The introduction of new students to Pembroke Pines Charter High School (PPCHS) is a tradition that’s gone on for years. Students from the Pembroke Pines Charter Middle Schools come every year to visit their future high school, where they’re shown performances by clubs, toured around the school by the SGA, and get to ask questions about what their life will be like at PPCHS.
This year, the orientation took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 4th and 5th. At around 8:30 A.M., members of the Student Government Association (SGA), National Honor Society (NHS), and Science National Honor Society (SNHS) arrived in the River of Grass auditorium to run through a rehearsal of the orientation performances to prepare for when the middle school students arrived.
Around ten minutes later, the middle schoolers were welcomed outside the ROG by the cheering SGA members, as they filled the auditorium. Speeches from administration and guidance opened up the event, welcoming the middle schoolers and giving them some advice for the upcoming school year, focusing on a message of “locking in” according to Pearl Moses, the school’s Director of Student Services.
Afterwards, the club performances began, starting off with the Latin dance club, who performed several short dance numbers. They were then followed up by both the cheerleaders and dance team, each of which took a few minutes to showcase what they do and get the middle schoolers excited.
Once the shows were over, tour groups split up across the school, showing the future PPCHS students around the campus. Groups were led around each building to see different classes, clubs, and relevant locations.
The eighth-graders were especially excited to see Amber, Mr. Kapela’s dog in the S Building. Many were also excited by how open the campus was to walk around on during breaks and lunch. “I like the freedom of it,” remarked one while watching the PPCHS students roam around campus during A Lunch.
“It’s more free than middle school.” Throughout the rest of the day, they were shown around various classes, which sparked interest in the academically-focused PPCMS students.
Despite being shown a significant amount of clubs, activities, and other interesting facets of the school, the incoming freshmen were still most concerned with high-level courses and the Broward College Dual Enrollment program.
When asked at the end of the tour what was most exciting about PPCHS, the middle-schoolers were mostly interested in the ability to academically advance in the school, especially in regards to the availability of AP and AICE classes. “I’d say [I’m most interested in] the AICE classes,” said a middle schooler from the West Campus. “Most of the courses look fun, maybe I could join one.” “I’ll probably do [dual enrollment], maybe in the summer,” said Nicholas, another West 8th grader. “It sounds really good.”
In addition, the middle-school guests were also excited about the availability of clubs. Usman Qureshi, the younger brother of a sophomore who currently attends PPCHS, was intrigued in the robotics team after viewing Mrs. Estevez’s robotics lab. “I’m interested in robotics. Maybe the Science Olympiad,” he stated. “I don’t really know as of now, because I haven’t checked.” Others expressed interest in clubs that hadn’t even been featured in the tour, like the Best Buddies program.
Throughout the spring months, they’ll finish their course selection and finalize their decision to become a part of the Charter community – and hopefully leave their lasting mark on the school when they finally arrive here at PPCHS next August.
