $60 and usually sell out within the first hour of registration. Once spots are gone, students are put on a waitlist.
Junior DJ Bowen said he has been late multiple times due to a lack of available parking spots, which has led to detention. He typically parks in front of Roberts Gym and said while he doesn’t need to arrive early for that spot, he has occasionally had to park on Lockwood Avenue due to no space being available.
Bowen also mentioned receiving warnings for parking both in the student parking lot and on the side of the school. While he acknowledges that there are open spots in the back lot, he said they are off limits to students without a parking sticker, leaving usable spaces inaccessible.
Sophomore Drew Hedenberg also described challenges with parking, calling the experience “extremely frustrating.” Because sophomores aren’t allowed to park in the student lots, Hedenberg said he has to search for parking in surrounding areas, sometimes driving around long enough to make him late to class. He stated he must arrive by 8 a.m. at the latest to find a decent spot and has also received tickets or warnings for parking in unauthorized spots.
Senior Colin Lopez said parking was more difficult during his junior year, when he didn’t have a pass and had to walk two blocks from his car to school, which caused several tardies. Lopez said, “There were times Junior year where I had to make that walk and it got me a few tardies.”
Now, with a pass, Lopez parks in the second student lot to avoid after-school traffic and hasn’t had many issues finding a spot, even when arriving just five to 10 minutes before the bell. He mentioned receiving one warning after switching to a new car and not yet displaying his parking sticker.
Senior Carl Whitehead does not own a student parking pass and he said he usually arrives 20 minutes early to find a spot, and despite that, he’s still been late to class multiple times.
Whitehead said, “I struggle finding a parking spot every day. It is very annoying and time-consuming. I usually park a few blocks away from the actual school, so having to walk and park that far every day is pretty annoying.”
Huelsman said there are no further talks or plans to add more parking. Addressing this problem could help reduce tardiness and stress, and improve the morning routine.
Support Our Sponsors
