Leslie Gill

     Every school year, students at Hereford dread the daily grind of getting a parking spot. Although there are three locations to park and each lot has a good amount of parking spaces, students frequently complain about the cost of the parking sticker, the lack of spots, and the lack of seniority.

     Teenagers are known for their exaggerations and never-ending complaining. However, these students have good points and ideas when it comes to the parking situation.

     Although we are fortunate with the amount of parking on campus, seniors believe they deserve priority in the school lot. With internships and early-release schedules, this option would benefit the seniors tremendously. Maura Monti (12) agrees that “seniors should take priority over the juniors” since she has an internship after school in the city and a guaranteed spot would save her a lot of time.

     Having priority in a school lot would make mornings much easier for a lot of students. Luckily for the underclassmen, a new parking lot will be added where the farm animals are kept. The parking lot will be finished by the beginning of next year.

     When asked if that lot could possibly be for seniors only, Mr. Jira and Officer Snyder both agreed that it was “not a problem” for them, but they explained that it is Mr. Last’s choice. Unfortunately, the class of 2013 will not have this privilege.

     Students often get agitated with the first come-first served parking situation. Although this should encourage students to arrive to school early, many students who can’t get a spot spend their mornings finding a spot down Bunker Hill, which is a long walk from school. Jack Christensen (12) thinks that students should be “excused from being late from parking down Bunker Hill” and administrators should be more lenient towards parking. Jack is frequently late to homeroom due to parking on Bunker Hill.

     Having assigned spots for students would easily solve this problem. No one would waste time looking for an open spot, or be late to school due to parking issues. Mackenzie Lange (12) thinks this would be a great idea, because “it would allow students to arrive at the same time, preventing them to rush and possibly be late for school.” Each student would be satisfied because he would have his own parking spot once registered. However, Officer Snyder said this would be “too much work.”

     The $15 each driver must spend for the parking sticker is frequently complained about. Maura thinks the cost is too high and would rather pay $10 or less. Most students agree that they wouldn’t pay over the current price, considering the problems with the parking situation.

     Many students wonder where the $15 for the parking stickers go. Mr. Jira said the money is used for “safety and security” which includes road signs, painting roads, and cones. Mr. Jira also confirmed that they use all of the money they get from the stickers every time.

     While some students are content with the current parking situation, students can talk about their ideas and complaints to the administrators to make the parking situation more suitable for the students who are driving.