the bird on fire

The Palm Valley School Student Blog

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Powered by Genesis

New Year, New You–Is that really true?

February 10, 2026 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle 

It’s the start of 2026, but to me it still feels like 2025. When I think of the saying new year, new you, I wonder if that’s really true. I believe that people can change but not because of the tick of a clock. I think that no matter how hard one tries, the same things they hold onto get carried into the next year–that could be romance, a feeling, a memory, an item. I don’t think that a new year really defines a new personality for someone. This is an original poem based on my experiences with the passing of time. 


A New Chapter?

I count down the minutes as the clock ticks.
I watch the uneven hands move slowly,
Wondering what this new year has for me.
I hear loud chanting as the fireworks rip
Across the dark night sky,
The smell of tacos in the air.
The clocks finally change.
It’s now a new year.
I see others’ smiles big and content,
But the same thoughts still circle my head.
A new year has come,
Though I still hold on to the past
Where memories arose, and emotions lapsed.
Days go by quickly,
yet I still write with a five at the end.
I turn to my resolutions,
Which I have yet to begin.
People act differently but are entirely the same.
New year, new you – is that really true?
For some reason I believe that a change of a clock
Doesn’t define who you are, or who you want to be.
People seem as if everything is okay,
As if nothing bothers them.
But I bet they are just trying to fit in.
We shield what’s on our face, all for what?
Our true feelings and thoughts are the ones that matter.
I still carry things from the past:
How is that so bad? New year, new you?
It isn’t true for me.

Filed Under: Poetry, Seasonal Holidays, Year end/New Beginnings Tagged With: New Year, New You–Is that really true?, Soleil Antle

 A Dream that Continues Today

February 6, 2026 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

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

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

Filed Under: Historical Figures, PSA, Seasonal Holidays Tagged With: A Dream that Continues Today, Melina Brodeur

Secret Santa

December 16, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

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! 

Filed Under: PSA, Seasonal Holidays, Spirits, Year end/New Beginnings Tagged With: Secret Santa, Soleil Antle

Mummies and Vampires at School

November 5, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: Current News, PSA, School Events, Seasonal Holidays Tagged With: Mason Conway, Mummies and Vampires at School

Summer at the Beach

May 16, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By 6th-Grade Bloggers Reagan Kaminsky and Greenlee Bartley

Summer is coming up, and we are very excited, to say the least. This week’s blog post was free for all, so we decided to write a poem about a beach day with our best friends (each other) during the summer. We hope you enjoy!

–Reagan and Greenlee



I rolled down my window, took in the salty air.
We halted to a stop. I stepped out like I didn’t care.

Then, our eyes met, in one quick moment
My best friend for the summer, the greatest bestowment.

We checked into our room, just to get changed.
The beach always comes first we silently arranged.

Bright sun gleaming, fills the sky with orange and pink.
Sunset on the beach, the best time, we think.

Then, the next day, the cycle repeats–
The best summers of all, our trips to the beach.

Filed Under: Poetry, Seasonal Holidays, Travel Tagged With: Greenlee Bartley, Reagan Kaminsky

What Does Valentine’s Day Mean to You?

March 13, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 7th-Grade Poet Morgan Richardson

When wondering how to describe our recent Valentine’s Day, I turned to my classmates for a fresh opinion. I struggled with how to put Valentine’s day/love into one word? Many of the responses were negative and spoke of things such as “Jealousy,” and “Materialistism” ; everyone had a different viewpoint. As I went on interviewing, I kept asking myself the same question: How do you talk about love in one word? I came to the conclusion that Valentine’s Day is celebratory despite what others say. It’s not negative. These poems are inspired by the many opinions and views shared with me on the subject of Valentine’s Day.

I.

Love.

People say it’s an illusion,

Short time comfort 

Filled with jealousy and envy.

Others say it’s materialistic:

Chocolates and candies,

Red roses and jellycat stuffies,

Store bought cards and flowers.

But I think it’s more than that:

A saving grace

Filled with poetic words,

Showing love to the people who matter.

Love–

The meaning of happiness, joy and heartbreak.   


II. 

Cupid’s arrow shot right through my heart,

Blushing and butterflies that’s just the start.

The size of my heart has gone off the charts.

The hair, the face, the voice speak to me like art.

Sweet at first then it’s all tart.

Now it all restarts.

I found someone just my type.

My heart flies like a kite.

This might be the one I really do like.

But there’s a small dislike, tiny and slight;

I know someone better who doesn’t nail-bite.

This one’s not screwed on quite right.

Each one after the next, 

None of them passed my test.

I fear it’s time to reflect.

All this time I’ve spent

Too many regrets.

Now I’ll settle down,

If I can find someone I won’t repent.

Filed Under: Love, Seasonal Holidays Tagged With: Morgan Richardson, What Does Valentine’s Day Mean to You?

I Will Never Ski in Spring Again.

May 9, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 8th-grader Jackie Padgett

During Spring Break, I decided to accept the invitation to go skiing with my friend. Last time I skied it wasn’t necessarily bad – but that was almost three years ago. I was also not prepared at all and that led to my, not so great, skiing experience that wasn’t even necessarily skiing as I… walked down a slope. After looking back at this trip, I have found three main reasons that led me to tread down that mountain: 

1) Equipment, 

2) Personality, 

3) Technique. 

Don’t feel bad about laughing in any part of this story; I survived the humiliation and danger.

So our trip started with us driving 10-12 hours up to Salt Lake City, Utah, and if you’ve ever been in a car that long, it could be the best or worst experience. Luckily, this one was good. We stopped in Las Vegas for a bit, went to Area 15 for the interactive art in Omega Mart and stopped at a Terrible’s gas station.

As advertised, they did in fact have clean restrooms, and also a grocery store set up for the vegetables. There was real food in Terrible’s, which is rare for gas stations. Photo Credit: My friend’s mom

Once we made it to my friend’s house in Utah (which feels like years away from civilization), we needed to prepare for skiing the next day. 

Skiing Problem #1: Equipment 

For skiing, you have the basic ski equipment: the skis, the boots, the pants, the sweaters, the jackets, the mask, the goggles, the helmet, and the poles. With skis, you preferably want them as long as the length of your foot to your nose or eyes (from what I’ve heard). Last time I skied, I was 11. I have grown quite a bit in those two years, so my old skis are too short. Similarly with my boots, they’re too small now. Luckily my friend has two older brothers, who weren’t on that trip with us, so we decided that I would use a pair of their skis. My friend and her brothers all have their skis and boots “tailored” to fit perfectly, so whichever boots fit me would relate to what skis I would be wearing. I ended up having skis a couple inches taller than me, not too bad, but it did make it more difficult to turn which also helps you slow down (this will be important later). The other equipment was fine. The goggles were a little big, which got snow in my eyes a couple of times–but that was okay. 

I’m on the left, and my friend is on the right; you can see how my skis look big and a bit awkward. My ski mask fell down on this slope, and I didn’t even notice until the next morning when I saw my sunburn (I swear I wore sunscreen). Surprisingly, the sun is very intense on the mountains.

Skiing Problem #2: Personality

If you don’t know me well, then you probably don’t know that I’m scared of falling and that I’m very “risk averse” (as my friend likes to say). These two things aren’t great when going down a ski slope. When you ski, there are different tiers of slopes: you have the greens which are pretty flat and easy, the blues which are a little harder and less flat, the blacks which are vertical slopes with moguls (little bumps in the mountain that are fun to some people), and finally there are the double blacks which I don’t even know how to explain–they are just like the black slopes but 10 times worse. 

A good example of slope tiers from Ski Profiles

Skiing Problem #3: Technique

Once we made it on the lift, up to the slope, I started to panic. Below me, I saw people wipe out left and right and others speeding straight down the slope. There were very different people on very different levels with very different techniques. Once we got off the lift and I looked down the slope (after watching my friend easily ski down it), I felt more relaxed. So, I started skiing down doing my little swerves across the mountain, but I wasn’t really turning fast enough, so my “free fall” moment was too long, which made me go faster, which I didn’t want to do. 

This homemade graph points out the little “free fall” moments where you go straight down before you turn. 

The problem was that the snow was pretty slushy, and I had never skied during slushy snow season before. I had never skied in the spring. So, I was pretty inexperienced in this type of snow, and, instead of turning, I would go straight down as my skis would get caught in the slushy snow. Being the wise and professional skier that I totally am not, I panicked and went into pizza mode which eventually let me pull off to the side of the slope, and I just stopped. I definitely thought I was going to go off the mountain when I reached the side. I was literally eight feet away from the “point of no return” rope (that’s what I like to call it). Then, and this is kind of embarrassing, my friend’s mom was like, “You got this! You made it down almost half way! Hooray!” and blah blah blah, super supportive, very kind, but I was not going down that mountain. So I just refused to move! Isn’t that great?! My friend’s mom eventually got fed up with me standing still for what felt like years, so she took off my skis and went straight down the mountain with them and waited for me at the end. Then, of course, I took the walk of shame, and had many people come up to me asking what in the world I was doing and what happened to my skis. After that walk, I retrieved my skis, and I skied down the rest of the run (the area was much flatter, I think; I really don’t remember it much at all).

It might look like I have skis on, but I don’t. I’m just struggling to walk. Also this photo does not do justice to how steep it looks. 

Side Note: I will not be giving the name of the slope because many people could have easily gone down it without having to walk. I witnessed everyone skiing past me – even five year olds. 

After I made it down the entire slope, we went into the little lodge where they had a buffet and I got myself a pumpkin bread, my absolute favorite (though this version put too much nutmeg in it, so it was pretty intense). I walked around while my friend and her mom skied five or so more slopes without me. I was very glad I didn’t have to continue. Have you had any embarrassing moments like this? I’d love to know so I don’t have to feel like too much of a coward.

Filed Under: Seasonal Holidays, Sports, The Outdoors Tagged With: I Will Never Ski in Spring Again., Jackie Padgett

A Look into The Masters

May 2, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 8th-Grade Blogger Jack Edelstein

As Spring colorfully rolls in, I often look forward to many things: more daylight, vibrant flowers, blue skies, and a nice middle ground between hot summers and chilly winters. But, what I look forward to the most is The Masters. The Masters is the most prestigious tournament in golf; every person who plays golf wishes to go or even play in The Masters because of how iconic it is. Here is this rich, history-filled event.

Photo Credit: youtube.com

Where and When?

The Masters is held in the very exclusive Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, about 150 miles east of Atlanta. The Masters generally happens during April; this year it was April 11-14.

“I shall never forget my first visit to the property which is now Augusta National. The long lane of magnolias through which we approached was beautiful. The old manor house was charming. The rare trees and shrubs of the old nursery were enchanting.” – Bobby Jones. Photo Credit: usatoday.com.

The Start of The Masters

Founded by golf legend Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts, who also served as former chairman of The Masters (1934-1976), the first ever “Masters” happened in 1934. At the time it was not called The Masters, instead it was the “Augusta National Invitation Tournament” because Bobby Jones thought that “The Masters” was too egotistical (masters.com). It was then changed to The Masters after five years (1939). 

Photo Credit: augustachronicle.com

The Green Jacket

The Winner of The Masters is presented with the The Green Jacket. The Green Jacket does not just represent The Masters; it represents the honor of being a Masters champion. The tradition of The Green Jacket dates back to 1937 when the members of Augusta National Golf Club wore them to allow tournament patrons to identify the club members (masters.com). Then, in 1949, Sam Snead became the first Masters champion to be presented with The Green Jacket (masters.com). Only the winner of The Masters can take The Jacket outside of Augusta National Golf Club property. The Jackets were made by Brooks Uniform Company in New York City until 1967 when the Hamilton Tailoring Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, took over The Jacket construction (galvingreen.com). The Jackets are a Masters Green with gold buttons engraved with the Augusta National Logo. The finishing touch is an embroidered patch with the logo on the left breast pocket (masters.com).

Photo Credit: townandcountrymag.com

The Menu

When The Masters began, Clifford Roberts realized that feeding the crowd that came would be necessary. At the time, The Masters was still a new event, so the organizers used the residents of Augusta kitchens to make cheap, easy-to-make sandwiches, snacks, and drinks (masters.com).

“We want the experience to not only be the best but to be affordable. And we take certain things very, very seriously. Like the cost of a pimento cheese sandwich is just as important as how the second cut (of grass) is going to be.” – Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne, 2007 (masters.com).

Iconic Food Items at The Masters Consist of . . .

  • Egg Salad Sandwich ($1.50)
  • Pimento Cheese Sandwich ($1.50)
  • Pork Bar-B-Que Sandwich ($3.00)

I’ve tried the sandwich flavors, and I think the Pimento Cheese is the best with the Pork Bar-B-Que being a close second.

“We were particularly pleased to learn that you could provide a really good sandwich for twenty five cents.” – Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts in a letter to one of the original makers of the pimento cheese sandwich. Photo Credit: intentionalhospitality.com.

Amen Corner

Amen Corner consists of holes White Dogwood (hole No. 11), Golden Bell (No. 12), and Azalea (No. 13). This tricky three-hole stretch can determine a player’s score. These holes have notable water features, and only three players have ever aced (hole-in-one) at Amen Corner. Another significant part of Amen Corner is the two bridges going over the water: The Hogan Bridge, named after two-time Masters champion Ben Hogan and The Nelson Bridge, named after Bryon Nelson, another two-time Masters champion (masters.com).

Hole #13, named Azalea, is particularly challenging due to its dogleg left fairway format. Photo Credit: masters.com.

The Masters of The Masters

Players will over time become familiar with secrets of this tournament. The most notable players have been Jack Nicklaus with six wins and Tiger Woods (my favorite athlete of all time) with five. Nicklaus was the first player to win The Masters back-to-back (1965 and 1966) and the first to win it three times (1963, 1965, and 1966). 

Tiger won in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and his “get back” win in 2019 (masters.com). In his first Masters win (1997), he won with a historical 12-stroke lead. Then he had back-to-back wins in 2001 and 2002. Then, after his win in 2005, Tiger had arguably his most iconic Masters in 2019 when after 14 years of controversy and poor golf, Tiger came back in his ever iconic Sunday Red and won it all. Fun fact, when Tiger first won The Masters (1997), Augusta National didn’t have a jacket small enough for him.

The GOAT. Photo Credit: golftoday.usatoday.com.

Conclusion

The Masters defines what it means to be a champion. This tournament is the greatest challenge in golf, and that’s why the players love this course. It is a great honor to have your name in the history books as a Masters champion, and for 88 years players have tirelessly competed for it. In the words of three-time Masters Competitor Mac O’Grady, “This is where God hangs out.” Let us know what you think of The Masters in the comments.

Filed Under: History, Seasonal Holidays, Sports Tagged With: A Look into The Masters, Jack Edelstein

Hello spring 

April 26, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 4 Comments

By Senior Jess Billimore

In the springtime haze, there is a breeze,

Petals dance around with ease, breathtaking sunsets,

My love for spring is true, each beginning is new,

Birds sing melodies, sweet and serene, 

Living like this feels like a dream, when the day ends i take a sigh, 

An array of colors kiss the sky, i envy the birds as they fly,

Lost in spring, nature’s hush,

Each day i feel a rush, butterflies dance in the soft sunlight,

And my dreams take flight.

Filed Under: Poetry, Seasonal Holidays Tagged With: Hello spring, Jess Billimore

Oliver’s Ranking for Every Season of the Year

April 19, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

By Sophomore Oliver Martinez

Spring is officially here; now we can see some plant growth; snow is melting and going away, and we are entering warmer times. However, there are some downsides to warmer spring weather–like awful allergies. I’ve personally started to feel these allergies, and that makes me like spring less. Still, to celebrate spring’s arrival, I’ve made my rankings from worst to best of the seasons of the year.

4. Autumn/Fall

Autumn is in my opinion very boring and the least eventful time of the year. Plants start to lose their leaves, which not only is really sad to see, it just makes it worse that it’s so windy so the leaves go all over the place. It makes it a pain to clean them up. On top of that, this is that sad time of year when school starts. Another thing I dislike about Autumn, weirdly, is the name. Autumn is such a weird name. I don’t know how to explain it, but it sounds so… artificial. Also, I hear people say they like the colors. I think there is nothing to like about them. Orange and yellow are lame colors. There are many that are far better than that. 

3. Spring

Spring was close to going into last place, but I think it’s slightly better than Autumn. My main reason for disliking the season is that during Spring, allergies come around. I swear I haven’t gone a year of my life without getting allergies during Spring. They’re the most annoying thing ever. I hate them so much. I hate going to sleep knowing that I’m going to have to breathe through my mouth. It’s also really annoying to have a stuffy nose and, worst of all, a sore throat. I think that after COVID-19 came around, allergies automatically became three times worse. Now, whenever I wake up with a sore throat, I immediately assume I have COVID-19, and it’s really annoying. One reason why spring isn’t the worst season is because of the rebirth of plants and trees. It’s nice to see bright colors for once. And, it’s nice to see the different flowers that sprout during this season.

The palo verde trees here on campus shower us with yellow petals in the Spring. If you hurry, you may still catch the super bloom happening now in Anza Borrego.

2. Winter 

I think Winter is a really good season. I like the cold weather, and I like the overall vibe of this season. I’m not entirely sure why, but people are generally much nicer and happier during Winter. It may be because of holidays, vacations, discounts in shopping, etc. It’s always nice to see people happy. On top of that, winter gives me an excuse to buy more hoodies. Then, since it’s the end of the year, there are a lot of things getting announced for the upcoming year: like movies, games, music, etc. I also like the plans that sports associations have during these times. Like the NBA games during the end of the year are way more fun to watch. They’re a lot more exciting, and teams are releasing limited edition merchandise along with stadium giveaways. And, to top it all off, we get two weeks of break during Christmas and New Year’s which is awesome. Overall, winter is so great because of all the awesome things that are going on at once – the ambience, how people behave, and because of the time we get off from school. 

Winters surround us with snow on the mountains encircling the Coachella Valley. We’re lucky. We get to look at pretty snow, and we don’t have to scrape it off our windshields. Photo Credit: coachellavalley.com 

1. Summer

My absolute favorite season of the year is Summer. Although I prefer the colder weather, Summer is just so fun. First of all, we get two months off of school, which is a big plus. I actually don’t mind the heat too much; I know it gets pretty hot, but waking up late and knowing there’s no school for some time is really nice. I have so much free time during summer, I start exploring different things that I thought I would never do. Last summer I read three books, which surprised me because I hadn’t seriously read a book in so long. I like playing basketball at night, and the best part is that all my friends are available to play because there’s no school or homework. I like that I don’t have to go to sleep early because I won’t have to go to school the next day. Allergies are generally not as common during Summer, and (at least for me) getting sick is rare. We also sometimes go on a trip somewhere which is really fun, even if it’s not too far. And, lastly, the NBA playoffs come during summer around mid-late June. It’s so fun watching the games live, and it’s very exciting because all the teams just play so much better during the playoffs. On top of that, it’s fun to find out what team will win the championship. One thing overrated about Summer is going to the beach. I think that going to the beach is overrated and more of an inconvenience because of how dirty you get and how absurdly crowded it is. Overall, Summer is the best season because of vacation off school, the warm weather, the free time, spending time with friends and because of the sports. 

I think my list is pretty accurate; maybe it would change once I graduate because there won’t be vacation off school anymore, but for now this is my definitive list of the worst to best seasons of the year. Would you change anything on this list? Let me know in the comments.

*Apparently, the opinions expressed by Oliver Martinez do not express the overall opinions of thebirdonfire.org (especially not Louisa’s).

Filed Under: Aesthetic, Op-Ed, Seasonal Holidays, The Outdoors, The World Tagged With: Oliver Martinez, Oliver’s Ranking for Every Season of the Year

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

About

We are the Palm Valley Firebirds of Rancho Mirage, California. Join us in our endeavors. Venture through the school year with us, perusing the artwork of our students, community, and staff. Our goal is to share the poems, stories, drawings and photographs, essays and parodies that come out of our school. Welcome aboard!