Many students at Lambert High School take pride in the fact that they are able to drive themselves to and from school. This is partly due to the fact that it comes with many perks, such as not having to rush in the mornings to catch the school bus. Driving to school allows students to potentially sleep in, get ready at their own pace and more. Student opinions at Lambert indicate the student parking lot may be too crowded and is causing issues, however, the lots are large enough to have a parking spot for all student drivers.
Even if drivers arrive at school on time, they risk being late to class because they have to spend extra time looking for a parking spot.
“When it rains or you’re running late, there are no parking spots … and then you’re late for your first period … but you were at school by 8:23, it’s just you couldn’t find parking,” Lambert senior Aanya Ajmera explains.
Lambert’s parking lots are used by hundreds of students and in the mornings, the lots are filled almost completely. The more crowded the parking lots get, the more issues arise — such as students being late.
The overcrowding in the student parking lots has gotten significantly better. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, class sizes were too large to allow every junior and senior to have a parking spot. Typically, seniors are always guaranteed a parking spot but juniors were put through a lottery.
“After Covid, that [the lottery system for junior parking spots] has shifted,” Lambert’s Administrative Secretary Mrs. Bryant noted. “For the past several years, every junior who followed directions, applied and paid by the deadline got a spot.”
Contrary to student belief, over the years, the surplus of juniors and seniors applying for a parking spot has decreased, allowing the school to accommodate demand. The increasing class sizes have not had an effect on the school’s capability to provide parking spots for everyone.
Additionally, there is also a large amount of sophomore students who get their licenses later in the school year. While Lambert does not sell parking spots to sophomores, those students are allowed to purchase a parking spot at the Recreational Center and Sharon Elementary at the same rates as everyone else.
Despite the fact that the class sizes of Lambert have significantly increased, there are still spaces for student parking. Student drivers may also have to consider driving to school earlier to solve the issues of being late to class. Furthermore, there are many amenities at Lambert which student drivers can utilize, including the Recreational Center and any of the student parking lots.
While the student parking lots may seem a little full, there are multiple systems put in place at Lambert to combat overcrowding. As the student driver population grows, it will be interesting to see how these systems grow and change over time.
