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Slide onto the Ice with CSF

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 12th-Grade Blogger Melina Brodeur 

The California Scholarship Federation and California JUNIOR Scholarship Federation at Palm Valley School hosted an ice-skating event at the Acrisure Arena last month to allow students to come together and create a space with laughter and moments that are unforgettable. Events like this allow students to take a break from school activities and enjoy time with friends and support each other. Skating is the perfect activity to meet new people and enjoy your time away from school for a few hours. I asked Matteo Lam, the CSF President, “Why do you think events like ice skating are important for students?” and he replied, “Events like ice skating give students the opportunity to socially connect in a dynamic different from the everyday classroom experience. It’s fun, a new experience for some, and helps build community.” So if you have missed this event, make sure to watch out for future CSF activities so you’re able to enjoy the experience of hanging out with friends and having fun. 

Matteo, Nevan, Olivia, and Louisa have fun, skating, and enjoying time together. (Photo credits to Mr. Killeen and Ms. Zachik.)
Mr. Killeen captured the action of Matteo doing a “hockey stop” and spraying all with ice.

April’s Jokes and Fun

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle 

The first day of every April is celebrated by making jokes and pranking your peers. Have you ever wondered why we celebrate the famous holiday “April Fools Day”? Does it even have a history behind it? Or was it just something that randomly started for no reason? I have discovered the answers to your questions, so you don’t have to go searching.

April Fools’ Day, in most countries, is the first day of April. It received its name from the custom of playing practical jokes on this day—for example, telling friends that their shoelaces are untied or sending them on so-called fools’ errands. Although the day has been observed for centuries, its true origins are unknown and effectively unknowable. It resembles festivals such as the Hilaria of ancient Rome, held on March 25, and Holi, the Hindu spring festival celebrated on the full-moon day of Phalguna (February–March) (Britannica).

Some people think that the holiday might have originated in France, but no one knows for sure. Here are some pranks that the Palm Valley School students have played.  

Emerson suggested “Covering brussel sprouts in chocolate to make them look like cake pops.”

Julian suggested, “Upside down hot chocolate in a glass. This is when you really quickly flip a mug upside down so the liquid is on the bottom. You clean up the mess and then add whip cream to the top so when the person goes to drink it there is only whip cream, so the liquid falls onto the person.” 

Sami goes with, “Put a rubber chicken to the exhaust of a car, and as it drives, the rubber chicken will make noise!!!!!!!”

“Putting salt into my Dads cup of tea.” – Cleo 

“Sticking googling eyes on everything.” – Livia 

“The French tradition of putting fish sticky notes on people.” – Sophia

“Replace the sugar with salt, or replace the toilet paper with real paper.” – Anna

          

Spring Ahead

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 8th-Grade Blogger Jackie Pretorius

Daylight savings is a stupid thing we do that changes our clocks twice a year. It’s stupid in my opinion at least. Why do we do such a thing in the first place? It just seems unnecessary. 

Well, according to usafacts.org, it all started in WWI to conserve fuel because working when it’s sunny out helps burn less fuel and it also makes people work later into the day. This was called the Standard Time Act of 1918 (https://usafacts.org). However, after the war ended so did the daylight savings, until it was enacted again in 1942 and then repealed again in 1945–all because WWII was going on. The daylight savings system we are familiar with began in 1966 due to the Uniform Time Act. Then, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 made daylight savings even longer than it was before! 

In spring, we “spring ahead” an hour. Photo credit: Ms. Zachik

Most states have daylight savings, but it is possible to opt out of it like Hawaii and Arizona. Meanwhile 19 other states wanted daylight saving to go year round. This in theory will make it less confusing as time won’t randomly switch while still keeping the benefits of more sun. To make this opting out official, Congress needs to approve it. That’s what the Sunshine Protection Act hoped to do, but it was only brought up in 2021 and 2025. Nothing has been done so far.

I personally think daylight savings is stupid, but do others think the same way? Ms. Schapiro says, “I am not a fan. I have a very difficult time adjusting afterwards. So I’ve been falling asleep at 7 p.m. since the time change, and then not waking up again until 11 p.m. and not going back to sleep until 3 or 4. I hate it.” I think she agrees with me.

Coachella Lineup 2026

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 12th-grader Melina Brodeur

The Coachella lineup came early this year; usually, we see it in late January, but this year it came out in September (Stereogum 2025). 

Every year, many people complain about who is playing, and this year is no exception. Arielle Gordon, a writer for music zine Pitchfork, notes, “[T]he festival was officially more cooked than the parched earth beneath its main stage” (Pitchfork 2025). 

This year’s festival runs from April 10th through 19th. The headliner most people are super ecstatic about is Sabrina Carpenter. She is headlining because it is the peak of her musical career, she has lots of personality on stage, and her live vocals are fantastic. 

Our next headliner is Karol G, a Colombian pop star who is pretty big in the music industry. She just dropped her fifth album this summer, called Tropicoqueta (Consequence 2025). 

The following headliner, Anyma, has gained much traction due to the visual aspects of his shows, but many say he is the headliner who doesn’t fit in this year’s lineup due to his music being more futuristic. 

Now Justin Bieber, our most controversial headliner this year, has been somewhat rocky as of recent due to his “it’s not clocking to you” (Complex 2025), which was a misuse of slang and is now being turned into a meme. He angrily confronts the paparazzi for taking videos of him, and he has questionable Instagram live videos looking like he’s crashing out. Still, many are excited to see him because he hasn’t been on stage much in recent years (EOnline 2024). 

This year’s lineup is very 2010 Indie-focused, and there are plenty of bookings that are remarkable. David Byrne is finally back; Geese is about to drop a new album, and Nine Inch Noize is exciting to see due to their reputation for their visuals. Even if people are complaining about the headliners, the smaller artists and groups’ energies are going to be unmatched. 

Credits to Relix: Coachella Unveils 2026 Artist Lineup: Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G, David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Young Thug, and More 

Sources Referenced

https://consequence.net/2025/09/coachella-2026-one-day-later/2/ (Consequence)

https://stereogum.com/2323042/23-thoughts-on-the-coachella-2026-poster/columns/sounding-board (Stereogum)

https://www.complex.com/music/a/jaelaniturnerwilliams/justin-bieber-becomes-viral-meme-for-misusing-aave (Complex)

https://www.eonline.com/news/1394366/justin-bieber-returns-to-the-stage-a-year-after-canceling-world-tour (EOnline)

https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/coachella-2026-lineup-issues/ (Pitchfork, Arielle Gordon)https://relix.com/news/detail/coachella-unveils-2026-artist-lineup-justin-bieber-sabrina-carpenter-karol-g-david-byrne-iggy-pop-yung-thug-and-more/ (Photo Credit)

Palm Valley School’s Academic Achievers

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

This spring semester our Palm Valley students put in their application for CSF (California Scholarship Federation) and CJSF (California Junior Scholarship Federation). These are our state secondary-school honor societies. It is our second year of CJSF, which is only for 7th and 8th graders, and our 28th year of CSF, which is for grades 9th through 12th. The application process is different for both, but, for both, it is based off their academic grades. 

For CJSF, students must meet the following guidelines to qualify: 

“Honor students qualify based on CJSF state rules. For spring-semester qualification, Fall semester grades are used. Students must earn twice the number of points than courses in which they are enrolled. No points are earned for P.E., a repeated course, or work experience. An “A” is  worth 3 points, a “B” 1. Two weighted grades are allowed. No “D” or “F” grades.”

csf-cjsf.org

This semester’s CJSF members include 8th graders Sami Alnabelsi, Sarah Alnabelsi, Soleil Antle, Julian Berumen, Sophia Bottine, Peter Collier, Mason Conway, Emerson Dunn, Millie Flemings, Silvanita Garcia, Emerson Kaminsky, Jaxon Pacilio, Jackie Pretorius, Maxwell Pretorius, Benjamin Rouche, Ivana Vega, and Calum Webster and 7th graders Cleo Antle, Miller Bacal, Daniel Bagheri, Greenlee Bartley, Cash Brasfield, Mark Huber, Lina Kakoussian, Reagan Kaminsky, Mikel Lomsky, Roman Magallanes, Remington Rice, Savannah Sanchez, and Logan Sanders. 

For CSF qualification in the Upper School . . .

“Students earn a membership in CSF if they apply and have earned 10 points. Points are earned on grades from the previous semester according to the following scale. 

A = 3 CSF  points 

B = 1 CSF point 

C = 0 CSF points 

D or F in any course, even if not counted for CSF, disqualifies the student from membership.

*Students earn 1 extra point for an A or a B in an AP, IB or Honors-designated course, not to exceed two such points per semester. 

*Academic courses are prioritized first, then elective courses. Only five courses may be used.” (csf-cjsf.org)

Keep in mind that courses such as P.E., teacher assistant, office aide, or repeated courses do not earn any CSF points. Poor citizenship may also disqualify students from membership. 

This semester’s CSF members and associate members include Isolde Junge, Matteo Lam, Oliver Martinez, Gabe Rodriguez-Portugues, Elijah Berliner, Rylie Conway, Zander Eaton, Leah Ferreira, Shayan Habibipour, Shibo “Tom” Hong, Ace Mendoza, Olivia Puetz, Lousia Richardson, Evan Wang, Phillip Pip Watson, John Webster, Moses Gizaw, Zoey Guess, Lincoln Johnson, Steven Liu, and Sam West. 

CSF and CJSF host activities for fun and service in the PVS community. CSF Junior Zander Eaton emceed the CSF Winter Open Mic contest. 

As you can see, it is challenging to become an honor-society member, so it’s important we congratulate all the students who have qualified! 

CSF Vice President Shayan Habibipour meets with his kindergarten buddy once a month. Have you seen those distinctive blue sweatshirts on campus? Those are CSF sweatshirts. Shayan’s is vintage as it harkens back to the days his older sister walked on campus.

A Grade Ahead

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By Middle-School Blogger Jackie Pretorius

Once every year we have this thing called Move-up Day, where everyone goes to the next grade level. That means that the 5th graders get a sneak peek into middle school. 

The 5th graders joined us for Morning Soar on Move-Up Day. Photo credit: PVS Facebook.

This year’s Move-Up Day started off with Morning Soar, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, doing what we normally do in assembly. We introduced the Middle-Upper School to the 5th graders and the 5th graders to the Middle-Upper School. 

The schedule was different from a usual Friday, having all the periods from one to seven in order. This meant that students got to meet new teachers as well as revisit old ones. The classes showed us concepts we were going to do once we got to the next grade, while the electives stayed the same. The 12th graders went to college. Just kidding–they got a free day off, but they could also talk to the juniors and sophomores about the college-application process if they chose to during lunch.

PVS alumnus Sara Habibipour, now at UCLA, Facetimed with the Juniors and Sophomores, explaining the demands of the quarter system and midterms, and joys of college extracurriculars. Photo credit: PVS Facebook.

Let’s look at some quotes about Move-Up day.

Max (fellow blogger): I remember my first Move-up Day. It was a day like any other. My Move-Up Day buddy was Louisa Richardson, and she did an act of kindness that I’ll never forget. She bought me a bag of Cheetos at the vending machine for a dollar. I savored every last Cheeto.

7th-Grade Savannah had some words of wisdom for the 5th graders: “Don’t be nervous. Be yourself.”

Ms. Schapiro added, “Good advice.”

Sophomore John, after interacting with current college students, observed, I can see “hard work goes a long way.”

Overall, Move-Up Day was an exciting day as everyone got the chance to explore a bit of what the next grade has to offer.

 A Dream that Continues Today

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By 12th-grader Melina Brodeur

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day off from school, celebrated on the third Monday of January each year, even if it falls on a different day from his actual birthday. MLK Day is scheduled this way under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which places federal holidays on Mondays to lengthen the weekends. The importance of this day is to celebrate the legacy of a civil rights leader and to promote equality. Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader most known for his nonviolent protests to fight for racial equality and justice. My favorite quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This quote is a call to action to stop oppression and injustice. He helped lead and advocate for civil rights movements, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which legislated an end to segregation. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is significant because it honors the life and the achievements of a leader who fought for equal rights and justice for everyone. Recognizing this day allows people to see the progress made toward racial equality and the work that remains.

Photo Credit: “The Art of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr” by the National Endowment for the Arts

Your Canadian Friends are Back!

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

Have you wondered why this time of year there is always so much traffic? Why the valley is so over populated? 

That would be because your Canadian friends have returned. In Canada, during our warm spring months, it is absolutely freezing. There are so many blizzards, so much rain, and it’s difficult to get places because of the backlog of traffic, so a lot of Canadians use those months to travel. The estimated number of Canadian snowbirds that come to visit California annually is 1,600,000 (Canada to the USA). 

I took a larger look and discovered many Canadians don’t just visit Palm Springs but they invest in it too and are among the top foreign buyers of property in our area. These snowbirds own 7% of homes in the Coachella Valley (Canada to USA). According to the LA Times, 303,600 Canadians visited the Palm Springs area, in 2017, spending roughly $236 million dollars! 

“California has always been one of the prime winter-living locations for many Canadians. [They are] attracted by the reliable weather, the vibrant economy, and the engaging culture within the Coachella Valley. It’s a small pocket of paradise!” said Paul Antle, a long-time resident in both the Coachella Valley and Canada. He is also a board member of the school and my father.

Seriously, how beautiful is this view from Rancho Mirage’s Mission Hills? Photo credit: Soleil Antle 

A Year Since The LA Fires

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

By Blogger Max Pretorius

Over a year ago, on the seventh of January, 2025, Southern California was shocked as Los Angeles was consumed by fire. By the time the dust settled on the 30th of January, according to The LA Times, an estimated 31 people died with an estimated damage cost of $250 billion, and, according to NBC News, 13,000 homes were destroyed. 

A year later, we still see the effects of the fire. Despite a year having passed, according to NBC news, “fewer than a dozen homes have been rebuilt in Los Angeles County since Jan. 7, 2025.” Furthermore, NPR’s Capradio states that “insurance companies have paid $22.4 billion of the expected $40 billion in total claims from the L.A. fires.” We hope that in the future, LA can finally be rebuilt and that people can return to their homes.

Photo Credit: Britannica, “Los Angeles wildfires of 2025”

Spirit Cafe: The Inside Scoop

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Part of The Bird on Fire’s What’s in the News

An Inside Look By Blogger Reagan Kaminsky

The Spirit Cafe is a favorite of every Palm Valley student, but we don’t seem to understand how much work, time, and money is invested into it. I interviewed some of the many people behind the cafe, so we could get the “Inside Scoop” on how much it truly takes to bring it to life. The cafe is run by the PVS Parent Association, and all of the proceeds go to helping with events like the Fall Festival and Water Day. Also, the cafe is open Monday through Friday during lunch, so make sure to stop by.

Volunteers LouAnne Dien (Left), Linda Yoder (Center), and Monica Mathews (Right) work at the Spirit Cafe every Wednesday. Photo Credit: Reagan Kaminsky

I asked Linda about how the Cafe has done this week. She said,

“We’ve been very busy this last week; it’s interesting how one day to the next the food preferences change from Chicken Teriyaki Bowls to Chicken Melts.”

Linda Yoder

I asked Monica about how she prepares the menu items. She responded,

“Linda takes the order and fills out the form, passes it to me, and from there we air fry or microwave the item, and then we prepare it on a plate with the appropriate condiments.”

Monica Mathews

Lastly, I asked LouAnne about how she opens the cafe everyday, and how they get the items to sell at the cafe. She claimed,

“I just open it up and make sure everything’s unlocked, unwrapped, and then everyone comes. When we restock, we have three buyers. One goes to Costco, one goes to Sam’s Club, and I just go around hoping for the best supply. We all just help each other; it’s a team effort.” 

LouAnne Dien

Personally, I work at the Spirit Cafe every Wednesday and Friday, and I agree. It takes a lot of work, but it’s always worth it to volunteer. Though there are many great volunteers behind the Spirit Cafe, there is one person who truly gives it her all. Elizabeth Richardson schedules the volunteers, shops for supplies, and fills in on the regular for volunteers who can’t make it. So, next time you visit the cafe, make sure to thank all of the PVS parents and grandparents for making it happen.