Cornelia Franzen ’12
Staff Writer

For many juniors it is a harsh reality to have finally gotten their driver’s license, signed up for the parking lottery, only to lose and have to park at Wakeman until the next lottery.

In order to avoid parking at Wakeman and the long walk associated with it, some juniors have tried to park at Staples without parking stickers. However, many have been caught faster than they could say “oops.”

Others wonder why they can’t park their cars at one of the many empty spots at Bedford Middle School which is so much closer to Staples than Wakeman. “It’s ridiculous [that we can’t park at Bedford],” Rubi Reyero ’12 said.

However, like all other rules, this one hasn’t been created out of thin air.

According to Assistant Principal Karyn Morgan, the reason why Staples High School students aren’t allowed to park at Bedford, is strictly because of safety issues. “God forbid a little kid was to run out in the street and something would happen,” she said.

When a student’s driver’s permit is replaced with a license, getting up earlier than necessary to catch the bus every morning can seem silly to juniors. However, it is a great alternative if a six-minute-walk before and after school doesn’t sound appealing.

Westport school busses are not driving all around town twice a day just for fun – they fill a function.

“When people complain about walking [a couple of 100 yards], I want to smack them,” Blair Friedman ’12 said. “It’s their own choice.”

Since parking at Bedford is not, and will never become a possibility, juniors have to wait, just like the seniors of this year had to wait, for their turn to all get parking spots on campus. “The junior class has been very patient,” Morgan said. “I’m proud of them.”