The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans
. . . the 2025 Spring Semester thebirdonfire.org Blog Staff! This is an exclusive all-Middle-School staff. These Blog Staffers are crazy, rambunctious, and often–in the words of Ms. Maguire–they cause a “ruckus.” Catch their insights at thebirdonfire.org–now through May 2025.
Did you know that Palm Valley School has a blog? It’s called The Bird on Fire, and it’s back! Our holiday break is over; it’s a new year; and Palm Valley’s blog is in full swing. Indy, Gil, Jackie, Oliver, and Louisa are now joined by new writers Jack and Jess. This means we will have more variety, insight, and sauciness posted throughout the remainder of the year. You can be part of the fun and publication by submitting anything you’ve written, drawn, or filmed to Advisor Zachik. Email her at szachik@pvs.org. If you want to get thebirdonfire.org articles delivered directly to your inbox upon publication, visit the home page of thebirdonfire.org and subscribe today.
By way of introducing our 2023-24 staffers, let’s play “Name That Blogger!”
I asked our 2023 bloggers to write spatial autobiographies, detailing objects that define them (a prompt borrowed from Poets & Writers). Below, you’ll find excerpts from these spatial autobiographies; you guess which blogger belongs to which objects. (Hint: You might consider pulling from the vibrant-voiced pool of Indiana Behr, Oliver Martinez, Gil Maruvada, and Louisa Richardson.)
You can log your guesses in the Gil-created Name That Blogger quiz.
Blog Instructor Zachik
In my room the lighting is horrible, this is because it is an old house which shows my ability to accept everyone no matter what age. I share the bedroom with my little sister with a little pink bunk bed situated on the left side of the room. I called the bottom bunk because I knew I would get to hang stuff up on the “ceiling” of it. Which demonstrates my ability to think ahead. What I didn’t think about is the fact that Morgan vomits when she’s nervous and she has thrown up on me twice this year. But that’s okay because it shows the fact that I am willing to learn from my mistakes, and choose the top bunk next time.
When I think of an area with a large group of objects in my house, I think of my coffee setup. There’s lots of stuff, but a few of them make me think of several memories. My first coffee grinder was about $150 dollars, which for coffee grinders is not very much, and it doesn’t really give me the best results. I have several newer, nicer, models, and I really never use this one, and yet, I can’t sell it or get rid of it because of the attachment I have to it. I have a plastic Hario V60, which is a pour over device that costs less than $10. It was the first object of its kind I purchased, and its actually just as good as similar devices that cost hundreds of dollars and I still used it for years, until one day, I dropped it after brewing, and it cracked in two. I was able to purchase a new one that was identical, and it was still cheap, and yet still, it does not feel the same. Everytime I use it, I still miss the old one.
I walk around my house and see a bottle with germ killer spray and it reminds me of 3 years ago when we used it excessively to clean anything and everything that entered our house to protect ourselves from covid.
I also see a large clean green screen which was used to make movies last year for Mr. Griffin’s class. Reminds me of having to re-film a scene 20 times because Matteo didn’t like it.
I see a purple legacy edition LeBron James jersey which reminds me of the many Lakers games I have gone to.
I see a bookshelf with all The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in order, which reminds me of going on long road trips and reading them along the way.
The books lining the shelves remind me of the stories that I’ve read, that I used to read, and ones that I haven’t yet finished. Every book has its own story, each one with different memories attached. How can the shelves bear the weight of so much thought? A small box that was used for holding cigars contains fossils and rocks, a gift in a curious container. You see the box was given to me by a man who used to smoke cigars in the house next door, the box boasts of holding 25 of them at one point. Fossils. A small model ship given to me by my grandparents sits on a shelf, the Mayflower. I was born in May, but I am not a flower, nor can I carry 135 people. A chessboard sits in the closet; I used to use it to play with my brother. It feels good to win. A telescope takes up a corner; it was a gift from a family friend who I met when I was little. Chance gave me the ability to meet him again almost a year ago. Sometimes chance is a curious creature; it has guided my life in many ways. People are born of chance, become students of chance, work for chance, and die by chance. Sometimes life is a curious creature. When you are at your lowest, you’ll never be there again. But, when you reach your highest point, you can’t live it again either. It might be best to just move forward.
Guess your blogger on the Gil-created quiz: Name That Blogger Quiz
Welcome back to thebirdonfire.org. On the first day of this 2023-24 school year, I asked 8th graders to read and respond to Emily Dickinson’s “As imperceptibly as grief.” She was mourning the passing of summer in the poem. I asked how the 8th graders felt about summer winding down. Kimberly had not only a full reply, but one in impressive verse. She’s allowed me to share below. — Blog Instructor Zachik
First, Dickinson . . .
As imperceptibly as grief
The summer lapsed away, —
Too imperceptible, at last,
To seem like perfidy.
A quietness distilled,
As twilight long begun,
Or Nature, spending with herself
Sequestered afternoon.
The dusk drew earlier in,
The morning foreign shone, —
A courteous, yet harrowing grace,
As guest who would be gone.And thus, without a wing,
— by Emily Dickinson
Or service of a keel,
Our summer made her light escape
Into the beautiful.
Now, Kimberly . . .
As the days drift
With the hot breeze and the summer sun
A feeling of unfamiliarity emerges
A feeling of loss
But as the days continue
And autumn creeps up from behind
The feeling of hope
Leads into comfort and knowing
That everything changes, for better or worse
Seasons change like the changing of mind
A change of clothes and a different pair of shoes
The dog days of summer turn into the black cats of Halloween
Crisp warm days and chilly nights
And waving goodbye somehow does not seem so sad.
— by Kimberly Sayers
We hope everyone had a fun and covid-free summer.
We are accepting posts from contributors outside of blog class, so send any creative prose, poetry, articles our way.
Our new blog leaders include our food-industry enthusiast Ike Spry, our sports-life writer Roman Rickwood, and our mystical-spirit guide Jessica Denyer.
See us at thebirdonfire.org. Subscribe, and you’ll get our posts delivered directly to your inbox.
Dry, barren, and blank. The whole summer has gone by without a single article from The Bird on Fire. But, the good news is we’re back! Question is: Are you? I would hope you say, yes. This year our writers include returning staff me, Hannah Hall, and Quintus Ni, along with the new additions Jake Sonderman, Sara Habibipour, Elizabeth Shay, Erik Bearman, and Evan Spry. Since we are currently in Distance Learning, the Blog will be rolling out with alternating themes every two weeks. Coming back from this summer vacation, I thought that the first theme should be something quarantine related. Quarantine gave us so much time to self reflect, and with this reflection came new-found passions…or at least simple fascinations. So, officially, our first theme of the year is “Hobbies/Talents/Things Learned During Quarantine.” With that being said, keep your eyes peeled for new content; it’s coming VERY SOON! And, don’t be afraid to leave fun comments or opinions in the comment section; we love to hear what you have to say.
Catch ya on the flip side,
Hannah Hall
Editor Hobbies/Talents/Things Learned During Quarantine
P.S. New content arrives in your inbox IF you are a subscriber to thebirdonfire.org. You can subscribe on thebirdonfire.org’s home page. And, you are always welcome to visit the blog site.
By Doreen Yuan
Welcome back to school everyone! This is Doreen. Over summer vacation, I learned about urban legends that were created by mysterious profiles on 2Channel. I want to share it with you here. But before I do, let me explain what 2Channel is.
2Channel (2ch)
It is an online Japanese textboard (a simpler version of a forum).
Management
The website’s scale and management style is unique. It currently has more than 1,000 active boards. They are categories such as “Social News,” “Computers,” “Cooking,” etc. These categories make it the most comprehensive forum in Japan. Each board usually has hundreds of active threads. Each thread contains up to 1,000 anonymous comments.
Software
2ch operates on forum software that was considered innovative at the time of its founding (1999). It represented a major departure from the bulletin-board systems of the 1980s. Everything can be done anonymously. A post in a thread will “bump” the thread, making active posts high on the overall thread list. Each thread is limited to a maximum of 1,000 postings, and a new thread must be opened by some anonymous user (self-elected) to continue discussion. This prevents the “rotting” of old threads and keeps active, fascinating topics refreshed. It also saves bandwidth, which is a major concern on a forum as large as 2ch. Old threads are moved to an archive where people can still view them until they are eventually deleted.
Anonymous Posting
One of the most remarkable features of 2ch is the complete freedom of anonymous posting. This is quite different from most English internet forums that require some form of registration. They usually require email validation to further confirm personal identity. On 2ch, the name field is available but rarely used. If you enter a real name, you will be considered a novice, an administrator, or someone trying to become an internet celebrity.
The urban legend below is based on the premise of using the comment section of 2Channel.
The Mysterious Personal Profiles
as presented by Doreen Yuan
Meet the Characters:
Profile photo:
Online ID: No longer human
Sex: secret
Age: secret
Address: Japan-Yokohama
Character: cracks jokes, frivolous, outgoing and active.
What’s up: The real things are apt to be deviant.
Profile photo:
Online ID: Carry
Sex: /
Age: /
Address: /
Character: /
What ‘s up: /
Now, begin:
Join my Urban Legend. Make a mysterious profile yourself and become part of my story…. Below are some rules you need to know before I start to tell you my Urban Legend in the next post (check the comments).
1. The comment section is part of the story. Pay attention to it.
2. Anonymous users in the comment section are part of the story. Pay attention to them.
3. The characters named No longer human and Carry, who add comments, are part of the story.
4. Readers can leave messages in the comment section but should not intentionally destroy or try to confuse the coherence of the story.
5. Readers can respond to any anonymous character interaction in the comment section–that response may change and contribute to the story.
6. Do not use inappropriate language.
7. The roles and anonymity in the comment section are created by the primary story author himself.
8. The time of all messages is based on the time of writing.
9. Have fun, and enjoy it.
Editor: Luke Langlois
By James Zheng
Hello, everyone. I know we are reminiscing about our time during summer, but do not forget to enjoy the new school year. You especially must check out our school blog every DAY! Last year I did most of my posts about anime, movies, and games. This year, I will try to bring new and more creative posts to readers.
During my summer, I rediscovered a Chinese singer named Jay Chou. My only impression of him was from my childhood; the first time I listened to his songs, I disliked his “lazy” singing style where you don’t know what he is saying unless you look up the lyrics. I did not have a good impression at first. However, one day I clicked on a video talking about the comparison between the top ten Chinese songs of 2005 and 2015. One of his songs was at number one in China 2005, and that made me interested in him again, and the things I used to dislike actually made him unique.
Jay Chou’s career has always been marked by his dedication to the Mandopop (Mandrian Popular music) realm. When his first album came out in 1999, it was played everywhere on the street and soon made the top ten songs chart. Once Jay realized the opportunity was there, he charged up his music career and released more and more albums. His songs never get old, even though he has been making music for nearly twenty years. Each of his albums is still overwhelmingly popular nowadays around the whole of Asia. To give a personal comment on his songs, the complex level of lyrics and songwriting is still beyond most songs in recent years.
So here are some recommendations. Some of them are more “James” subjective, while most of them are commonly recommended in the Mandopop realm.
And that is what I have for you guys. Chou still has tons of amazing songs to listen to, so check them out if you are interested. Try searching on YouTube, Spotify, Google Music, or Amazon Music. Lastly, I know that everyone doesn’t understand or usually listen to Chinese songs, but why not try it out just to see if you like the beat or the vocal style. You might want to welcome something fresh. New year, new music!
Editor: Luke Langlois
In keeping with our theme on “Welcome Back” or “What Did You Do Over the Summer?” Katelin submits a post on her favorite summertime (anytime) pastime–K-pop.
By Katelin Mei
Over the recent years, there has been a spike in popularity of K-pop, most likely because BTS and BLACKPINK have introduced the North American public to this genre of music. They have very eye-catching videos, and the members of every group tend to have a cute look.
My favorite groups
6. BTS – This was the second group that introduced me to K-pop. I like this group because I like their older songs like “RUN” and “Save Me.” I also like Min Yoongi because I find him cute.
5. NCT – This is a very confusing K-pop group. They have many different sub-groups, like NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV. The different sub-groups release different music, but they are all under the brand name “NCT.” I like this group mostly because the people in NCT have fun and unique personalities.
4. Red Velvet – This group is unique because of its varied musical concepts that they can pull off very well. They transition from having a “girl crush” concept in their song “Bad Boy” to a summery cute theme in their song “Power Up.” Unlike many other artists, they are never limited to one topic.
3. Dreamcatcher – I found this amazing group because of their latest comeback song “Piri.” They have a unique rock/anime style rarely seen in K-pop girl groups. My favourite song of theirs is “You and I.” They are releasing a new album soon, which I am extremely excited for.
2. Momoland – MOMOLAND broke into the market with their song “BBoom BBoom.” Since they come from a small company, they once did not have many fans and were planning to disband after they released “BBoom BBoom.” The song blew up and brought MOMOLAND the followers and fans they needed, including me. They are a very attractive group, and JooE is especially pretty.
1. BLACKPINK/Twice – These two groups are tied because I love them equally, even though they contrast each other in concept. While BLACKPINK has a girl crush concept, TWICE’s aesthetic is very appealing and well done (see second photo). BLACKPINK has a special place in my heart because they were the group that introduced me to K-pop. Hopefully, they can do the same for you.
Editor: Luke Langlois
As we “welcome” everyone back, Quintus poetically reminds us time is fleeting and ephemeral. Enjoy the daily life of your adolescence because . . . it will be over soon.
By Quintus Ni
Time flies like flowing water
Youth departs with the water
You can’t catch
The steps of time
Like the sunlight that vanishes in the far
That cannot be chased
When
Wrinkles creep up on your face
When gray hair grows
Looking back
Youth is a river flowing forever
Searching in a daze
Chasing at a loss
In the distance
Is the paradise of dreams
Ethereal
And hazy
Cheap if you say it is beautiful
Far from being expressed in words
Unpredictable
Untouchable
It’s a mirage
Like passing time
The youth fades away
when you least expect it to
Desiring all the time
To meet each other
Saying goodbye
Turn around
And enter the lingering light
Of the setting sun
Everyone has his or her own youth, but youth is fleeting. Time flies! It fades away at every moment whether you catch or not!–Quintus
Editor: Luke Langlois