Senior Sam Baer said she didn’t believe her friends that parking passes were sold out, so she was surprised when she walked into the Student Office and learned there weren’t any left.

Baer said she was upset about not being able to purchase a parking pass, but said she understands she waited too long to buy one.

“When I went (to the Student Office) and they told me there weren’t any (parking passes), I was kind of shocked and I didn’t really understand why they sold out so fast,” Baer said. “I was a little upset, but also I mean I waited a bit too long so I understood. Also the second semester is usually nice so it won’t be that bad of a walk I guess from right outside of our parking lot.”

According to assistant principal Kari Schwietering, it is not uncommon for parking passes to sell out. She said it was not surprising that the school sold out of the 180 parking passes for second semester.

“Usually every year there (are) more students who want (a parking pass) than what is available, but it always depends on just how quickly they sell out,” Schwietering said. “We’ve had years where they’ve sold out in a couple of days; we’ve had years or semesters where they’ve gone for a couple of weeks up to a month before they’ve sold out.”

Senior Steph Reuter, who also missed the chance to buy a parking pass, said she wasn’t happy and will now most likely park on the street behind the tennis courts.

“It was kind of frustrating because the parking around the school is also very hard to get to the school and you have to walk quite a ways,” Reuter said. “There’s no other close parking.”

Schwietering said there are alternatives for students who do not have parking passes.

“It depends on each student but there’s a variety of places for them to park, but obviously following the rules of the city,” Schwietering said. “There’s street parking and (the) school bus is always the free and appropriate option.”

Schwietering said staff member Mary Quinn checks cars in the parking lot daily to see if there is a parking pass visible in the car. She said there are consequences if a student parks in the lot without a parking pass.

“The rules are in the handbook and it is if you are parking in the lot without a permit, it was you would get two warnings, and the third one you’d be towed,” Schwietering said.

Reuter said she thinks having students carpool would be a great idea to save space in the parking lot.

“I heard about other schools doing things like to get a pass you need to carpool with like one other person or something,” Reuter said. “I think that would also be good, and like people close to each other could easily carpool.”

Baer said in the future, upperclassmen should have the opportunity to buy their parking passes before sophomores.

“Something (my friend) said that kind of shook my mind was that a lot of sophomores this year…will buy their parking passes before they get their license because they know they’re getting their license this semester,” Baer said. “Personally I think it might be kind of smart to offer the first like two days when the parking passes are being sold…to the upperclassmen and give them a chance to buy it, and then open it up to the sophomores on like the third day.”