For many students, getting a parking pass is very useful. You get to park your vehicle and you won’t to have wait for the bus. You can stay after school for clubs, and drive to any place, providing a lot of uses. However, before getting a driver’s decal or applying for the lottery, students should know the requirements for parking at Mill Creek High School.

Parking passes can only be obtained by juniors and seniors. To get a parking pass, you must go to the Mill Creek website to sign up for a lottery. Of course, there is another way of getting it, such as paying the $70 fee for a parking decal, which provides you with a slot for a whole school year. Juniors or seniors may still apply once the registration dates have passed, but they will be transferred to a waiting list.

Although many might expect that winning the lottery is a slim chance, that is not the case. We reached out to Nicole Branch, FAC from the 11th and 12th-grade student support office, and she said, “Very good! We made some changes this year, and so far, we have successfully parked all eligible 11th and 12th graders.”

The chances of winning are high however it’s not a 100 percent possibility that you will win the lottery. Juniors who did not win the lottery can still get a parking pass by purchasing the parking decal only after seniors have applied, giving the remaining lots eligible for juniors.

Once a junior and senior gets a parking pass or decal they must however maintain some requirements. Such as maintaining attendance, discipline, good academics, and avoiding offenses such as weapons, drugs, alcohol, and vapes. Violating these requirements can lead you to lose your parking decal or pass with no refunds.

Although the parking pass is a privilege for juniors and seniors, some may find some problems arising such as too small of a parking spot or car riders going through the parking lot making it hard to get the system functioning.

There are ways to fix this such as expanding the parking lots. “A lot more people need a spot and also it would make it easier for newer drivers or people with bigger cars to park. It would also, if done right, make it easier to get in and out and not get in traffic or car riders,” Madison Eck, 11 explained.

In conclusion, the parking pass comes both as a privilege and a responsibility for juniors and seniors. Although there are some challenges, with Mill Creek’s staff and students’ feedback The parking system will continue to improve.