If you ask any SHS student what stresses them out in the morning, most won’t say homework or tests; they’ll say parking. Between the senior lot, the junior lot, painted spaces, parking passes and surprise tickets, it feels like the whole system is more confusing than it needs to be. After talking to several students it’s pretty clear that almost nobody is satisfied with how parking works right now.
The senior lot is supposed to be one of those things students look forward to since freshman year. But a lot of seniors say it isn’t really the “perk” it’s made out to be, as outside circumstances compromise the experience.
“I just park wherever,” Nate Pyles, senior, said. But even he gets annoyed when underclassmen take the best spots and seniors have to park way in the back.
And in the winter, it gets worse. Students said that walking from the far end of the lot in freezing weather doesn’t feel like something seniors should have to deal with after waiting three years. Many feel like the senior lot should actually come with senior advantages, not longer walks.
The price of parking passes is another thing students question.
“The parking passes are so expensive. Just to park in our own lot we have to pay and I think it should be free. It feels like a ‘senior tax’”, Harsh Patel, senior, said.
Even after buying a pass, students still stress about breaking a rule they didn’t know existed or ending up with a ticket. Some also pointed out that no one really knows where the money goes.
“I hope it goes to school supplies or sports, but I’ve never really heard anything about where the money actually goes,” Malik Hassan, junior, said. When you’re paying that much, it’s fair to want to know where your money is going.
Painted senior spots are supposed to be one of the most fun parts of senior year. But this year, they’ve also caused confusion. Some students said their painted spots weren’t protected or respected. The guidelines given were unclear and gave people the impression that you could show up at any time and start painting without any sort of check in.
“I just had my dad buy me a reserved spot by the athletic office because I didn’t want to go through the hassle of painting a spot and having to walk super far into school every morning,” Kate Jurcich, senior, said.
Tickets came up in almost every conversation.
“It seems kind of stupid that seniors get ticketed at all even if you don’t have a pass, since it’s a lot specifically made for us,” Jevonte Freeman, senior, said.
According to the Guidance Office, most of the revenue made from students buying parking passes or paying to buy a painted spot goes to any future construction needs for the parking lots, as well as the materials and labor of making the next year’s parking passes.
Some days the rules seem strict, and other days nobody checks anything. When the enforcement changes constantly, students feel like the system is random instead of fair.
By senior year, students feel like they’ve earned some trust. Getting ticketed in the lot they paid for feels like the opposite of that.
Parking shouldn’t feel like the hardest part of the school day. Strongsville has plenty of space and plenty of students who follow the rules. With a few changes and clearer guidelines, mornings could be a lot less stressful and a lot more fair for everyone who drives to school.
