It’s 7:55 a.m.  You’re in a sweat and racing down Grosse Pointe Boulevard with the first-hour bell minutes away from ringing. When you arrive at school, you realize there are no parking spots left, so you bite the bullet and go in late.

For a school with more than 1,500 students, it’s no doubt that trying to find a parking space in the morning can be tough for many, especially juniors who don’t have the advantage of a parking pass. Many students have complained about the parking situation and how it can contribute to absences and tardies in first hour, as well as important missed class time, which adds up very quickly, according to Ian Foy ’21.

“I think the parking situation is terrible,” Foy said. “Once the K-lot and J-lot are full of cars, there is nowhere to go, because (Grosse Pointe) Boulevard’s full and Lincoln is under construction. Your only option is really to be late.”

Heidi Hannan, the new parking lot advisor, says that the parking spaces were originally full for seniors, but after further investigation, it was apparent that there were a number of spaces that were unassigned. 

“We sent a letter out to parents of the EMT class students who arrive at school after first hour, as many of them had complained about parking, and allowed them to apply for spots so they could get spaces,” Hannan said. “There are also some other seniors with certain issues that I won’t go into detail about, but those are the students we are giving the few remaining passes too.”

Justin Maccagnone ‘21 said that he experienced trouble with parking last year before he recently got his parking pass.

“I would have to wake up much earlier to get a good spot, and sometimes I would have to walk really far from my car to school,” Maccagnone said. “If I couldn’t find a spot, I would have to bring my car home and have my mom drop me off, then she would call me in late.”

According to Jack McEvoy ’21, morning parking is never difficult, despite the fact that he doesn’t have a parking pass.

“Getting to school on time has never been a problem for me,” McEvoy said. “I’ve never had to go out of my way to find a spot before school, because I’m never running late.”

For some, like Maccagnone, however, bringing your car to South has turned from an advantage into a disadvantage.

“It got so bad, that I would only bring my car to school for about two out of the five days because trying to park in the morning was such a hassle,” Maccagnone said. “I just hope that there is something the administration can do about this for people without a pass.”

Hannan’s advice for people having trouble finding a parking space is to be more timely about getting to school and you won’t have an issue.

“I have a son who doesn’t have a pass and I have told him that when I get to South early in the morning there is a ton of spaces in the J-lot,” Hannan said. “My advice for students would be to set your alarm earlier and you won’t have trouble.”