Around seven o’clock each morning hundreds of students flow into Scituate High School. This chaos is only matched by the swarm of cars behind the building in the junior and senior parking lots, as those students attempt to pull in and get through an open door to homeroom before the 7:18 a.m. bell. This year the parking lot drama is on high alert.
Examining the windshields of cars down each row, bright yellow slips from the office can be seen glistening in the morning dew as assistant principle Ms. Grindle dutifully checks parking passes to make sure students are in their correct parking places and have indeed paid for the privilege that is parking at SHS.
The morning of October 4th, all juniors and seniors received a slip of paper in homeroom advising them to park in their own spots and have their tags visible. It also said, “If you find your spot occupied by another vehicle, please notify the front office immediately.” The note encouraged students to arrive early to school.
Seniors recalled the first week of school when certain disgruntled classmates came in saying, “Who is parking in my spot everyday?” Accusations ran high.
Another senior who often parked in other spots in the senior parking lot because hers is “too hard to pull into” received a handwritten letter from a spot owner protecting his territory. “Next time don’t take my spot,” the letter read, and this set that senior girl straight.
According to senior Jenn Mulkern, it’s a “long vicious cycle of everyone stealing each other’s spots.” Her story included a neighbor’s spot being taken, in which that neighbor moved into her spot, and she therefore took her other neighbor’s spot, continuing the spot stealing “cycle.”
Spot stealing is just sport to some. A senior boy said he stole spots previously claimed and paid for by his fellow classmates because “it’s fun.” Only once has someone actually waited behind his car beeping continuously until he reluctantly backed out of the spot and went to find another.
Emily Burridge said that as she arrived late to school one morning someone had parked in her spot already. Finding another she pulled in and went about her day as usual. As the end of the day approached she meandered to her car to head home, and a yellow slip was on her windshield asking her not to park there anymore. It was a misunderstanding, but where should Emily park if her original spot has been taken?
There is drama in the junior parking lot as well. One boy arrived in the lot last week to find that the car of the spot holder next to him was in his own spot. “I asked him about it, he was very sorry and it was just a mix up.”
Other juniors have received yellow slips for not having their white passes visible on their car. “I was upset because I didn’t have my pass on my car, even though I was in the right spot and did nothing wrong,” said junior John Foster.
Ms. Grindle believes that this issue is about “mutual respect.” She also said “There is no drama, we just need people to follow the rules.”
To those of students who don’t understand the importance of spots Ms. Grindle reminds them that there are faculty and parents who arrive after 7 a.m. and they have spots designated for them and cannot have them taken.
Students should try other doors instead of just the Cafeteria for entrance in the mornings. If your spot is in the junior lot one might suggest a walk past the gym, by the sheds and dumpster, through door D2 leading to the small gym.
Ms. McCarthy thinks students should take advantage of this door, “there are six total students, usually hockey parent drops offs and walkers. They don’t lock that door until after homeroom.”
Its apparent that the old ways of parking freedom in the junior and senior parking lots are over. To those of you wondering what spring will hold, when the seniors are out of school, only time will tell.