Pembroke Pines Charter’s Student Government Association (SGA) made its way back to the Florida Association of Student Councils (FASC) the weekend of Feb. 21 to Feb. 23 where they received a bronze medallion for their leadership accomplishments. After years of not participating in the SGA State convention, the Jaguars make their mark in this huge convention that took place in Orlando.
On the first day, 14,000 students from all six districts of Florida came together in East River High School to prepare for a weekend filled with workshops, awards, and talent shows. Every corner of the school was filled with students who wore matching lanyards to make it easier for everyone to meet each other along with Marvel-themed banners that decorated every inch of the school. In a matter of hours, PPCHS was socializing with highschoolers from Tallahassee to Coral Springs.
After the first general session in the gym and welcoming ceremony, the FASC student board introduced the directors and leaders who would be leading the event for the next few days. Along with that, they presented the FASC candidates who would be running for a position in the official state council board. Once each general session was over, students flooded out of the doors onto the huge courtyards for more time to socialize and network with other students.
On the second day, professionals from all over the nation presented workshops for the younger generation of leaders. Ranging from CEOs, to principals, to non-profit founders, each workshop held the key truths to what it takes to become a successful leader. During the discussions, students engaged and took notes on the advice the older generation was revealing to them.
Not only did students get the opportunity to attend workshops, but they also had the opportunity to listen to two keynote speakers every day that had motivational talks to empower the student government leaders present in this event. Cheers, snaps, and hand waves vibrated throughout the gym room with every touching word that was shared. It served as a powerful reminder that the young leaders who are joined together now have the power to create change in a broken world.
It quickly became a community of student leaders, advisors, and directors all with extroverted personalities put into a room where their voices could be heard and ideas could be shared. There was full open communication and the opportunity to showcase the leadership skills that they are strongest at.
The YAPP app was introduced to all the students and further fostered a community within the attendees because it was an app that not only allowed access to a clear schedule of the day but allowed students to post pictures of their day throughout the event.
“Being with 14,000 people that have huge personalities made me feel so welcome and like I’ve known them forever. Even the app they introduced us to allowed us to bond even more. We could not stop laughing. The trip felt like a coming-of-age movie,” junior Madison Jules emphasized.
The third day allowed students to participate in workshops led by their very own peers. Pembroke Pines Charter hosted two sessions about school spirit and goal setting in leadership. Every session consisted of two students presenting for 20 minutes for each of the five sessions. This gave highschoolers from every district of Florida the opportunity to discuss and learn about projects and events that are planned at their school that they could take back to their campus.
“I learned so many new things in such a short span of time that I will for sure carry into the future. It felt so refreshing to be around so many new faces and to create bonds with people from all over Florida,” senior Vice President Chloe Correa stated.
The days in East River High consisted of students from dozens of different high schools merging together in different friend groups, breaking into song, and dancing to the tunes of hip music—almost like High School Musical. The courtyard was filled with benches and picnic tables where students had the opportunity to sit and eat their lunch, dinner, and occasionally their ice cream sweet treat from the ice cream stand that stood in the middle of campus.
“Dance circles were a frequent occurrence during this past weekend. Anytime we heard the DJ playing good music no matter where we were, a circle immediately formed and everyone was able to get their turn to show off what they could do and connect based on that, which I loved.” explained Jules.
Throughout the three days at the state convention, students running for a state position campaigned continuously, making their voice heard through the masses of students. Going up to students and introducing themselves and the school they represented along with passing out a variety of different campaign materials like flyers, candy, bracelets, lip balms, and yo-yos. To complete their campaign, each student presented a speech along with a skit that they performed.
On the last day, students gathered together on the bleachers staring anxiously at the screens glowing from the stage. With hands clasped together and bodies lifting from the seat, schools jumped in excited screams when their school’s names appeared on screen. One representative from the school would go to the stage to retrieve their trophy or medallion.
Pembroke Pines Charter was announced in bold black letters as recipients of a bronze medallion for their project binders. Every day for the past three months in room D210, the Student Government Council would gather together to work on project reports and agendas that carefully detailed each SGA event hosted at PPCHS. These were the reports that were judged by the judges at FASC.
“It felt great to go back to FASC, it was genuinely such an amazing experience. Getting bronze for the medallion binder was such an accomplishment for us considering it’s our first time back in 3 years! It’s for sure an experience I’ll never forget, I’m so glad I attended,” Correa says.
It was a bittersweet feeling of having to say goodbye to the many new friendships made in the weekend. Instagrams and numbers were exchanged along with plenty of pictures taken throughout the trip. As PPCHS headed home on the bus, they reminisced on the unforgettable memories they shared during this trip.
After months of hard work and dedication, PPCHS was able to bring back a medallion that validates the efforts put into bringing Charter’s SGA back to the state level. Thanks to the SGA Advisor Mrs. Altimore, the dedication of the SGA class, and administration’s support, it is safe to say that the Student Government Association at Pembroke Pines Charter is coming on strong and is ready to spread not only Jaguar pride but also bring home more awards.
