As second semester parking applications are released, juniors question whether or not Rockshire parking spots will be available to them, as they have in previous years. “I am hoping juniors will be able to park at Rockshire because a lot of juniors have after school sports and activities that would make being able to drive to school a lot easier for them,” junior Kelly Baldwin said.
The answer is that juniors will not be given any spots.
Second semester, more seniors have their license in comparison to first semester, leading to an overwhelming number of parking applications received. Although the lot has not been full all of first semester, the second semester will be completely different. “First semester I didn’t apply for a parking spot because I didn’t have my license but I have applied for a spot second semester because I got my license late. A lot of other seniors I know are in the same situation as I am, without a spot first semester and hoping for a spot second semester,” senior Madison Linn said.
Juniors have different reasons for needing to drive to school such as after-school sports, jobs, parents unable to provide a ride, and unreachable bus stop locations. “I have a before- school activity that would make it a lot easier for me to be able to drive to school in the mornings because then I don’t have to depend on my parents who have work and other priorities to drive me to school every morning,” junior Kyler Hamlin said.
Seniors have always had priority when it comes to parking, even if that means there are no available spots for juniors. “There are too many seniors applying for a spot to be able to make spots available to juniors. Seniors wait three years to park in the lot, and I believe it is a right for the seniors to have priority when it comes to receiving a parking spot,” assistant principal Dr. Tiffany Awkard said.
Juniors who were able to drive themselves to school first semester feel strongly about getting these spots taken away from them. “Being able to drive myself to school in the mornings has made school a lot easier on myself as well as my parents because I no longer have to depend on them for a ride. I understand that seniors get priority when it comes to parking, which is completely fair, but it is unfortunate to all the juniors who were able to take themselves to school for the first half of the year,” junior Ron Berlin said.
