This year more than ever, parking here at Nashoba has become a big issue for the students. There has been many debates about practically everything to do with parking. From the amount of spots available to the price of the passes, no one seems to be happy about the parking situation.

There are very few parking spots available to the 600 or so students looking for one. Most of the junior and senior class have a driver’s license and a car, and therefore wish to drive to school instead of taking the bus. Unfortunately for many, this is not an option.

Seniors are given first rights to sign up for a parking pass, and juniors are allowed to sign up for any remaining spots afterwards. Though this sounds like a good plan in theory, the actuality of it is that it did not work out very well at all.

Many juniors were not able to sign up either because they did not have their full license at the time when it was required, though many got theirs just weeks later, or simply because there were no spots left.

Since the issue is that there are more students than spots, a different way to solve this seemingly complex issue is that the school could expand the parking lot’s size. Cost should not be an issue as they were able to build a new field for $1 million dollars* a few years back, which serves only a portion of the students in the school, whereas expanding the parking lot would serve all eligible students.

As for where they could expand to, there are a few options. They could cut down some of the trees found behind the student parking lot, or they could tear down one of the two tennis courts, considering the school really does not need or use both.

Opposers of a larger lot state that driving to school is a privilege not a right, and that the buses are always available. Though this is true, by the time someone is a junior or a senior, someone will have spent two years trying to rush every morning to make the bus that often comes at a slightly different time everyday, making missing it a very real possibility. The buses are also in very poor shape, with the ripped and dirty seat cushions and the minimal room to sit or place your things. Catching the bus at the end of the day is also stressful for many, especially if a teacher keeps someone after the bell or someone simply needs to go to his locker. There is also the issue of needing to stay after and your parent having to pick you up because you can’t drive home yourself. Lastly, if someone has study first period or last period, it would make sense for them to want to come in late or leave early, but they cannot do this without a car.

Though there are many improvements that need to be made in the school, like the air conditioning or the holes in the ceilings, parking space is still an important thing to consider. Of course, the school is likely to focus on fixing the things they find most important, so if we, collectively as students, show the need for these changes we may very well get them.