Greenway Crossing Montessori School No Parking Signs

The parking lot at Greenway Crossing Montessori School, where my two daughters attend, has its challenges. It is narrow, with only one row of parking spaces—about eight spots wide—for pick-up and drop-off. The one advantage is its drive-through, horseshoe-shaped design, which could allow for a steady flow of traffic if everyone followed the shared understanding of parking etiquette.

However, on cold mornings, frustrated and busy parents often stop directly in front of the entrance to wait, unintentionally blocking those trying to pull in. This creates congestion, delays, and, at times, a frustratingly chaotic scene. Many times, I’ve arrived to find cars honking in frustration—maybe, on some days, I was the one honking.

Before tensions escalated further, I decided to speak with the school director, Ms. Cynthia. She is one of the warmest and most caring people I’ve met at the school, yet she also has a strong presence that makes it clear she’s in charge. After discussing the situation, we agreed that placing bilingual “No Parking” signs at the front of the school could help address the problem. Since Greenway Crossing is a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) school, it was important to ensure that all families could understand the message.

This solution reminded me of the Broken Windows Theory—sometimes, people don’t realize the impact of their actions if there are no visible signs that someone cares or that it’s a safety concern.

Thus, our next community service project was born. My daughters were proud to see their dad helping out at their school, and I was grateful for the chance to contribute. With the help of my best contractor, Eric Butsic, and plenty of enthusiastic direction from my girls, we set to work creating and installing the signs.

Hopefully, this small step makes mornings a little easier, a little safer, and a little less stressful for everyone in our school community.