Senior year marks a multitude of new experiences and privileges at WJ such as painting your name on the shed, showing senior spirit by wearing green for pep rallies, attending senior Prom and of course, earning a coveted parking spot in the student lot. But, because of the limited number of spots available and a class consisting of over 700 students, several seniors did not receive a parking permit. As a result, these students will have to park off campus or find alternative ways to commute to and from school.
“I was really pissed off when I didn’t get a permit because I felt like I had a lot of legitimate reasons for needing one,” senior Angela Lynch said. “I have a job, an after-school internship, sports and I need to pick up my siblings from school.”
This year, permits were first reserved for seniors who are in the child development program, dual enrolling at Montgomery College or completing an internship through WJ’s internship program. The rest of the first semester permits were handed out based on a random lottery system, meaning that no matter their commitments or special circumstances, all students had an equal chance of earning a parking spot.
“You would assume they would take people with abbreviated schedules and those who are sports captains higher up on the list,” senior Lydia Stelnyk said. “The lottery really only makes sense for the group of students who want a parking pass for convenience, but doesn’t make sense for students who rely on having a permit.”
Stelnyk, who had a permit the second semester of her junior year due to abnormal circumstances, was denied a permit as a senior. The WJ administration has a record of her circumstances.
“I’m still trying to figure something out because I don’t have another way to get to school that isn’t counterintuitive to the accommodations that help my health,” Stelnyk said.
Like Stelnyk, each student has personal reasons to seek out a parking permit, whether it be a varsity sport, after-school job or family reasons. Being a part of senior class leadership is another one of these unique responsibilities, but senior class treasurer Mane Torossian was let down as well.
“When I got the email saying I didn’t get a permit, I was shocked because I didn’t know there was a way for me not to get one,” Torossian said. “I thought there were enough spots for everyone, but I realize that it’s important to give spots to kids with internships. I think they should have also prioritized students who play sports and participate in different clubs more because I feel like the part of the application where students can talk about their activities wasn’t really listened to.”
The permit application form specifically asks students what responsibilities or commitments they believe should qualify them for a permit. Many students feel that this section of the form was not fully taken into consideration when administration decided who would receive a permit.
“I don’t think the lottery is a fair way to hand out permits,” Lynch said. “I think they should do it more based on the activities and responsibilities students have and how far away they are because I have to drive to DC and further places after school.”
Seniors will have another opportunity to apply for a parking permit for the second semester as the current permits are only valid for the first semester. Even after the countless complaints, there is an upside to missing out on this senior year privilege.
“Maybe this is a blessing in disguise because so many cars have been hit already in the parking lot and I wouldn’t want mine to be next,” Lynch said.
