May. The month of spring and the sign of new beginnings. While this may be somewhat relatable around the world, the month of May holds strong significance here at Charter. Towards the end of the month, on May 31, graduation will take place and will officially be the time to bid farewell to the class of 2024. However, a key part of this ceremony is the students and their participation. For two students specifically, graduation provides the opportunity to unite their peers and address family, friends, teachers, and administrators with one speech. With this, it is with great excitement to congratulate our Jaguar Pride winners for 2024 Gavin Poore and Shivraj Singh.
The beautiful and heartwarming fact about these two is that this is the second year in a row in which the Jaguar Pride recipients were a pair of close friends. Although Poore and Singh both went to different elementary schools, FSU and Central campus, it was Pembroke Pines Charter High School that united them together; with success and friendship. However, how does one become a true Jaguar Pride recipient and what does it mean to get this award?
Throughout 4 years in high school, it is up to each student to make sure they are setting themselves up for the path that connects to them most. Jaguar Pride is an award that takes into consideration all the factors that have made up a student. This is their involvement in school and the community, as well as their grades. Only students who are in the 5% are allowed to be considered for Jaguar Pride.
Although grades are extremely important and make up a well rounded student, their acts of service and display of their true character are what is most valued here at Charter. Gavin Poore and Shivraj Singh are true examples of that.
Graduating from middle school, Gavin Poore was now onto a new chapter of his life: Pines Charter High School. As he moves onto such a new and exciting stage in his life, it remains essential in his mind that organization is key. “Achieving balance in school is a beautiful, yet tedious process. I use many apps to help me stay organized, such as Notion and Google Calendar.” While Poore comments on his important tools that have made him the student he is, it is important to keep in mind that it is sometimes the things not related to school work that keeps you going.
With high school comes the guarantee of having to balance so much on one’s plate. Schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and one’s personal life are just some of the few concerns that go through a student’s mind. But, to Poore, having a stable support system was what got him through. “High school is incredibly volatile – friend groups are constantly splitting and forming. It’s important to have a select few individuals that you can rely on that won’t be affected by drama.”
As Mr Bayer describes the process in which administrators and himself chose the recipients, there is one certain thing that is repeated and elaborated on the most. Citizenship and leadership. For Poore, he was the perfect definition of a trustworthy and charismatic Charter leader as well as in Broward County as a whole. From founding summer programs to helping young kids get interested in Model UN and interning at law firms to varsity public forum debate president and on the board of countless clubs and honor societies at Charter.
As for Shivraj Singh, his journey as a Jaguar included ups and downs, but a together, beautiful journey. For Singh, extracurricular activities and being a strong and valuable student were something that mattered close to him but eventually caught up to him. “I started off being spread thin because I could afford to do many extracurriculars with my easier freshman and sophomore year schedule. As the workload of junior year kicked in, I was forced to prioritize the extracurriculars I cared about, which was a great thing in hindsight.” With Singh’s interest in the arts and film specifically, it was clear to him that it was time to direct himself in the direction that was most beneficial to him.
While maintaining stellar grades, Singh remained a beacon of kindness and strong leadership. In Charter, Singh displayed amazing leadership qualities through being speech and debate team captain, president of NEHS (National English Honors Society), and founding the first high school chapter of the national organization Journeys in Film. Outside of school, Singh made his presence known by serving as a Congressional Aide to Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, becoming Student Ambassador to the City of Pembroke Pines, and becoming an ambassador of the Yale Young Global Scholars program.
With such an impressive resume, it is common for any to think about how he maintained all of this. To Singh, the answer was clear. “My friends and family. If it wasn’t for the amazing people that I have beside me today, I would not have been able to accomplish anything.”
As for the future, Gavin Poore heads off to Emory to double major in Business Administration and International Relations and Shivraj Singh starts a new chapter at Yale University and majors in Film and Media Studies or Ethics, Politics, and Economics. While the duo prepares to address their fellow classmates, their legacies are engraved into Charter history. For all they do in the future, Charter will continue to cheer them on and admire the impacts they will inflict upon wherever their story leads them. 
