Usually, parking spaces for juniors are not easy to get and they have used the parking lots at Rockshire, the nearby church or at Frost. Parking in these spots has become increasingly harder. Rockshire seems to be off limits this year. To park at Frost, you need to be approved. In short, juniors are usually on their own when it comes to finding parking and often have to walk distances to get to their cars. However, this year it is different for junior drivers. This year, juniors have had the opportunity to secure parking spots in the school lot.

The number of senior drivers wanting parking spots didn’t fill the whole lot this year. Usually, the process of getting a parking spot is first come, first serve; and oftentimes there are not enough spots for a whole grade. In previous years, seniors have been forced to leave their classes early in hopes of getting in line quick enough to secure a spot.

The class of 2024 has 432 members, while the seniors from the class of 2023 had 534 members. This is one of the reasons that juniors have had access to parking spots. However, according to the MCPS data from the 2022-2023 school year, the class of 2025 is bigger than the current senior class. That raises questions on whether the upcoming juniors, the class of 2026, will have the opportunity to park in the school lot. “I am not sure where I will end up parking next year if I don’t get a spot because I don’t think parking at Rockshire is allowed,” sophomore Danielle Rubin said.

In the past, juniors did not get parking spots for reasons including the fact that the lot was not big enough for both classes. “There are already frequent car accidents in our parking lot as it is and it makes it more dangerous if juniors, who are newer drivers, are in the parking lot,” sophomore Blake Graham said.

The class of 2025 has been lucky to be able to secure parking spots, especially when the rules for the parking at Rockshire and other parking places near the school are constantly being changed. “It was really nice to be able to park in the lot for my junior year and not have to walk from Rockshire or Frost like a lot of people have had to do,” junior Ashley London said.