The parking lot located next to the football field is a huge pain for seniors just trying to go home after a long day of school. The crowdedness, road rage and scratched cars found in there are just some of the reasons the parking lot is a mess. This all stems from the lack of space provided for the seniors and their sub-par parking skills.

For a school of roughly 3,000 kids, the small parking lot is not enough space for the amount of cars on campus. Only about 200 kids are given a parking pass for the senior lot, which is located by the football and baseball fields including spots only behind the red line (roughly halfway). This leaves over half of the senior class with no parking spot.

As you can imagine, this causes a lot of issues with finding spots. Many students choose to park illegally without a pass, or in the staff lot. As someone with a parking pass, it can be difficult some days to get a spot in the senior lot even though I paid for my pass.

There are Z lot spaces available, but at the cost of a five to eight minute walk to the school which is the reality for some students. The Z lot offers few spaces for students, not even scratching the surface of the insufficient spaces issue.

Another complication that comes from the crowded parking lot is the insane traffic that comes at 3:20 p.m. every day. Getting into the parking lot is one thing, but trying to leave is a nightmare. I’ve waited in lines as long as 20 minutes to get home after school.

It’s always a gamble how long it will take to get out. It’s like a race trying to get out of class as soon as the bell rings and leave the parking lot as fast as possible to avoid the congestion of everyone leaving. This creates a competitive atmosphere, as many seniors are still not comfortable driving through the congested exits of the lot.

The skill level of drivers in the parking lot also contributes to the car scratching issue. The parking lot is so overcrowded that cars are often getting hit or dinged. Most of the time, students won’t even address the issue and drive away.

Overall, the DGS senior parking lot should be expanded to capture the entire space. Giving more people an opportunity to park close would boost the moods of many seniors. In the end it is generous, less road rage inducing and minimizes car accidents all through the expansion of the lot.