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You’re taking your time getting ready for school because you know since you have a parking pass you’ll have a spot in the parking lot, but you’re in for a shock.

You pull into the parking lot, music blasting, parking pass hanging on your mirror, and ready to pull into an empty parking spot.

But you’re wrong, so wrong, because there isn’t a parking spot for you.

This is a common issue at Bellwood-Antis that the District has tried to resolve.

“We developed the best plan possible by working with students and faculty to find a solution for the space,” said high school principal Mr. Rick Shreier.  “The problem is we are tucked into town and we have no real estate for parking.  Also, there is a resident who has a driveway to his garage on the side of Martin Street, and he asks that students don’t park in front of the driveway.”

At the beginning of the year parking passes were given out for the available spots, but then there’s the big problem all student drivers are facing: the lack of spots.

Students who received passes are required to fill out a “Student Parking Permit Application” which includes a list of regulations that some students do not follow.

1. All automobiles parked on school grounds must be registered with the school and must display the current tag.
2. Parking is strictly limited to the student parking area. FACULTY PARKING is marked accordingly.
3. To facilitate identification, automobiles are to be parked front end first.
4. All students must be licensed and covered by insurance. The school IS NOT responsible for the automobile or its contents.
5. There is to be NO loitering in the parking lot or visitation of same without permission.
6. There will be no speeding, over 5 miles per hour, or any form of reckless driving on the school grounds.
7. Student vehicles may be subject to search if there are reasonable grounds to believe that drugs, alcohol, stolen property or other contraband might be present in the vehicle.
8. Parking regulations are strictly enforced. It is considered a privilege to park on school grounds.  Suspension of driving privileges, towing of vehicles and/or suspension from school may occur when violations of these regulations occur.
9. It is the responsibility of the student to advise if/when there are any changes to the information listed above.
10. Students applying for and receiving tags fully understand their responsibility in following these rules.

Here are some issues with these regulations the BluePrint has found among  the student body:

Most students park front end first because most have only been driving for less than a year or two years, so they aren’t very good at backing up.

“There’s no way I could back in.  I can barely pull forward,” said junior Alanna Leidig.

“I can’t back into my spot safely,” said senior MariaMcFaland. “If I would back into my spot it would put other drivers in danger.”

Senior Taylor Shildt said the amount of time it takes to back in to a spot makes it tough in the morning because to do so would hold up other drivers.

Next, the student parking area is too small for all the drivers we have.  Faculty parking is marked accordingly, but some faculty members don’t even park in their spots.  Instead they park on Martin Street.

“If they don’t use those spots, then why can’t we use it?” questioned senior Kala Wooten.

Martin Street could be used for student parking if it wasn’t occupied by teachers who aren’t using their spots.

“I had to park in Narnia, because there wasn’t any parking,” a frustrated Ethan McGee said.

To go off of the road parking, some students don’t know how to park on the side of the road.  However, other students don’t pull up as far as they should, which leaves gaps that takes away spaces from other drivers.

“I’ve talked to guys who say they leave space just to be funny,” said Jake McCaulley.

Senior Abbey Crider has a beef with people who don’t park right. “People need to learn to park normal, rather than using up more than one spot,” she said.

Substitute Teachers and student teachers are told to park in the student parking area. Student drivers question if this is  fair to the students who are here every day and are required to park in the student area.

Emily Hoover was one of two students awarded their own numbered spots last year and they even have trouble parking there because subs, other students, and visitors park in their spots so they have to go the end of the parking lot.

It’s a race every morning for a spot, except for the lonesome few.  These lonesome few are the early birds, the morning warriors, the ones that get to the battle before the battle.  These are the students who to get school before 7:30, which is when the doors open.

Mr. Schreier says students who don’t have anywhere to park  should absolutely not park in a numbered spot, and that it may require some walking, but students should park on one of the side streets.