On Sunday, November 21, Principal Ms. Diana Yarboi sent an email to Ayala students and parents, informing them that the junior and senior parking lots would be undergoing construction from December 1 to December 15, and the Bulldog Boulevard Drop of Lane from December 18 to December 26 during winter break for asphalt resurfacing. On December 9, Yarboi announced that senior lot construction was extended until December 18.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this extension may cause and appreciate our Bulldog community’s flexibility and patience as we work through this important phase of construction that will benefit our campus long-term,” Yarboi said.
Due to mass construction, Ayala has settled an agreement with the Chino Hills Community Park, allowing students to park in their north parking lot with their parking permit placard. However, the walk from Chino Hills Community to school is around 10 to 15 minutes, forcing students to arrive significantly earlier that usual.
“I was pretty upset when I got the email. My sister drives me to school so I have to wake up earlier at around six now,” Kate Lee (10) said.
While many students are parking at the community park, others have opted for parking at the James S. Thalman Chino Hills Branch Library, which is significantly closer and provides public parking for students. Some Bulldogs are being dropped off by parents or friends in order to save the time lost from having to walk from their new parking spots.
“I’m currently parked at the library, but I also have a permit for the church so I might end up parking there as well to save time,” Eva Alcantara (12) said.
Many students have expressed concerns about the timing of the renovations. Considering the asphalt resurfacing was scheduled in between two breaks—Thanksgiving and winter break—it seemed like a better option to complete the work while students weren’t at school to minimize disruption to daily routines and transportation.
“I was wondering why they decided to do construction during school time, especially since finals and everything are coming up—they could have just done it another time,” Audris Yueh (12) said.
As finals approach, seniors will have to continue arriving at school around 10 to 20 minutes earlier than usual to account for increased traffic, limited parking availability, and longer walking distances caused by the construction.
“I hope that when we come back, the bumpy roads and cracked paint are improved because we’re going through a lot of hassle for this construction,” Lee said.
