Over the past 25 years, Pembroke Pines Charter High School has evolved to keep up with changing times. Having opened in 2000, PPCHS celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, welcoming a new era of modernization, both inside and outside the classroom.
Even over the last few years, the campus has undergone significant changes; most notably, the office renovation in 2024. Only PPCHS upperclassmen remember what the office used to look like: a stark contrast to the cozy and welcoming student lounge it is now.
“I would say, as someone who doesn’t have a lot of time to attend football games, it’s kind of hard to find ways to be proud to be a Jaguar,” says senior Robertzsa Joseph. “Obviously, I love being a Jaguar– go Jags! Just having the statue and also having our mascot walk around campus sometimes kind of makes the school feel more lighthearted and makes it feel more like a community, because, you know, in the end, we’re all Jaguars.”
On the other hand, freshmen like Jurni Vaughan have only known the office for what it is today. “I think the jaguar statue… shows school spirit and the pride [we] have for representing the jaguars. I feel like them having it here makes [me] feel more welcome and known to be a Jag,” she says. Last year, PPCHS transformed the A Building front office from a dreary, administration-only room to a place for students to connect with each other. In the middle of the room stands a shiny new jaguar statue, PPCHS’s mascot and a symbol for Jag Pride.
One of the most prominent symbols of Jag Pride at PPCHS is Jag Shack, where students can shop for merchandise that can be worn on any day of the week, as opposed to spirit shirts, which can only be worn on Fridays.
“Since our school has a mandatory uniform, sometimes it can feel a little bit boring, I guess, sometimes, to have the same outfit to wear every day, but having Jag Shack kind of gives you a sense of variety,” Robertzsa Joseph says. “Even if you have a uniform, you can still choose to wear this quarter zip or this shirt. I feel like it really helps bring that sense of individuality to each student and self-expression.”
Joseph, a senior, was a freshman at PPCHS when Jag Shack was established, and remembers what the uniform was like in her freshman year. Now, hundreds of students across the student body sport their Jag Shack merchandise instead of an everyday school polo, giving them a sense of individuality.
Right in the center of Pines Charter is its long-devoted principal, Mr. Bayer. Over the past quarter of a century, Mr. Bayer has overseen each change in the PPCHS campus, ensuring that it fits the needs of both students and staff and encourages a positive learning environment.
“In the front office in particular, that jaguar statue really gives us a centerpiece, and the wall behind it, as well as the TV, and of course, the nice seating. It makes it feel much more updated and modern, like you’d want to see in a nice college campus,” he says. “That’s always been kind of the intent since we opened the school– to make it feel like an academic village, and we felt that it fit our needs as a school.”
Mr. Bayer has worked at Pembroke Pines Charter High School since its inaugural year in 2000. Since then, Charter has grown and evolved to what it is today: a welcoming community with a campus that fits the needs of every student. One of the most noticeable changes is our very own CHAT Newspaper and Prowler Yearbook, both of which have adapted to the ever-changing high school student body.
“It makes me feel very proud to see how far we’ve come. You know, when you go back to our old yearbooks, some of [them] are still in black and white. When you go back to [our] old newspapers, they printed newspapers that came out a few times a year,” Mr. Bayer expresses. “To see the [multimedia aspects] here, it’s just so innovative and different and so far beyond where we started that it just makes me feel so proud of you guys.”
Whether they are beginning their freshman year at PPCHS or their journey at this school is ending, each student will make their mark at Charter. Even as the campus changes, Pembroke Pines Charter High School will always be the same spirited community and campus at its core.
