Panther Creek High School

High teacher turnover. The principal does not respect and value his staff. The school is good but could be great if more teachers stayed. The principal's treatment of staff should be looked at a little more closely.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a student at Panther Creek High School. We have been very pleased with the challenging curriculum, excellent teachers, and administrators. I highly recommend this school for students looking to go onto higher education.
--Submitted by a parent

Very satisfied with the education i have received here. Excellent teachers and principles, rigorous curriculum, excellent sports programs and a wide variety of clubs.
--Submitted by a student

My son is a freshmen at PCHS and really likes it there. He's actually interested in going to school (finally!). I find the teachers to be great at communicating with me despite the fact that they have so many students. As far as the traffic problem in the morning, here's a brilliant idea... have your little princesses and princes actually RIDE THE BUS and there you have it, traffic problem solved! Your children won't shrivel up and die if they ride the school bus. I feel that my son is getting a quality education and that his teachers are able to give him one on one attention IF he attends smart lunch. The choice is his and if he chooses to not utilize the resources available to him, that's on my son, NOT the school. The resources are there. As far as the leadership goes, I only know that the principal held us captive at Freshman Parent camp for the most long winded, not-important speech ever. I was very turned off by that. The person that spoke after him actually had information that I needed and she was cut short because he used up all the time talking about himself. I have no other experience with the leadership.
--Submitted by a parent

This school excels in academics, athletics, and the arts. Teachers and administration are organized, caring, and have high expectations. Great school spirit. We love it.
--Submitted by a parent

The comments from the parents post 9/28/11 are right on target. Not sure who "actually'' wrote the review for September 29, 2011 in rebuttal to this one on September 28, 2011; however, in reviewing all of the posts, it seems pretty unanimous with parents being unhappy with Admin, Teachers, PCH overall, the parking lot in the a.m., etc. As the saying goes, if you continue to hear/read about the same things all the time, there must be some truth to it! I certainly agree with what the poster stated dated 9/28/11. Also, why extend the offer to the poster to volunteer, or help out if the school already is so great? Quite contradictory it seems.....
--Submitted by a parent

Yesterday's post is laughable! First, school spirit: PCHS's student section was rated the best student section in the Triangle for the 2010-11 school year and is one of the finalist again this year. Mr. Nelson is not an attention seeker, but he is easy to find. He has some of the best APs in the area and they have been able to attract excellent departmental heads. For example, Performing Arts/D. Robinson is one of the best in the state, and easy to work with. Athletics/T. Schuler is an exceptional leader and has built one of the best coaching staffs in the state. As for the Janitorial/Maintenance staff, Hector and Nadam are fantastic! They go above and beyond each and every day. Typically staying late and coming in early. I'm sorry, but this parent is at a minimum uninformed and if his/her concerns are sincere, then get involved and help make things better. Join the PTSA, Band Boosters, Athletic Boosters, volunteer in the Media Center, front office, etc. etc. I wouldn't want my child in any other school than Panther Creek!
--Submitted by a parent

In my own humble opinion, I feel that Panther Creek High and Wake County schools are not great. It seems that PCH lacks school spirit on all levels. In addition, I cannot fathom why the textbook budget was ever eliminated. Recently, cuts have been made with School Nurse's and Janitorial/Maintenance. These positions are essential in keeping the school clean and hygienic, especially since the incident of students defecating in the bathroom sinks and walls, thus the bathrooms being closed for the rest of the school year(4/11). Many things are not disclosed to parents. Moreover, I don't think that many Teacher's are HQ status and I do not understand why many of the Teacher's curriculum is not reviewed or approved by Administration. I get the sense that they just do whatever they want to regarding curriculum. There's such a lack of presence of leadership which really hurts the school; therefore, I have to agree with other postings about the Principal hiding behind the desk. Overall, I wish that the hype about PCH and Cary, NC would stop. The school and the area itself are mediocre at best.There are other areas in the U.S. that are better, even with budget cuts. I am not impressed.
--Submitted by a parent

I have been happy with the academics and most of the teachers. Some are amazing, and we are fortunate to have them, but others have no business teaching children. Although knowledgeable about the subject matter they teach, there has been harsh treatment by the teachers towards the capable children (honors students) and a sense of superiority by the teachers and staff. There is no leadership in the school, and the principal basically lets the administrators and teachers do their own thing with his full support, no oversight. Teachers who step over the line are not redressed but emboldened. Some juniors and seniors do not even know what their principal looks like as he only comes out for show, else he is merely the voice coming out of the public address system. I have been particularly disappointed by the counselors and 504 Team in place to supposedly support the children. Not so. If there are good teachers at Panther Creek, it is because they have a heart for the children, not themselves. Parents are not valued unless they have nothing but praise for the school.
--Submitted by a parent

Wonderful school. High number of rigorous AP courses, tons of clubs and activities, friendly environment for students.
--Submitted by a parent