PIRATE HISTORY
Current Enrollment: approx. 2300
Classroom teachers: 110
Total number of staff: 180
Number of advanced degrees: 59
School colors: red and black
Mascot: the pirate
Port Charlotte High School (PCHS) is a four-year, comprehensive, public high school located in Port Charlotte, Florida, US. The school opened in 1982, 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 has high academic standards,[8] and is known for its performance in extracurricular activities. The school's main feeders are Murdock Middle School, Port Charlotte Middle School, and Punta Gorda Middle School.[9] The school's top athletic rivals are Charlotte High School[10] and Lemon Bay High School. The property value of the school is $15,797,719 USD.[11] PCHS has educated two NFL players and one major league baseball player who also performed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2008, despite the band's outstanding record, one of its former instructors was accused of sexual battery and later killed himself.
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 in 1982.[1] The original "G" and "B" buildings were completed in 1983.[11] The auditorium was built in 1984.[11] The science building, also known as A building, was built in 1987.[11] The BB building was built in 1990.[11] A swimming pool was added in 1991.[11] The "C building", which houses the library and some classrooms, was built in 2001.[11] In 2003, the new "B building", the two story academic classroom building, was finished.[11] 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.[12] Although Port Charlotte High School suffered only minor damage from the hurricane, other regional high schools suffered significant damage.[13] 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.[14]
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.[15] There are six periods in a school day.[16] The school has a student/teacher ratio of 21.2.[17] The curriculum is based on the Sunshine State Standards.[18]
| School Year | School Grade | School Year | School Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-1999 | C | 2003-2004 | C |
| 1999-2000 | C | 2004-2005 | C |
| 2000-2001 | C | 2005-2006 | B |
| 2001-2002 | A | 2006-2007 | C |
| 2002-2003 | C | 2007-2008 | A |
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These grades are based on FCAT testing.
[edit] 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.[20]
The school also offers athletic programs in football, basketball, baseball, softball, track, cheerleading, wrestling, soccer, volleyball, bowling, swimming, lacrosse, and weightlifting.[21]
[edit] Model United Nations
The school's Model United Nations (MUN) has been frequently recognized for its performance at conferences at both the national and international level.[22] The team has won honors at both national and international conferences, as well as multiple awards at noteworthy conferences at Harvard University, Yale University,[23] University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Brown University, and the Secondary Schools United Nations Symposium conference in Montreal, Canada.[20]
[edit] Naval Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
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.[24] It does not require a commitment to military service following high school graduation.[25] 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,[26] who are in turn overseen by the United States Navy itself through the form of Area Managers.[27] Port Charlotte's unit is a member of NJROTC Area Seven, and is known for service to its community.[28]
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.[29] The unit is a part of Area 7, which consists of units in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.[30]
The unit has four "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, academic team, and a physical training ("PT") team.[31] Previously, the unit also had a rifle team. 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.[32]
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.[33] The Pride Concert and Jazz Bands are also extremely successful, consistently receiving superior ratings from the Florida Bandmasters Association.[34]
Students
Students at Port Charlotte High School generally range from 13 through 19 years of age. 71% of the students are Caucasion, 14% are African American, 9 % are hispanic and 6% are multiracial or other.[17]
Notable alumni
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John Hall (class of 1991) was a place-kicker in the NFL. He played for the New York Jets (1997-2002), then was transferred to the Washington Redskins who he played for until 2006 when he was released; he then retired.[35]
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Tony Hargrove (class of 2001) Currently a free-agent. Played for the Buffalo Bills as a defensive end. He has also played for the St. Louis Rams.[35]
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Matthew LaPorta is a Major League Baseball player for the Cleveland Indians who attended PCHS his freshman year, but later transferred to rival Charlotte High School.[36] He was also one of 24 players selected to represent the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[37]
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Notable teachers / staff
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Eric Bishop, teacher of AP Literature, AP Language, and intensive reading, received recognition from the Florida Department of Education as Teacher of the Year for Charlotte County in 2004.[38] Dr. Bishop is also the pitching coach for the school's baseball team and the advisor for the Environmental Club.
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Dale Eugene Bowe, the director of the "Pride of Port Charlotte" since the beginning of the 2007 school year, was arrested Jan 12, 2008 following allegations he performed nonconsensual sex acts on two teenage students. According to a Charlotte County Sheriff's Office report, a 16-year-old boy reported a sexual battery to Port Charlotte High's school resource officer. On Jan 12, 2008 a 15-year-old boy came forward and told detectives about another alleged sexual battery, this time at Bowe's house. While they were there, Bowe allegedly performed oral sex on the boy without his consent. Bowe was later found in his Port Charlotte residence with a gunshot wound to the head. Charlotte County Sheriff's Office has ruled the case a suicide.[41]
Best of the Best at Port Charlotte High School
 |
| Front Row: Megan Decker, Rachel Petrofsky, Bailey Gilchrist, Shannon Debus, Megan Ladd, Courtney Sanders, Samantha Sanders Back Row: Austin McKinley, Jan Sznurkowski, Ryan Powers, Chris Laden, Andrew Koch, Andrea Costa, Shane Breitenstein, Desmond James, Jon Robson |
Port Charlotte High School's (PCHS) Model United Nations Academics Team took to the road to compete in both the Southwest Florida Regional Model United Nations Conference and the Florida High Schools Model United Nations Conference held at Florida Gulf Coast University. The Port Charlotte High School team won its seventh consecutive regional championship with a clean sweep of all top Country Delegation Awards, all Committee Awards of Individual Excellence, all five $1,500 scholarships, and first and second places in the Position Paper Awards.
Winning scholarships were seniors Bailey Gilchrist, Shane Breitenstein, Chris Laden, Jan Sznurkowski and Rachel Petrofsky.
The PCHS team also competed against 30 schools from across Florida in the Florida High School Championships in Orlando. There were 73 Country Teams represented with a single team winning the only three Outstanding Delegation Awards. That's right….Port Charlotte High School!
The Orlando conference ends a spectacular year for the PCHS Team, which won the Top School Award at every conference they attended this year, including conferences at Georgia Tech University, Brown University, University of Chicago and Tallahassee Community College. The best of the best truly rests at Port Charlotte High School. The Florida Department of Education congratulates Port Charlotte High School's Model United Nations Team.
