Local Music: Life Beyond the Classroom
PVS students have active lives beyond the classroom. We acknowledge their accomplishments in “Life Beyond the Classroom.” Jake is on his way to being a producer of ground-breaking music.
In case you didn’t already know, I, Jake Sonderman, run my own studio with Luke Sonderman called Sondy Studios. Over the summer, I recorded Pescaterritory’s 9-song album in the extra room in our house. The album contains every type of rock and roll, from the nostalgic song I’m Fine to the hard rock hit Running Away. Whether you are pining away for old times, or wanting something fresh and new, this album has what you are looking for. I had so much fun putting together this album, and I am proud to call this my first major release as a producer. Give it a listen.
2020 Seniors Paint Parking Spaces
Celebrating School Events
Last Saturday the 10th, after Senior Sunrise, the 2020 PVS Seniors donned coveralls, grabbed their paint buckets and brushes, and set to painting their senior parking spaces. Drive by the southernmost lot to see their artwork, and DON’T park in their spaces.
Senior Sunrise
Celebrating School Events
We celebrated the start of our seniors’ last year at PVS last Saturday EARLY morning with a Senior Sunrise. ASB Advisor Ms. Clark had seniors write down their year’s intentions. Then, as the sun broke over the mountains, she captured seniors jumping in joyful silhouette.
ASB Presidential Candidates
By Holden Hartle
In anticipation of the upcoming ASB elections, I thought I would do an analysis of those who are running for ASB President, similar to a post that I did detailing those who were running for President of the United States. I interviewed each candidate as well as read their candidate statements from previous campaigns, whether that be for a cabinet position or a class representative. Here is a brief profile on each of the three people running for Palm Valley’s ASB President.
Hannah Makkai
Hannah, a rising senior, enjoys being a part of the decision-making process. She has held positions in student government since middle school. She also mentioned being a student at PVS since preschool. She said that because of this, she has watched the school grow and has adapted with it. She believes being a part of the Palm Valley community for so long will allow her to note the diversity of the student body and make decisions accordingly.
One of her most defining achievements is the PVS Instagram page. I asked her if it was helpful or useful, to which she responded affirmatively. She did concede, however, that it is very difficult to make posts, considering the multiple hoops one has to jump through. It is something she would like to improve upon if elected President.
Finally, she has lots of ideas. She has the creativity to think up events, but has she thought of all the possibilities that could deter a night like “movie night” from taking shape? Expense? Enthusiasm? Availability? Moreover, it is possible that she is prioritizing ideas such as “movie night” and “team competition night” over ideas such as efficiency and democracy. Perhaps this is something that she will learn as President. Nevertheless, if you are looking for someone with copious amounts of creativity for fun ideas in ASB, then Hannah should be your choice.
Brennan Nick
When I asked Brennan, also a rising senior, why he wanted to run for President, he started by saying that it was a very difficult question to answer, but he went on to explain that he enjoys being a part of the decision-making process. He said that he did not agree with the 2017-2018 administration and some of the decisions made. He said that this year was a lot better than last year because the ASB process was more democratic. Along with being more democratic, he said that communication among ASB greatly improved, mainly due to the current president, Jackson Dean.
Brennan is a man of his word, and you can count on that. Last year, his campaign statement claimed that he was going to use Google polls to bridge the gap between students and ASB. He did just that. Honesty and transparency are rare in today’s political climate.
When I asked him if he had an edge over the other candidates, he said that he has experience at the second highest position that an ASB member can be, as he is the current Vice President. He also said that he has a document with all of the plans he has for the upcoming year. To me, at least, this shows that he is “on his game” so to speak. His pragmatism shows his motivation and willingness to be President.
My criticism is that if you want fresh eyes and a new way of thinking in ASB, Brennan might not be the way to go. The fact that he looks up so highly to Jackson means that he may model a lot of his platform and his style of leading after him. So if you are a fan of Jackson’s presidential style, then Brennan is the right choice, but if you want a fresh change, perhaps one of the other candidates would better suit you.
Caroline Scheil
Caroline, despite being a grade below the other two candidates, feels as though she can make a big impact in the school. When asked why people should vote for her, she said that her leadership qualities and ability to compromise set her ahead of the game. Also, being a grade below Hannah and Brennan protects her from the dreaded Senioritis that will most likely affect the senior candidates. Along with this, the other senior candidates will no doubt be stressing over college applications during the beginning of the school year, but Caroline said that she would stay motivated throughout that time and be dedicated to ASB.
My big question to her was whether or not she felt like an underdog. She said, yes, but she is still up to the challenge. This says something about Caroline’s character. The fact that even though she is afraid of a task, she has the ability to power through it.
Along with her status as an underdog, I wondered if her age would benefit or hinder her ability to lead a cabinet of mostly seniors. She said that it would benefit her, that her experience as a class representative would give a different perspective to the cabinet.
Her downfall, however, could be her optimism. She said that she is very “doe-eyed.” Perhaps this optimism could cloud her judgment to see a situation clearly. But, even if this is the case, her ability to compromise could counteract this, making her a fit choice for President.
Editor: Hannah Hall
(N)Ice Post.
(N)Ice Post
By Luke Langlois
Did you know that officially declaring something makes it true? I am officially declaring war on Holden. The goal? I will prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that my sports predictions were far worse than his. Now, if you have read Holden’s post on the NBA rankings, you would know that a victory for me seems unlikely. Yes, Holden was quite wrong. But I broke rule #1 of playoff hockey; it’s unpredictable. Today, I would like to revisit the post that I wrote “predicting” the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
As a reminder: this is the bracket that I created. This does not reflect the current round of the playoffs (which you should watch). Let’s start with what I got right.
- The Dallas Stars did indeed eliminate the Nashville Predators in six games.
- I correctly predicted that the St. Louis Blues would eliminate the Winnipeg Jets in six games.
- San Jose eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games. The hockey genius over here called it.
- On that note, I did correctly predict the Western Conference Finals matchup!
- The New York Islanders eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins in FOUR games, a perfect sweep. I predicted that this would happen in six games, but I’ll give myself credit for this.
- The Boston Bruins eliminated the Maple Leafs in seven games, which matches up with my bracket.
I did get quite a few matchups correct, even down to the game count. Statistically, I got more correct than most people. But I got a couple of matchups glaringly wrong, which devalues just about everything I got right. Here’s what I got wrong:
- The Calgary Flames did NOT eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in six games. The Avalanche eliminated the Flames in five games. This was one of the many upsets by a Wild Card team.
- The Washington Capitals did take the Carolina Hurricanes to seven games, which matches my bracket. Unfortunately, I figured that the Capitals would be able to take the game seven on home ice. They did not. The Hurricanes won game seven in overtime, 4-3. So, that was not all that bad. I only got it wrong by one goal, right?
- If this were not a written post, I would let out an audible sigh here. Remember when I was saying Tampa Bay was just too good to not win it all? As a naive child once said, “. . . it is my FIRM belief that Tampa Bay is just TOO GOOD!” Yeah, that was me. Tampa Bay had one of the best regular seasons in the history of the NHL. Tampa Bay had a goal differential of +103. As a refresher, that means they cumulatively outscored their opponents by 103 goals. But suddenly, hockey started meaning something for them again. They could no longer cruise to win their games. The Tampa Bay Lightning were not receptive to this message. They got swept by the Wild Card Columbus Blue Jackets in what could be seen as the largest upset in the history of the NHL.
If you did not notice a common theme among the teams that got upset in the first round, they were ALL #1 seeded teams. This year marks the first year in NHL history that each division winner was eliminated in the first round. Anyhow, that’s enough of what I got wrong. Allow me now to update you on the current matchups going on.
- In a shock to many, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders in four games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. If you went back a bit, you would know that New York just swept Pittsburgh in the first round. Apparently, it was a fluke. This Islanders team was the first since the 1993 Buffalo Sabres to get swept after completing a sweep.
- The St. Louis Blues beat the Dallas Stars in double overtime in a seven game series. A win is a win, but it easily could have gone either way. As a reminder, St. Louis was dead last in the NHL in December. Good job, Blues.
- Many people expected a LOT from the Columbus Blue Jackets after their bulldozing of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Boston Bruins made relatively quick work of Columbus, defeating them in six games. Boston is currently leading Carolina three games to none. The winner of this series will advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Perhaps the city of Boston will be able to end their long-running championship drought.
- The San Jose Sharks, pleasing the home crowd, took down the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. They are currently facing the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals.
How many upsets have occurred in the NBA playoffs so far? One. How many upsets occurred in the first round of the NHL playoffs? MANY! Tune in to the NHL playoffs before it’s too late. Trust me. Watch these games.
Editor: AJ Patencio
Let’s Talk Gender & Sexuality with PVS’s Very Own GSA
Looking Back on My NBA Power Rankings
By Holden Hartle, Sports Enthusiast and Blogger
Back in October, I made a post detailing where I thought every NBA team would end up in terms of standings. And, with the season just wrapping up, I feel like it would be humbling to look back and see how accurate I was. The number on the left is my initial ranking, and the number on the right in parenthesis is where they finished the season.
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors (1)
- There were some doubts at the beginning of the season in terms of how good the Warriors would actually be with the addition of Demarcus Cousins. But, Steph Curry had an MVP-type year, which paved the path to the 1st seed for the Warriors.
2. Houston Rockets (4)
- The Rockets placed lower than most people predicted. Chris Paul was injured for an extended amount of time, which turned into a blessing and a curse. Though they lost games in that stretch, James Harden had a phenomenal year as the offense ran solely through him
3. Los Angeles Lakers (10)
- Yikes. Things were looking good at the beginning of the season, but LeBron went down with an injury in which he missed 17 games, and in that time his supporting cast couldn’t win enough games to be a real competitor in the west. Also, the loss of their President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson, is indicative of how well their season actually went.
4. Utah Jazz (5)
- The Jazz were the 2nd best defensive team in the league, but it wasn’t enough to stop James Harden in the first round of the playoffs. They might need one more player this offseason to be a legit competitor next year, or their lack of offense will plague them once again
5. New Orleans Pelicans (13)
- Another yikes. I predicted that a young core of Jrue Holiday, Julius Randle, and Anthony Davis would go far, but chemistry issues in the front office caused problems.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder (6)
- Westbrook-fan or not, you have to respect the amazing numbers he has put up next to Paul George. Speaking of PG-13, someone argued that he should be a candidate for MVP, Defensive Player of the year, and Most Improved Player, which may be a stretch, but is a testament to the amazing year that he had.
7. Portland Trail Blazers (3)
- I thought that the Trail Blazers needed one more person to go far in this league, but they shut me up. The Blazers made it work, and the acquisition of Enes Kanter will be a big key to their success in the playoffs.
8. Denver Nuggets (2)
- The Nuggets are the surprise team in the west, as they fought for the second seed off of a team-style of play, which is becoming increasingly rare in the NBA.
9. San Antonio Spurs (7)
- My initial concern for the Spurs was that the lack of outside shooting would hurt them later on, but I should have known that Coach Gregg Popovich will always make the playoffs.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (11)
- With Jimmy Butler off the team, the T-wolves are headed in a new direction and are hoping to score on their lottery pick in June.
11. Phoenix Suns (15)
- I had hoped that the Suns would show some progress, but to no avail. They didn’t utilize their star rookie nearly enough, and their record shows.
12. Dallas Mavericks (14)
- Midway through the season, the Mavs realized that they weren’t going to be a playoff team, so they traded their rookie point guard and the newly signed DeAndre Jordan for the former Knick, Kristaps Porzingis. Hopefully they can score on a draft pick and Porzingis will bounce back from his injury.
13. Memphis Grizzlies (12)
- The Grizzlies are officially in rebuild mode. They traded Gasol at the deadline, and Conley is planning on leaving. Like many other teams, the Grizzlies need to score on this year’s draft pick.
14. Los Angeles Clippers (8)
- Yet another yikes. I thought the Clippers would want to rebuild, but they proved me wrong as they fought their way to the 8th seed and faced the Warriors in the 1st round. To everyone’s surprise, the Clippers took them to six games.
15. Sacramento Kings (9)
- I’ll own up to it, I doubted the Kings and their dysfunctional front office. But De’aaron Fox and co. really pulled together a passionate effort, and they look like a promising young team.
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics (4)
- Gordon Hayward couldn’t pull it together until the last few months of the season, and no one except Kyrie Irving seemed to improve. Something needs to change on this roster if they want to win the east. Nevertheless, they had a somewhat successful season, landing in the 4th seed.
2. Toronto Raptors (2)
- In November, I said that their success depended on if Kawhi Leonard could bounce back to being a top 5 player. Though he wasn’t a top 5 player, he produced enough to lead the Raptors to success.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (3)
- Though I personally dislike the 76ers, their young core brought them success in the east and a relatively easy path to the Eastern Conference Finals.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (1)
- In November, I said that Giannis has the potential to have an MVP-caliber season, and then he had an MVP-caliber season. The east should be scared.
5. Indiana Pacers (5)
- Victor Oladipo got injured in the first half of the season, and everyone thought the Pacers would tank–then they grabbed the 5th seed. Their defense kept them in games, at least until they met the Celtics in the first round.
6. Washington Wizards (11)
- John Wall didn’t stay healthy and Dwight Howard had personal issues, and this led to the team’s demise. Bradley Beal had a great statistical year though, and Thomas Bryant showed flashes of potential to be their center of the future.
7. Detroit Pistons (8)
- Blake Griffin had arguably the best season of his career, and it helped with the team’s success. The duo of Griffin and Drummond was unable to carry the team against the Bucks, and they were swept in the first round.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (14)
- I thought that an aging Kevin Love and a rookie Collin Sexton could somewhat get it done. Needless to say, they are in rebuilding mode.
9. Charlotte Hornets (9)
- Kemba Walker tried so hard to get his team to the playoffs, but to no avail. Something needs to change in that organization, or Kemba will be hitting the road.
10. Chicago Bulls (13)
- The Bulls were really hell-bent on rebuilding, so much so that they traded away proven veterans for young pieces, and that resulted in less wins. Will it pay off?
11. Miami Heat (10)
- Dwayne Wade had a great farewell tour, and the Heat were fighting for the 8th spot in the playoffs, but the cookie didn’t crumble their way.
12. New York Knicks (15)
- Hopefully, Dennis Smith, Jr., can become a star for them, and the rumors of them signing Kevin Durant will come true. But one can only dream.
13. Brooklyn Nets (6)
- The Nets are one of my biggest yikes teams in the east. D’Angelo Russell proved that he can be a focal point of an offense, and the Nets still have enough money to sign a player to a max contract to pair with him. The future looks bright for the Nets.
14. Orlando Magic (7)
- I thought the Magic would tank, but they pulled a Clippers and fought their way to the playoffs. If they can find a solid point guard in the offseason, they could be a competitor come 2020.
15. Atlanta Hawks (12)
- Trae Young had a Rookie-Of-the-Year season, and John Collins developed nicely. If they can draft a third piece in this year’s draft, they could make it to the playoffs in a few years.
Editor: Luke Langlois
Who is Running for President?
By Holden Hartle, Blogger and Future White House Chief of Staff
Some of our blog followers will be able to vote in 2020 for the next President of the United States, and, of course, the adults that follow the blog have been voting for years (at least I hope you have been). In any case, I feel as if you should look beyond what party your candidate is a part of, and actually do research into who these candidates are and what they believe in. So, here is a brief description of each of the candidates that have said they are running as of February 25, 2019. My source is The Washington Post. You can find more information by going to their website that is updated daily. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/politics/2020-presidential-hopefuls/?utm_term=.b2ec254a97e7
Democrats
- John Delaney–Back in November, he was the first person to announce that he was running for President. He served three terms as a representative for Maryland’s 6th District. His platform, like many other Democrats, involves health care, but not universal health care–like other Democrats are proposing, but rather he is using his background in finance to come up with a “more reasonable” set of federal benefits and a way to afford it. For further information, go to https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-a-democratic-health-care-planwithout-medicare-for-all-131930755.html.
- Andrew Yang–Our current President has started a trend in which candidates with little political experience have a shot at gaining the presidency. Likewise, Yang has no experience in politics. He is an entrepreneur who started Venture for America, a nonprofit that helps recent college graduates make a living through startups that can “revitalize a city.” His website can be found here: https://ventureforamerica.org/. In terms of his platform, he has an idea for a universal basic income for all adults of $1000 per month. His idea is that if people have more money, they will spend more money, and the economy will grow.
- Tulsi Gabbard–She is currently the Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd District and a combat veteran. She is no doubt a trailblazer, as she was the youngest person elected as a Hawaii representative at 21; she was the first American Samoan elected to Congress, as well as the first Hindu. She prides herself on being an environmentalist and a proponent for LGBT+ and women’s rights.
- Julian Castro–He is the current Mayor of San Antonio and served as the 16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017. He is very anti-Trump, as he recently held a rally near the site of the new wall, as well as publicly bashed President Trump’s State of the Union Address.
- Kamala Harris–Simply through observation, Harris already seems like a very popular candidate. She is one of the current senators of California. According to her website, she will “provide sweeping tax cuts for the middle class,… raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, make higher education tuition-free for the vast majority of Americans,… protect the legal rights of refugees and immigrants, and expand access to affordable, quality health care with Medicare for All.” Her website can be found at https://kamalaharris.org/.
- Marianne Williamson–Williamson, along with Andrew Yang, has no experience in politics. Rather, she is a spiritual teacher and author. She is running for president after an unsuccessful run as a representative for California’s 33rd District. Though she doesn’t have any experience in the government, she is no stranger to activism, as she has started several nonprofits for various social problems, such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the ‘80s.
- Elizabeth Warren–Her platform is very Bernie-esque. The current Massachusetts Senator fights for the middle class. She has been in the news a lot recently for her opposition to President Trump and for President Trump’s critical view of her. She definitely has lots of name recognition due to the media.
- Amy Klobuchar–Klobuchar is the current Senator for Minnesota and feels as though the views of the midwest have been unheard or misrepresented by the federal government. She is also very family oriented. In an article in The Economist, that can be found here https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/02/16/democrats-should-take-a-good-look-at-amy-klobuchar, she is described as being “the opponent Donald Trump would least like to face” because she is the antithesis of the President. She promotes the small towns in the midwest, while he focuses more on urban areas. This may lead her to a surprising run.
- Bernie Sanders–Crowd favorite Bernie Sanders is the most recent candidate to announce his run. His ideas that originated in his 2016 presidential run are prevalent among the other candidates that are running this year. It will be interesting to see how he fairs against some of the other “young guns” whose platform is very similar to his.
Republicans
- Donald Trump–As you will notice, the list on the Republican side is rather small. As of the time I am writing this, February 25, 2019, the incumbent President is the only one who has announced that he is running again. He has also said that his campaign slogan will be “Keep America Great.” Though it does look like he will be experiencing some roadblocks in the future. There are other candidates who are exploring bids, like William Weld, or even people who are simply looking like candidates, like John Kasich, but President Trump is the only person to officially announce his run.
Editor: Makena Behnke
Shakespeare Monologue Competition @ Palm Valley: “The Best of the Bard”
Student reviews compiled by Luke Langlois
On Friday, January 25th, our FANTASTIC Drama Department, in collaboration with the English Department, put on a Shakespeare monologue competition titled “The Best of the Bard” to determine who would move on to the next level of the national English Speaking Union Monologue Competition. For those who have not heard the results of the Palm Valley competition, Leo Milmet took first place, Marianne Capetz took second place, Caroline Scheil took third place–as well as audience’s favorite, and Charles Schnell received the honorable mention. While, inherently, this was a competition, this was also a chance for our dramatic stars to shine individually, and shine they did. In fact, the sharp performances of the drama students inspired the hearts of many students to write a review. Today, the blog presents to you a compilation of a few of these reviews. If you attended the competition, perhaps these reviews can provide you with some details that you missed. Or, if you were unable to attend the competition, these reviews will make sure you’re fully aware of the excellence of our monologue reciters.–Luke
Abridged Review From Claire Jenkins
Shakespeare was a complicated man, whose words are hard to translate into modern-day ideas, but the group of Palm Valley upper school students who took on this task completely mastered it. Overall, out of the around 23 competitors in the competition, not a single one was disappointing. . . . The competitor that stuck out the most to me was Castiel Yu, delivering a monologue using an older and complicated form of his second language. Regardless, he was still able to translate the expressions and passions beautifully. . . .The next competitor that stood out to me was Brennan Nick. Brennan cracks me up, and while I know his monologue was not comedic, his facial expressions got me. He is loud and proud, and I will always admire that about him. . . . Leo Milmet took first place, which he most definitely deserved. I’m sure he will go on to continue dazzling the judges and stealing hearts across the competition.
Abridged Review From Josh Tyer
I went into the Drama Class’s recent monologue presentation, “A Night with the Bard,” with an idea of what it would be like, but what I got blew my own expectations out of the water! That night, Amanda jumped out to me as someone who had come very far as an actress. I, personally, have acted alongside Amanda for a long time, and after seeing her performance that night I can definitely say that she has blossomed. Her monologue was a perfect fit. . . . What truly surprised me that night were those quiet performers who usually play smaller roles in productions. Aurora Berner, James Zheng, Isabella Goetschel, Elizabeth Chen, and Castiel Yu blew me away. Normally, these people are resigned within themselves in Drama, never truly letting their talent shine through. But when you give someone like James Zheng the stage, he will burst out with a performance of Julius Caesar that will give you chills. All of them took their performances and conquered them. Sometimes the quietest of people have a beautiful talent for acting just waiting to leap out and take hold of the stage.
Abridged Review From Sydney Armor
I am not sure if it was the fact that the competition was not during school hours, or that I had voluntarily chosen to go see it, but I must say that this was without a doubt the best monologue competition I have ever seen at Palm Valley School. Usually, I can choose two or three monologues that really stand out and will undoubtedly win. Here, however, there were about seven or eight that I found amazing. My favorite, however, was Caroline’s monologue. Her delivery was simply perfect, and I actually laughed out loud when she was performing. This is really rare, as I usually don’t find the monologues to be funny (even if they are meant to be). Her overdone facial expressions and little pauses when she was deciding whether she loved or hated a man simply made the entire monologue hilarious, and spectacularly well performed. . . . I also really liked Jake Sonderman’s monologue. He took on a similar persona to the character he played in The Drowsy Chaperone, Aldolpho. He was Aldolpho 2.0 during his monologue. His take on this womanizing, romance-obsessed man is almost perfect. . . . I don’t regret going to see the monologue competition. It was even worth going back to school on a Friday night.
Abridged Review From Shelby Armor
“Best of the Bard” was truly something to behold. Something about this monologue competition was just fun. When you have an atmosphere of people who truly want to be there, listening to Shakespeare in their free time, you get a different kind of environment; an inspiring environment. . . . I was a personal fan of Caroline’s monologue. I actually loved that monologue so much that I considered choosing it for my monologue way back when. I didn’t think I could pull it off, though, and seeing Caroline do it just made me realize how perfect that monologue was for Caroline. It was cutesy, comedic, and also provided for further thought on the part of the listener. There were also some people that I would have never expected to see performing, who were pouring their hearts out on stage — like Alex Bentley. I loved seeing him perform Macbeth; it was just so different from all of the familiar faces I’ve seen. All in all, I’m really glad I went. I got to see some truly amazing interpretations of classic Shakespeare monologues, and got to enjoy it in a truly inspiring environment.
Interested in more Shakespeare monologues? Come watch Leo perform–and represent Palm Valley–in the Desert Branch competition next Friday, February 22, at 11 a.m. at Palm Springs High School’s theater. He’ll perform his Shylock again and add a sonnet. If he wins, he moves on to perform in New York City at the Lincoln Center.
Editors: Luke Langlois and A.J. Patencio
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