Instructions for Parking at St. Thomas Aquinas High School

Fall, 2008

The new school year brings a new campus layout and traffic pattern to St. Thomas Aquinas High School.  Please read the directions below carefully, and make every effort to follow the traffic pattern as described below.  Your assistance will help to ensure the safety of students and the smooth flow of traffic.

Parking Areas

For a visual representation of the key parking areas, please refer to the map below.

Faculty and Staff spaces are reserved in the lot to the rear of the school.  These spaces are marked red on the map.

Parents and Guests should park in the blue spaces in the rear lot, and in the small lots around Notre Dame Hall.

Students who are driving to school may park in the lower lots, marked in green on the map.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING for STA students, faculty, or parents at St. Ann Home.

Drop-off and arrival

All morning traffic should enter the campus via the main entrance, between the St. Thomas Aquinas Main Building and the St. Ann Home.  Please note that the main entrance to the campus is the former exit, and that there is now two-way traffic at the main entrance. Important Notes: Royer Lane is not an entrance or exit during the morning commute. Also, there is no stopping or dropping off along Dover Point Road in the morning due to traffic speeds.

Parents and Guests who are dropping off students should enter the main entrance and bear left, proceeding around to the rear of the building.  Please do not stop in front of the main STA building, as this will cause a blockage of traffic.  Students should be dropped off at the rear entrance of the building, in the traffic circle.  After dropping off students, exit by driving around to the front of the building.  Southbound cars should exit via the ramp on the right; northbound cars should exit via the main entrance.  Parents who need to enter the school may park in the Parent spaces (marked in blue on the map above).

Students who are driving to school should enter the main entrance and drive straight down the hill to the two lower parking lots.  Students are reminded to follow the one-way signage in the parking lots, and to drive slowly and give the right-of-way to pedestrians.  When walking up to the school, students are asked to utilize crosswalks and sidewalks to avoid blocking traffic.

Afternoon pickup and departure

As is the case in the morning, the Royer Lane entrance/exit is closed to all traffic during the afternoon departure period. Also, like in the morning, parents should not stop along Dover Point Road to pick up students.

Parents and Guests who arrive early for pickup should park in the blue spaces, marked on the first map above, to await your student(s).  Parents arriving after 2:25 should follow the same traffic pattern as in the morning if your student is ready to be picked up.  Parents should note that students will be merging into the traffic pattern as they leave the lower parking lots.  Parents who will be waiting for students are asked to park in one of the parent spaces in the rear parking lot, or any spaces vacated in the rear lot as faculty and staff depart.  Please do not stop or park in the aisles or driveways around campus, as this will impede the flow of traffic.

Students leaving the student parking lots should bear right and loop around the building.  Students are cautioned to watch for pedestrians and merging traffic.  Students heading southbound should exit via the ramp to the right.  Students heading northbound should exit via the main entrance.

 If you have questions about the new traffic pattern, please do not hesitate to call the Main Office at 603-742-3206.