Parking has always been a concern at Fluvanna County High School, but it was a completely different situation 50 years ago. Back then, they didn’t have the current cars we have now, and students here had a completely different parking lot in general.

In a letter to the editor in the “Fluco Hi Quill” student newspaper in October 1973, former FCHS student Patty B. Ward said the following about the parking lot at the old high school (now Fluvanna Middle School):

“I would like to complain about the inadequate parking space for students. I realize that we have more teachers this year and also more students, but if you arrive after 8:15 there is no space for you to park. It seems to me that something could be done about this. Maybe the area behind the agriculture building could be used. By spring there will be even more people driving due to people getting their licenses. Something has to be done,”

Her letter expresses something that might surprise to today’s students, who rarely have to worry about getting a parking space (even if it may not always be where they’d like to park). Things weren’t much better by the time History Teacher Stephanie Kelley graduated from FCHS in the late 80’s.

“Back when I worked at the old high school, the parking situation was so different than how it is now. The walk was so much longer, I would be out of breath by the time I got to my room. There also wasn’t really any established teacher parking, so you would just have to hope that there weren’t any students that go there before you. A lot of times I just had to park in the back of the building,” said Kelley.

Since 1973 when Ward’s letter to the editor was published, a whole new school has been built with a brand new parking lot, and current students are the beneficiaries.

“I’ve never parked in the middle school parking lot, but I can tell that our current one is a lot bigger. Another thing I like about it is the unspoken agreement to not park in anyone else’s spot, even though it’s not a school rule. Sometimes it’s a little difficult when there are new drivers because they’re slow and don’t exactly know what’s going on, but there’s still plenty of room in the parking lot for them,” said junior Ruby Godlewski.

Considering these factors, the current high school parking lot might seem like a dream for students from 50 years ago. There’s enough room for everyone, students and staff, with room to spare for all the new drivers. Now come to school at 8:15 a.m., you have almost too much room to park, as the school doesn’t even start for another thirty minutes.

It’s nice to see that some things in life really do get better.