the bird on fire

The Palm Valley School Student Blog

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A Look Back at the PVS Pep Rally

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Part of our What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood series

By 8th-Grade blogger Sarah Alnabelsi

In the background, students are shown playing a round of tug of war. Photo Credit: Sarah Alnabelsi.

On Friday, December 5, PVS held a pep rally with a fun bunch of activities. There was an elephant game, tug of war, and several important sports and Nest announcements. The gym was loud, and everyone was invested in this memorable event. One thing that made this pep rally different from our previous ones is that the lower schoolers were invited to join the Nests. While usually the Nests are only for Middle and Upper-School students, having the Lower Schoolers “made the event feel more energetic,” 8th-grader Ivana Vega said. Overall, it was a great way for the school to come together and show school spirit. 

      

Secret Santa

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Part of our What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood series

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

It’s officially December which means Christmas is around the corner! This year the Palm Valley school’s eighth-grade students are doing a Secret Santa gift exchange! How it works is you put everyone’s name in a hat or random name generator and you blindly get chosen a name. You don’t tell anyone who you have until they open their presents on the day of the exchange. Emerson Dunn tells us why the eighth grade decided to host the exchange this year.

We decided to do a Secret Santa this year because we also did one in sixth grade with Mr. Killeen and Ms. Maguire, so we thought it would be fun to do another event where we could give our friends gifts. I think it’s a good way for us to come together more, and since we all randomly pulled one of our classmate’s names, it’s a good way for us to learn what they like . . . when we are gifting them. It’s also a good way to get into the holiday spirit! – Emerson Dunn

I can’t wait to see who pulled whose name! 

Food For Thought: Thanksgiving

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Part of our What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood series

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

Just a few weeks ago, we were awarded a ten-day vacation. You might wonder why we got ten days off of school, and that would be because of Thanksgiving. I asked PVS students what their plans were for the break or what they did and they said: 

“Over the break I will be going to Newport to celebrate my birthday.” – Sarah Alnabelsi

“Over break I went camping and off-roading, to a Firebirds hockey game, to see some friends in a musical, and hung out with my friends.” – Emmy Kaminsky

“My family is coming to visit me and we’re going to a party!!!!! I’m going to go to Thanksgiving dinner and try to beat everyone’s outfits with mine.” – Morgan Richardson

“Over the break I stayed home and spent time with my family, [and I baked] holiday treats.” – Emerson Dunn

“Umm, just stay home. Most people go skiing, but I don’t really like skiing.” – Mason Conway

“First and foremost, I really enjoyed having time to simply relax at home, get some chores done, and watch some great movies (highlights included Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Fail Safe (1964) – both absolutely fantastic films and new personal favorites). I also spent a lot of time with my family. We had a nice memorial service for my uncle who passed away recently (it would have been his birthday on the 22nd).” – Mr. Hesson

Halloween pumpkins are not ashamed to recycle for Thanksgiving!

As for me, my sister and I went to Paris for Thanksgiving and had a great time trying all the different foods and exploring the big city, then we went back home to Canada. 

It seems like everyone had a lot of fun! We now only have two weeks of school before going on Christmas break for two more weeks. Then we mark the start of 2026! Exciting stuff for the weeks and year ahead. 

How the PVS Morning Soar is Created

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Part of our What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood series

By  8th-Grade Blogger Sami Alnabelsi

Every Monday morning, the high school ASB conducts morning meetings, more popularly known as “The Morning Soar.” The Morning Soar is very helpful to us students; it gives us a little insight on what happens in the week and makes it fun and entertaining for us all to enjoy. For example, a typical “Morning Soar” includes the weather forecast for the week, scheduled club meetings, ASB events, sports announcements, and Nevan Owsley’s special nefarious weekly updates on his “Super Villain” club. In today’s PSA post, I asked the master of it all, ASB leader Evan Wang–the writer of every Monday morning meeting–how he goes about creating The Soar. He told me that every Sunday night he begins the process. It starts with looking at the schedule for the week ahead. He then just writes. I asked him if there was any sort of process, and he said, “No”– he just writes away and lets his mind take over. Finally, he sends the work over to the selected speakers for that Monday. Then, it is read to the entire Middle and Upper School, and history is made. 

Evan says that every Sunday night about 11 p.m. it dawns on him that a “Morning Soar” needs to be prepared for Monday, 8:45 a.m. Photo Credit: Evan Wang

PVS’s Favorite Fridays

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Part of our What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood series

By Sami Alnabelsi

In today’s PSA post, we talk about our once-in-a-month special event, which is Free Dress Friday. Instead of wearing our school uniform, we get to wear pretty much whatever we desire. I asked people what they thought about Free Dress Friday and if they had any suggestions. Most of the people believed that it allowed them to express themselves in a unique way. Eighth-Grader Millie Flemings said the Free Dress Fridays allow her to dress “How she pleases,” and she enjoys having “freedom.” Seventh-Grade Olivia Sullivan says she liked it because it was something that happened on occasion, so it was like a surprise when the day came. And, Eighth-Grader Sarah Alnabelsi suggested that there should be more Free Dress Fridays. She explained that most schools already have free dress every day of the week, and if we have it as well, students will be able to finally express their true selves on a day-to-day basis.

Eighth-Grader Julian Berumen loves to wear hats. And, on Free Dress Fridays, he can!
Sophomore John Webster’s an animal lover, so he’s at home sporting a frog upon his chest. Catch the “Hey Dudes” on his feet.

Celebration Of Life

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Part of our What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood series

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

This past year, we lost retired Palm Valley teacher Mr. Ray Smythe. He was one of Palm Valley’s favorite history teachers. Last Sunday, loved ones hosted a Celebration of Life for Mr. Smythe. In The Desert Sun, it was noted that Mr. Smythe’s years as a teacher extended through middle and high school history teaching “for 39 years in Washington, Oregon and California.” Mr. Smythe wrote seven books on personal experiences like the loss of his partner and what the journey after felt like. Some of his books include Coping with Grief, Tips to Improve Your Retirement Experience, Creating a Positive Life one Column at a Time, and more. He was known at our school for printing out cards with quotes and giving them to people at grocery stores or really any public setting. He wrote a column for The Desert Sun. He was an Oregon Teacher of the Year. We mourn the loss of Mr. Smythe while also cherishing all the memories we had with him. 

Mr. Ray Smythe lived by the quotable quotes he often handed out on business cards. Ms. Zachik picked up one such card at Sunday’s Celebration of Ray Smythe’s life:  “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.”–Hubert H. Humphrey 

Ready to Write? Ready to earn $100?

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Part of our What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood series

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

As many know, Palm Valley School is a part of the state wide California Scholarship Federation (CSF). In 2024, our school decided to apply for the CJSF program, also known as California Junior Scholarship Federation. It’s a tough process qualifying for this state honor society, and here’s why:

A student establishes membership by earning academic points. The number of points earned must be twice the number of academic subjects in which the student is enrolled, i.e., 10 points must be earned by a student enrolled in 5 eligible subjects, 12 points for a student with 6 subjects, etc. A minimum of 4 academic subjects is required.” (csf-cjsf.org/cjsf-membership/)

At Palm Valley, we are Chapter 1418. We  meet every other Friday to discuss various topics and fundraisers. This week state CJSF announced the DiGiovanna Memorial Award essay competition, with the following prompt:

CJSF prides itself on service to communities. Share how one community service experience has impacted you personally. In addition, suggest a service that could benefit your community or school in the future.

csf-cjsf.org

The contest began accepting submissions Saturday, November 1st. The CJSF DiGiovanna Memorial Award essay competition closes at 6 p.m. on January 13th. For a chance to win $100, be sure to submit your response to the prompt if you are a CJSF member. See previous years’ winners on the CJSF website: csf-cjsf.org. This year it could be you!

Mummies and Vampires at School

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PVS Blogger Mason Conway on What’s New in the PVS Neighborhood

Halloween has come and gone at PVS. Kids created and bought costumes. Last Friday, October 31, Palm Valley students wore their costumes to school! There were blow-up cats, dinosaurs, Dragon Slayers, chickens, and Napoleans. 8th-grade Karsen Flury wore a Hawaiian shirt with boxing gloves. Guess what he was? Hawaiian Punch! 8th-grade Sami Alnabelsi carefully planned out his costume. He even had it sketched out. Sami said, “I wanted to be Theodore from Alvin and the Chipmunks because it’s realistic to my height, and I get to match with my friends Calum and Jaxon.” The Halloween parade was full of parents, teachers, administrations, kids on dragons, Dorothy from Oz, a Mona Lisa, super villains, Caesar, witches, Marie Antoinette, ghosts, and ghouls.

Sami Anabelsi’s Halloween costume plan

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.”