Imagine a typical school morning: you roll out of bed at 6:30, throw on the sweatshirt that’s been on your floor for a few days, grab a granola bar and drive to school. You finally pull into Lot D at 7:20 after maneuvering through parent drop-off traffic, to find there are zero parking spots. After circling around the entire school and scoring a spot at the bottom of Lot C, you run up the hill, but arrive in class a few minutes after the bell. 

     According to a recently conducted Schoology survey, 66.3% of students surveyed have been late to class because they could not find a parking spot in the morning. 

“I need to leave my house by 6:40 if I want to find a spot in Lot D most days; but if I do that then I sit in a line to get into Lot D from 7-7:15 which wastes gas and my time”, Will Altman, ‘19, said.

There are 268 available spots on the WHHS campus for students. This year, however, WHHS sold 297 students parking passes, Mr. Duermit, WHHS’ Dean of Discipline informed The Chatterbox.  This gap of 29 may not seem significant, but due to numbers of students being late to class and called out of class for parking related issues, the parking situation has become a spiralling problem.

Although there are usually a few spare spots in Lot C, many students are too weary to walk up the hill along south field. “Our backpacks weigh nearly 25 pounds, I carry a binder in my hand, I have a lunch, and occasionally a sports bag with me.  That is way too much stuff to try and lug up that [South Field] hill”, Maggie Cavellier, ‘19, said.

Many students also have afterschool activities they need to get to straight from school. , “I have a commitment right after school that, unless I have a good parking spot, I will always be late to,” SENIOR Vivan Lacerda said.

Not only is it difficult to find parking, but it is also challenging to access the places students and faculty are permitted to park. “To get a good parking spot without being in traffic, you have to either be super early to school or late. There needs to be a [parking] lot for students where parents aren’t dropping off their kids, so there won’t be traffic.” SENIOR Safia Ludwig said.

Throughout the years, the parking situation on WHHS campus has continually repeated itself every year.  Angry students, angry teachers and angry administrators.  So why hasn’t there been any change? 

According to Duermit, the school is attempting to buy the houses on Pleasant View Ave., just behind Lot A off of Blair.  The school would then create additional parking off the land bought.  However, that is a long term fix and likely would not happen for many years to come.

For the short term, there has been discussion of granting select SENIORS spots in Lot A starting in the springtime, when many sophomores begin to drive to school.  Again, that would not go in effect until the spring and would only affect a handful of students.  

The standard disciplinary action for students who violate the parking requirements goes as follows: 

1.) A call to the office by Mr. Duermit followed by a warning and mark on your powerschool account.

2.) A second call to the office by Mr. Duermit where you will receive a Friday School

3.) If a third call occurs, Mr. Duermit determines the extent of punishment received

Although there is no confirmation, the administration is discussing possibilities to solve the issue. One solution could be to assign parking spots based on seniority.  This would entail delegating a lot closest to the school to SENIORS and assigning a parking space to students who purchase a parking pass.

At many high schools around Cincinnati, this orderly method of parking has already taken effect. Some high schools even have a tradition of giving the SENIORS the option to paint their designated parking spaces with a design of choice.

If the administration deems this solution unsuitable, one thing is still clear: WHHS needs to figure out a way to effectively reasses the parking situation that infuriates many students, faculty and staff.