Parking tickets paying for variety of campus projects

By: Tehya Tournier

Every week, a number of students walk out of school after seventh period, fresh keys dangling between finger tips, only to discover a $25 parking ticket lying on the front window of their cars, but where does the money go?

Associate Principal Troy Becker said the student senate came up with the price of tickets a long time ago because they were frustrated with the parking. He also said the high school has been giving out tickets for as long as he has been here.

“It’s random. We might do it every day. It’s just a random thing. We don’t have a set time. We try to go out in the mornings and afternoons, but some days we don’t get out at all. It just varies,” Becker said.

The associate principal explained that if students don’t pay the fines beforehand, then they can’t attend things like homecoming, prom and walk across the stage at graduation.

“When they finish out their high school careers in order to get their diplomas, they need to have their fines and fees taken care of,” Becker said.

Throughout the year, it gets harder to find a parking spot because more sophomores can drive once they turn 16 and receive a car. “There are approximately 165 parking spots that staff need plus the student parking that is needed,” Becker said. “We just don’t have enough.”

The money from parking tickets goes into a campus beautification fund, and all the money goes back to support the students and the school. For example, it has purchased orchestra equipment in the past, and it’s helped with greenhouse supplies and the school garden.

“This year we are also thinking of buying some picnic tables to put outside,” Becker said. “By policy, all the money has to go back to the students and the school.”