Opinion
Staff-only lot gets students fired up
By Madi Piispanen
Published March 1, 2023
One of the many things changing at AHS is students not being allowed to park in the lot by the secure entrance. Everyone knows that lot as the “Staff Parking Lot,” but there's nothing that really indicates that's what it is until this year. Starting just a couple of weeks ago, students' cars will be towed if they are parked in that lot as the school is trying to make that lot an official staff parking lot, which has never really been brought up until this year.
When this started happening, students started getting irritated at teachers parking in the dirt lot. Dean of Students Jim Henrickson said, “The dirt parking lot is for anybody, anybody can use that. But as far as I know, every school provides a staff parking lot.” Some may ask why can’t students buy a parking space for the whole school year if they wanted to so they know they’ll have a guaranteed spot and wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they’ll get a spot every day. Then also if someone parked in your spot they could get their vehicle towed. However, Mr. Henrickson also brought up another good point: our school just doesn’t have the space for everyone to get their own parking spot.
The whole problem with our parking lots at AHS is that there isn’t enough room for everyone to be able to have a space with or without a system being used for it. Both the parking lots that students are allowed to use are for anyone to park there. Though everyone calls the parking lot across from the North doors the “Senior Parking Lot,” it really isn’t. Anyone could park there, but students are too afraid to because of the seniors being upset with them.
Our school was built in 1894 right in the middle of town with only two small parking lots and then the church parking lot across from us. When they built our school they didn’t build it around parking because automobiles were still in their infancy. People walked or rode the bus to school. If our school wanted to build another parking lot they would have to buy houses and then demolish them, and that isn’t something they are going to do. It’s hard for us students to deal with this, but when you think about it there would have to be a lot of things to do for us to be able to have another parking lot.
Published March 1, 2023
One of the many things changing at AHS is students not being allowed to park in the lot by the secure entrance. Everyone knows that lot as the “Staff Parking Lot,” but there's nothing that really indicates that's what it is until this year. Starting just a couple of weeks ago, students' cars will be towed if they are parked in that lot as the school is trying to make that lot an official staff parking lot, which has never really been brought up until this year.
When this started happening, students started getting irritated at teachers parking in the dirt lot. Dean of Students Jim Henrickson said, “The dirt parking lot is for anybody, anybody can use that. But as far as I know, every school provides a staff parking lot.” Some may ask why can’t students buy a parking space for the whole school year if they wanted to so they know they’ll have a guaranteed spot and wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they’ll get a spot every day. Then also if someone parked in your spot they could get their vehicle towed. However, Mr. Henrickson also brought up another good point: our school just doesn’t have the space for everyone to get their own parking spot.
The whole problem with our parking lots at AHS is that there isn’t enough room for everyone to be able to have a space with or without a system being used for it. Both the parking lots that students are allowed to use are for anyone to park there. Though everyone calls the parking lot across from the North doors the “Senior Parking Lot,” it really isn’t. Anyone could park there, but students are too afraid to because of the seniors being upset with them.
Our school was built in 1894 right in the middle of town with only two small parking lots and then the church parking lot across from us. When they built our school they didn’t build it around parking because automobiles were still in their infancy. People walked or rode the bus to school. If our school wanted to build another parking lot they would have to buy houses and then demolish them, and that isn’t something they are going to do. It’s hard for us students to deal with this, but when you think about it there would have to be a lot of things to do for us to be able to have another parking lot.