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The Palm Valley School Student Blog

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One Chapter Ends: Another Begins

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Feature Post

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

We are nearing the end of a school year and venturing into the summer. It’s bittersweet, our 5th graders are going into middle school, our 8th graders are going into high school, and our seniors are going to university. These are big steps for all of these people. Today, I focus on the 8th graders because I want to know how they feel moving into high school. Most of our Palm Valley 8th-Grade class I have had the pleasure of watching grow up over the last eight years, and they are all wonderful people. Let’s get an inside scoop on what some of them think of the future. 

Julian says, “I’m nervous but also excited for the next step. I’m sad I won’t get to see everyone every day, but this is just a reminder of how college is just around the corner.”

Ben says, “I know it’s going to be very different from what I’m used to, but I’m excited for it.”

Sarah says, “I’m honestly sad but happy at the same time for all the memories I’ve made over the last ten years.” 

Silvanita says, “After all the years I’ve been here, I feel like I have improved in many skills at Palm Valley. I’m ambitious about the future and am ready to take on the role of high school.”

Calum says, “It’s sad because I’m moving and won’t get to see my friends anymore.”

Emmy says, “I’m super excited to leave, but I’m going to miss PVS. I’ve made so many lifelong friendships here, and will forever cherish the memories I’ve created. I will miss everyone so much!”

In celebration of Emmy Kaminsky’s birthday, Emerson Dunn, Soleil, Chase Krein, and Julian Berumen joined her at a Firebirds’ hockey game.

Chase says, “It’s calm; I feel calm. It’s been a chill year.”

Morgan says, “I’m going to miss my old teachers like Ms. Zachik because she really made the school sparkle. I also love my friends.”

Mason says, “It was fun. I’ve made good friendships over the years and am ready to move on.”

Millie says, “I’m looking forward to high school, but I’ll miss all of the days I got to play volleyball with Julian or share laughs with my peers. It’s almost bittersweet that I’ve been at PVS for so long and now I’m moving on into a new chapter in my life.”

Karsen says, “Everyone has been really welcoming and caring. I can’t wait for high school.”

Sophia says, “I am really happy to leave 8th grade and meet new people and get to experience new things. Palm Valley has been a whirlwind of emotions and memories.” 

Ms. Dean orders Jaxon Pacilio and Calum Webster to PUT SAMI DOWN. Peter Collier, an innocent bystander, hurries to French class.

As you can see our eighth graders are eager to move into high school but are going to miss the home Palm Valley is for them. I feel the same. My childhood is spread throughout this campus, and I will miss it so much, but I can’t wait for the next chapter of my life. 

Houston, Help Us with the Toilet!!!

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 7th-Grade Blogger Mark Huber

Did you hear about that new space mission that was like all over the news? Well, the most recent mission was the Artemis II mission. And, if you heard about the Artemis II mission, you likely heard that the onboard toilet had some major issues.

Artemis II ready for launch. Source: ABC News

According to Artemis II Flight Director Judd Freiling, the main issue had to do with “dumping the waste out of the toilet” (CNN). And, the cause of the issue was a frozen vent line–clogged up with frozen pee. I know it sounds sort of silly, but the toilet is an everyday thing we take for granted. Without it, you would be taking dumps behind the bushes outside your house and people would walk by and get really good views of your butt. But, in space, there are no bushes.

So, what I mean to say is the malfunctioning toilet was a big problem. While the pee-ejection vent was clogged up with frozen pee, the crew had to do their urinating in bags. At least they could just toss the bags out into the distant void of space, says Space.com. Still, not very fun. But, fortunately, the whole crew made it back down to Earth completely fine. (And also probably feeling super happy that they could now sit down on a toilet and urinate there instead of into bags.)


P.S. I also used the BBC as one of my sources. Now they tell me I have to pay (real!) money to subscribe so I can keep reading stuff on their website. Whatever.

(Income) Taxes Are Terrifying

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 8th-Grade Blogger Max Pretorius

Taxes are what holds our country together. They are the building blocks of civilization. And April 15th, is the wretched day that you have to pay taxes. But, the question is, how do you pay your taxes?

Taxes for Dummies

There are three ways to pay taxes: do it yourself, use software, or hire an accountant. The cheapest but most complicated way is doing it yourself. If you make any money from your employer, then they will have to give you a W-2 form. It should be noted that things such as allowance from your parents don’t count. This is because your allowance counts as a gift and is not taxable, unless it is more than $10,000 a year. Your W-2 form will have information like your wage, your state and local income tax, as well as your federal, social security, and medicare tax withheld. The W-2 form is meant to tell you how much of your taxes were withheld, so you know what you have left to pay. It also tells the government your social security number, linking those taxes to you.

When you start your job, you will likely fill out a W-4 form. W-4 forms are meant to tell your employer how much of your money that you make should be withheld. This can be helpful so that by April, you have to pay very little, if any, taxes to the federal government.

This is a W-2 form. It is the form that your employer will give you so you can pay your taxes. (image source: irs.gov)

Federal Tax Brackets

Federal tax brackets are progressive tax brackets used by the government in order to make you pay a higher tax percentage if you make more money. The way the tax brackets work is actually quite simple. For the 2026 single filer tax brackets, the rates are:

10% $0 – 12,400

12% $12,401 – 50,400

22% $50,401 – 105,700

24% $105.701 – 201,775

32% $201,776 – 256,225

35% $256,226 – 640,600

37% over $640,600 (irs.gov/newsrooml)

There is one common misconception though. Many people think that if you earned $60,000, you would pay 22%, but that is not true. You are taxed on money filling those brackets. This means that $12,400 of what you make is taxed at 10%, anything more than that is taxed at 12%, and anything more than $50,400 is taxed at 22%. This is meant to not force you to try to earn less than the next tax bracket. If you worked on a simple percentage system like the misconception stated, then someone earning $50,400 would earn significantly more than someone making $53,000. It should also be noted that the tax brackets above are for single filers. This does not apply to anyone who is married, filing together or separate. It should also be noted that income from dividends is taxed separately and at a lower rate than normal income, which you can see here.

California State Tax Brackets

California is a state with a very high tax rate. While other states charge no income tax like Florida or Texas, California charges up to a 12.3% income tax, on top of the federal tax you’re already paying. California’s single tax brackets are as such:

1% $0 – 11,079

2% $11,080 – 26,264

4% $26,265 – 41,452

6% $41,453 – 57,542

8% $57,543 – 72,724

9.3% $72,725 – 371,479

10.3% $371,480 – 445,771

11.3% $445,772 – 742,953

12.3% over $742,954 (nerdwallet.com)

These tax brackets work the same as the federal ones, meaning that you’re taxed on the money that you earn in each of those brackets; not everything is taxed at the highest bracket.

You must pay both California and Federal taxes on your income. Your marginal tax rate is the amount you would be taxed if you made one extra dollar. This means that if you make a lot of money, you’ll have about a 50% marginal tax rate. I interviewed my dad, and he said, “I don’t mind paying Scandinavian-level taxes, but I do mind if I pay Scandinavian-level taxes without Scandinavian benefits.” This is referencing how, in places like Denmark, they pay insanely high taxes but also get many benefits from the government, which is a big part of why it’s one of the happiest countries in the world (World Happiness Report).

How to Pay Fewer Taxes

There are certain ways to pay less taxes. One of the biggest is retirement plans. Putting pre-tax money into a retirement plan like an IRA makes you not pay taxes on the money you put in. You only pay taxes on what you withdraw. You can get credits to pay fewer taxes in many ways including being under a certain income amount, being a parent, paying for higher education, or putting money into retirement savings.

You can also deduct or subtract money from your income if you spend that money on certain things. If you make $50,000 a year and spend $10,000 on a deductible expense, you’ll only be taxed on $40,000. There are many deductible expenses but some notable ones include:

Alimony payments

Business use of your home or car

Money you put in an IRA

Student loan interest

Teacher expenses

Bad debts

Capital losses

Donations to charity

Gambling losses

Losses from disasters or theft

And more.

You can pay fewer taxes by taking into account deductibles from your income. However, if your itemized deductions are less than $16,100 you should not use an itemized deduction. You should instead use the standard deduction. The standard deduction is a flat dollar amount that is deducted from your income no matter what. It’s basically what the government thinks you need to live. This means if you make $20,100 a year, you are only taxed on $4,000. If you make less than $16,100 a year, you pay no federal taxes. California also has its own standard deduction at $5,706.

Entrepreneurship Sales Bazaar: Inside Scoop

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle 

The Palm Valley School seventh-grade Entrepreneurship students worked countless weeks on their sales bazaar for all the teachers, students, and faculty members. They were selling homemade custom products, varying from pickles to 3D printables. Let’s look at an inside scoop of what people were selling!

Savannah Sanchez was selling her signature sweets: cake pops! She had two flavors, vanilla and chocolate, both topped with the perfect amount of sprinkles. They were only $3.00 dollars, and she described them as high quality and delicious.

Savannah shows off her product display, while explaining the baking process. Photo Credits: Soleil Antle

Olivia Sullivan created a sticker lab. She made these on her own! All you had to do was send her a photo of what you wanted as a sticker, and she printed it out, colored it, and then made it a sticker. She sold three stickers for $4.00 dollars, six stickers for $9.00 dollars, and nine stickers for $10.00 dollars with an additional special offer for the first 20 people who placed an order with her. 

Olivia dreamed up her own corporate motto–quite the cute logo for her business!

Charlie Joyce, Miller Bacal, and Rowan Mathews sold pasta. $8.00 dollars for a full pound of either spaghetti or fettuccine??!! That sounds like a steal! The boys describe their food as incredibly good, as they buy their high quality ingredients from Whole Foods. Food lovers lined up for this.

Luciano’s Pasta’s chefs are in the house.

Cleo Antle made Tate 4 Tat cosmetics, where she sells custom lip glosses and perfumes, as well as facial spray. She has 36 scents that you can add to the products, with a bunch of colors, which is of course optional, but it for sure gives us a big variety. Her price range is from $1-8.00 dollars. 

Cleo models her aesthetic products.

Greenlee Bartley and Lina Kakoussian sold homemade Taba Squishies for $3.00 dollars and hand sanitizers for $4.00 dollars. Their business is called the Nik-Nak-Shak; they describe their products as fun cures for boredom while also being quiet so that you can play with the squishies during class and not make a disturbance. Their hand sanitizer sanitizes your hands and smells especially good. 

Two bestie friends put their heads together to make a business.


As you can see the seventh graders put their heads together to make smart business moves. They went on to sell their products at the end-of-year bazaar. People from all over the Palm Valley community supported these students; it looked like the best year yet. Want to see the products up close? Click on the catalog link right here– https://docs.google.com/presentation

Bieberchella

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Op-Ed Post: How do we really feel?

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

This year’s annual Coachella Fest in La Quinta, California, was a hit! It was one of the best years for sure, but especially with Justin Bieber’s iconic performance. There are controversial opinions on his performance from weekend one, but we all know he was the one everyone was watching. 

Some people believed that Justin Bieber just doom scrolled on social media and sang along to his old songs; little do they know it’s more than that. This was his first big appearance on the stage in about four years. In 2022 he stopped touring to prioritize his mental and physical health when diagnosed with “Ramsay Hunt Syndrome”–which is a rare disorder caused by the same virus that causes Shingles and Chicken Pox. He was physically unable to perform because his disorder led to partial facial paralysis, making it impossible to sing. 

Canceling a tour isn’t as easy as it seems though because he ended up losing millions of dollars in the process, eventually ending up broke. In desperation, he sold his music for 200 million dollars which meant that 100% of his publishing rights, artist royalties, etc., would no longer be owned by him. So when one of his 290 songs were played on the radio or streamed on the internet, he would no longer be paid. 

After this, he left the public eye, for what felt like forever, to focus on himself. But he has now returned. His Coachella performance was actually very special because he regained ownership and control by releasing new music that wasn’t a part of the original catalog he sold. When he sat on the stage scrolling on just a MacBook and picking songs, it transformed the high-budget musical festival to a fun chill vibe that mirrored how his career originally started. He scrolled through his own history singing along to his older clips. People watched him grow up, and this was a special flashback. 

In the end, he had the highest-paying act in Coachella history, receiving 10 million dollars for a 90-minute performance. A lot of people renamed the popular event  “Bieberchella.” 

Justin Bieber sings his iconic song “Baby” with a youtube video in the back of his younger self (photo credit: Gianna).

Work Referenced: theatlantic.com

Everything About MAP Growth Testing

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 8th-Grade Blogger Jackie Pretorius

What is MAP Growth Testing? It’s a test given out to students in kindergarten through twelfth grade about language, math, reading, or science (Purpose of MAP Growth). If you go too fast, your test will be paused until you are consulted by a teacher. Per section, there’s around forty or so questions. If you get a question wrong, you will be given an easier question, and if you answer correctly, you will be given a harder question.

Why exactly do we have MAP Growth Testing in the first place? NWEA, the founder of MAP Growth Testing, says that it is to show student growth throughout the years (nwea.org). This, in turn, helps teachers see areas each student excels in and areas that can be improved.

Although MAP Growth Testing doesn’t affect your grades, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Not only will your parents see what score you got, but so will teachers. Completely flunking the test on purpose destroys the reason why MAP Growth Testing was created in the first place. I know it’s long, and you just want to get it over with, but at least try your best, and if you don’t get a good score, it’s okay. Teachers can see where you’re struggling and help you out.

Photo credit: https://info.nwea.org/Email-Preferences-Center.html 

My Mood is Affected by the Horrible Heat 

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Op-Ed Post: How do we really feel?

By 12th-Grade Blogger Melina Brodeur

I always wondered why the weather was able to have the power to ruin someone’s day. Living in extreme heat for half of my life, I’ve noticed that the weather doesn’t just make me feel uncomfortable, but it affects the way my day goes. It affects my mood, motivation, and my mindset, and it’s so tiring. 

Extreme weather conditions are able to affect people’s mental health, and we should seriously start to think and talk about this more because this problem is mostly ignored or forgotten about. In the desert, where it is almost always scorching hot, basic tasks feel like I’m working a full-time job, even just taking out the trash is too much. You don’t want to go outside; you most definitely won’t feel productive, and your energy feels totally depleted. That’s when emotions start to go crazy: I start to feel irritated, lazy, and even feel stuck inside my own home. 

This isn’t just a personal opinion of mine; this has also been studied upon by the American Psychiatric Association (psychiatry.org): the organization states that “Extreme heat has been associated with a range of mental health impacts in research over many years, including increases in irritability and symptoms of depression.” When your body is extremely uncomfortable by the weather or situations around you, your mind is also uncomfortable, so the heat is able to affect your sleep schedule, raise your heart rate, and most definitely will affect your mental health. But, this is not just linked to heat. It’s also linked to any sort of weather; if where you live outside is always rainy, you may begin to start feeling depressed due to the gloomy weather (health line.com).

Senior Matteo Lam painted his parking spot back in September when temperatures soared still in the 100s. Seniors painted early in the morning to avoid the sun.

During the school year, it’s insanely difficult for me to keep up with classes when the weather is horribly hot because it constantly drains me to the point where I’m exhausted. Even when I’m hanging out with friends, the moment I step outside, it feels like I’m walking near a volcano, and then I feel as if I no longer want to go even if before I was excited. It’s a cycle where I want to go outside less, move less, and feel less motivated to do anything productive, and it’s so tiring.  Even if you lived here for so many years, you will never get used to it, and just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s not harmless to us. 

There are only a few ways to deal with this horrible heat, so stay hydrated, make sure to stay in colder areas with AC, and adjust your schedules to avoid running into the heat. So, if you think your mood is bad, your motivation gone, and everything feels harder than it should be, it’s most likely not you but the heat.

Student-Led Conferences: Where Students Lead the Way

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle 

On Friday the 27th of March the school suspended classes because of student-led conferences. On days like these, we get to have the day off and only have to come in for about 20 minutes to have a conference with our parents and advisers. We sit down and talk about how the school year is going, what we are excelling at, what we need some help with and open up the discussion to  questions that anyone might have in general. Mrs. Torres, the eighth-grade adviser and Palm Valley School science and language teacher, says,  “Student-led conferences are a phenomenal way to give students a voice to advocate for themselves and an opportunity for parents and teachers to learn from the student.”

If you missed conferences, it’s not too late, most teachers will still find time to meet and confer. 

Teacher Mrs. Torres and student Emmy Kaminsky having a mock student-led conference. This is what it’s like–sitting across the table from parents and teachers and having a conversation.

What Study Techniques Actually Work?

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Feature Post

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle 

We’re in school; we all have had to study. But, how do you study? Do you take notes or read? And, does studying actually work? Do you actually remember the topic after a short period of study time? 

There are certain studying techniques that help get the information in your head better, like taking notes on paper rather than on a computer. Things like rereading the information aren’t actually as helpful as you might think because details don’t stick in your brain; whereas hand-writing notes is a more deliberate process, and you really have to be able to listen, summarize, and prioritize the information you are learning about. 

A lot of people take notes. It is one of the most common ways to study, but did you know there is a big difference between taking notes on a computer opposed to on paper? When taking notes on a computer it is very quick, and you are most of the time able to copy word for word, which doesn’t help you in the long run. People tend to focus on just writing everything down and don’t take time to listen to the information. When you take notes on paper, it forces you to listen and comprehend what is being said, so you are able to summarize it in your own words. According to Corissa E Haury, a data QA engineer, this engages your brain a lot more than typing because it interconnects more brain work activity by using motor, visual, and sensory muscles (“Why writing by hand is still the best way to retain information”).

In 2012, a study was published by ScienceDirect that explains how writing by hand makes for better reading comprehension. 

“When children begin to print, their motor output (of a letter) does not conform to prototypical lettering: each output (which is also the perceptual input) can be said to be noisy relative to the model” (“The effects of handwriting experience on functional brain development in pre-literate children“).

Despite the fact that the children’s recreation of a letter was messy compared to the letter model, their brains still accurately recognized that the letter they drew was the same one they attempted to copy (“The effects of handwriting experience on functional brain development in pre-literate children“).

When it comes to typing, all you do is click a number of buttons to form a sentence. My brain works better when I slowly think about the topic and write it in words I understand instead of just copying off a paper or a slideshow onto a Google document. 

Another studying technique that works is practice tests. By verbally answering questions it forces your brain to recall information and be able to process it so you can explain it verbally. This strengthens your neural pathways and helps to convert those short-term memories into long-term knowledge, which ultimately helps you on a test (“What is active recall and how it can help you study“).

Whereas just rereading information tricks your brain into thinking you have the subject mastered; this is called “false familiarity” (“What is active recall and how it can help you study”).

Overall there are many ways to study and get information in your head, but there are certain techniques that are believed to help you better. It depends on the person of course, but taking notes on paper and going over questions and practice tests are the best way to drill a topic in your head. 

8th-grader Maxwell Pretorius uses all his resources to study for an upcoming exam.

The Psychology of Hugs

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Feature Post

By 8th-Grade Blogger Jackie Pretorius

Why is hugging considered beneficial when all you’re doing is putting your arms around someone? From my experience, hugging makes me feel better whenever something stressful in Blog happens. Thanks, Dug (toy bear). I’m sorry if I squeezed you too much. You and my cats are just so cute!

Dug, as so named (and spelled) by sophomore Valeria, is the class pet in Upper-School #7. He gets and gives many hugs.

Anyway, according to the National Library of Medicine (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), affectionate touch like hugs can relieve stress systems such as the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. It’s a system of three organs: the hypothalamus (in the brain–controls mood, hunger, etc.), the pituitary gland (also in the brain–makes hormones, controls endocrine glands), and the adrenal gland (in the kidneys) makes hormones that help regulate bodily functions (my.clevelandclinic.org). These three organs regulate stress. Furthermore, the cortisol awakening response (CAR) can measure HPA, and it’s when you produce more cortisol than usual that you wake up stressed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). CAR is similar to HPA as they both make cortisol in the same way. There was a study with college students (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). When people hugged more often, they experienced less CAR, meaning less stress. Another study was done where women who received physical touch had less cortisol than people without it, as indicated through the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) (National Library of Medicine). The TSST is a test where participants do an interview presentation as well as a mental arithmetic (math) test in order to see how their stress response reacts (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). 

From this information, I concluded that physical touch can reduce stress. However, I started thinking about people who dislike being touched. Does it stress them out rather than calm them down? Well, a study in Comprehensive Psychology found that people who experienced hugs through childhood tend to like hugs more than the ones who didn’t. Also Darcia Narvaez, who teaches psychology at Notre Dame, said how a lack of physical touch can mean that the vagus nerve (nerves that go from the spinal cord to the abdomen) is undeveloped and so is the oxytocin system which releases certain hormones that help humans bond with one another (time.com). Without these hormones it makes it harder to understand social cues. Also people with higher levels of self confidence tend to hug more frequently while people with social anxiety or low self confidence tend to find hugs nerve-wracking. However, it’s still possible for non-huggers to want to embrace hugging, but that’s not usually the case (time.com). 

If you want to hug someone, ask if they like hugs. If they say no, allow them to have their space. That’s their decision, and you shouldn’t tell them otherwise. Although hugging does have its benefits, that’s only if the person is comfortable with hugging in the first place. If a person, a cat, a stuffed bear is a hugger, feel free to hug as much as you like.

Jackie says, “The more Dug the better.”