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Prepared for Poetry?

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PVS Blogger Soleil Antle on What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood

This month Palm Valley students will be participating in our annual Poetry Recitation competition. Middle-school finalists have the opportunity to recite their poems in front of an all-middle-school assembly; and while our upper-school finalists have that same opportunity with an upper-school assembly, they are also eligible to move on and participate in “Poetry Out Loud”–a national recitation contest. Two years ago, Mirabelle Lee (Class of ‘25) made it to the California State Poetry Out Loud Finals and placed second! This year we are aiming for that first-place spot. 

Students have selected their poems in preparation for the exciting event ahead. Classroom competitions are taking place this week. The PVS Middle-School Finals will be held on Friday, November 14, in the MPR. The Upper-School Finals will take place the following Friday, November 21. Both take place during Firebird Time, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Parents are invited to both assemblies. English teacher Ms. Zachik said the events are worth seeing because not only is it “an English teacher’s dream to listen to students recite poetry,” it moves parents, too.

Palm Valley School Middle-School Poetry Recitation Finalists 2023

Halloween Door Decorating at PVS

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Our Newest Addition to The Bird on Fire

The Bird on Fire introduces our very own weekly PSA (Public service announcement) as part of a series making our blog unique, outgoing, and service-minded. We plan to do this weekly as a way to inform our viewers on what is actually happening in our local community. As fellow blogger Mason Conway notes, “It’s nice to inform our readers on what is happening in our school.” Blogger Sarah Alnabelsi adds, “I find it . . . helpful.” Opinions are great, but sometimes we just need to know what’s going on.

–Blogger Sami Alnabelsi

Public Service Announcement by 8th-Grade Blogger Sarah Alnabelsi

And the winners of the 2025 PVS Halloween Door-Decorating Contest were . . .
Grand Prize: Ms. Bajaj’s Grade 4!
MUS Prize: Mr. Jowett’s Advisory 11!
LS Prize: Ms. Bianchi’s Grade 2!
PS Prize: Ms. Ristaino’s PK2s!

Advisory 11, MUS Door Winners, highlighted puppet-master Jowett–the man pulling all the strings.

For many years at Palm Valley School, we have had an annual “Halloween Door Decorating Contest” among the entire school. Each advisory/class decorates a door using things like paper, drawings, crafts, and much more to best fit the Halloween theme. Each division–the Upper School, Middle School, and Lower School–competes against other classes in their division until they have a victorious winner. This year we celebrated yet again another Halloween Door Decorating contest, but there were some questions that needed answers. I went to MUS Division Head Mr. Koehler with my questions.

  1. How were the doors judged? 
  • “The doors are judged based on the originality, creativity, and execution of the door theme, its appearance and “Halloweenness” and the collaborative nature and level of student-teacher input in the door decorating process and finished product.”
  1. What day was the actual contest on?
  • “The Contest runs from October 16-October 30 with the judging taking place on Thursday, October 30 after school.”
  1. Who were the judges?
  • “The door judging is done by the administrative team.  They view each door and discuss its appearance and impact. They then judge each “Door” based on the specific criteria mentioned and how it compares to other doors in the particular division and school wide.”
  1. What is the best advice you could give to future contestants regarding this contest?
  • “The best advice I could give to contestants is be collaborative, have fun, be imaginative, and “creep it real,” Firebirds!”    

Hopefully these answers can help your class win next year’s contest!

Ms. Maguire has been a top competitor in past years. This year, her 6th-grade advisory squared off with “Ultimate Werewolf.”

Political Violence Needs to End

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By Middle-School Bloggers Sami Alnabelsi and Mason Conway

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable.

–President John F. Kennedy

There has been an increasing divide between opposing political beliefs. And that makes for dehumanization. We forget the person disagreeing with us is a person, too.

It feels like in the last couple decades, political figures and parties have further split apart, showing no agreements. This needs to stop. Violence is erupting. Something should be done to show we can agree on more things than we know. Also, political figures need to stop stirring things up, stop being hypocrites, and start sticking to what they believe.

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (or UNDRR), “Violence is a social phenomenon that involves forceful acts or behaviour that are intended to cause harm. The injury or damage inflicted by violence to an individual or collective group may be physical, psychological, . . . or deprivation.” Compared to criminal acts such as violence of personal gain, political violence has a core element, and that is political motivation. For example, someone’s political party has certain beliefs, and another has a different set of beliefs. If you feel those beliefs go against yours, and you take it so seriously that you’re moved  to violence, this would be political violence. Usually when people are committing political violence, they often target a specific person, but in some cases this violence is focused on institutions or entire governments.

Have we seen a rise of political violence? 

Now that we know what political violence is, we can see if this form of violence has increased over the years, or even decades. According to GOVFACTS, high profile attacks sometimes create a perception that political violence is rapidly increasing. Now let’s look at the numbers to actually see what’s going on. According to ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), the US has joined the list of top 50 conflict-ridden countries, primarily due to rising political violence. And, according to Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative, there is a rise in threats and harassment in this country. Threats against public officials are rapidly increasing to almost 3x the number of what they were in 2020 (see GOVFACTS chart below). The rate of political violence is climbing. It needs to stop.

What is driving the rise in political violence?

There are so many factors on why political violence is on the climb. According to GOVFACTS, a major reason for this is dehumanization or “affective polarization.” It is where you have sheer hatred for the opposing party–to an extent where you have no remorse, no regret, nothing at all because you don’t see them as “one of you.” This is effectively demeaning humans. Another possible reason for the rise in violence is hateful rhetoric from political figures. Political leaders saying many hateful and dehumanizing things to opponents is not only immoral, it’s just immature. For example, if you were to be in a political position of authority and you say the person you are running against is a liar and needs to be hated on, that is hateful rhetoric; this leads to your supporters following along in your dehumanizing rhetoric. Eventually both sides speak of this hatred, which fuels the fire in political violence. Lastly, one of the largest “fuel to the fire” is the internet. The online world is large and sometimes we see individuals who spread hateful, radical rhetoric. The most unfortunate thing is because the internet is so large, this rhetoric gets shared with many people, and people start normalizing radical ideas, creating a space where millions of people can willingly excuse or even support political violence. 

How can we solve it?  

We need a solution. A very effective solution is talking things out. Things like productive arguments can help reinforce safe and healthy debates. According to Sami’s “Arguing is Good for Friendship,” a past thebirdonfire.org post, having a productive argument is having an open mind. It doesn’t mean you have to completely agree with the person you are talking to, but at least understanding an issue will allow you to take things in without hatred and fury. Even if someone has something hateful to say to you, understand that he or she needs to learn how to argue productively. And so, you can teach them in a respectful way. Do not resort to political violence. “When you stop talking, that’s when you get violence,” said late activist Charlie Kirk. When we stop having productive debates or arguments, we stop listening to each other.

Graph comes from a GOVFACTS article from September 11, 2025: “Is Political Violence Rising in America?” (govfacts.org)

Two Journalists Walked into a PVS Classroom . . .

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A few weeks ago, Desert Sun Education Reporter Jennifer Cortez emailed our Blog Advisor Zachik stating SHE WAS A FAN of thebirdonfire.org. And, she wanted to talk to PVS Bloggers. Flattery gets you everywhere, so we invited Reporter Cortez in for a talk. She brought with her Photojournalist Taya Gray. They interviewed us, your PVS Bloggers. And, we interviewed them.

We wanted to know . . .


   How do reporters choose stories?
   What’s the difference between digital and print media?
   What is the relationship between writers and editors?
   Do journalists have editorial freedom?
   How do journalists train for the job?
   What do journalists major in to become a reporter?
   Do most journalists start as early as middle or high school?

The Bird on Fire PVS Blog Staff met with and exchanged interview questions with Desert Sun Education Reporter Jennifer Cortez (second from left) and Photojournalist Taya Gray (first on left). PVS Bloggers (left to right) include 8th graders Morgan Richardson, Sarah Alnabelsi, Soleil Antle, Mason Conway, and Sami Alnabelsi.

Here’s what we learned:

I learned a lot from the journalists from The Desert Sun. I asked Jennifer Cortez if she was being regulated [editorially], and she responded with “No” and explained that she tries her best to post factually and gets help from her editor(s). They go through 1-2 rounds of editing. I also asked how many viewers she gets per month and how she acquired them? She said around 15,000 – 40,000 a month on average depending on the post’s relevance. She said she acquires viewers by reporting on things helpful to the community. Since Ms. Cortez is an Education Reporter, I asked her if she has seen any effects of AI in the education system. She said that teachers say that students just want the easy way. The problem is, she explained, you need to struggle to learn. If we train to think more thoughtfully, we can be more successful. –Sami Alnabelsi

I asked if Jennifer Cortez–or writers in general–have a separate editor that they have to submit through. Originally, I thought that they don’t have a separate editor considering the profession they have is in writing and they’re all good writers. Ms. Cortez answered that she does have an editor, just like us. I was very surprised that though her and our level of skills in blogging are different, she has similar fundamental steps. I also learned that she doesn’t face problems with editorial freedom. She got especially close to writing when she was in college but has always written. In fact, just like us, she took a blog class during school. Both Ms. Cortez and Ms. Gray shared that AI isn’t good and takes away the purpose of writing and blogging. In fact, I also learned about the negatives of AI in not only writing, but also in photography. Overall, this discussion taught me a lot of helpful information on how to be a better blogger, as well as the reality of being a reporter/photographer. – Sarah Alnabelsi

Soleil too was curious about the uses of AI, and wondered about their editorial process,

When talking to Ms. Cortez and Ms. Gray I learned that what you write influences your readers, and as a writer you want to share your story to the audience in a way they will understand. Ms. Cortez says she had experience in middle and high school writing. Ms. Gray says she was inspired by Photography in her first and second year in college and ever since then she’s been in love with it. She says that a photo is worth a thousand words. 

I was surprised when I heard about the editing process. The Desert Sun has three editors for all the journalists, but typically you are assigned to one main one. Everyone has a strong relationship. Ms. Cortez says that her editor helps her to be a better writer, while reading her posts and giving feedback.

What didn’t surprise me was both of their opinions on AI. Both say to always be original and don’t take the easy way out. When you are a writer you should never really turn to this source because when researching a post you want to get into as much depth as you can. AI also provides work that isn’t your own work; therefore, you are claiming someone else’s research.

Ms. Cortez has helped me to take a deeper drive when writing my posts and to explore my passion for journalism. – Soleil Antle

Lastly Mason really wanted to know if you can make enough money to support yourself, and if you had to read books. 

I learned that journalists don’t make that much, only the big ones do. You don’t have to be a long time writer and blogger to enter journalism either. I learned reading is necessary if you want to become a journalist. I found it interesting that being an editor is an entirely different job. – Mason Conway

Watch your Desert Sun. Journalists Cortez and Gray took notes on us, too, took pictures, even videos. You might see your PVS bloggers making Coachella Valley news.

What’s New for Tennis in Indian Wells?

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By 7th-grade blogger Morgan Richardson

The BNP Paribas Open is running now from March 2nd to March 16th in my home town of Indian Wells. The event brings in huge crowds and will hopefully break last year’s record of 493,440 guests (bnpparibasopen.com). The streets of Palm Springs and Palm Desert are filled with visitors eager to attend this annual tennis tournament in our very own tennis paradise. In the past, many celebrities including Tom Holland, Zendaya, P!nk, Bill Gates, Will Ferrell, and Patrick Mahomes have attended, and who knows what stars will surprise us at this year’s BNP. Rumors are Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner have been in this year’s crowds. One of the main attractions, outside of world class tennis, are the many high-end restaurant options like Nobu, Porta Via, Molé, and Ristorante Mamma Gina. Many local favorites including J’s Deli, Tanya’s Kitchen, and even Coachella Coffee in case you need to hide from any bad weather are available at the BNP. To kick off the BNP, a family day is also available for free with face painting, yoga, crafts, and tennis lessons included. 

Fun Facts

  • The BNP has the second biggest outdoor tennis court in the world!
  • The BNP has held the event at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden since 2009.
  • It is the best attended tournament outside of all four Grand Slams, which is why it is often called the fifth Grand Slam.

I was first introduced to the BNP by my father, who attends religiously each year. And, if my father isn’t at the Gardens, he’ll be keeping up with matches via television. My mother is fortunate enough to see the finals every year with Dad, for this reason she’s become smitten with Carlos Alcarez, who has moved up in the ranks recently beating previous champion Novac Djokovic twice at Indian Wells. Some say that Carlos Alcarez is the GOAT of tennis.

I turned to my fellow classmates and asked who their favorite player or former player at the BNP is?

7th-grader Gavin had to go to Google to get an answer: 

“Simone Bolelli is my favorite tennis player.”

Ms. Maguire gives a shout out to her hometown Buffalo girl:

“Jessica Pegula is the best tennis player out there.”

Mr. Satterfield, with little to no tennis knowledge, puts a historic player at the top of his tennis pyramid:

“My favorite tennis player is Roger Federer.”  

Elizabeth Greenwood answers with a popular tennis favorite:

“My favorite tennis player is by far Serena Williams.”

My favorite tennis player is Novac Djokavic, though at a losing streak he has become my tennis inspiration. Winning or losing and still getting back on the court is one of the many valuable life lessons tennis has taught me. 

Sources:

https://bnpparibasopen.com › history

desertsun.com

Didn’t Have to be a Love Song

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Congratulations to Valentine’s Day Open Mic winners, sophomore Shayan Habibipour and senior Kristina Panagiotaros! PVS’s California Scholarship Federation hosted its annual Valentine’s Day Open Mic. A full slate of talent performed before a lunchtime crowd in the Upper-School Courtyard. Two-time winner Kristina Panagiotaros paired with Shayan Habibipour for a duet. They swept. The two walk home with a Valentine’s Day Basket o’ Goodies–donated by Lily Jones and family.

Winners Kristina Panagiotaros and Shayan Habibipour sang a duet accompanied by Shayan on guitar.

Second Place went to the slam poetry duo of sophomores Rylie Conway and Leah Ferreira. Cue cards scripted by Louisa Richardson were a key part of the performance. The trio won a Starbucks gift card.

Second-Place Winners Leah Ferreira and Rylie Conway slammed some poetry “Timber” while Louisa Richardson got busy with the cue cards.

Third Place went to freshman Nevan Owsley, who sang, of course, Sinatra. What’s a Valentine’s Day without Sinatra? He won Starbucks as well.

Third-Place Winner Nevan Owsley added a little Sinatra to the day.

The crowd cheered and sang and happily slurped their Parents Association-gifted Handel’s ice cream. The talent included joke-telling, dancing, poetry, singing, middle-school performers and high school. Senior Abby Assefa served as emcee. The California Scholarship Federation officers were judges.

Open Mic AND ice cream–What could be better?!

Fall Check-In: Palm Valley Class of ’25 Highlights

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We conclude our Fall check-in with the Palm Valley School Class of ’25 with a collage compilation of seniors Kyle Knight, Kiera Nash, Preston Pillard, Riley Jorgensen, and Bianca Torres.

Kyle, like Kristina Panagiotaros in a previous post, voted for the first time this last election. Here he’s pictured with some keepers of democracy, California poll workers.

On our birthdays, we get to do what we want. It’s our party. Kiera insists on going to the beach.

Seniors worked on retaining the title of #1 Halloween Door in the universe. A little bit sadly, but ultimately graciously, they passed the trophy to Mr. Spurlock’s class this year. It was a peaceful transition of power. They devoted after-school time to cutting, gluing, coloring, painting, taping. Above, we see Preston apparently supervising, Riley sketching, Kiera and Bianca coloring jack-o-lanterns.

Seniors on the Move

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PVS seniors have had a busy few months. They’ve been applying to colleges, voting, putting on dances and Nest events, eating crumbl cookies. Let’s check in with Enzo Lomsky, Anais Lee, and Alex Ratner, and see what they’ve been up to.

Enzo’s been up and down the West Coast, likely traveling with a little AP Lit Dostoevsky.

Not to be outdone by Lily’s trip to Rome, Anais went to London.

Alex may not be on the move (okay, so actually he’s checking out USC and UCLA today); but, he is “moving” in the kitchen. How many different ways do you think Alex can prepare chicken?

Mirabelle Lee Comes in 2nd at State Poetry Out Loud!

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PVS Junior Mirabelle Lee travelled to Sacramento on March 17 & 18 to compete, as our Riverside County representative, in State Poetry Out Loud. And, she placed 2nd! Out of 18,000 statewide participants, 51 county representatives, and 5 finalists, Mirabelle is our #2 poetry recitator in the state of California. In rounds one and two, she recited Toi Derricotte’s “My dad & sardines” and Lady Mary Chudleigh’s “To the Ladies.” Then, the five finalists were selected.

Mr. Satterfield’s Economics class and I logged into the live stream just in time to watch the finals. In the third and final round, Mirabelle recited “Meeting at an Airport” by Taha Muhammad Ali. Mirabelle brings home a trophy and a record performance for Palm Valley. Previously, Jackson Dean (Class of ’19) placed 3rd in the state. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of poetry via a recitation competition for high school students across the country.

Junior Mirabelle Lee, pictured here in the state Capitol, took 2nd place in California’s Poetry Out Loud competition. Photo Credit: Ms. Shawane Lee

–Blog Advisor Zachik

My Visit to the 2024 Rancho Mirage Writers Festival

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By Senior Indiana Behr

A couple weeks ago, I attended the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival for the third time. I always love this event, and I met some very interesting people and saw some very cool programs, so I decided to write a blog article about it. Here are my top favorite sessions.

Day 1

On the first day, I started off with a session where Valerie Biden Owens, President Biden’s sister, was interviewed by Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes. This was a really interesting start to the festival, and it was very enlightening to see what Owen’s experience has been as the sibling of a politician who first ran for office (and won) 54 years ago. Apparently, she has been involved in every one of his campaigns as a senior staffer. She also told a very interesting story about seeing someone on the flight to Palm Springs wearing an “FJB” hat, which stands for F*** Joe Biden. She talked about how it’s difficult for her to reconcile that people don’t see her own brother as a person because of the power he holds, and she also told some funny stories about her childhood with the now-President.

I also saw a very interesting and funny session with famous author and filmmaker John Waters. One of my favorite movies, Hairspray (1988), was directed and written by Waters. It almost felt like a stand-up comedy routine, which is really rare for the often serious Rancho Mirage Writers Festival. Waters’ delivery was pretty vulgar and a little stomach churning at times, to the point where I can’t really repeat what he said on the blog, like when he talked about having sexual relations in a voting booth. He actually apologized for this talk being scheduled right before lunch…. Overall, it was one of the most entertaining sessions and was really hilarious.

Day 2

I started off this day by seeing the host of MSNBC’s The Beat, Ari Melber, interview former Trump administration staffer Cassidy Hutchinson. Hutchinson is notable for testifying against the former President and his associates to the “January 6 Select Committee” in 2022. I was familiar with her because of her testimony, but it was really interesting to hear more about the experiences of her time in the White House that weren’t disclosed during her Congressional testimony. I also have always liked Ari Melber’s interviews on MSNBC, so seeing one in real life was a fun opportunity. 

Assistant to former President Trump’s Chief of Staff, Cassidy Hutchinson, penned the book Enough. Indy got a signed copy.

I also saw a fascinating discussion between 2022’s Pulitzer Prize in History winner Ada Ferrer and Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs regarding Cuba and its historical relationship with the United States. This event had a really low turnout which was surprising to me since it was such a good topic. Cuba is the only country that the United States has a full trade embargo with, and many people on all sides of the political spectrum have noted that the embargo really does not do much other than harm ordinary Cubans who have already suffered under a repressive dictatorship. There are also further sanctions because Cuba, under the Trump administration, was recognized as a State Sponsor of Terrorism alongside the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Syria, and Iran. There is really no basis for this, especially compared to the other three, which Ferrer and Dr. Cobbs discussed. They also discussed how President Obama began a “thaw” of the icy US-Cuba relationship. Obama removed Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list, normalized relations, and stepped towards the shuttering of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Nearly all of the thawing process was rolled back from the first day to the last week of the Trump administration, and President Biden has done little to return relations to Obama administration “thawing.”

I also saw a discussion with Donna Brazile. Brazile served as the acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee from July 2016 to February 2017. She took over after former Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned when leaked emails showed she was secretly favoring former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party’s 2016 nominating process, when party officials are required to remain neutral. Brazile took over in the interim, and also was simultaneously serving as a CNN contributor. Once again, DNC emails got leaked, and it was found that she used her position as a contributor to secretly give Clinton questions prior to a debate the news channel hosted. Overall, I kind of expected to be annoyed hearing from someone who had been involved in a shady situation, one who oversaw Clinton’s unexpected defeat. Nevertheless, she was astoundingly funny and had a lot of relevant things to say that I really appreciated.

Day 3

On the final day, I started off by seeing Cassidy Hutchinson again, but this time interviewed by conservative pundit Margaret Hoover. Hoover did a great job at making sure that this wasn’t just a rehashing of Hutchinson’s previous session. Instead, she chose to focus much more on her personal life and childhood. Hutchinson also discussed how she entered public service, and how she grapples with still having conservative leanings while feeling disconnected from the Republican Party, and even facing regular death threats and harassment from Republicans. She even told a very funny story about her finding teetotaler and then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who she served as an assistant to, intoxicated after he consumed multiple White Claw cans thinking it was simply sparkling water. 

I also saw a very good talk between author Anand Giridharadas and journalist Ezra Klein. I have been a fan of Klein for several years, even back when he starred in YouTube videos for Vox, of which he is a co-founder. The Rancho Mirage Writers Festival features people from across the political spectrum, but Klein had a much more progressive perspective than many of the liberal speakers. He discussed why people are so much more polarized now than in much of American history. He also got into a rarely discussed subject of Presidential nominating conventions, saying they have been essentially symbolic over the last several decades. For example, Ronald Reagan actually won the popular vote during the 1968 Republican primaries, whereas, in that election, Richard Nixon was selected at the convention. I also got to speak with Klein, along with fellow PVS seniors Gil Maruvada and Landon Elder, which was fun.

Overall, I am really glad I got to go to the Writers Festival for the third consecutive year, and I got to learn a lot of new things and see some very interesting perspectives.