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The Palm Valley School Student Blog

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Trey’s Take on Technology: The Epic Rivalry Continues

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–by Trey Lucatero

The ultimate rivalry continues: Samsung v. Apple. The yearly upgrades cause us to ask the same question every year: which should we purchase? Hopefully, with this article, you will be more informed to make your final conclusions.

Apple: iPhone 6s:
Apple has introduced many new features that have allowed for many intelligent and much needed improvements. Their most advertised new feature is the next generation “Multi-Touch.” The iPhone-6S-Mini-1iPhone will now sense how much pressure you apply to the screen, allowing for a multitude of new options that come with this technology. In addition to this new feature, Apple has introduced what it calls “Peek and Pop.” With the slight touch of your finger, you are able to view emails without actually having to open them and mark them as read (and perhaps lose track of them). In addition, you can “peek” at websites before you actually enter them, just giving you a snippet of what is to come.
In addition to this “Peek and Pop” feature, Apple has yet again revolutionized how photography will be handled through your hand-held device. In the iPhone 6s, Apple has introduced iSight, a new camera that captures sharp and detailed photos; allows for 4K HD videos; and a new and improved “Selfie Cam” which takes 5 megapixel pictures, allowing for those crystal-clear selfie shots.

Samsung: Galaxy S6 Edge:
Samsung has always been the front runner between the two phones in complexity and customizability, and the Galaxy 6 Edge is no exception. With the new and improved S Voice, you are able to make commands right away with the sound of your voice, opening apps within seconds. Samsung has also introduced and refined two new charging methods. With their new and improved Fast Charging, you are able to full charge your phone within 1-2 hours. If the swift charging isn’t your cup of tea, Samsung’s newly introduced Wireless Charging Pad surely is. As referenced in my previous Trey’s Take on Technology, this charger is revolutionary in our new era of laziness. All you have to do is drop the phone on the charger.

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Still not sure? Maybe pricing will help.

The iPhone 6s is $650 for 16GB; $750 for 64GB.

The Samsung GS6 Edge is $672 for 32GB; and $768 for 64GB. *

*Verizon prices.

 

**”I just sold myself,” said Trey when proofing this article. Guess which one he chose?

Meet International Student Rosa Gillet

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–by Gaven Li

Rosa has been a Firebird for a month now. She hails from Germany, near Frankfort, and she’s with us for a semester. Here’s her unique German perspective on life at PVS.

Q: Simply introduce yourself please, Rosa.
A: My name is Rosa Gillet. I’m 15 years old, and I’m from Germany, near Frankfort, and I’m here for only one semester…..ah….I have two older siblings? (Laughing)

Q: So, is this your first time coming to America?
A: As an exchange student, yes. But, I was here four times with my family for vacations.

Q: Oh. How do you feel here?
A: I don’t know. At first I was very excited, and then it was like… Okay, I’m here. And,…most of the people here are very nice. So, that’s good.

Q: I heard that you’re living with the other exchange student Nick. How is it? I mean, your new life, your host family and everything…?
A: My host family is nice, but sometimes they forget everything. (Laughing) That’s alright…And with Nick, everything is good cause it’s really cool to talk to him sometimes.

Q: Do you prefer German food or American food?
A: American food! Because in Germany, the food depends on the region. And the food in the region where I live is like…I don’t like it. And I like fast food!

Q: Are you on any team?
A: Yeah, I’m on volleyball (team).

Q: How’s it going?
A: Um…..First, I wasn’t very good. But, I’m getting better I think… I hope so.

Q: You will! How about the school? What’s the difference between Palm Valley and the school in Germany?
A: Everything! In Germany, we don’t need to walk to different classrooms every class. We just stay in the same classroom and have the same classmates everyday. Also our grades are like 1,2,3 instead of A,B,C. There are more teachers [in Germany] and…the campus too! We don’t have a big campus; we only have two buildings and two gyms.

Q: Okay. What’s your favorite class? And the class you find difficult?
A: I love P.E. And English! Algebra is…not difficult, but I can’t understand the expressions because they are much different from in Germany.

Gaven: I think this is it! Thank you so much, Rosa.
Rosa: You’re welcome!

THE RE-VISIT

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–by Gaige Griffintumblr_nuslfzOz4I1u3yl0jo1_500

I unfortunately have to write this article. It pains me to even type these words. But it has to be said…I was wrong. I went into The Visit thinking it was going to be a cinematic abomination, but I was completely wrong. Shyamalan went back to his roots, and for the first time in a while his twist made sense. The only time where I wasn’t able to follow along was during the loud, girly screaming of David Kocen. One thing that I didn’t like, however, was the fact that the movie for the most part relied heavily on jumpscares, and when a movie continually uses jumpscares, it starts to become a rhythmic pattern (I even began counting down to when jumpscares were about to pop up.) On the plus side though, the cinematography was done beautifully. The movie was supposed to be filmed as if it were a documentary made by a high-schooler, and it had the sense that it was actually filmed by a student who aspired to go into film but lacked the traditional professionalism that comes with 1st-party production studios. The Visit had humor to keep you laughing, jumpscares to keep the weak willed scared, and the underlying creepiness you’d expect from a 1st-party thriller. All in all, I find that no words describe this movie as well as those of David Kocen: 11/10 . . . it was okay.

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Totally Talkative Typography

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Art reveals students’ talents responding to various subjects and temperaments. Our art class, led by Ms. McGrew, has just finished the first project of the year— a piece on typography. Typography is the aesthetic combination of arts and letters. The assignment was to find a song, a poem, or a quote and incorporate it into an image.

This project presents us the creativity of our students Gaven Li, Ashley Zhou, Amelie Wang, Karey Graves, and Chloé Katz.

–by Ashley Zhou

 

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Artist Gaven Li (Junior) incorporated the song “Empire State of Mind.”

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Artis Ashley Zhou (Senior) was inspired by  William Yeats’ poem “When You Are Old.”

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Artist Amelie Wang (Junior) used the Beatles’ song “She Loves You.”

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Artist Karey Graves (Junior) demonstrated Fetty Wap’s “My Way” in her piece.

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Artist Chloé Katz (Sophomore) captured “The Great Escape” in her work.

European Schools vs. American Schools

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–by Anna Kleckerova

How does European education differ from American? Like American students, we go to preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and college. Our high schools separate students based on their intelligence, whether they’re public or private, and by length. High school can last 4, 6, or 8 years.

The big difference between these two continents educationally is that in Europe, we have to take every single subject every year without any electives; students take biology, cEurope Schoolhemistry, physics, geography, math, their native language, English, a second foreign language, history, social science, and art. In America, students have a choice over their classes and have the option of electives. On one hand, this sounds more democratic, and it is awesome that you can choose classes that you really need for your life, but, on the another hand, you can have some big spaces in your knowledge. No system is perfect.

What do I like about the American education system? Studying is more of a game. It is interactive, and you discuss everything. There is a space for everyone to say their opinion, and it gives students opportunity to actually think. They don’t have to jEurope School 2ust listen to the teacher, take notes and then take exams. They are not like robots, and they can really understand the main idea. School provides sports for students, so they can rest their heads from studying at least for a little bit.

Also, here you get more homework every day, unlike Europe, where you get a homework assignment once a week. You can go study by yourself, and it makes you actually do something, build something, create something original. Plus, you don’t get grades only from tests, but  your homework counts as well. This can greatly improve your final grade.

In summary, American students are more involved in choosing their own classes and studying outside of school. In Europe, students have to take every class every year.

How do you “really” feel about Jane Eyre?

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image-2by Zhenzhou Hu

 

The European Literature class was assigned to read the classic novel Jane Eyre over the summer. We decided to interview both the teacher, Ms. Permar, and her students on how they “really” feel about Jane Eyre.

Question 1: Jane Eyre is the first novel we read this year in European Literature. Why is this book special? What do you like about it？

“Jane Eyre presents a sassy young heroine who must navigate her need for individual liberty through the challenges of 19th-century English society. Despite growing up an orphan, suffering the death of her only friend, and falling in love with her boss, who, coincidentally has a crazy woman locked in his attic, Jane maintains a surprising amount of composure. Also, there’s MAGIC.” –Ms. Permar

Question 2: Did you find Jane Eyre to be interesting or boring?

It is an umfangreich [enormous] book [that] helps us get to know the background information and society during [The] Victorian Age–Anonymous

“I am . . . not a big fan . . . . In my opinion, this ‘gothic’ novel did not take me off of my seat. It mainly consisted of what my grandpa says, spoiled drama.” –Brian Sadler

“Jane Eyre’s life proves that Suffering breeds success.”–Zhenzhou Hu

“I like the book because it shows a story that you can never predict. Everything is a mystery, and it keeps my attention.”–Anonymous

“The book was a little slow in my opinion. It had points that were interesting and parts I enjoyed, but it definitely was not one I would willingly read again.”–Gaige Griffin.

“It depicts the growth of Jane Eyre and the series of things that happen to her. They are very meaningful.”–Jim Wang

“Most importantly the movie of Jane Eyre is really good.”–Edward

“[T]he book was okay, [but] it was just a bit too long. It had an interesting plot with strong character development.”–Jacob Langlois

“I think the story is good, but it is boring . . . . The coming of age style of [the] story is helpful for learning but overused.”–Elliot

“It is . . . unlike many books written in the 18th century. It really set a foundation for gender equality, and that is why it is important.”–Emily

“It shows an independent woman chasing her life. Although she had a poor childhood, she met a lot of nice people during that time and became a strong independent woman. It encourages me to be an independent person.”–Anonymous

“[In] this book . . . we can see that if we are strong and go through horrible things, we can still [have] success in our life. [We] just need courage and a strong mind.”–Anna Kleckerova

“Jane Eyre, in the book, showed a new type of love, which is a love stronger than anything.”–Anonymous

“It was really boring and tiring to read the whole book. Their lines were too long and symbolic to easily understand, and the characters all spoke like they were in a Shakespeare play.”–Anonymous

“Yes, it was interesting because you followed Jane growing up, and it emphasized gender equality” -Karey G

“It is really just not my cup of tea. I prefer more interesting books such as Macbeth.”–Trey

European Culture vs. American Culture

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 by Anna Kleckerova

I would like to share my experience with you. I was born in the Czech Republic. That is in the center of Europe. But, I also spent one year in America, and I will  continue probably my life here for the next several years. I’d like to compare the two cultures.

image1-2Let’s start with Europe because it is still closer to me. Countries in Europe are very old. There were many wars in Europe’s past, yet a lot of culture was saved. We can find a very old colosseum in Rome where gladiators were fighting for their lives. Venice is well know for her transportation through canals on boats. Paris has its Eiffel Tower and the most famous museum in this world, the Louvre. We can find any culture in this museum. It is too big to see all of it in one day, and it makes you want to go to France again and again. Also if you decide to take a tour through Europe, you hve to visit definitely Prague. This capital city also has really old culture, and it is in pristine condition. You can find here Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the astronomical clock and so many others sights.

In summary, Europe has really old history, and there are so many different types of architecture such as gothic, renaissance, symbolism, romanticism, realism, baroque, rococo, secession, and others.

America, on the other hanimage2d, isn’t as old as Europe, so it is not easy to find such deep culture here. Everyone knows of the Statue of Liberty that is in New York that Mr. Eiffel made for America. This country took a culture from other countries–like Asia, Africa and Europe. Immigrants brought their own ideas and cultures from their homelands. In America, there is no one culture; it is a mixture of many, many different cultures. American people are so proud of their country, and they show it on every corner with flags and the Pledge of Allegiance. Also, there are so many states in America and each of them has a different accent, dialect, food and culture.

While America doesn’t have as long and as rich a culture as Europe, you can find here beautiful architecture, national pride, and a diverse culture.

The World According to Henry: The Artisanship of Japan

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IMG_1706by Henry Huang

When people talk about the Japanese spirit, many people refer to Bushido (dignity, loyalty, and honor). To me, what represents the spirit of Japan is, in fact, the artisanship. The Japanese believe that they are supposed to do the best in their every pursuit: whether building a bridge or cooking street food. Today, our example of artisanship is found in a restaurant in Tokyo.

The restaurant is called Hirooichie. This restaurant was awarded a coveted Michelin Star–a universal recognition of culinary excellence. I was lucky enough to get a reservation during my trip to Japan. This restaurant is in a residential district in downtown Tokyo. When my friends and I walked into that restaurant, I realized the spirit of artisanship starts here.

In order to keep the quality of the dinner, the chef only serves 15 people per night. The meal was in fact, a show, a show that only has a chef and a zyoshou (a traditional Japanese waitress) on the stage. The chef, to me, is a representation of artisanship. He was working behind the counter so all the customers could see what he was preparing. Without great confidence in his skills, no chef would dare to cook under the watchful eye of his customers. What’s more, the restaurant was an Omatase, a restaurant without a menu. The chef has to satisfy instinctively the desires of his customers. All his tools were well organized, another symbol of excellent craftsmanship. The zyoshou was very friendly to us. We were the only foreigners in the restaurant. Even though there was a language barrier, the zyoshou tried her best to introduce the dishes. One of the details that I will never forget was how the zyoIMG_1958shou constantly refilled my glass, like she could read my mind.

The moment the food was served, I could feel the artisanship of the establishment. When I looked at the chef, he had an extremely focused expression. He worked at a very mild and pleasant pace. At that moment, his seriousness was palpable. The chef works alone. There is no apprentice to assist him. He tried to ensure the satisfaction of every customer. The zyoshou was the epitome Japanese elegance (silently meeting everyone’s needs with a pleasing aesthetic). When she realized that we were Chinese, she made cards in Chinese to tell us what was in the dishes.
The food was maIMG_1962gnificent. All the food was made with simple ingredients; however, every bite appealed to every taste bud. The presentation of the dishes was glorious. Although simply decorated, every dish was so attractive that I almost didn’t want to take a bite. The simplistic style of cooking produced the ultimate enjoyment of taste. There are no words to describe the absolute maIMG_1966gnificence of my culinary experience. Hirooichie opened the door for me to observe the artisanship of Japan.