the bird on fire

The Palm Valley School Student Blog

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Trial and Error

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By Brennan Nick, Blogger and Lawyer for the PVS Mock Trial Team

Many of our high schoolers, nearly 15 in fact, are competing in the California Mock Trial Competition. Our first competition is today, Thursday, February 8, at the Indio Courthouse. Mock Trial is, as the name entails, pretend court. This year’s case involves defendant Casey Davidson who is accused of murdering victim Alex Thompson. Today, we role-play as prosecution against the team from Indio High School who will litigate against us as the defense. Our job? To prove beyond reasonable doubt Casey Davidson is guilty of murder. Wish us luck!

 

Editor: Claire Jenkins

Upper School Cultural Potluck

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Graphic by Harlow Berny

By Harlow Berny

Hello, Palm Valley Community! This is an announcement to the Upper School teachers and students for the 2nd annual PVS Cultural Potluck this Friday! Over 25 people have signed up to bring a dish to the Potluck that either comes from their family, nationality, or religion. Just as a reminder for those bringing food, you need to 1) send an email to Jordan Dinerman confirming that you will bring a dish, 2) bring enough to serve small portions to at least 15 people, and 3) attach a piece of paper with your name, the name of the food you brought, a list of ingredients (since some people may have allergies), and where the food is from (family recipes, culture, religion, etc.). If you bring food for the Potluck, then you will be at the front of the line to eat.

 

Editor: Peter Kadel

Get Your Candy Grams!

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By Claire Jenkins

 

The Upper School ASB is selling Candy Grams all week (February 5th-9th) at $2 for one bag of candy or $5 for three. ASB representatives are also selling–for the first time available this year–Barbershop Quartet songs. You can send a Barbershop Quartet song to a friend, romantic interest, or yourself. The song is just $5, and you can send a friendship or romance song. All proceeds go to your Upper School ASB!

 

Edited By: Brennan Nick

Cali-Pizza Party!

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Graphic by Harlow Berny

By Harlow Berny

 

Hello, fellow PVS students! Today from 11 am-10 pm there will be a Pizza with a Purpose fundraiser at the California Pizza Kitchen* on El Paseo**. In order to participate, you need to bring in a flyer–which you can get from either your Advisory teacher, the front desk, or online***–and present it to your server/cashier. When you do, 20% of your check will be donated to the school. Remember to write your Advisory teacher’s name on the flyer, as the Advisory class that has the most participation will have a pizza party!

 

Editor: Brennan Nick

*Phone Number: 760-776-5036

**California Pizza Kitchen 73-080 El Paseo Suite #8 Palm Desert, Ca 92260

***https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VPXscFvXAuMrsHk0bW1qUJEMTh3szJnL/view

Special Christma-Hanu-Kwanzaa-Kah Announcement

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Graphic by Harlow Berny

 

By Harlow Berny

Hello, Palm Valley students! For the holiday season, there will be a snowflake-crafting table to your left as you walk into the Front Office in the two weeks leading up to Winter Break. Also, every Friday morning while it’s cold there will be a hot chocolate booth run by our CSF club. One cup of hot chocolate will cost $1, so make sure to bring your cash. Next Wednesday, there will be a school-wide Ugly Sweater Day, and a Holiday Luncheon will be hosted by the Parents’ Association the day after, followed by a school-wide Pajama Day on next Friday’s half day, which is a wonderful way to end school before the Winter Break!

To give you an idea of three of the holidays taking place in December, I’ll tell you the dates of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa in the order of when they happen. Hanukkah will begin on the evening of Tuesday, December 12, and end on the evening of Wednesday, December 20. Christmas will be on Monday, December 25, and Kwanzaa will begin on Tuesday, December 26, and end on Monday, January 1, 2018. Happy Holidays!

 

Editor: Makena Behnke

The Festive Winter Concert is Coming Up!

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On December 4th, the PVS Select Choir sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Palm Desert Council Chamber at The Blue Light Ceremony honoring law-enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Public Service Announcement Created by Blogger-Choir Member Charles Schnell

Our school’s very talented Select Choir and Vocal Music Elective Choir have been hard at work over the past few months on their Winter Concert, which is coming up in just a couple weeks. This year, the concert will be on not one but TWO nights: Wednesday the 20th and Thursday the 21st! The concerts will start at 7 p.m. in the MPR. Admission is $5 for students and $10 for adults. There is no reserved seating, so, first come, first served! Tickets are on sale right now online at Eventbrite–PVS Winter Choir Concert (link below); paying at the door is also a viable option. The choir members and vocal director Mr. Craig Gahnz-Kuhar have a wonderful range of festive songs prepared–slow, fast, Christmas, Hanukkah, seasonal songs galore! We hope to see you there.

 

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/pvs-winter-choir-concert-tickets-40995964032

Editor: Makena Behnke

Come See The Crucible!

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Public Service Announcement created by Brennan Nick and Charles Schnell

The Crucible opens tomorrow! There are shows scheduled for December 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9! On the 3rd is the afternoon matinee at 2 p.m. The rest of the shows will start at 7:30 p.m., with the house opening at 7 p.m. General seats cost $15 a piece, while priority reserved seats are $20 each.

 

The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller that takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials. Salem at the time is a distant corner of the world on the fringes of both civilization and the dark wilderness where the Bible is the law and the citizens believe unquestionably in its teachings. A teenage girl begins accusing others of being conquered by the Devil and committing themselves to witchcraft, and the village becomes consumed by fear and religious zeal.

 

Arthur Miller lived in a similar time of fear–a fear of communism which pervaded in the early 50’s and was known as McCarthyism. Miller wrote this play to provide a parallel world to the one he and his peers were living through. Today, the play is considered by many scholars to be one of the great pieces of American literature.

 

This production is directed by Ken Sarkis, Kim Phillips, and Craig Gahnz. The Blog Staff are very excited to see it (or act in it), and we hope to see you there, too!

Edited by Peter Kadel and Claire Jenkins

Spoopy Scary Firebirbs

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Graphic by Harlow Berny

By Harlow Berny

Boo! Did I send shivers down your spine? Scarefest is coming, and this year it’s going to be on Friday the 27th starting at 9:00 pm and ending at 6:00 am the next day (Saturday). The admission fee is $20, and you can’t pay at the gate, so make sure to pay your $20 before school ends on Friday! There are no physical tickets this year, only a handwritten list. You’ll be able to pay your way onto the list until 8:10 am before school starts on Friday. You can pay Ms. Sholander if you miss the ASB students in the morning. Remember to get a permission slip signed and handed into Ms. Sholander as well or you won’t be let in. Have a spoopy Halloween!

 

Editor: Makena Behnke

 

*Yes, we did reference dead memes. This is because Halloween is when the dead rise again.

Colleges Come to You

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By Brennan Nick, Man on the College Scene

 

Recently representatives from Santa Clara University, New York University (NYU), the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Clark University came to talk to us about university life. These are some of the first college visits of the year, and we are gearing up for more. I’m here to help you guys prepare for the colleges/universities that will be visiting here in the near future.

 

Today, two colleges come to PVS. Several PVS Firebirds turn Trojan in their collegiate years. So, of course, we welcome the University of Southern California (USC) on campus. Students meet the USC rep in the College Counseling office at lunch, and, during 8th period, the University of Redlands will visit. 

USC is a college that is closer to home and is arguably one of the most athletic focussed colleges on the list along with a bit of everything else, notably business and media. University of Redlands, also holds PVS alums. U Redlands has closer ties with liberal arts. Its red-bricked walls sit on green lawns only an hour’s drive away.

 

Next week, on Tuesday, October 10, you can talk with the people from Johnson & Wales University during Period 7. With an acceptance rate of 81.2% you would want to go to Johnson & Wales University for business, but it also has focal points in the culinary arts, education, hospitality, and engineering.

 

Then, on Wednesday, October 11, the day after Johnson & Wales University, we will have the pleasure of seeing representatives from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), during Period 8. Cal Poly has an acceptance rate of 39.3% and is renowned for its education in engineering and technology.

On Thursday, October 12, the University of San Diego visits during 7th period. USD celebrates being one of the best business schools worldwide and one of the best basketball programs in the country. It has an acceptance rate of 52%.

 

Also on October 12, we welcome the University of Oregon–the Fighting Ducks. U of O will be here at 2:30. This Oregon public university averages 78% acceptance rate, $33,000 for out-of-state students, and over 300 undergraduate degrees.

 

Don’t miss on the 12th the Coachella Valley Regional College Fair at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

 

On Friday the 13th, come visit with Syracuse University (home now to PVS alumni Michael Ma and Nick Tsikilivich). Syracuse of New York will be on campus at 8:30 a.m. Syracuse averages a 48% acceptance rate, specializes in architecture, business administration, communications, and engineering, and they call themselves the Orange Men and Women.

 

Later, on Friday the 13th, Laguna College of Art & Design will visit with those planning study in the arts. LCAD is here at 12:25 p.m. Seton Hall of New Jersey also visits on October 13th, 12:25.

 

Upcoming college-rep visits include Iowa’s Luther College on Friday, October 20th, at 8:30 a.m., Unity College on the 20th at 1:50 p.m., the University of Michigan on October 25th at 1:50 p.m., the Ringling College of Art & Design on October 26th at 12:25, and LA’s Occidental College on November 7th at 11:40 a.m.

College rep visits present a great opportunity to talk to people from colleges and universities, and I greatly encourage everyone to at least take a look.

Pete’s Declassified School Survival Guide: The Morning Routine

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By Peter Kadel, Senior Survival Scout

*Episode 1 in an ongoing series.

As we slowly acclimate to the total system shock of returning to school, I’ve noticed that many students are struggling with many aspects of everyday life here at Palm Valley. So since I enjoy helping others, I’ve put together a handy guide to school, drawing on my four years of experience and expertise for anybody who needs a helping hand to use. While many people will sugarcoat the truth or tell you lies to keep you ignorant and complacent, my guide will contain only factual truths.

 

The Morning:

One significant change that everyone struggles with when returning to school is adjusting to the change in sleep schedules and having to wake up early while also staying up late to do homework. This change is often a cause of struggle and stress for students. To prevent this stress, I fall asleep as soon as I get home. I strictly enforce a bedtime of 5:00 pm and always, religiously, wake up at exactly 2:00 am. This allows me to have nine blissful hours of sleep. Upon waking up, I proceed to run to the top of the tramway for a bit of fresh air. Now that I have reached the sweet spot of being wide awake after my run and refreshed due to my restful sleeping schedule, I am ready to tackle the assignments that I neglected to do the day before.

 

The key to effectively finishing your assignments before the start of school is speed; errors don’t matter. High school is supposed to be the best 5 ½ years of your life, but they won’t be if you worry about silly academic stuff. Just get it done as quickly as you can so you can focus on the important task of flirting with people your age and getting tattoos or piercings.

 

That is how I tackle the mornings. Stay tuned for the next installment to Pete’s Declassified School Survival Guide!

Editor: Brennan Nick