Culture Archives - Page 4 of 21

PVS 2024 Resolutions

January 26, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

We welcome 8th-grader Jack Edelstein to The Bird on Fire stable of writers. This is Jack’s debut post.

By Jack Edelstein, 8th Grade

A New Year’s tradition many celebrate, but don’t necessarily fulfill, involves making resolutions. Typical resolutions involve vowing to work out or manage stress. A little history on New Year’s resolutions – according to History.com, “The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year…”

Although we aren’t ancient Babylonians, PVS staff and students make New Year’s resolutions. I went around the school and interviewed different people to see the resolutions they set for themselves.

7th Grader, Moses Gizaw

**“To be more athletic, I have got to get on the Middle School Basketball A team,” says Moses.**

I’ll see you there.

8th Grader, Jaden Ramer

**“Stop being mean because it does not benefit me.**”

Hard habit to break sometimes, I’ll admit.

Fellow Blogger and 8th Grader, Jackie Padgett

**“I guess I want to try new things this year because I don’t particularly like change.”**

And to be honest, who does?

Freshman, Evan Wang

**“Get Gold at my Jiu Jitsu tournament; I do not like losing.”**

True statement.

Sophomore, Matteo Lam

**“Work out more, be more disciplined; I’ve been trying to do it, and it’s nice to call it a New Year’s resolution.”**

Me too, me too.

Junior, Riley Jorgenson

**“Get better at baseball; I want to get a college scholarship.”**

I want a scholarship, too, Riley.

Senior, Arsh Rehman

**“Get better at baseball, so I can MAKE 30 million dollars a year.”**

I think the most relatable and greatest resolution by far.

Mr. Killeen, MUS Science

**“I usually plan on what I need to do, but I would say probably to keep my good grades at grad school. I am attending San Diego State.”**

I wish you good luck toward your studies.

Big Coach Erenberg, Athletic Director

**“I don’t have a New Year’s resolution. I always try to improve our programs and win.”**

Indubitably.

These are your PVS 2024 New Year’s Resolutions!

If you were wondering, my New Year’s resolution is to learn how to play guitar and walk my dog more. If you have any interesting or admirable resolutions let us know in the comments!

Still Afraid of the Dark? There’s More To Be Afraid Of – According to PVS Lower Schoolers

January 23, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Freshman Louisa Richardson

If you’ve read my colleague Jackie Padgett’s post about phobias, some people are afraid of clowns, some of tight spaces, some of balloons. I was always afraid of heights. However, something I never feared was cheese–which appears a rampant fear on the Palm Valley campus. Believe it or not, there are Firebird Scholars afraid of cheese on their hamburgers. Fear depends on the person, and, in many cases, their stage of life. I thought that it might be nice to give the middle/upper schoolers a break from my interviewing persistence. So, I took my investigative journalism to the Lower School (with Ms. Spurlock’s permission, of course). Over the course of my surveying, I tried to get as much Lower-School representation as possible, and, in the end, it was revealed what the overall greatest fear in the Lower School is.

In first grade, ten kids stated that, yes, their greatest fear was cheese on their hamburger though they never really specified why; they were too busy screaming over cheese on their hamburger. They were all afraid of roller coasters (to some degree). And, a few of them were afraid of spiders and snakes.

Second grader Theo is NOT afraid of cheese on his hamburgers.

In the 2nd grade, almost every student was afraid of losing their parents. Others were afraid of losing their spine. However, there were still a few of them who were afraid of snakes and spiders.

In the 4th grade, the number one fear of students was meeting their exes and being depressed. One student, Sheldon Kirsh, is afraid of facing all 15 of his exes. The #2 fear was “a skibidi toilet” (stated by student Thomas Washington–then they all jumped in agreeing). I have no idea what that means, but I have been told I don’t want to know. . . .

The 4th-Grade: Can you guess which one has 15 exes?

In the 5th grade, there were many surprising fears, from “being decapitated” to “being unarmed and busted.” The most votes went for small holes, spiders, and snakes. One student shared the idea that she is scared of the holes in the beach. “I hate the little holes that the critters come out of,” said Lena Kakoussian.

Overall, there were around 30 Lower-School students afraid of spiders and snakes (it is a package deal apparently); ten kids afraid of cheese on their hamburger (all in first grade); and every single one of them (except the 1st graders) was afraid of losing their parents to some degree. In my opinion, this should be the greatest fear as many of the kids my age and older are also afraid of this.

Note: I will say that a lot of these kids were afraid of not being able to medal in their sport or were afraid of bad grades. I won’t name these kids, but parents please let your elementary-school children know that your whole life shouldn’t revolve around a sport or a grade.

*No Lower Schoolers were scared in the gathering of this “fearful” information. Louisa, however, was quite scared.

Why are the French Called Frogs?

January 4, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Sophomore Oliver Martinez

Here at thebirdonfire.org, we thought we’d pursue “Chaos” for a while, as it’s so unlike our day-to-day lives–or so I thought. At the mention of “Chaos,” Oliver immediately went to English class.

While in English Class we were reading Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus II, and on page 93, Vladek (Spiegelman’s father) is in a concentration camp when he encounters a French frog character who then proceeds to socialize with him and become his friend. You see, Vladek is the only character with whom the French frog can communicate, as they both speak English. In Spiegelman’s book, character groups are represented as different anthropomorphized animals. We were used to seeing human-like cats and mice and dogs. But, a frog? We started wondering why a frog is used to represent a French person. To be frank, my interest piqued, and after some research, I’ve compiled a list of circulated reasons as to why the French are called frogs.

Frog Legs

Well, there are many theories about why the French may be called frogs. For example, according to stackexchange, “Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable traces the use of the word ‘frogs’ for the French to eating frogs’ legs.” Apparently, the French have been eating frogs since the twelfth century. Since it technically wasn’t meat, the Catholic monks could eat it during Lent–when Catholics abstain from meat. So, yes, one of the reasons for the French being called frogs is their tendency to eat frog legs (tastefrance).

Revolution and England

A more reliable source, England’s The Guardian – its “Notes and Queries” section, includes a reason the French are referred to as Frogs: during the French Revolution, “the Aristocracy fled and made their way to England, where they disparagingly called the revolutionaries ‘les grenouilles’ – the Frogs.” This spread very quickly all around England. Everyone started calling the French “Frogs.” Still, other explanations pop up.

Fleur-De-Lys

The French adopted the Fleur-De-Lys as their national flag during the 14th century (study.com). The French are called Frogs because according to thingsiloveaboutfrance, “The English, unfamiliar with the fleur-de-lys (Lily Flower), mistook the flower for a frog, and had a right old laugh about a country that would put a gold frog on their flag, and thus began sarcastically calling their nemesis ‘frogs.’” This reason, I find one of the most hilarious; I mean, how could you confuse this shape with a Frog?

To me, it looks more like a skinny turtle. Either way, if I had to choose a reason as to why the French are called frogs, this would be my reason.

How they sound…?

I found one more reason as to why the French might be called Frogs, but I have a hard time believing it, and it sounds mostly satirical. According to a Fodor’s Travel user named Bob The Scholar, “The French were called Frogs a very long time ago because, as the story goes, they sounded like frogs to the people who encountered them (fodors). The French men were said to speak with very deep voices that reminded the strangers of frogs ribbiting!” This is probably the funniest reason I read while researching this topic. It made me chuckle when I first read it. I’ve been taking French since 7th grade, and I don’t really see the resemblance to ribbiting frogs. I know the French speak very fast, and they kind of gag or make a noise like gagging when pronouncing the R’s, but I personally don’t believe they sound like Frogs.

What Ms. Brady (the French teacher) thinks about this–

To end it, I asked Ms. Brady to tell us what she thinks of this term. “I think it’s meant to be derogatory, . . . and we need to stop doing stuff like that.”

Although this may be a new term to some, it’s still a derogatory, potentially harmful or offensive term that we shouldn’t use. Instead, we can hold a friendly conversation with our French peers.

That’s it; those are the best reasons as to why the French may be called Frogs, whether Spiegelman (author of Maus II) represented the French as frogs was motivated by the common nickname or not, I kind of am thankful he did because I got to learn an interesting, but chaotic origin of a common idea about the French.

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

December 8, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

Gone. Romeo’s gone–at least the PVS version of Romeo is gone. If you missed last week’s PVS Drama Department enactment of Romeo and Juliet, here’s guest blogger Lily Jones with the recap.

By Junior Lily Jones

This play really exceeded my expectations. I thought it was really good. Abby, Anais, Mirabelle, and I went on Saturday night, and it was a really nice night to hang out with friends and watch some good Shakespeare. I like the idea of having the play in the little amphitheater outside; it has a nice atmosphere (even if I was freezing to death). I kind’ve felt like I was at a drive-in movie with my friends on a Friday night, so the vibes were really nice. The set looked really, really cool. The shading on the columns was on point (shoutout Rylie Conway). I liked the ladder as Juliet’s window, I thought that was very creative.

I also thought it was cool that the art classes helped create the sets; I liked the collaboration and sense of community. Anais, Abby, and Mirabelle pointed out which parts of the set they had helped paint, which was fun. I also think it’s fun that they collaborate with outside companies for food; it makes it feel like a really nice event. The tacos were really, really good.

I remember a critique I had from last year’s play was that I could barely hear anything. This time, that wasn’t a problem. There were microphones, and I could hear everyone perfectly!

The costumes were beautiful. I especially liked Mel’s dress; it looked really pretty. Shayan’s costume was also really cool. I thought that the fight scenes were super cool, and the choreography looked very realistic. Zander did an amazing job. His emotions and the way he said his lines was just amazing. I thought his death scene was super good. Lorelai’s death scene was also crazy. She actually just face-planted into the floor, and Anais, Abby, Mirabelle, and I were very impressed with her commitment to the scene (but we were also a little scared because it looked like it hurt.) Matteo and Emerson did a really great job as Romeo and Juliet. There were a lot of sweet and cute scenes. Indy also did an amazing job as the friar. I loved the passion and emotion that he said his lines with. I also think Shayan did a great job. Mel did a good job with her emotions when Emerson “died.” Even though Abby, Anais, Mirabelle, and I know what happens in Romeo and Juliet, we still found ourselves being sad and gasping when someone died. Alex was amazing as the nurse. We all noticed his makeup, and it looked really good, so whoever was on hair and makeup absolutely slayed his makeup.

Overall, the play was a great community event. I was really happy to see so many people in the audience. This play was amazing, and I think it’s definitely something for the drama students to be proud of because it was really good.

Indy’s Favorite Christmas Songs

December 6, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Senior Indiana Behr

It’s December, so it’s the holiday season! Or, it’s been the holiday season for months if you shop at Costco. Some people think starting the celebration in November is too early, but I disagree. I mean, Mariah Carey said “It’s time,” and she is the Queen of Christmas. Here at thebirdonfire.org, we decided to direct our creative energies toward our “Favorite” something. I was feeling festive, so I decided to write about what I think are the best Christmas songs. I am gonna rank the top 8, and I will add a couple honorable mentions. There will be some classics like the very popular “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love but also more modern tunes like “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson. Here we go, . . . in reverse order, #8 on the Indy Scale all the way to #1.

8. “Silver Bells” – Stevie Wonder

This song was originally written in 1950 for Bing Crosby, but my favorite version of this song is Stevie Wonder’s 1967 rendition. This song is about Christmas decorations and, of course, silver bells being put up throughout a city. Wonder sings about anticipating Christmas day’s arrival as it gets closer and closer. His voice is so powerful and a great fit for this song, and it has become one of my favorites over the last few years.

7. “Cozy Little Christmas” — Katy Perry

You might not be familiar with this one, but I really like it. It’s not a very emotional, powerful song about the past. It’s just about enjoying present time with family on Christmas. It was released in November 2018 only on Amazon Music, which I, as well as many others, do not subscribe to, so I had not heard of this song until she re-published it everywhere the following year. I wish this had a wider release earlier because it’s so catchy and pleasant, and it is one of my favorite songs when I don’t want something that is super intense.

6. “Christmas Tree Farm (Old Tymey Version)” – Taylor Swift

“Christmas Tree Farm” by Taylor Swift was released only five days after it was written. It was 2019; her album Lover had been released just a couple months before, and it was December 1. She decided she wanted to write a Christmas song. She chose to write about growing up on what became a Christmas tree farm during the holidays, and how those are her best memories of Christmas. She talks about how now she is experiencing “Stress and holiday shopping traffic \ But I close my eyes and I’m somewhere else \ Just like magic.” She sings about mistakes being forgiven and “kids dreaming of sleighs.” I think it’s a very fun song, and the Old Tymey Version she released with more traditional instrumentals in 2021 is even better in my opinion.

5. “Winter Wonderland” — Darlene Love

Darlene Love is the only artist to appear on this list twice, and it shouldn’t be a surprise. This song originally came from legendary music producer Phil Spector’s Christmas album A Christmas Gift for You, which contains so many classics. Unfortunately, Phil Spector was convicted of murder in 2009 and died in prison two years ago, but that album is nevertheless perfect. Some of today’s most iconic songs, like the Ronnettes’s renditions of “Sleigh Ride” and “Frosty the Snowman,” and another song coming up are from this album. Darlene Love performs four songs on this album, and this is my second favorite from it. This song was not originally written to be a Christmas song, but it has become a staple. There are many renditions of this song, and I think this is the best. The instrumentals are amazing, and the vocal performance is great, too.

4. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — Mariah Carey

I don’t even need to recommend this song, because of course you know it. No other modern Christmas song’s success even comes close to “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” I bet that when you hear those first 13 chimes in the intro, you know what’s coming, and that is one of the best Christmas songs ever made. Even though Carey laments that it won’t be Christmas without “you,” I think it isn’t Christmas without this song. Carey and co-writer Walter Afanasieff have stated that the song only took 15 minutes to both write and compose, which is truly insane considering how well put together this song is.

3. “Santa Tell Me” — Ariana Grande

“Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande was only released nine years ago, but became a pop Christmas hit almost immediately, and for good reason. It has a nice blend of Ariana Grande’s usual style with a touch of Christmas. In the song, Grande addresses Santa about how she feels like those she falls in love with never reciprocate fully. The lyrics, though, are not sad, and actually pretty fun. The chorus of “Santa, tell me if you’re really there \ Don’t make me fall in love again \ If he won’t be here next year” is super catchy, and I am a big fan. As per usual with Grande, the vocal performance is very impressive. I highly recommend giving this song a listen.

2. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” — Darlene Love

In my opinion, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is the best song from Phil Spector’s 1963 Christmas album. This song is sad, but it is so good. I can never help but sing along. The “Please, please, please” in the outro is heartbreaking, but so well done. She describes being alone on Christmas, and states that in spite of the “pretty lights on the tree” and the “town all ringing in song,” “it’s not like Christmas at all.” The lyrics are certainly sad, and yet the song is made in a way that never makes me sad. This might be the first Christmas song I became familiar with, as it’s always been a favorite in my family.

1. “Underneath the Tree” — Kelly Clarkson

Finally, my favorite Christmas song. This song is perfect. The twinkling instrumentals in the intro are incredible. It holds the same power as the intro to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” The lyrics are almost like the opposite of Darlene Love’s classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” Clarkson reflects on previous Christmases, and even if there is snow and presents, “It just wasn’t the same \ Alone on Christmas day.” Later in the song, however, she is not alone and commits that “Tonight, I’m gonna hold you close \ Make sure that you know \ I was lost before you.” This song has been compared to Mariah Carey’s modern classic and has been called one of the best modern Christmas songs, but I genuinely think it is the best one of all time. I don’t think Christmas is Christmas without it.

A Couple Honorable Mentions in No Particular Order

“Carol of the Bells” — John Williams

Fellow thebirdonfire.org writer Gil mentioned this song when we were discussing my article. This song is great, but always has been kinda eerie in my opinion. I think the John Williams version from classic Christmas movie Home Alone makes this song even more haunting, and it is my favorite.

“Sleigh Ride” — The Ronnettes

Once again from Phil Spector’s Christmas album rears its festive head; this is my favorite take on this song. The background “Ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ding-dong-ding” makes this take on the song very special, and it has the same magic that so many of the other songs on this album have.

If there was a song on this list you haven’t heard of, I encourage you to give it a listen. If you disagree with one of my selections or think I left an important piece off this list, leave a comment. Even better, let me know of a song that doesn’t get much as much attention as it deserves. Happy holidays.

What Happened in France Doesn’t Always Stay in France . . .

May 19, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

. . . not if ace reporter Indiana was there. Indy gives us the inside scoop of what was eaten, who paid, and who missed the boat on the PVS France trip.

By Junior Indy Behr

On April 6, nine Palm Valley students arrived at Palm Springs International Airport at 4 a.m. to begin a week-long journey through France. Levi, a fellow writer for the Bird on Fire, as well as myself, were part of these nine. Levi had several… incidents… during our trip. Despite their inconvenience, I knew all of them would help make a more interesting blog article, even if Levi had to sacrifice a terrarium, jar of jam, a river cruise in front of the Eiffel Tower as the sun set, and most importantly, our time. Just wait until you hear about flam.

For our trip, we were chaperoned by MUS Assistant Head Mr. Killeen as well former Palm Valley Head of Middle School and French teacher Mrs. Mule. We got to the airport, and after not too long, before the sun had even risen, we were off to Salt Lake City, Utah. In Salt Lake, I got Starbucks for myself and three others, including Levi. Levi promptly judged me for ordering a small drink for myself despite me paying for his much larger beverage. I then reminded him his sizable drink and two sous-vide egg bites were more expensive than the rest of our order combined, which I covered, and yet he still had the audacity to judge my drink size. This sentiment would be repeated throughout the trip.

Then, we left Salt Lake City for Minneapolis, Minnesota. When we got to the Minneapolis airport, we were all hungry, and I took these same people to the Smack Shack and got several baskets of fried shrimp. Levi, of course, while enjoying the food I generously gave to him, mocked me for only drinking water. Then, we finished up and went to the gate and began by far our longest flight to Paris. Frankly, this was the best flight of my life. My section was in the middle where there were four seats, yet only one other person on the aisle joined me. So, I got to take my pillow out and lie down for almost the whole flight. I slept as we crossed the Atlantic. When we arrived, it was around 8 a.m., and we met our tour guide as soon as we exited the airport after going through customs (where Levi, of course, was stopped by French authorities and questioned).

Our tour guide introduced himself as Froggie, which feels offensive in France, but I was not going to argue with him. We got on a bus where we first went to our hotel and dropped off our luggage, and then went back into Paris and to a cafe where we had coffee, which we certainly needed since we were already so jetlagged. Then we walked… and walked… and kept walking. We were exhausted by the end of this. We went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, but we were jetlagged and miserable. None of us were happy by this point.

Eventually, we made our way to Versailles where four of us, including Levi again, dined on beef tartare, duck confit, and escargot. We were taking our time before we had to return to the palace. Mr. Killeen found us and told us to hurry up. So we never got dessert…. The Versailles palace, to be quite honest, was not particularly fun because of how tired we were. The gardens were a little better. We walked some more, had some more coffee, and then, as soon as we reached the hotel, we slept.

The next day we walked more and went to the one and only Flam’s. Try approaching anyone who went to France and just say “flam.” They will roll their eyes and probably tell you a horrifying story. Long story short, flam is a flatbread style pizza with cheese, a savory cream sauce, and ham. It is sickening. Seriously, it is the worst thing I have ever tasted. They promised a mushroom variation, that actually was the same thing but with a couple slices of canned mushrooms. Then dessert. I didn’t even taste it, and, based on others’ opinions, I made the right call. It was the same thing, but instead it had melted chocolate and caramel, but still the savory cream sauce. We were on the metro towards the Eiffel Tower station when Levi realized he left his bag at Flam’s. Mrs. Mule and he both missed our river cruise and the Eiffel Tower as a result.

The next day, we got up at around 5 a.m. and went to the train station to take the TGV high-speed train. I was excited, as I like high-speed rail so much I even wrote an article about it (See thebirdonfire.org). The TGV felt like a typical train until I looked out the window and saw how much faster we were going compared to a normal train. It was pretty cool to see, and unlike a lot of trains I have been on in the US, we did not stop once all the way from the top of France in Paris to the very south along the Mediterranean Sea. We were there in just over three hours.

We arrived in Avignon and took a bus into the city before we went to some big church. We then had some olives from a local market and strolled around the area. We were then given some free time. Levi, I, and some others went to a small cafe, and we ordered coffee and a plate of beef carpaccio (thinly pounded raw beef). It was very good, and then Jerry showed up after visiting the church, and ordered coffee and steak tartare (minced raw beef). Jerry ate a lot of tartare throughout the trip. After the cafe we went to our new hotel, and, because it was Easter Monday, everything around was closed, so the end of the day was not particularly exciting.

By the next day, we were once again on our bus continuing our tour. We continued exploring this new less urban part of France. We got to visit a lot of cool places that were way more laid back than the more populated areas we had seen previously. Visiting Monaco was pretty fun, though in hindsight I would’ve explored more rather than just visiting the aquarium. We spent our final day in Nice. We got to eat ice cream and have lunch, and then before dinner we went to the beach.

The next morning, we got up at around 3 a.m. to get to the airport in Nice. On the first flight, which was only about an hour, we went from Nice to Amsterdam. Once we boarded, we could not take off for a long time because of some mechanical issues. Unfortunately, many pictures of me sleeping were taken. Once we got to Amsterdam, we had no time between flights. We jolted to the Customs line. Because people who are neither American nor EU Citizens like Jerry have to wait on a much longer queue than us, we had to wait a while, and then Levi got stopped because of how suspicious he appeared with a jar of jam that had way more liquid than is allowed. We finished going through Customs, and we ran, and I mean ran, to our gate. We just made it. They were already almost done with boarding by the time we got there. We returned to Salt Lake City for a couple hours, and flew to Palm Springs. It was a really fun trip, and I am glad I chose to go.

The Most Successful Unemployed Political Commentator in The History of Television News

May 18, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

If you’ve been asking, “Where’s Tucker Carlson?” Luke has something to say about that.

By Junior Luke Sonderman

“Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American television host, conservative political commentator and author who has hosted the nightly political talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News since 2016” (imdb.com). On Monday, April 24th, Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News, fired Tucker Carlson from Fox News only one week after the Dominion Voting System settlement which made Fox News responsible for over $700 million in damages (latimes.com). So who is Tucker Carlson? Why did he get fired? And, why is he in the news headlines?

Tucker Carlson Tonight averaged over 3.25 million views per night in 2023 (thehill.com). That is over double CNN’s total nightly viewership (forbes.com). According to Britannica, “Carlson was known for his extreme positions on a range of political and social issues” (britannica.com). Time Magazine refers to Tucker Carlson’s style of journalism as “Tuckerism,” saying that he “sanitizes and legitimizes right-wing conspiratorial thinking, dodges when you try to nail him down on the specifics, then wraps it all in an argument about censorship and free speech” (time.com). His massive fanbase is full of millions of Americans “who are already suspicious of everything he questions” (time.com). Carlson gained traction amongst the far right by televising theories that challenged mainstream media reports on subjects as varied as immigration, George Floyd, and masks (time.com). After Carlson and Fox parted ways on April 21st, Fox’s market value dropped by a whopping 800 million dollars (cbsnews.com).

Although Carlson’s removal coincidentally came a week after the 700-million-dollar Dominion lawsuit, The Guardian attributes his removal from the company to “a lawsuit filed by his former senior booking producer Abby Grossberg, who claimed she faced sexism and a hostile work environment” (theguardian.com).

Personally, I attribute his removal to a more long-term plan for credibility on Fox’s part. There is no doubt that Carlson’s removal has hurt the finances of Fox, but removing extreme far-right commentators on Fox News will only help their long-term credibility, especially once conspiracy-theory breeders fall out of the limelight. I think Fox wants to leave the conspiracy theories to sources like Newsmax and Info Wars. It suits them better.

Ignite me~

May 16, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

We end the year with Post-of-the-Blogger’s-Choice. One day, in American Lit, we were talking candles and churches and candles lit in churches, and Jess had a recollection of being a child in church witnessing the extinguishing of candles. And, she remembers being overcome by sadness at the sight. On the spot, she penned this beautiful poem. She shares it with us.
Blog Advisor Zachik

By Junior Jessica Billimore

Once again they put out the candles,

And with that they rob me of my hope,

They steal the fire from my eyes,

Yet I’m still blinded by the forspoken lies,

My heart you cannot mend, I ask is this the end?

And with that my dreams disappear,

I am in dismay for what can I say?

My thoughts are dark,

So bring light to my life,

Now I’m alone,

This loss I can’t condone,

Yearning for a love I secretly loathe,

Burning is my soul,

Until next time my life will be dull,

So set me on fire,

For the light makes me a liar,

So I ask you to ignite me forevermore.

Harli’s Senior Spotlight

May 11, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Alyna Rei

This week, the seniors are being showcased for their success in getting through high school. I interviewed longtime Firebird Harliana Otto and asked questions about her high school career.

Harli and her mother, Gina Otto, after Harli won this year’s Riverside County Poetry Out Loud competition

How would you describe yourself?: “I am ambitious. I like to think of myself as someone who takes on more than I can handle.”

What was your favorite memory in school?: “My favorite memory in school is Scarefest in 9th grade. We spent the night watching movies, playing board games, a 12 am game of glow-in-the-dark basketball, a 2 am game of tag, a 4 am game of twister, and falling asleep around 5 am.”

What was your least favorite memory in school? “My least favorite memory happened in 7th grade watching someone, who shall not be named, drink from the water fountain as the water turned from clear to brown.”

Are you excited to graduate? Nervous? Scared?: “I am excited to graduate. I feel like I am ready for this next chapter of my life. I am however nervous as well ’cause I am saying goodbye to my childhood and friends and the safety/comfort of my home.”

What are your plans for the future?: “My plans for the future… well, I don’t really got it figured out at the moment. All I know is that I am going to UCI in the fall and gonna continue the hobbies that I have.”

Where/what is your dream school?: “My favorite hobby is competing on my horse and I enjoy completing puzzles. It’s cringe but my dream school is somewhere in California where I can drive home, a place that will set me up well for future jobs, and where I can explore many interests with many opportunities. So according to that UCI fits into my dream school.”

How was your high school experience?: “My high school experience was good but stressful.”

Do you have a favorite subject? Why or why not?: “My favorite subject is science. I enjoy Chemistry and physics. I like being able to constantly be discovering more and more.”

What are you planning on majoring in?: “I will be majoring in Engineering. I am going into the School of Engineering undecided, with hopes of going into Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering.”

Any advice for students right now?: “My advice to students is to never lose your sense of humor. It can get you through the toughest of times.”

Good luck, Harliana!

Pros and Cons of Uniforms: Are they really benefiting us?

May 4, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Middle-School Blogger Penny Andreas

Here at Palm Valley School, we are required to wear uniforms: specifically (quoting from Mr. Winter in an email home to students) “white, grey, red, or black polo with the PVS logo on it, and khaki or black shorts or khaki or black pants; khaki or black skirts may also be worn, as well as the PVS plaid skirt or jumper.” There are numerous ways that these uniforms benefit us, but there are quite a few things that make these uniforms not likable, or material to protest against. I personally do not like these uniforms, but that’s my opinion on it. Here are some pros and cons of school uniforms.

First, we have pros. The first thing that comes to mind is probably the idea that students will not be worried about their clothes and more about education. There is a con to this but that’s later. Another pro is listed in Pro and Con: School Uniforms | Britannica: kids are more likely not to get peer pressured or bullied. I’m not completely sure why that would be related to uniforms, but, according to Greatschools.org, it does lower the percentage to 30-50% (School Uniforms And Bullying Statistics ). One more pro for uniforms is that school uniforms do prevent gang colors or insignia, which could be a way to “protect” students.

Now, we have cons. Circling back to worrying about education and not their clothes, students will be most probably thinking about their clothing. In fact, I can tell you that many students will be frustrated about not being able to express individuality. The National Youth Rights Association says that “Uniforms restrict students’ individuality, expression, and creativity” (youthrights.org). Lots of students believe that uniforms restrict self-expression. So, overall, yes, students WILL think about their clothing. Our second con is uniforms may cause a bad effect on students’ self image, thinking that they’re not different, or everybody’s the same, or that they look like everybody else, which, yes, very much affects their self image. An article on school uniforms in Britannica agrees: “Uniforms may have a detrimental effect on students’ self-image” (britannica.com). Another con is that most schools with uniforms are private, but some are public. In private schools, most of them require tuition, and uniforms also cost money. For example, one Palm Valley shirt that is required costs $24.99. Multiply that by four or five. Depending on the school, the uniform prices will vary. Some parents or guardians might not be able to afford these clothing items. This can be a definite con, possibly resulting in the student not being able to attend the school, or being limited to a few outfits for everyday wearing.

So, with some pros and many cons, do you think uniforms are a good thing, or a bad thing?