Parking spaces at the north entrance of RBHS will be limited today because eighth-graders from Jefferson Middle School and Gentry Middle school will tour the Columbia Area Career Center (CACC). Students will tour the CACC to experience first-hand the classes they can take as freshmen.

Assistant Principal Dr. Timothy Baker said the students are not touring RBHS; therefore they must park in North.

“To my knowledge, eighth-graders will only be touring the career center,” Baker said. “They are only coming to RBHS to eat lunch.”

Junior George Matthes said buses from the middle schools pose a problem because of insufficient parking spaces.

“[North] is already [a] filled parking lot. The buses will take spots that students will need, leaving them to find a spot somewhere else,” Matthes said. “The buses parking at North puts everyone behind, as students will get mad that they are taking spots.”

While junior Dillon Hilbert sees the negatives of the situation, he said, the issue will prove especially problematic for those who park in the spaces at North. 

“I park on the curbs at North,” Hilbert said. “The problem shouldn’t affect me, and if it is a problem [for] other[s] they should just arrive earlier.”

Students can accommodate the potential shortage of spaces by parking in the 50 spaces at South, the curb on Executive Dr., informally known as “Sophomore Alley,” and the remaining spaces in the north parking lot and CACC.

The CACC tour is a way for rising freshmen to experience and learn about first-hand the courses they can take in high school; classes like Intro to Biomedical Science, IT Essentials, and Intro to Engineering are all classes students can take their freshman year. Matthes said classes at the CACC have not been of much use to him.

Students like junior Lola Gingrich said that CACC classes are a great way for students to get experience in a field of their interest.

“The best part of career center classes is the fact that they’re so specialized to my area of interest and really stray away from the required curriculum,” Gingrich said. “The CACC tour absolutely influenced me to take CACC classes. If I didn’t go on [the eighth-grade tour], I most likely would’ve never heard of [CACC classes].”

Baker also said that Battle and Hickman are finding less of a need to come to the CACC.

“[Hickman and Battle] are beginning to host their own CACC classes,” Dr. Baker said. “[Intro into Biomedical Science] is currently offered at both schools.”

What was your eight grade tour experience like? Let us know in the comments below.