It’s 7:00 in the morning, and you’re already at school. You’re tired, worn out, and begin to doze off during homeroom when the horrendously loud sound of a distant thumping wakes you right back up. You look around frantically, searching for the person with a battering ram, just to find out that it’s only someone outside of the building, impatiently waiting to be let in.

   “Can I go open the door for my friend?”, “Can you come open the door?”, and “I know you see me out here!” are things we say and hear all too often–or at least we used to.

   At the beginning of the new school year, several students were surprised to find out that Pembroke Pines Charter High School had special locks placed on just about every single door on campus. At first, teachers, security staff, and administrators were the only people around campus with passes to unlock these doors for themselves and students, but recently, all PPCHS students have been granted their own passes to open the doors for themselves and their peers.

   Some students also seem to be happy about finally being able to stop relying on others to get into buildings. “[The cards] make it much more easier to access buildings,” says senior Alis Henry. “It was a bit tricky at first to navigate because you have to get used to the system, but afterwards it really is simple and makes everything nice.”

   However, not everyone shares these same feelings.

   “I feel like the access cards are too much,” junior John Jaimes expresses.

   “I don’t even use it to open doors because it feels like a tracking device, like an invasion of privacy. Especially because the administration can see where you go,” says John.

   The new access cards seem to pair great with our new school year and all of the brand new things that have come, and are to come, with it.