How the Juniors Fought for Parking
Before the school year began, the junior class engaged in a high-stakes battle with the administration for the right to park. You can imagine the shock of the junior class when they were told a week before school started that they would not be given access to parking. This decision caused outrage in the grade-wide GroupMe (an online messaging app), and people wondered how they would get to school. This blindsided the junior class since they were told last year that we would have access to parking. This situation was made worse by the new Northside campus which is further away from most Galloway students and has bad traffic around the area.
One parent exclaimed her disappointment with the administration and the whole organization regarding the parking situation. She said, "We need our son to be able to drive because both his dad and I are working and cannot physically take him." That was a common problem among the other parents that were interviewed. The same parent also stated that Galloway had said they "would have more parking options this year in the new campus."
The junior class and the parents banded together and took action, sending countless emails to the Galloway administration. These actions caught the attention of higher-ranking individuals, such as the principal and the head of school. These administrators worked tooth and nail to find a suitable parking space for an entire grade. The solution they found resided in the Northside campus' backyard, the newly named "purple lot." This lot lives in the green space where white lines outline the parking spots—a quick and easy solution for a grave problem.
In a junior assembly, the school claimed that this is not a permanent solution and they are still trying to find a better, more suitable parking lot. They also brought up a massive downside with the new lot relating to off-campus privileges. The juniors are not allowed to drive off-campus during their lunch break. This is a big negative, as being able to leave has always been a part of the upperclassmen tradition and a valued benefit. The junior class has high hopes that this added detail will be short-lived and the school can find a new parking option soon.
After reaching out via email some parents were kind enough to share their opinion on the situation. A parent stated their satisfaction with the solution and said, “I was impressed with the speed and manner in which the parents and students organized themselves and began to collect information to assist in finding a remedy. I am pleased that we were heard, and that a workable solution was found.” This is a story about unity and what we as students can achieve once we put our minds together and fight for a common cause. It demonstrates that the students can evoke change in the decisions made by administrators. This is what school dynamics should be like, showing the power of collective action and determination in addressing and solving issues.
By Daniel Meza