Let’s be honest with ourselves, it just has to be the worst feeling when you get up late in the morning, you are rushing around to get ready, you get to school a little bit later than you usually do and you don’t get to park where you do all the time.
These parking spots at Utica fill up so quickly in the mornings due to the fact that students are very passionate about getting the parking spot that they want.
This year is a lot different, COVID has changed a lot of rules in the parking lots.
Whether it is right in front of the band door, in front of the office doors, or even junior lot- students have picked favorites.
“For me, I honestly cannot stand parking in the junior lot,” junior Jack Droelle said. “It is such a far walk from the behind the football stadium, across the street, behind Utica, and all the way up to the office doors. I feel like parking in the junior lot is the same thing as if you are just asking to be late to first hour. The best spot that I usually park in would be right in front of the band doors in the front row. At the end of the day, I always come out to be the first in line and I’m right behind all of the busses, so that helps me to avoid all of the parking lot traffic.”
Students this year, due to COVID reasons, were not required to pay for a parking pass. All juniors and seniors who want to drive have to fill out an online parking form that is in the Utica website.
The junior parking lot is located behind the football stadium that is across the street from Utica. If students park there, they must walk across the street and head towards the back of Utica to where the main office doors are located.
The senior parking lot is located at Utica, teachers has designated parking spots right in front of the office doors, and the rest of the parking lot is for the students to park.
“I like to park in the junior lot because I get out of school before the busses and everyone else,” senior Raymond Altmann said. “I really don’t think that the walk is that bad at all. It only takes two minutes and I’m in the school. Another reason that I like it is because everyone goes for the senior lot more, so that means junior lot is empty. Makes it easier for me because there is no line to wait to park, the senior lot always has traffic. From the parents dropping off their kids, staff getting in school and trying to park, everyone is trying to find a spot. It is so hectic.”
Besides from the junior and senior lot, there is also one other parking spot that a ton of students strive to get.
This spot is located right in front of the main office doors and is in the middle of all the staff parking, so there is no traffic with all the students trying to get home.
Every month, this spot is given as an award to the Class Act Chieftain. Many students are nominated for this award through their recognition of hard work by either other students or staff members.
“I got nominated as the Class Act Chieftain this month and it was honestly such a time saver,” senior Clarissa Rose said. “I could wake up late and not have to worry at all because I had a single spot, right in front of the office doors, just waiting for me when I arrived at school. Nobody else can park there, but me, for the month. This changed to be my favorite spot to have, but when I normally park- I would go to senior lot. I think it is so much better than junior lot, but I do show up late sometimes, so I have t park in junior lot a lot of the times, too.”