With May arriving, everyone can expect a few things: beautiful sunny weather, colorful flowers and playoff season for spring sports. But at Staples, May comes with something extra special: the departure of the seniors. Their absence leaves behind lots of empty space in the classrooms and a quieter cafeteria, but for juniors, it raises an even greater concern: the parking lot.
As seniors leave school for their internships, juniors have the opportunity to enter a lottery and win a junior parking spot of their choice. The ability to park at Staples is much anticipated among the juniors. Waking up later and not having to walk to Wakeman is something many students look forward to, especially Mary Stevens ’26.
“It will benefit me to not walk in the morning because I will be able to sleep for longer and not have to hurry to school to get a good spot at Wakeman,” Stevens said.
Another significant issue that has come up recently – specifically after the end of April break – is the steep increase in sophomores who can drive. This has made getting a spot at Wakeman increasingly difficult for anyone wanting to park there. Wakeman Town Farms has even started putting cones out in front of their parking area to make sure students do not park in front of the farm. Kaia Levine ’26 thinks that the situation is unfair for the juniors.
“There are so many sophomores this year. Some days when people go to park at Wakeman there isn’t a single spot, so then they are forced to park at the tennis court and get fined $25 for it, which is so unfair,” Levine said.
One problem that has risen with these junior parking spots is the ability for sophomores to take advantage of the empty parking lot. They find places to park where they may not get noticed or ticketed, avoiding the fee that juniors paid to get their spots. Regardless, juniors like Aidan Lapatine ’26 are still looking forward to the extra sleep.
“I am really excited to be able to park at Staples,” he said, “because I won’t have to walk from Wakeman anymore which means more sleep and leaving school quicker.”
