With the new school year rolling around, the new batch of fresh seniors are thinking about their exciting senior year. From football games to prom, there are so many things to look forward to for the class of 2025. One debate has arisen though—senior parking spots.
These painted spots can be found while visiting other schools, such as Novi and Walled Lake Northern, even being visible on Google Maps. A few students decided to ask the administration to start this tradition at MHS, but the proposal was turned down. This left many seniors asking for answers.
To look deeper into the issue, two seniors provided their perspectives. As the last project for their Leadership class, they were asked to choose a topic or issue they wanted to address. Evia Marszalek and Natalie Melody chose to tackle senior parking spots after sending out a poll to fellow seniors.
“I’ve been wanting to do it for a couple of years and my sister who is 3 years older than me also wanted to do it, but never went fully through with it,” said Melody. The two girls decided to carefully make a detailed presentation on how and why Milford should have senior parking spots, using past presentations and answers to any problems that could arise. “Whenever we travel to football games and see the other schools and all the parking spots, it’s inspiring,” Marszalek stated.
They presented their ideas to MHS Principal Kevin McKenna and other administrators before the end of their junior year.
“That presentation was one of the best that has ever been seen and the most detailed,” said McKenna. However, after a few weeks of discussion, their idea was rejected.
“It would not be a good fit for our schools and also it would be an addition to Milford that the custodial and administration do not need,” McKenna said. Another reason was that the both Lakeland and Milford administrators would have to agree to start the tradition. “At first, I was a little frustrated and then felt a little defeated because we spent a lot of time working on it,” said Melody.
McKenna stated that Melody and Marszalek made a compelling argument and that the administration recognizes that this means a lot to the student body.
“This is not the first time this has come up,” McKenna said. He also pointed out that Milford High School is already in the middle of a large renovation project. Since everything is new, the administration wishes to preserve new renovations and to keep them functional for as long as possible. Another main issue is that all the senior activities can start adding up and becoming pricey. He recognizes that other schools are doing this, but he also recognizes that only some students would be able to paint their spots versus the whole school being able to do it. McKenna explained that if the students do not fully finish their responsibilities these parking spots would just be left there. “But I say to myself who is left with it? Administration,” he said. “The administration has another thing to think about.”
McKenna also went on to discuss that the decision was a collaborative one between he
(Mia Mason)
and other administrators, even outside of the school. “Everybody thinks I have all the answers, but I don’t. Custodians have the answers, teachers have the answers—it’s our students who have the answers.”
Although this proposal was rejected, McKenna also stated that there have been other times when students have come to him with an idea that he approved. For example, we have a Wall of Honor in our Milford High School and it was a completely student-led project that was cleared by administrators. He wanted to add that he
“Wants the student body to understand that the answer ‘no’ does not mean that we don’t like you or we don’t care about you; more about what this adds to our community and our school.” His main objective is to make Milford High School’s atmosphere best suited for learning. While senior parking spots have been denied, it brought good conversation between administration
and students. This disagreement has shown steps in the collaboration that goes into shaping Milford High School.