Port Charlotte High School

Port Charlotte High School
Port Charlotte High School
Address
18200 Cochran Blvd Port Charlotte, Florida 33948 United States
Coordinates	27°00′12″N 82°09′03″W / 27.00340°N 82.15093°W / 27.00340; -82.15093Coordinates: 27°00′12″N 82°09′03″W / 27.00340°N 82.15093°W / 27.00340; -82.15093
Information
Type	Public
Founded	1982[1]
Principal	Lou Long[2]
Staff	180[1]
Faculty	110[1]
Grades	9–12[1]
Number of students	2,035[3]
Campus	Suburban[4]
Color(s)	Red and Black          [1]
Athletics	Florida High School Athletic Association
Mascot	Pirate[1]
Website	School website

Port Charlotte High School (PCHS) is a four-year, comprehensive, public high school located in Port Charlotte, Florida, US. The school opened in 1981, graduated its first class in 1984, its mascot is the pirate, and the school motto is "Yes, I am a Pirate."^[1] It is operated by Charlotte County Public Schools.^[3] With 2,082 students enrolled in grades Grades 9 through 12, Port Charlotte High School has more students than any other public school in Charlotte County.^[5] Enrollment was traditionally based on students' geographic locations,^[6] but is now by choice under the more recently created open enrollment program.^[7] The school has grown much, and it survived Hurricane Charley. The school's main feeders are Murdock Middle School, Port Charlotte Middle School, and Punta Gorda Middle School.^[8] The school's top athletic rivals are Charlotte High School^[9] and Lemon Bay High School. The property value of the school is $15,797,719 US.^[10] PCHS has educated two NFL players and one MLB player who also performed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

History

PCHS Pirate Pride poster seen on the walls throughout the PCHS campus as well as on the back of the PCHS Student Planner. Pirate P-R-I-D-E is "Preparation, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence."

PCHS has experienced growth through its twenty-five years of existence. The campus structure has grown with the population.^[1] The school was originally built in 1981, and opened its doors that year for 9th and 10th graders. For each of the next two years, a class was added, and PCHS graduated its first class in 1984. The original "G" and "B" buildings were completed in 1983.^[10] The auditorium was built in 1984.^[10] The science building, also known as A building, was built in 1987.^[10] The BB building was built in 1990.^[10] A swimming pool was added in 1991.^[10] The "C building", which houses the library and some classrooms, was built in 2001.^[10] In 2003, the new "B building", the two story academic classroom building, was finished.^[10] In 2007, the new gym was finished.^[1] The new gym did not replace the older one, but rather, was an addition.^[1]

In 2004, Hurricane Charley brought devastation to the Port Charlotte region.^[11] Although Port Charlotte High School suffered only minor damage from the hurricane, other regional high schools suffered significant damage.^[12] In the aftermath, Port Charlotte High School shared its facility with the students of Charlotte High School, with Port Charlotte High School students attending morning class and Charlotte High School students attending in the evening.^[13]

In 2009, Port Charlotte High School was recognized by US News and World Report as one of America's best high schools and a "Bronze Medal School"^[14] for academic excellence. PCHS was one of 1,189 schools nationwide to receive a bronze medal.^[15]

Academics

Port Charlotte High School's official crest

Port Charlotte High School currently has 15 English teachers, 17 math teachers, 8 intensive reading teachers, 14 science teachers, 15 social studies teachers, 8 foreign language teachers, 14 vocational teachers, 5 exceptional student education (for students with disabilities) teachers, and 1 ESOL teacher.^[16] There are seven periods in a school day.^[17] The school has a student/teacher ratio of 21.2.^[18] The curriculum is based on the Sunshine State Standards.^[19]

• These grades are based on FCAT testing.

Athletics

PCHS cheerleaders at a football game

The PCHS athletic department operates programs in football, basketball, baseball, softball, track, cheerleading, golf, wrestling, soccer, volleyball, bowling, swimming, lacrosse, diving, cross country, and weightlifting.^[21] Athletics at PCHS are regulated by the Florida High School Athletic Association under classification 4A, district 11.

Extracurricular activities

Port Charlotte High School has many clubs and groups, including Academic Team Challenge (A-Team), Beta Club, Book Club, Creative Writing Club, Dance Team, DECA, Environmental Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), French Club, Games Club, Interact Club, Key Club, Mock Trial Team, Model United Nations (MUN), Mu Alpha Theta, National Art Honor Society, National Honor Society, Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp (NJROTC), Pirate Crew, Pride of Port Charlotte Marching Band, Recruitment & Educational Assistance for Careers In Health (REACH), Red Cross Club, Scholars Club, Silver Cord, Spanish Club, Student Government Association, Thespian Society, Tri-M Music Society, Water Polo, and Yearbook Team. Key Club, an organization for high school students, is operated by the Kiwanis Club.^[22]

Model United Nations

Port Charlotte High School's Model United Nations Academic Team was ranked by the BEST DELEGATE website as the number five best Model UN team in America for the 2010-2011 school year.

The school's Model United Nations (MUN) is the most successful competitive team of any kind in Charlotte County history. For almost two decades, the PCHS Model United Nations Academic Team has been recognized as one of the very best Model UN teams in the country or its winning performances at conferences at both the national and international levels.^[23] In 2012, PCHS MUN was ranked the fourth best Model United Nations team in the United States by Best Delegate, a Model United Nations Database recognized all over the world.

The team has won coveted Best Large School and Best Small School Awards at many national and international conferences, like Harvard (HMUN), Yale (YMUN), the University of Pennsylvania (ILMUNC), McGill University in Montreal, Canada (SSUNS), as well as multiple awards at other noteworthy conferences such as University of Chicago (MUNUC), Brown University (BMUN), Northwestern University (NUMUN, Georgia Tech (GTMUN), The College of William and Mary (WMHSMUN), Duke University, and the Southwest Florida/FGCU (SWFLMUN).

The team also does significant community outreach work. For the past 16 years team members have operated their award-winning International Market. They import and sell arts and crafts created by struggling indigenous artisans from all across the planet. They work closely with the Fair Trade Federation to ensure that all of the artists they work with are treated fairly and paid top wages for their creations. The team has sold well over $100,000 worth of arts and crafts. Their efforts keep people in the developing world solvent and ancient art forms alive.

Team members also put on a yearly Mini-Mun conference for students from local public and private middle schools. They also present six-week-long public speaking/debate seminars at several local elementary schools. The seminars culminate in a public debate between teams from the elementary schools. The event is attended by over 200 friends and relatives.^[22][24]

Naval Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps

PCHS NJROTC's official logo

Some of the trophies earned by the NJROTC unit of PCHS.

The Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) is a program allowing high school students to participate in the academic and physical training aspect of naval service, while also providing leadership opportunities to those involved in the program.^[25] It does not require a commitment to military service following high school graduation.^[26] Port Charlotte's NJROTC program was established in the early 1990s; since then, it has grown significantly. The company of cadets are overseen and instructed by two retired United States Navy personnel,^[27] who are in turn overseen by the United States Navy itself through the form of Area Managers.^[28] Port Charlotte's unit is a member of NJROTC Area Seven, and is known for service to its community.^[29]

The Pirate NJROTC unit has received many awards over the years, including, but not limited to the "Distinguished Unit Award," which it has been awarded over seven consecutive academic years - 2001-2007.^[30] The unit is a part of Area 7, which consists of units in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.^[31]

The unit has seven "teams" within its infrastructure that allow participating cadets to receive extracurricular training and experience of their choice: an armed and unarmed Drill Team, Color Guard, honor guard, academic team, orienteering team, marksmanship team and a physical training ("PT") team.^[32] The teams compete against other Area Seven units at colleges, universities, military installations, and other high schools. The teams also compete with other units across the United States.^[33]

Pride of Port Charlotte Bands

As of 2008, Port Charlotte High School's "Pride of Port Charlotte" Bands have consistently ranked among the top bands in the state of Florida for several years. The Pride of Port Charlotte Marching Band has participated at many famous events, such as the Fiesta Bowl, Macy's Day Parade, the New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, the New Years Day Parade in London, England, and the Cotton Bowl Parade in Dallas, Texas among many others.^[34] The Pride Concert and Jazz Bands are also extremely successful, consistently receiving superior ratings from the Florida Bandmasters Association.^[35]

Demographics

Students at Port Charlotte High School generally are between 13 and 19 years of age. 71% of the students are Caucasian, 14% are African American, 9% are hispanic and 6% are multiracial or other.^[18]

Notable alumni

• Vinnie Fiorello and Chris DeMakes are members of Less Than Jake, a ska punk band.^[36]
• John Hall, placekicker for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins.^[37]
• Anthony Hargrove (class of 2001) is a defensive end. He helped the New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV.^[38] He has also played for the St. Louis Rams, the Buffalo Bills and the Seattle Seahawks.^[37]
• David Holmberg, class of 2009, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds.^[39]
• Matthew LaPorta, baseball player for the Cleveland Indians and US Olympic team, attended PCHS his freshman year.^[40][41]
• Asher Levine, fashion designer.^[42]

Notable Faculty

• Doug Dunakey - Former professional golfer. He became the golf coach for PCHS after his professional career.^[43]

See also

• Charlotte County, Florida

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port Charlotte High School.

• Charlotte County Public Schools' official website
• Florida Department of Education official website