When senior year comes to mind, the most obvious things that cause students stress are college applications, exams, sports and making it through their final high school year. This year, however, seniors had a whole new issue to worry about: obtaining a parking spot at school. Due to the construction in the back parking lot, faculty members have been taking up student parking spots, disallowing any students from parking on school grounds for the first two weeks of school.
Although there is an argument that buses can always be used for transportation, students who participate in after school activities such as sports and clubs need a way to get home after school, since late buses are not available until October. Furthermore, Ossian Hall Park, which will offer 48 new spots for students upon completion, most likely will not be open for use until after Columbus Day.
These complications are causing strong reactions among seniors. Put simply, the lack of parking space is aggravating because, “there’s not a lot of it,” said senior Alay Tedla. “I took the bus the first two weeks of school, and I didn’t like it, because I’m a senior and I shouldn’t have to.”
“I rode the bus, and I have to get up really early, and it’s very crowded,” added senior Tori Gowland.
Some seniors are bypassing the bus route and insisting on parking at the First Presbyterian Church on Newcastle Drive, which has several spots around the outside of its parking lot. These spots are taken every day on a first come, first serve basis, meaning that they fill up very early. Because of the recent events, the demand is even higher, causing some students to leave for school as early as 6 a.m.
“We’re having to get up an entire hour earlier than last year to get a spot at the church because they’re the only spots available,” said senior Molly Sgrecci. “It’s a huge hassle,” added senior Elisa Figueroa.
On Sept. 15, students who applied for parking spots this year were picked and assigned them, although not all applicants were able to secure a spot. Out of about 160 applicants, only 63 spots were available. Criteria that went into picking students for spots included: good attendance, behavior and grades, as well as no financial obligations.
“I can only explain the process of picking spots to the students who were not chosen; how it was determined,” said Assistant Principal Jamie Carayiannis, who was in charge of distributing the spaces. “We only have 63 spaces; someone’s not going to get a spot. Kids who deserve a space can’t have one and it stinks. I feel bad for them.”
“I was furious when I didn’t get a spot,” said senior Matt McCartney. Senior Ben Kiesel added, “I was lost for words. My mom will probably drive me the rest of the year now.”
An added problem for students who did not receive spots is that not only will their normal schedule change, but also sports and extra-curricular conflicts come up.
“I’m not very mad that I didn’t get a spot, but I guess I can understand. I live close to the school, so for me it was just a commodity for practice,” said senior Raquel Ruiz, who runs cross country. “I’ll walk to school this year.”
The situation may seem grim now for those who must find alternative means of transportation, but it could be looking up in the future.
“We’re trying to negotiate with the park authority at Ossian Hall Park to get additional spaces; we’re trying to make it better,” Carayiannis added. “We have been saddled with this, and we’re doing everything we can to fix it. If people are patient, hopefully by November I think things will work out.”
