Port Charlotte High School

Port Charlotte High School (PCHS) is a four-year, comprehensive, U.S. public high school located in Port Charlotte, Florida. 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.[6]

This article is about the educational facility in Port Charlotte, Florida. For the similarly named school in Punta Gorda, see Charlotte High School (Punta Gorda, Florida).

Port Charlotte High School
Address
18200 Cochran Boulevard

Port Charlotte
,
Florida
33948

United States
Coordinates27°00′12″N 82°09′03″W
Information
TypePublic
MottoYes, I am a pirate!
Founded1982[1]
PrincipalLou Long III[2]
Staff76.00 (FTE)[3]
Faculty110[4]
Grades9–12[1]
Number of students1,680 (2017-18)[3]
Student to teacher ratio23.39.20[3]
CampusSuburban[5]
Color(s)Red and Black    [1]
AthleticsFlorida High School Athletic Association
MascotPirate[1]
WebsiteSchool website

At one point in time, Port Charlotte High School was the largest high school in Charlotte County, with 2,082 students enrolled in grades Grades 9 through 12.[7] Enrollment was traditionally based on students' geographic locations,[8] but is now by choice under the more recently created open enrollment program.[9]

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.[10] The school's top athletic rivals are Charlotte High School[11] and Lemon Bay High School.[12] PCHS has educated two National Football League players and one Major League Baseball player who also played 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.[12] The auditorium was built in 1984.[12] The science building, also known as A building, was built in 1987.[12] The BB building was built in 1990.[12] A swimming pool was added in 1991.[12] The "C building", which houses the library and some classrooms, was built in 2001.[12] In 2003, the new "B building", the two story academic classroom building, was finished.[12] 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.[13] Although Port Charlotte High School suffered only minor damage from the hurricane, other regional high schools suffered significant damage.[14] 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.[15]

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"[16] for academic excellence. PCHS was one of 1,189 schools nationwide to receive a bronze medal.[17]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Charlotte County Public Schools system reopened for the 2020–2021 school year after closing at the end of the 2019–2020 school year due to the pandemic. The school recorded the first case of the virus among the school system during the pandemic on September 8, a day after school reopened. The school went on to record 3 total cases in September, 2 in October, 5 in November, 19 in December, and 18 in January of that school year.[18]

Academics

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.[19] There are seven periods in a school day.[20] The school has a student/teacher ratio of 23.39.[21] The curriculum is based on the Sunshine State Standards.[22]

Port Charlotte High School Accountability Report[23]
School Year School Grade School Year School Grade
1998–1999 C 2004–2005 C
1999–2000 C 2005–2006 B
2000–2001 C 2006–2007 C
2001–2002 A 2007–2008 A
2002–2003 C 2008–2009 A
2003–2004 C 2009–2010 B
2014-2015 B 2015-2016 C
2016-2017 C 2017-2018 B
2018-2019 C
  • These grades are based on FCAT and FSA testing.
  • The archives for the 2011–2012 to 2013-2014 school years are listed as "pending" for the school grades.

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.[24] 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.[25]

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.[26] 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.[25][27]

Main article: 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 Officers' 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.[28] It does not require a commitment to military service following high school graduation.[29] 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,[30] who are in turn overseen by the United States Navy itself through the form of Area Managers.[31] Port Charlotte's unit is a member of NJROTC Area Seven, and is known for service to its community.[32]

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.[33] The unit is a part of Area 7, which consists of units in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.[34]

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.[35] 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.[36]

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 Thanksgiving Day Parade, the New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, the New Year's Day Parade in London, England, and the Cotton Bowl Parade in Dallas, Texas among many others.[37] The Pride Concert and Jazz Bands are also extremely successful, consistently receiving superior ratings from the Florida Bandmasters Association.[38]

Gay-Straight Alliance

Port Charlotte High School had a Gay-Straight Alliance club. The club was not well received by all of the students or the residents of largely conservative[39] Charlotte County. When the club attracted protestors from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, the club's leader failed to rally support from the student population, and some of the students even laughed at the situation.[40] Not long after the protests, the club was disbanded.[41] As of the 2020–2021 school year the club once again exists in the school.[42]

Demographics

As of the 2018–2019 school year, Port Charlotte High School 1,680 students. 885 of the students were male, and 795 were female. 414 were in ninth grade, 446 were in tenth grade, 415 were in eleventh grade, and 405 were in twelfth grade. 1,024 students were white, 293 were Hispanic, 242 were black, 80 were "two or more races," 37 were Asian, 3 were American Indian or Alaska Native, and one was Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.[3]

Notable alumni

Notable Faculty

See also

References
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  2. "Secondary EdSchool". Charlotte County Public Schools. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  3. "Search for Public Schools: Port Charlotte High School". National Center for Education Statistics. United States Department of Education. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  4. "Search for Public Schools: Port Charlotte High School". National Center for Education Statistics. United States Department of Education. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
  5. "Search for Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. 2006. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
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  50. Doug Dunakey Recalls Shooting 59 Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine

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