and New: and New: Class....

buildings in which they made memories, but a sense of eagerness arose to come back to a new and improved school.

“It was so exciting when we came back that first day after Christmas break. We were walking into the new building and everybody [was] taking pictures on 120th St. That was one of the most exciting moments of my career,” Nerenberg said.

On the last day before excavators tore the red-bricked entrance of the school alongside all the other classrooms, cafeteria and auditorium, MPSH students and staff decided to leave their final goodbye. Throughout the day, the staff allowed students to pour out their creativity by drawing on the walls. Students took this freedom and ran with it. They wrote their names across the walls that meant the most to them and drew whatever they could in the little time left.

“I think [my favorite memory] probably was when we wrote down our names and wrote messages. I feel like it was on a lot of social media, just the way that people were like, our schools getting torn down, and we get to write stuff on the walls…it really kind of drew close to what we were doing…like even Jeff Bezos went to school in those buildings. So the fact that we were going to be the ones to close that off was pretty special, and it was a core memory,” Espinosa said.

The sudden switch to new buildings and improved classrooms held a different ambiance, making students feel as if they were in an entirely different campus; but these renovations motivated students, solidifying the bonds between MPSH students and staff alike. Old MPSH buildings held precious memories for many, but the transition into the new buildings presented various opportunities for students, showing how the Panther spirit remains no matter which buildings and hallways MPSH students walk through.

“With the new building, the fact that everything was brand new, nobody has experienced it before, it felt very different, but I feel like the old building, all the classes before us had been in that building, and every single alumni class had been in that building,” MPSH Senior and TVP member Sebastian Soto said. “So, we definitely felt more tied to Palmetto versus to when we came to the new building, it felt like we were in a different school completely. The old building made it more sentimental and it made us stronger as a Panther community.”

As the last class to have walked through the original MPSH buildings, the class of 2023 will be the last class to earn a diploma with a picture of the old entrance on 118th St., symbolizing the end of the “old” MPSH and the beginning of a new era for younger students.

Within the borders, the legacy behind being a Panther who walked into the school from the main entrance on 118th St. now remains a fond memory.

“When I walk down 118th St., I still feel the flavor of the old building. The old building and the new building are just like cars. You could have a brand new one or a really old one, but it will get you where you need to go. Palmetto got so many people where they needed to go…it doesn’t matter about the building, it matters about the kids, and the character, and the teachers, and the leaders,” Nerenberg said.

These buildings serve as a true testament to MPSH’s past. They hold a plethora of memories for past classes, teachers and students.

Ivy Lagarto Design Editor i.lagarto.thepanther@gmail.com

Valentina Arias Multimedia Editor v.arias.thepanther@gmail.com

DESIGN BY MIA SHIELDS PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRY NERENBERG