As many of you know (or have seen) the senior lot is NOT for the weak. Many mentally prepare to race to their parking spot the second they step foot into their last block, panic setting in that their performance won’t cut it. As the clock strikes thirty and we finally hear the gong-like bell, we begin the race to our cars. Classroom doors swing open, shouts fill the air, and the students are determined to make it out in time. Teachers yell at the students flashing by them, but the sound of “walk” won’t stop us. The only thing our mind is set on is getting out. Little do others know….that is only the beginning. The obstacle course of dodging hurried drivers and fellow classmates is yet to come. Several survivors have already come out to share their stories.

Our first victim is Sousa Waggoner (12) as we ask her about her recent tumble.

Jenna: “Can you describe to us what happened to you just the other day?”

Sousa: “Someone tripped me while I was running to the car and I fell on my hands and knees in the middle of the hallway. It was so bad”

Isabelle: “So tell us, how did you manage to pull yourself together after such a major setback?”

Sousa: “Joey Schady (12) asked me if I was okay and then my first thought was that I have to just get back up and keep running or I will never get out of here. So I just booked it and went on my merry way to the parking lot and I got out of the parking lot at 3:33. CLOCK IT!”

Wow, what an inspiration to us all, having the courage to get back up and also making it out in record time! Don’t we all wish we had a little Sousa in us, truly a spectacular moment to be remembered.

Embarking on this challenge takes not only courage but also strategy. One of our personal favorite ways to ensure our success is to be packed up no later than 3:25 to guarantee a first-place spot in the huddle that forms around the door. It’s essential to assign a door holder in order to minimize time wasted getting it. EVERY second counts. Typically maintaining the same route through the parking lot is also a key to decreasing the risk of getting run over. We additionally recommend that seniors with a carpool implement a strict 3:31 deadline for all riders to arrive at the car. If you are tardy, the punishment includes the public humiliation of running through the parking lot, anxiously searching for the right car and hoping you make it in enough time to catch a ride. Siblings are not spared, but what do they think about this…

Isabelle: “How do the three of you feel about being forced to run to the car? Are you ever scared you will be left?”

Maya O’Leary (10): “I don’t like to run to the car because it is embarrassing. I’m never scared that I will get left because I HAVE TO RUN. But if I didnt… I know I will get left.”

Isabelle: “And how do your friends feel about this? Do they make fun of you for running?”

Maya O’Leary (10): “Only the ones who haven’t been forced to run.”

This truly shows the extent that seniors are willing to go in order to get out on time. Backpacks, water bottles, computers, and even siblings left behind with no remorse. Senior student Evie Walldorf (12) recounts leaving her younger brother Wills Walldorf (9) behind because he simply just did not run fast enough. That’s a lesson that will stick! Our guess is that he will definitely be bolting through the halls in the future, having experienced the harsh reality of running all the way to the CVS on East Montague Avenue just to catch a ride with his older sister. With or without siblings and other car riders, seniors at Academic Magnet have tunnel vision. One goal and one goal only: to escape. Hopefully their carpool gang shares that same sentiment, or else they will have to find a new ride home. Good luck catching up to the bus!

Now let’s take it to the real professional who has been preparing for this moment all of his four years at magnet: Karl Mack (12), or as some of you may know him, Edward.

Jenna: “Many of your classmates notice your tendency to run out of class at the end of each day. Can you tell us why and if this has prepared you for the sprint this year?”

Edward: “Um, well running to my car. I just do that so I can get out of school without waiting in the hours-long line that forms at the end of the day. I guess yeah it has prepared me to run to my car.”

Jenna: “And why have you been running all the other years?

Edward: “I mean I didn’t really run to get to the bus freshman and sophomore year – that was more so to get to lunch which also has a very long line.”

I think we can all respect Edward’s hustler mindset. After all, who enjoys being stuck in lines. This brings us to another interesting point: teachers’ perspectives. Interviews aren’t necessary to gather how they feel about the students stampeding through the halls. Similar to how Mr. Cosgrove monitors the lunch line daily, teachers with classrooms near exits have also started eyeing the runners. There have also been rumors of teachers threatening to write up students they see who participate in the sprint. We think the larger problem is those trying to sneak out earlier before the bell but understand both the hazards nevertheless.

Our last victim is Isla Todd (12) who recounts the loss of her backpack.

Jenna: “Can you describe your experiences thus far from running to the parking lot?”

Isla: “I was running to the parking lot, more like fast-walking, and all of a sudden I heard a SNAP SPLAT and I looked behind me and my backpack had fallen to the ground because both straps had broken. I could see the bare threads and in one swift motion, I picked it up and had to do a shameful shuffle to the car just holding it by the handle. I still made it out though in like 8 minutes.”

So many tragic stories, and they are all the result of one key problem: the ineffectiveness of the senior parking lot. With Academic Magnet and SOA student drivers in addition to all of the underclassmen carpool riders, the traffic is just unbearable. Many students petition for just a mere five minutes to get out early – it doesn’t seem like a lot, but even that small amount of time can be the difference.