In an effort to promote student driver safety and increase organization, school administration enforces new numbered parking spaces for student drivers.

Every student driver received a sticker to place on their windshield. These stickers identify the number of their corresponding parking spot. All current drivers and any to come must park in their assigned spots from now on. Principal Sandy Trujillo fully supports the new changes.

“These assignments create a pattern of safety for students to follow that increases familiarity and eliminates frantic hunts and disputes over where you park,” Trujillo said.

Students have a limited choice of their assigned area based on extracurricular activities such as band, choir, cheer and various sports. Junior Lauren Hernandez started driving herself to school this year and has a spot in the band parking lot that allows her to get comfortably to and from swim.

“My spot worked out great for me,” Hernandez said. “It’s easy to get to and I don’t have to worry as much about different people parking around me.”

Students hope the newly assigned spots eliminate confusion and make driving to school an easier process. Senior Peter Hymel said the new assignments created problems with transportation because he did not receive his based on activities.

“I had a good thing going before they put these numbers down,” Hymel said.

Last year, driving too fast in different directions resulted in collisions between multiple cars. Other problems included students slipping through the administration during lunch hours. This lead to the administration at Creek implementing something known as ‘best practices’ – things that prove to work well in other schools around the district.

“Attempts to leave campus early brought a sense of carelessness to the parking lots,” assistant principal Jennifer Landry said. “Driving to school without the proper parking stickers, license, or insurance created liability issues for the school.”

Landry believes the change in procedure will benefit students in coming years.

“This will make things easier all around for students, parents, and faculty alike,” Landry said.

Starting next year students will choose the location of their space. Seniors will have first pick, followed by juniors and sophomores.

“Next year I think it will improve a lot when students have a greater selection of spaces based more on where they personally want to park,” Landry said.