After a long, exhausting day of school, most people want to quickly head home. Other students have jobs, sports and other activities they need to get to on time. There’s just one problem: the parking lot is a wild free-for-all.
After large amounts of snow hit Parkersburg in January, the back parking lot was filled with it. Therefore, the snow was shoveled out of the way, ready for students to return. However, instead of actually removing the snow or pushing it where no one goes, they left it lined along the fence and the gate next to it. Many people’s parking spaces were almost completely taken up by snow, causing them to have to relocate. Some people only had a little bit in their way, but still, they’re not getting the full parking space they paid for.
“I don’t have a spot currently so I have to walk all the way around to the Fieldhouse because the spot that I paid for is covered by snow,” junior Lillian Farinash said.
The snow being shoved against the back gate was an even bigger inconvenience. Many of the students and their parents enter and leave through that gate, but for several days they weren’t able to. This disruption caused chaos, as its users tried to find new ways to get in and out. With the buses blocking the gates for a while in the afternoon, their options were limited. Not only could this cause people to be late to either school or after school activities, but it created a dangerous environment that could cause a crash. Cars were lining up all the way back into the parking lot trying to get out on 19th St., while others formed lines after the buses finally left. These lines blocked cars from being able to pull out of their parking spaces and created a hazard for students trying to cross the road.
“It gets really busy, especially when the back gate is not open. It kinda leads to terror,” senior Olivia Shawver said.
The students not in vehicles were also causing problems. Many people just cross the road without looking, showing no respect for those that drive. Some students will also walk directly in front of cars when they’ve already started backing up from their parking space, instead of waiting. This impatience is bound to cause an accident sooner rather than later.
“Everyone goes in different directions and it can get a little funky,” senior Hunter Hall said.

There is not a singular solution to the problems that have been going on for years. However, there are things both staff and students can do that make getting in and out of the parking lot easier. Students should watch where they’re going, yielding to cars and waiting for the road to be clear or for someone to wave them over. People driving should also be watching for pedestrians, looking all around them before backing up or accelerating. Whoever is in charge of plowing the snow needs to fully remove it from every parking space. Most importantly, the back gate needs to be opened before students arrive and leave every single day. That is an absolutely necessary factor in ensuring the convenience and safety for students who use the parking lot.
“Make sure they snow plow it correctly so we can have the spots we paid for and so they can open the back gate, as well as design a better system to allow for parking,” Farinash said.
Although the snow has melted away, it’s highly likely that there will be more in the future. Problems such as the gate not being opened every day has been an issue throughout the entire year, even back in September. Hopefully, next year will have better parking lot conditions not only during the snowy months, but also every single day of the school year.