Wednesday morning either a smile swept across students faces or they hurryingly stuffed their ids into their backpacks from embarrassment at Pembroke Pines Charter. Students were officially given their new school ID’s and this created a range of expressions, along with the argument about whether or not they would open the doors.

   From freshmen to seniors, all their reactions to their ids were different. These ids are some of the many freshmen will receive throughout their time in high school. Sophomore Coralie Richardson expressed, “The pictures came out ok. I had just gotten my hair done but in the picture you could barely see my highlights due to the shadow. The picture made my hair look pitch black.” Other sophomores and freshmen shared this dislike in their photos. Freshman Mckenna Gregory stated, “I don’t wear mine around, but I get the need for us to bring them to school. I don’t personally like mine”. Unlike the freshmen and sophomores, seniors knew what to expect. 

   Typically, seniors do not take ID pictures and this year to ensure all seniors were pictured on their ID’s, their last ID photos were used. This meant their sophomore year photos had to be used, as no pictures were taken junior year due to the pandemic. Senior Emily Suyama expressed how she felt about her ID, “I feel like over the past two years I’ve really changed and my sophomore year photo doesn’t really do me justice. But, I feel like it could’ve been worse and most teachers already know what I actually look like anyways.” Her and many other seniors had already accepted their photos sophomore year so seeing it again wasn’t much a bother.

   Along with the ID’s, there’s been discussions about whether or not they will be used to unlock the doors. Mrs.Llanos gave some insight about what exactly the ID’s will be used for. Currently, the id’s students have are only for identification purposes. The id’s have a barcode on the top which can be scanned to pay for lunch. Additionally, there’s a barcode on the bottom which is scanned for bus riders, to help keep track of where students are. Additional key cards will be distributed once they are activated. The official date that key cards will be distributed is to be announced. When they are distributed, however, they will unlock all doors and a hall pass will no longer be needed. It is mandatory that all doors, both for the hallways and classrooms, remain locked at all times unless it is between passing periods. Senior Domenic Lacayo explained why he saw this important, “The world is crazy today, so any way to make my last year in high school safer is something I see necessary”. When questioned about why students would each receive their own keycard, Mrs.Llanos explained, “It is related to Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The key cards will allow faculty to see where students are at all times and what times they entered buildings at”. The key cards are one of the many moves in the right direction for protection at Pembroke Pines Charter.

   At times like these with mandatory masks, the ID’s serve more than their intended purpose of identification to administration. They give fellow classmates and teachers a look at what’s behind the mask and who they are actually talking to. The key cards also work to give students more freedom on campus, yet be protected and secure at the same time. Many things have changed at school due to the pandemic, but security will always be at the top.