Disclaimer: Written from the perspective of someone who has not experienced the frustrations of the Tualatin High School parking lot firsthand but has heard numerous complaints from peers 

You know that classic childhood song “Wheels on the Bus” that all of us at some point or another screamed at the top of our lungs while sitting in the back rows of our beloved, boxy, yellow rides to-and-from school? Well, if you start singing it (just stick with me here for a sec) while driving through none other than the parking lot of our very own Tualatin High School, you might start to realize something by the time you get to the fifth verse.

The people on the bus go bump, bump, bump. 
Bump, bump, bump;
Bump, bump, bump.
The people on the bus go bump, b— wait a minute.

Whoa. There’s something different about the parking lot.

Because… guess what? Our previous, highkey “crusty-looking” parking lot has finally gotten that much-needed makeover! Despite taking ages for construction to finish (the Class of 2021 didn’t get parking spots for two whole years!), students and faculty alike are grateful for the added school pride of having such a pristine space to commute to, just in time for … well, all of 25 people to use it every day plus the drive-thru style graduation. 

That’s right. Remember that thick concrete slab (yes, I’m talking about the speed bump in front of the pool that really didn’t deserve to have been classified as one) that made you feel like you might break your car every time you went over it? Yeah, she’s gone. All the speed bumps have now been modified to be a lot smoother to prevent transportation from going airborne — hooray! It’s time to say goodbye to the practice of “assessing the weight of your passengers to see if your car would bottom out” over those troublesome bumps ever again (okay, well maybe not for another couple of years).

In addition, the parking spaces have been repainted so that they are actually visible. Gone are the days of hoping and praying that your vehicle is oriented in an actual parking space! Plus, did you hear that all the potholes, which were really starting to make the lot resemble a gopher field, have been fixed, so students and staff will no longer have to worry about tripping over concrete cracks or stepping into ankle-deep mud puddles while rushing to class or grabbing lunch on break? 

But wait, that’s not all! Did I mention that there will be no more need for the mad-dash-to-your-car-after-class-to-pull-out-of-the-parking-lot-before-the-buses-do because they added a second lane?! Now that it’s been successfully expanded, it’s really helping all the traffic in the parking lot flow much, much smoother. In my dreams, I can imagine how effortlessly Lara Jean Covey could leave this parking lot without running over Peter Kavinsky. 

Lastly, may I make a suggestion? Since it’s been quite empty at the parking lot as of late, don’t be afraid to go on some joy rides there. Trust me, your car will thank you for driving it on such smooth pavement. It’s so smooth that my still-occasionally-clumsy-classical-ballet-trained self won’t have to worry about falling and embarrassing myself while wearing heels at graduation this year. Or maybe if you feel a bit rebellious – don’t say I told you this – there won’t be anyone or any traffic to stop you from going the “wrong” direction. 

All in all, you should be wheel-y excited about this beautiful new lot — I mean, it’s beginning to look so good that maybe no one would be opposed to graduation being held there for the rest of Tualatin High School history. 

Need some good music to listen to while checking out the fancy new parking lot? Fear not – staff writer Isabella Kneeshaw has got you covered.