While many students revel and bask in living close to school, some students are not so lucky. Ranging from five minutes to about an hour drive, everybody’s commute is different.

Senior Josh Gray lives in Cottage Grove and has approximately a 30 minute drive to school. “Living far away is quite a drag. Most of my friends live in St. Paul and I’m the
only one that lives in Cottage Grove,” Gray said.

Gray said that he has to wake up pretty early if he wants to get to school on time.“On average, I wake up at about 7:00 and get out of the door by 7:10. Otherwise traffic on the highway gets bad and end up being late to school,” Gray said. “But my long commute brings about some interesting experiences. I actually saw a hit and run a couple of weeks ago.”

“I was driving to school one morning; one of the highway ramps was really backed up,”
Gray continued. “I don’t quite know exactly what happened, but a silver car come flying down the road and slowed down too late; the car rear-ended someone else. Instead of staying and following the proper protocol, the driver sped away. Being the vigilante I am, I called the police and reported the incident.”

Junior Connor Allen used to live in Stillwater before moving to Saint Paul. “Living all the way in Stillwater was dreadful; the morning drive took way too long. Moving to Saint Paul is one of the best things that happened in my life,” Allen said. “My average commute from Stillwater took around 30 minutes, which is too long I think.”

Senior Mara Walli lives only a few blocks away from school. “I have the luxury of waking up at 7:45 and being able to get to school on time,” Walli said. “I cannot imagine what I would do if I lived far away from school.”

But some students enjoy living far away and appreciate the solitude. Some enjoy the quiet drive in the morning, allowing them to think and be themselves while others enjoy turning up the volume on their music. Allen is one of those people: “sitting in the car by myself, I have the opportunity to really express my thoughts and emotions through songs,” Allen said. “It was a time to myself where I wasn’t constantly thinking about school or other people.”

Both Gray and Allen have seen some interesting events while driving. “There was one day when I was driving during the winter and I literally watched a car right in front of me spin out,” Allen said. “It was genuinely terrifying watching that happen.  It put my life into perspective and made me reevaluate where I am and what I’m doing.”

“I have also seen Santa Claus,” Gray said. “I was coming home from basketball practice and some guy cut right in front of me. Naturally, I wanted to see who the driver was so I pulled up next to him; it was Santa. He had decals along the side of both sides of his car designed like a sleigh, and the guy inside was decked out in a full white beard and red jacket.”

“I wouldn’t mind living closer,” Gray continued. “At the same time, I kind of enjoy living far away, it’s something defines me seeing as not many other people live in Cottage Grove.