The Greenhouse Parking Lot was shut down on Monday, April 4. The lot was blocked off with rope and students were not allowed to park there for two days. 

“We have seen an increase in illegal and inappropriate behavior from students parking in that area. Students were parking in the handicapped stalls, parking in areas that are not stalls, littering, squealing tires, and driving through the grass and damaging our property,” Principal Bryant Bednarek said.

Junior Frank Kujawa parked in the Greenhouse lot every day until it was closed. He witnessed some of these behaviors daily.  

“Students double park, park in handicap stalls. People who get McDonalds throw their wrappers on the ground. Students also do high quality burnouts,” Kujawa said. 

Before making the decision to close the lot, administration had been making attempts to solve the issue without going to the extreme. Bednarek says the decision to close the lot was made after talking to Officer Bennett and Director of Operations Josh Youngbauer. 

“We have tried to address the problem with individuals. Some individuals have lost parking privileges, been cited by law enforcement and faced school consequences. The problem is there are several students who are contributing to this,” Bednarek said. 

For the students that were behaving appropriately in the Greenhouse lot, they say they feel upset now that they had to park in the main lot. 

“I feel like it is unfair the way that they closed the whole lot. They should ban the people that are driving inappropriately, not the entire lot,” senior Makade Thom said. 

Students also say that closing down the lot is not going to change anyone’s driving habits, if anything, the problem is going to continue to worsen.

“I think that this is just going to make the problem worse because there are more people in fewer spots. People are not just going to change their driving habits because they are parked 50 feet further away from school. They also aren’t going to stop littering based on where they are parked,” Kujawa said. 

The closure of the lot was temporary and the lot reopened on Wednesday, April 6. 

“The closure was meant to cause a minor disruption so that students paused and reflected, recognizing that parking at school is a privilege left for those who demonstrate the maturity and responsibility that comes with driving,” Bednarek said.