Having taught for over thirty years at Palmetto, I find it very hard to talk about the last decade without making at least some reference to the last three decades. Time has a way of making the years converge, to the point that decade’s just merge together without a perceivable seam.

Palmetto has forever been the school to go to. When buying a house, being in the Palmetto feeder pattern was the biggest plus there was…and still is. That’s a contrast that remains untouched. It is so because Palmetto has some of the best students in the country. . . and some of the best teachers and staff too.

Through the years, I have seen building and school populations rise: there has been an increase in clubs and honor societies and, thankfully, an increase in cultural diversity too. There is more involvement now than ever in extracurricular activities, including sports. Some of our teams have grown and improved, bringing many accolades to our school. Young men and women keep getting into the best schools in the country and abroad. Silver Knight winners, and many who are just as deserving but don’t get chosen, have flourished with community projects that make us all very proud. We have become more aware of ecological, medical, and social issues, and are doing much to help those causes.

Granted, not all is well at our school. In the last decade there has been an increase in vandalism and fighting, among other negative behaviors. That comes along with the increased population. Some years have been hard with overcrowding, discipline problems and lack of building cleanliness. I remember a cleaner, stricter school over twenty years ago. I remember when students used to dress properly all the time, and you would hardly ever hear a curse word around the hallways. We didn’t need ID’s back then to be safer.

But I also remember cliques, oh the intense Palmetto cliques. There is still some of that, but definitely not as much, thankfully.

We have become more integrated, diverse and free-thinking micro-society here. There is still the intense academic competition, the ever-present whining about grades and the huge parental demands. But there is also a terrific PTSA and many parents who are our best allies in correcting some of our problems. We continue to have exemplary individuals at all levels of our Panther family; that still remains true.

I resent the spiteful categorizing of our school as “Palmghetto” by some simple-minded individuals who couldn’t make it here. Palmetto has changed in many ways, both good and bad, but it is still the place to be, both to study and teach.