WOODBURY — As many students, teachers, and administrators know, driving can be fun and gets us from point A to point B. Yet driving is a privilege, and as the school year comes to an end, many sophomores feel entitled to park wherever they would like in the junior lot. 

Even though the junior parking lot is first-come, first-serve, for many juniors and seniors who have not yet acquired an assigned spot in the senior section, this parking lot has become their go-to for parking this spring semester. 

The dilemma of parking leaves juniors and seniors stranded trying to find a spot each morning. Mayhem ensues both in the morning and when leaving after period 7. Unfortunately, students have felt the pain of the parking lots’ congestion and received tardies because drivers couldn’t find a new spot quick enough due to lack of space. 

“We can’t really open [the parking lot] to sophomores since we still have some juniors waiting for spots to park,” says assistant principal Taryn Fernandez. “This leaves [sophomores] left out and incapable of driving into school.” 

Sophomores parking in the gravel lot leaves many upperclassmen scrambling to find a space to leave their car, which creates more parking issues for the school. 

“We had to wait years to park, so they should have to,” said Kennis McCarthy, an NHS junior.

Driving isn’t only helpful for those juniors and seniors getting to school; it’s helpful for getting them from school to work. When parking is unorganized, it takes longer for many students to get out and can result in those students being late to work.

“Sophomores can’t be parking here. It leaves us incapable of parking and it’s hard to find a spot after 7:10 a.m. because they are all taken,” says Timothy Humiston, junior at NHS.

Many upperclassmen have been in the sophomores’ position and understand the reasoning behind being so eager to drive to school. It’s fun, yet it leaves upperclassmen without spots and forces them to find another spot or park in someone else’s spot, leading to more conflict.