the bird on fire

The Palm Valley School Student Blog

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Hail to Women’s History Month

by Leave a Comment

By Renée

March is Women’s History Month–that special month out of the year, in which we remember the incredible feats of the women that came before us. Women that can now serve as paragons for all of us, regardless of gender, that show us we can overcome any challenges and make significant changes in the world around us. So, to honor the culmination of Women’s History Month, here is a list of seven underappreciated women whose contributions forever changed the world.

Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace. King was a mathematician and a writer. She was mostly known for her work on Charles Babbage’s proposed Analytical Engine. King was the first to recognize that the machine had practical use beyond pure calculation and published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. She is often considered to be the first computer programmer.

Augusta Ada King-Noel  (December 10, 1815 – November 27, 1852)

Amalie Emmy Noether, a German mathematician known for her keystone contributions to abstract algebra and theoretical physics. She developed the theories of rings, fields, and algebras. Noether’s theorem explains the connection between symmetry and conservation laws.

Amalie Emmy Noether (March 23, 1882 – April 14, 1935)

Anne Boleyn, second Queen consort of Henry VIII. She is one of the most important characters in English history. She won the heart of the king. She was the the reason why Henry VIII decided to cut relations with the Pope; therefore creating the Church of England. Boleyn was also the mother of Elizabeth I of England.

Anne Boleyn (around July 1501-1507 – May 19, 1536)

Bertha Van Hoosen, first president and one of the founders of the American Medical Women’s Association, first woman to be head of a medical division at Loyola University Medical School. Dr. Van Hoosen, besides running her private practice, taught sex ed, advocated for the use scopolamine-morphine anesthesia for childbirth, and was a prevalent activist against the discrimination of women in the medical industry. She also is known for developing the “buttonhole” surgical technique, and advocating for the importance of hygiene and sterilization of medical instruments to prevent infection. [1]

Dr. Bertha Van Hoosen (March 26, 1863 – June 7, 1952)

Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin, Order of Merit, Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of Royal Institute of Chemistry, won the Nobel prize for Chemistry in 1964 for developing protein crystallography. Dr. Hodgkin advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography. Among her most influential discoveries are the confirmation of the structure of penicillin as previously surmised by Edward Abraham and Ernst Boris Chain and the structure of vitamin B12, for which she became the third woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. [2]

Dr. Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin (May 12, 1910 – July 29, 1944)

Mary Wollstonecraft, was an English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women’s rights. During her brief career, she wrote novels, treatises, a travel narrative, a history of the French Revolution, a conduct book, and a children’s book. Wollstonecraft is best known for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she argues that women are not naturally inferior to men, but appear to be only because they lack education. She argued that both men and women should be treated “as rational beings and imagines a social order founded on reason.”

Mary Wollstonecraft (April 27 1759 – September 10 1797)

Wangari Maathai, an environmental political activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. In 1977, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, advocated environmental conservation and  pushed for women’s rights. She became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai was also elected as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in Kenya’s ninth parliament. She was appointed Goodwill Ambassador to the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem by the eleven Heads of State in the Congo region, UN Messenger of Peace, Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group. She founded the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies (WMI).[3]

Dr. Wangari Maathai (March 23, 1882 – April 14, 1935)

Editor: Makena Behnke

[1] surgical technique to perform an appendectomy

[2] method used to determine the three-dimensional structures of crystals

[3] a panel of political leaders, business people and activists with the aim to impel worldwide support for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

National School Walkout

by Leave a Comment

By AJ Patencio

In honor of the many school shootings in the past years, a National School Walkout is being organized on April 20, which is the 19th anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. The walkout will begin at 10:00 am when students will walk out of their schools, take thirteen seconds of silence for the thirteen killed in the Columbine shooting, then use the rest of the day for organized protests. Participants are encouraged to wear orange, the color of the anti-gun violence movement. Over 2,000 walkouts are registered* in the U.S. with at least one per state and several registered outside the U.S. The Walkout was organized by 16-year-old Lane Murdock, who grew up three miles from Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School where 20 students were killed in 2012.** Murdock and three of her fellow classmates at Ridgefield High School were dissatisfied with the seventeen minutes of silence for the Florida Massacre that killed seventeen people. They hope to bring a stronger message that students will not be silenced or forgotten.

Editor: Bella Bier

*https://www.actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/enough-national-school-walkout

**http://time.com/5238216/national-school-walkout-april-20/

Fuller-TON of Fun

by Leave a Comment

By Brennan Nick, actor and blogger

The Palm Valley School cast of “Murder, Murder”

Just last month, the Palm Valley School Drama Department went to Fullerton College to compete with over 60 other schools in monologues, scenes, and a musical number–that you saw showcased at morning assembly. This is the Fullerton College Drama Festival. The key word here is “Festival” as it is emphasized that the most important aspect of Fullerton is the festivity of it per se. In other words, it’s all about having fun, and there’s ample opportunity for it. For example, there are songs played in the courtyard to “energy circles” formed by students from dozens of schools.

However, the real reason we’re all at the Festival is for the competition, and Palm Valley School was no slouch. Although we did not place, we had five finalists. To put this into perspective, two years ago we had only one finalist. This year was the first time we ever made it to the finals for a musical number. We did it with Murder, Murder from the play Jekyll and Hyde. Our other finalists included:

–A scene from Almost Maine performed by Lawrence, Shelby, and Josh;

–A scene from Twelfth Night performed by Joe, Aurora, Jordan K., Nathan, and Aidan;

–A monologue from Measure for Measure performed by me, Brennan;

–A monologue from I am not Batman performed by Graham.

None of this would have been possible without the help from Mr. Sarkis and Mr. Gahnz. They are the reason a school as small as ours can compete with schools of thousands of students. These two teachers worked alongside all of us for the month and a half leading up to Fullerton. Here’s to winning trophies next year!

Editor: Makena Behnke

Mythological Misunderstandings

by Leave a Comment

Graphic by Harlow Berny

By Harlow Berny

I. Love. Fairy tales. If it has magic(k), mythical creatures, or an interesting and emotionally deep plot, then chances are that I’ll like it. But the thing that sets me off the most is when there’s a misunderstanding of something important about the magic(k) or mythical creature involved in the story. Here are some of the mistakes that upset me the most.

Types of Magic(k). There are two main types: magic (simple things like pulling a rabbit out of a hat and someone using cards for a reading) and magick (occult magick such as divination and summoning a demon). The two main types of magic are not black magic and white magic. The terms black magic and white magic can be construed as racist terms made to separate the “evil, impure, and barbaric” African magic from the “good, pure, and refined” European magic. These insensitive terms are often used by people who are new to the community and mean well or people who are just using magic(k) for show/money.

Occult vs. Cult. These words do look very similar, but they certainly do not mean the same thing. Occult simply refers to anything that can’t be explained by science, while cult refers to a group that worships a particular being or object. It can be confusing to people who haven’t been told the difference, and thus has caused misrepresentation of both subjects. One example would be the game Yandere Simulator (Warning: This game would likely be rated M for Mature by the ESRB–Entertainment Software Raters Board–if it wasn’t still in development) which has an Occult Club that the player can join. When you join the club, however, you participate in cult activities such as demon summoning and sacrifice.

Satyr vs. Faun. What does a satyr have to do with a female deer? Nothing. What you’re thinking of is a fawn. A faun is a creature from Roman mythology that can be male or female and has goat legs, horns, ears, and tail with a human torso, head, arms, and hands. They typically play pan flutes, drink wine, and have an affinity for romance. Sounds familiar? That’s because many people use the word “satyr” for creatures like that, when a satyr is really a different creature from Greek mythology. A satyr is a middle-aged (or older) man with a long beard, pointed ears, a donkey tail, and a goat or enlarged human phallus that is permanently erect. They are almost always ugly and drunk, have extreme lust for women, and play a pipe flute. These creatures are from different cultures and are quite certainly different species.

Chimera vs. Manticore. For the last misunderstanding, we have two mythical creatures that I don’t see very often. A manticore comes from Persian mythology and has a lion body, human head or face, and a scorpion tail. Sometimes a manticore has poisonous spikes on a lion tail, and some modern depictions give it large bat wings. A chimera is from Greek mythology and is a female creature with a lion head, goat body, and serpent tail. Some modern depictions call any monster that is a combination of multiple animals a chimera.

Editor: Makena Behnke

$igns on the Dollar Bill

by 1 Comment

By Brennan Nick, Resident Historian and Illuminatus

Top: Obverse. Bottom: Reverse

Our One-Dollar Bill seems to be shrouded in mystery. Why does it have Latin phrases like “Annuit Coeptis” or “Novus Ordo Seclorum” written on it? Why does it have a pyramid and the same eye symbol that belongs to the fabled Illuminati? Why did the founders of the United States engrave the dollar bill with these symbols? Well, to begin with, they didn’t. At least not all of it. In fact, the dollar bill that we all know and love today wasn’t put into circulation until 1929. It didn’t even reach its general design until 1935, and even after that its most recent change was in 1963 when they changed the border design of the obverse side of the bill to what we see today with the leaves and the designs around the number one in each of the corners. However, perhaps a more notable change was in 1957 when they added the words “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the reverse side of the bill above the large “ONE.”

Nevertheless, what do the rest of these symbols mean? Well, on the reverse side of the bill there are two circles. Together, they form the Great Seal of the United States. This was made by a group of men–which included Benjamin Franklin. He and others designed the pyramid and the eagle. The circle on the right depicts the bald eagle holding an olive branch and some arrows. The bald eagle itself is only found in North America and is our national animal. It represents victory and courage. Floating in front of the eagle is a shield, which signifies that Americans should rely on their own virtue as the shield does (statesymbolsusa.org). It is also a symbol of how the United States can now stand on its own. On the shield, there is a horizontal bar at the top which symbolizes the federal government and both below it and supporting it are the thirteen vertical stripes which symbolize the states (13 at the time this was made). In the eagle’s mouth is a banner with the words “E PLURIBUS UNUM” which is Latin for “Out of many, one.” Then the eagle’s right talon holds an olive branch, signifying peace while his left holds arrows, signifying war. Not only does the eagle hold the olive branch in the dominant talon, but the eagle’s gaze is also towards the olive branch, away from the arrows. What is being communicated here is that this country wants peace, but is not afraid to fight if need be. Finally, above the eagle are 13 stars symbolizing what we know as the original 13 colonies.

Now, on the left circle of the seal is the pyramid. First thing to take note of is that the face of the pyramid is lighted while the side is darkened, symbolizing how we were entering into the light and leaving the darkness. The cap of the pyramid is then broken off with the all-seeing eye imposed onto it. When the seal was first being designed, they wanted a symbol of divine providence. The all-seeing eye was put there for this as it is an ancient symbol of divinity dating back to Egyptian times. The letters at the base of the pyramid, “MDCCLXXVI” are the Roman numerals for 1776, the year of the Declaration of Independence. Above the pyramid is “ANNUIT COEPTIS,” which is Latin for “God has favored our undertaking,” also hitting the theme of divine providence. Below the pyramid, on a banner, are the Latin words “NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM,” which mean “a new order of the ages.” Now, does this part sound like some sort of a secret society? A little, unless you know what it symbolizes, which is more or less the beginning of the new American Era on this new continent with a new style of government without a king.

Final note, watch the prevalence of the number 13 on our dollar bill. Remember, it corresponds to the original 13 states/colonies.

  • There are 13 letters in the Latin ANNUIT CŒPTIS (the “Œ” is a two-letter ligature of “OE”).
  • There are 13 letters in the Latin E PLURIBUS UNUM.
  • There are 13 stars above the Eagle.
  • There are 13 plumes of feathers on each span of the Eagle’s wing.
  • There are 13 bars on the shield, representing the original colonies united in defense.
  • There are 13 leaves on the olive branch, representing the original colonies’ desire for peace.
  • There are 13 fruits, representing the prosperity of the  original colonies.
  • And, finally, there are 13 arrows (if you look closely) representing the united colonies’ preparedness to fight for the common defense.

This 1780 New Hampshire bank note appeared in circulation four years after the beginning of The Revolutionary War.

 

 

 

 

*statesymbolsusa.org referenced.

 

Editor: Renée Vazquez

Ignify

by 1 Comment

By Renée

 

lately the world seems to be on its head.

in fact, that is how it has always seemed. we always have our

visors pulled over our

eyes. there we try to hide

 

from all our progress, which we deny, but we must realize that we

occupy a great time to be alive.

right now is all that we will ever

 

have.

apparently it is becoming harder and harder to see that.

perspective is what we need to solve the

problems that our beautiful world has. we need to be

involved. we, all of us,

need to care. it is

essential to stop being

squeamish about the problems that we have all allowed. we need to

stop, care and act.

Editor: Leo Milmet

Shows to Binge Over

by 2 Comments

By Blogger Reviewer Claire Jenkins

Quarter 4 will be over before we know it. Summer will be here, and there will be many hours in a day to kill. Why use your precious time to do something productive and be a part of the society around you when you can sit at home on the comfort of your couch and binge some Netflix shows! Below is a list of my personal favorite binge-worthy shows on Netflix.

Jane the Virgin 

The title sounds a little off putting, and that might be why it took me so long to watch it, but it’s honestly one of my favorite shows. It has twists, turns, murders, love, and very diverse characters. It’s about a woman named Jane and her family showing how they handle everything life throws at them. It never gets tiring, and there’s something for everyone. I would 12/10 recommend.

New Girl

This show is stupid, but I love it. A girl moves in with three roommates and has a blast. There’s quick one liners and love triangles for hours. It’s an excellent time waster.

Friends

Yes, this show is overplayed on Nick at Night, but there is nothing more satisfying than sprinting through 10 seasons in one week. There’s about 85 hours worth of pure gold, and if you plant yourself on the couch with the proper snacks and only stop for bathroom breaks, you’ll have it done in no time! You can do it if you try (seriously, someone please try; I honestly want to know how it goes).

Wynonna Earp

Wyatt Earp’s great granddaughter kills demons in Purgatory. WATCH IT! DON’T QUESTION ME, JUST WATCH IT!

One Day at a Time

One Day at a Time is a revamp of the old sitcom with the same name. It’s about a Cuban family in America, with an abundance of strong female characters. The show is basically a liberal free-for-all. This has Rita Moreno in it (from West Side Story and everything). Watch it. It’s not your parents’ One Day at a Time.

Editor: Bella Bier

The Story of Me at the BNP

by 3 Comments

By Brennan Nick

In March’s BNP Paribas Open, the top tennis players from around the world all compete, with the goal of winning the tennis tournament and the prize money that comes with it.

I, along with many others, was given the unique opportunity to be a ball kid for this Indian Wells international tennis tournament, a tournament attended by people such as Serena Williams and Roger Federer. As ball kids, we get unique opportunities to see the behind-the-scenes occurrences of the tournament. We go through the tunnels that the players go through; we are the ones who give the player the balls to be autographed and hit into the stands; and we’re the ones who are sent to get a player’s racket to be re-strung. This gives us ample opportunity to see the top players of the world up close. It is like being the water-boy for the NFL or NBA. Even when we’re on one of our one-hour breaks, we get to experience the atmosphere of the tournament, talk with friends there, and we even get $18 worth of free food per shift. A normal shift for us consists of going to the ball kid tent, completely fitted with water, some food, and a ping-pong table. We’re then told which court we’ll be on. We’re on court duty typically for one to one-and-a-half hours, and then we have roughly  45-minute breaks until we go on again. This pattern is repeated for six hours until the end of our shift, when we return to the tent to be checked out before we leave.

The results of the tournament–the winner of the Men’s Singles was Juan Martin del Potro after a dramatic battle with Roger Federer in the finals. The winner of Women’s Singles was Naomi Osaka from Japan who handily defeated Daria Kasatkina. The winners of Women’s Doubles were Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, while the winners of Men’s Doubles were John Isner and Jack Sock.

 Editor: Shelby Armor

Pete’s Declassified School Survival Guide: The Essay

by 2 Comments

By Peter Kadel, Senior Survival Scout

Essays, the go-to assignment of choice for English teachers everywhere. Ranging from 1 page to 100 pages, throughout your high-school career you will write so many essays and papers that it is likely that one of them will resemble the works of Shakespeare. But, what if all of them could be as good as the great William Shakespeare? Today, here at Pete’s Declassified, we are going to teach you how to write essays that are so good they will make your teacher question the very fabric of the universe and move to Thailand to discover inner peace. So fasten your seatbelts everyone! It’s time to learn.

  1. First, you need to consider your deadline. The best concepts can be ruined by spending too much time worrying about staying on topic and making sense. The best time to write a wonderful essay are the first 48 hours after the essay has been assigned; if you wait any longer your ideas will be lost forever. So, as soon as an essay is assigned, check yourself out of school, and go home. Once you are home, lock all of the doors and retreat to your lair to begin writing.
  2. During your 48-hour writing marathon, you are going to need to fuel your mind and body so you have enough energy to write a wonderful essay. While coffee may sound like the right choice, it’s not. Your best bet is to embrace your inner mad scientist and concoct a caffeinated sugar monstrosity so potent that it will give you a caffeine buzz just from looking at it. My personal favorite is brewing my coffee in Red Bull instead of water and instead of using creamer I buy an iced mocha and use that as my creamer to maximize caffeine intake. Once you’ve got a gallon or two of that in your system, you’ll be all fired up to write an amazing essay.
  3. Now that you are ready to begin writing your essay, you need to think about the content of the essay. While the subject will vary, all essays can follow the same template: hook, line, and sinker. The hook should be eye-catching and astonishing, so even if it doesn’t relate to the rest of your essay, use the flashiest paragraph you can muster to hook your audience. Next, comes the line; all you need to do for this portion of the essay is write as many lines/pages as you need to fulfill the essay’s requirements. Use as many quotes as you can; there is no need to reinvent the wheel here. The human race has been writing stuff down for thousands of years; it would be wasteful not to use what previous generations have written. My favorite resources to quote are the Rosetta Stone, the Magna Carta, the White-Gold Concordat, and business records from Mesopotamia. Once your line is of adequate length, it’s time to move on to the sinker. All you need to know for the sinker is that it should essentially sink your essay in reality. Bring it down. Crush it like reality crushes all high-school students.

If you follow all of these steps, your essays will bring a tear to your teacher’s eye and an “A” to your report card. You’re welcome.

Editor: Makena Behnke

Excisus

by 2 Comments

By Tahra Dactyl

 

Some interruptions are okay.

Like when you’re talking at a restaurant

and your waitress brings your food,

or when you’re bored and alone,

and you get a call from your favorite person,

or when you are at a doctor’s office,

and your name gets called.

But it is certainly not okay

When you interrupt my life

with your sweet words,

and the way that your smile reaches your eyes,

and how you know exactly what to do to make me feel better,

and the way you talk with your hands,

and when you sometimes mix up your words,

and all of the lies,

and deceit,

and the way that you pretended to care,

and your “I have to work late tonight”s,

and the yelling,

and the way that you ended everything we had.

The “it’s not you it’s me.”

That

Is not okay.

Editor: Shelby Armor