With the 2025-26 school year, the struggle for senior parking passes has returned. Seniors shed tears of joy over their lucky draws of C-Lot and staff lot, which parallel those of the disappointed students forced into Northwood or Crest.
Unlike previous years, MIHS has switched to randomized parking spot selection rather than its usual first-come, first-served rule. Students who purchase a parking pass will receive one of four options: the coveted C-Lot, the staff lot, the annoying Crest lot, or, arguably, the worst, the Northwood lot. This has caused turmoil among the students, some happy about the equality and others upset that going out of their way to arrive early rewards them with nothing.
“I hate [the randomized parking process]. I hate it so much,” MIHS senior Maren Schalla said. “I have first [period] off, so I’m going to be one of the last people to park every morning, and people are probably going to take my spot before I can get there, even if they don’t have a pass. I could report them, but I’m still not going to have a spot that day.”
However, the randomization of the parking pass distribution caused confusion. Many students were left asking why the school would have switched from their first-come, first-served system, like they did in years prior. “[The lottery system] just seemed to be the most equitable way of determining parking passes,” said Associate Principal Matt Steen. “[Random distribution of the parking passes] is what was written in the policies.”
Although 90% of students who applied for the lottery received parking passes, this left 24 students without a spot. However, the school has reserved a select few passes that have been distributed past the date of the lottery. “There were multiple cases where we took a look at very specific circumstances and made adjustments based on those circumstances,” Steen said. This caused backlash from the students who felt like it wasn’t fair, left without a pass despite several vacancies across the four lots.
The issues stem beyond the randomized drawing, however. “I waited in line for two hours, [which] was horrible, but was worth it when I got my C-Lot pass,” MIHS senior Maya Moncaster said. Similar sentiments were shared by other students, the typical wait being upwards of an hour and a half, which still didn’t guarantee the C-Lot parking spot.
In addition, students were unhappy about the $150 price tag for the gamble. “I’m very upset, because I literally just paid the same amount as everyone else to walk 10 more minutes,” Schalla said, who felt like she was “cheated out of the [C-Lot] spot” after “wait[ing] four long years” and was now stuck with a Northwood spot.
Overall, students were dissatisfied with the process this year and were divided about whether the process was truly fair. The expenses and long lines led to stronger emotions about the spots assigned, and students still can’t seem to agree on which solution was more equitable. Those who got the C-Lot pass are enthusiastic and grateful, while those who ended up with farther walks are upset and annoyed. Everyone’s looking forward to seeing how things go next year, and whether the process becomes more efficient and results in more happy C-Lot spot recipients.
