WOODBURY — Nonnewaug’s newly licensed drivers whip into the parking lot. Parking in your spot soon becomes a game of bumper cars as more students are hit on campus and others swipe fellow students’ spots.

Can Nonnewaug’s upperclassmen face the stresses of parking on campus? 

“Some of these people here are ruthless,” junior Ava Hustek said. “I’m probably going to get hit at some point.” 

With a few accidents happening on campus this year, maybe these upperclassmen have something to stress about. 

“We have a lot of people pulling into spots and misjudging the distance and they hit the other car,” Nonnewaug School Resource Officer Chris O’Toole said. “So far we have had this [happen] three times this year.” 

While being in an accident, especially on school campus, can be frightening, there are certain things a student must do if this occurs. 

“The key is that a student should never leave a scene of an accident and to make sure they document everything with a professional first responder,” dean of students Declan Curtin said. 

While some students stress about driving on campus, others stress about parking and the diminishing number of spots left. There are 186 parking spots available for students at the start of the year, according to secretary Lisa Gombos, who manages student parking permits.

“It’s first come, first serve,” Gombos said. “We’re usually full by the end of January.”

For students like Macie Neumann, an NHS junior expecting to get her license in two months, she worries about both the availability and physical act of parking. 

“I am most definitely scared about parking. I drive a truck and I don’t know how to drive or park a truck,” Neumann said. “Parking is my biggest fear. I am also scared to park next to people with super nice cars, not that I plan on hitting anyone.”