Every morning, hundreds of Seattle Prep students make their way through the underground cement parking garage. As the garage fills up, Mr. Burks works hard to direct students to their parking spots and keep them safe. His warm attitude and big smile welcome students to a new day, every day.

Mr. Burks is up bright and early every day and drives to school in his truck; depending on the weather, he may choose to take his motorcycle. When asked what his dream car is, he responded, “My truck’s pretty dreamy!”

On his way to school he has a perfectly curated playlist consisting of all genres of music. Upon his arrival, he takes his place in the garage and waits for students to arrive. He describes his days as “busy from time to time” and he is excited for a brand-new year at Prep.

After working here for 30 years, Mr. Burks has seen it all. He described an instance several years ago in which a student arrived late to the first day of school and plowed into a pole, totaling a brand-new Mini Cooper.

“How?!” exclaimed Mr. Burks after explaining this story. The short answer to this question is they were driving too fast.

Mr. Burks’ biggest pet peeve is when students speed. An easy solution presented by Mr. Burks is to practice driving and parking before attempting to maneuver the Prep parking lot.

Outside of the parking garage, rules still apply and must be followed. Most people make the mistake of parking within five feet of a neighborhood driveway, angering the neighbors. Mr. Burks also often finds students illegally parked in two-hour zones.

Finding an unregistered car in violation of any of these rules proposes a challenge for Mr. Burks. He conquers this challenge by “ambushing them.” His best advice is simple: stay five feet from driveways and keep out of two-hour parking zones.

Remember to give Mr. Burks a smile and wave the next time you see him and always remember to drive slowly around the school!