Westminster’s campus has undergone many transformative changes in recent years, including the conversion of the area once known as “senior lot” into a beautiful, state-of-the-art parking deck. Since January, seniors have used the parking deck and have grown to love the narrow stairs and concrete poles of Westminster’s newest landmark. 

“Driving in the parking deck is the highlight of my morning,” said one senior who drives a Range Rover. “Every day, I look forward to driving up those smooth ramps and dodging my friends on my way to a spot.” 

Aside from the short hike to campus, seniors love the parking deck’s convenience. The seniors, however, are not the only ones interested in the use of Westminster’s parking deck. In fact, the fashion magazine Vogue has recently had its eye on the parking deck. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour recently visited Westminster’s campus and was in awe of the new infrastructure.

“This is it. This is the ideal location,” said Wintour. “I have never seen a parking garage quite like this one.”

Indeed, Westminster revolutionized the concept of parking decks with their recent construction endeavor. Wintour intends to use the parking deck as the backdrop for an upcoming photoshoot documenting different trends in the COVID-19 pandemic. Teenage girls across the country have been snapping photos for their Pinterest boards and Vsco feeds in parking garages throughout the last year.

Scouting the perfect parking deck for the ideal photograph can be challenging. Part of that perfect location is the background. Westminster’s parking deck overlooks the gorgeous construction of the highly anticipated welcome center.

“I cannot think of a better scene to pose in front of,” said an anonymous senior. “I love to match my outfit with the different construction trucks.”

With the increasing popularity of parking garage photoshoots, Westminster students have had access to the perfect place to elevate their Instagram feed. Seniors are not the only students on campus to take advantage of the beloved deck. In fact, many underclassmen are often found planning their upcoming photoshoots.

“I just saw a TikTok with ideas for really flattering poses in parking decks,” said freshman Sally Smith. “Now all I need is a cute outfit!”

Since the creation of the Westminster parking deck, students have gained a greater appreciation for what the campus has to offer. The parking deck is just another asset of the school, making Westminster the envy of all the surrounding high schools. Even Lovett and Pace students have expressed their envy for the parking deck by commenting on Westminster students’ posts.

“This is so unfair,” said Pace senior Joe Jones. “Westminster already has everything, and now they have a parking deck! They are so much better.” 

To the dismay of many students, Wintour intends to kick seniors out of the deck for the rest of the semester while her photographers plan and execute their photoshoot. As a result, the administration has been searching for new parking locations for faculty and students and has decided to return to the parking arrangement implemented in the first semester. 

“While we are sympathetic to seniors’ complaints about having to park as far as Kent, there is simply not enough room for everyone at Turner,” said an anonymous administrator. “Vogue is paying us too much money to turn down, so seniors will need to build in extra time in order to not be late to the first period.”  

As can be expected, seniors are not looking forward to the administration’s decision and are already concerned about making the trek from Kent lot to their first period class every morning. 

“Atlanta’s weather has been particularly temperamental lately,” said a concerned senior. “Between the cold, the rain, and the pollen, I will be lucky to ever make it to class, let alone make it on time.”

Because Vogue would be interrupting daily life on campus, the price for Wintour to use the parking deck was quite steep. Initially, Wintour was outraged by the price, but, upon taking a second look at the stunning parking deck, agreed that it was a reasonable cost.

“The deck is so breathtaking,” said Wintour. “While in business negotiations with Westminster, I forgot just how special that parking deck really is. One more visit to the site, though, and I was convinced Vogue couldn’t live without access to the parking deck.” 

Wintour’s love of the parking deck is unsurprising considering the striking, undeniable appearance of Westminster’s concrete beauty. Some Vogue employees, however, found themselves shocked at just how much Westminster’s parking deck is worth.

“I was shocked Wintour signed off on the price of the deck,” said a Vogue photographer for the upcoming shoot. “She is paying Westminster more than she pays me in a whole year.” 

The top Vogue photographers make upwards of $85k annually, so students can only imagine how much Westminster is gaining through this partnership. To ensure seniors do not feel as though they are getting the raw end of this deal, Westminster has agreed to put half of the money they receive from Vogue against the tuition seniors paid this year. 

“I couldn’t believe Westminster would sell us out of our parking deck,” said a member of the senior class. “Of course, they wouldn’t really. Because of the tuition stipend, I suppose I can deal with that horribly long walk.” 

This treatment toward seniors, however, stirred up controversy among juniors. The junior class has been parking in the Kent lot all year. Between kicking juniors out of prom and now granting all seniors money for having to walk from Kent for the last couple months of school, some juniors complain that Westminster is playing favorites.

“We all hike from Kent every morning, no matter how late we are running or how tired we are,” said a member of the junior class. “I even did that walk on crutches for four months, and now the seniors are being refunded tuition for it! That doesn’t seem right to me.” 

The seniors have lost a lot due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so there are others who believe it is only fair that they receive special treatment. However, none of these problems would exist if Vogue had not caught sight of Westminster’s beautiful new parking deck. 

“Going forward, I think Westminster’s community can all agree that our parking deck is best kept a secret, our very own hidden gem of campus,” said a senior Wildcat.