(September 19, 2012) — “Spoiled kids, man,” said the senior Jorj Ismailyan when asked to describe his feelings towards the juniors who are driving this year. Both juniors and seniors this year have taken on the responsibility of driving to school. While driving to school may be easy for some students, others struggle to find rides or get a car for them to drive. Senior Arthur Molina considers himself to be one of the lucky ones. He has been driving to school since week two of school, and says that it has been a fun experience for him so far. “It’s really fun,” Molina said. “I get to blast music and drive on the freeway, and if I get to school early I just listen to music and do nothing.” Molina admits that he is looking for a job right now, because he needs money to pay for the $40-$50 worth of gas he uses each week. This year some seniors are giving rides to their friends. Since giving rides to minors is illegal with a provisional license, many students refrain from giving rides to their friends. But, that is not the case for others. “My friends haven’t gotten caught, not yet at least,” Isamilyan said. Ismailyan said that his friends have been giving rides because they do not think the consequence for getting caught the first time is something to be worried about. “I think it’s like a $25 fee for the first time you get caught, so no one really cares,” Ismailyan said. ( According to the California Vehicle Code, a fine of not more than $35 for the first offense and a fine of not more than $50 for a second or subsequent offense.) Senior Nick Lee has also been getting rides since the beginning of the year, and he says that it has not been a problem yet. “My friends have already had their license for a year,” Lee said. Even though giving minors rides is illegal, interviews with students indicate that students would rather get caught than stay extra hours after school waiting for the bus. Some students find other ways to get rides, including taking the Metro bus. Ismailyan has been taking the Metro this year. “It’s $1.50, but it really adds up when you take it every day,” Ismaliyan said. Ismailyan also said that having access to a car isn’t an easy task to accomplish. “I don’t have a car because insurance rates, along with gas money, are high,” Ismailyan said. Despite the high costs of driving to school, some juniors say they still love to drive and enjoy the experiences that come with driving.“It is an amazing feeling to drive and not be sitting in the bus,” junior Vahan Ghazaryan said. With the solar panel construction at school finishing up, there is also available parking for more vehicles. According to some students, during the solar project construction, finding parking was sometimes difficult. Now, many students say that they no longer have to get to school early to find parking spots.