As the 2024-2025 school year begins, PPCHS has implemented a new look. The brand-new black shorts have been seen throughout campus, drawing attention to their change of look after 25 years. The black shorts have been included as an addition to the khaki shorts, which students now get the opportunity to choose from.

The black shorts popularity has grown rapidly within the last two weeks following the skepticism expressed by students on the first few days of school. Sophomore Isabella Pazos explained, “At first, I really didn’t like the idea of the shorts, but now I think that they are really cute and are definitely worth buying.” The perception of adding the black shorts wasn’t fully comprehended until they were worn around campus and put to life. It took some time for the students to adapt to such a significant change.  

Nonetheless, some students still enjoy the standard khaki short look. “I like the khaki shorts more and got used to seeing it from my older siblings when I was younger, ” commented Freshman Sophia Rodriguez. The traditional khaki shorts have stuck around as customary, even for the new students on campus. One major flaw raised by Sophia was her inability to differentiate between the black shorts worn by the high schoolers and the navy shorts worn by the middle schoolers, as both the high schoolers and middle schoolers share the same campus. She states, “From far away I can’t really tell the difference between the black shorts and the navy shorts, and that is probably going to be a problem for security.” Freshman Leticia Frank adds that “[she has] mistaken high schoolers for middle schoolers and the other way around quite a few times since school has started.” 

Nevertheless, it is important to approach the window of opportunity given by the black shorts. The redefined attire implies diversity of look and numerous outfit possibilities. Senior Justin James exclaims “I like how many different outfit options there are now and that not everybody wears the same exact basic uniforms.” The variety of black and khaki combinations enables students to express creativity through what they wear. 

In these two weeks, since school has begun, students have become open-minded to the black shorts while also relying on the traditional values that Pines Charter has instilled for the past 25 years. Some students have constructed the idea that khaki remains as the superior shorts because they are easier to tell apart and are long established in the school; while other students enjoy the refashioned black shorts that permit many new outfit opportunities. It is often forgotten that new opportunities can be redefined into better ones, regardless of the circumstances. In this case, whether you like or dislike the black shorts, it is an optimal progressive change for PPCHS.