On Dec. 6 at 9:45 a.m., students from Palmetto Middle School, Southwood Middle, Frank C. Martin Academy for the Arts and Vineland K-8 Center arrived at Miami Palmetto Senior High. Their arrival set in motion a massive moving operation known as Panther for a Day. Panther for a Day is an event where MPSH markets all of the best things the school offers to the incoming freshman class. It is an event where feeder schools from across the district bring their eighth grade classes to see what MPSH brings to the table. Beyond Palmetto Middle and Vineland K-8 Center, students from schools like Gulliver Prep, Southwood and George Washington Carver Middle School also registered to attend the event. Hundreds of students came to see what MPSH has to offer.
“I really don’t think they have an idea of what it’s like, until they get here,” Palmetto Middle School teacher Helena Castillo said. “They might just think it’s just classes, but you guys show so much spirit. There are so many activities, and there’s so much fun to be had that I think that that’s a really good experience for them.”
The experience for the middle schoolers visiting the school was more than just a presentation in an auditorium. It was a multi-hour show that moved between the auditorium and gym with performances from MPSH’s visual arts department. From Jazz Band to the American Sign Language Club, Thespians to MPSH Cheer and Variations, nearly every single performance and art group was on display. Beyond this, the whole event in the auditorium was organized by different Television Production clips, and members of the Student Council came on stage and explained things, as well as introducing each act.
“We basically plan everything in all the events,” senior and Student Council Recruitment Chair Savannah Rodriguez said. “We come up with all the scripts, we organize all the performances and the order. We also thought of games that the students could participate in.”
The amount of student involvement in Panther or a Day really can not be overstated. While there was obviously oversight by administrators and people like MPSH Activities Director Elizabeth Valero, nearly every person who spoke, and every person who helped set up and organize things on that day, were MPSH students.
There is a lot of competition for students across the county. From private high schools to other magnet programs at different public schools, MPSH has to stand out for students to want to attend here.
“It is really important for us to showcase what makes Miami Palmetto so special,” Assistant Principal Michelle Zawie said. “The truth is, it’s very competitive out there with different high schools, and enrollment is important to us, so we want to ensure that we have a good, large incoming freshmen group.”
Panther for a Day is about selling MPSH to the incoming freshman class. They prioritize giving the students a fun entertaining show that shows off the best MPSH has to offer.
