Something that sets North Atlanta’s buildings apart from other high schools around the state (besides its 11 floors, of course) is its untraditional parking deck. Most high school’s parking lots are one level and spread out across yards of flat space, but not North Atlanta’s. As an old IBM office building, NAHS has a four story parking deck that holds many cars throughout the school day. Strangely, over the summer and on occasional weekends, the NAHS parking deck earns some unexpected visitors that cause quite a controversy. 

One thing is certain: Sunsets from the top North Atlanta’s fourth floor on the parking deck make for a great view. However, it is weird seeing my public highschool in the backdrop of many private schooler’s Instagram posts and Snapchat stories. No one quite knows how or why these sudden visits from non-Warriors began or what the appeal of it all is. It doesn’t cross my mind on a weekend to go dress up for sunset Instagram photos taken on top of a local public highschool, but that’s just me. All of this just begs the question: why not go to your own school to do all of this? NAHS seems like an unusual destination for weekend hangouts as students usually use those days to get away from school, not go back to it. 

Whether it’s a group of friends hanging out in their cars facing the setting sun or a few people posing for an Instagram-worthy picture, witnessing the parking deck’s grey cement walls in the background of a social media post seems out of the ordinary. These “outsiders” have no clue the craze that Warriors experience when the bell chimes at 3:45. Cars are backed up for what seems like miles as students scramble to get home at the conclusion of the school day. Instead, they see an empty space and a prime location to capture a picture that we will inevitably see on social media later that day. 

North Atlanta’s parking deck houses a sentimental value to all Warriors. Two important memorials for North Atlanta students stand proud in the four story structure. These memorials risk getting damaged by students who don’t attend NAHS and who don’t understand the impact and meaning they have to the school. Trash is often littered everywhere, and it seems as if these visitors forget that the parking deck is a part of an actual school and it’s not just a playground. 

Yes, North Atlanta is just a school and its parking deck is open to the public. But the school as a whole needs to be appreciated as more than just a photo spot.