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The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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I Will Never Ski in Spring Again.

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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.

Oliver’s Ranking for Every Season of the Year

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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).

Being a cow is actually healthy

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By Junior Luke Sonderman

Photo Source: Steemit

Cows eat grass. Do you eat grass? You heard me correctly: I asked if you eat grass. Most people would probably say, No, I don’t eat grass! But, if you want to regulate your blood sugar, slow the growth of cancer, lose weight, and eat healthier, then you should be like a cow and add wheatgrass to your diet.

What is wheatgrass?

“Wheatgrass is the young grass of the wheat plant, Triticum Aestivum”(webmd). It is grown as a microgreen (to learn about how microgreens are grown visit my microgreens article on thebirdonfire.org). Wheatgrass has many proven health benefits. You may see wheatgrass sold at farmers markets and used as an ingredient in juices and juice-cleanses. Here’s what wheatgrass can do for you.

Slow the Growth of Cancer Cells

Wheatgrass has dozens of proven health benefits: one being slowing the growth of cancer cells. In a study conducted at the Sinhgad Dental College and Hospital on the effect of wheatgrass on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC)–one of the most common forms of cancer, Professor Sangeeta Jayant Palaskar along with colleagues concluded that “the aqueous extract of wheatgrass has an inhibitory effect on the oral cancer cell line proliferation” (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Wheatgrass is known to increase oxygen levels in the blood, and since cancer cells grow best in oxygen deprived blood, wheatgrass will slow the growth of cancer cells by up to 65%, according to Dr. Alice Williams at the Origym Centre of Excellence (express.co.uk/life-style/health). 

Lose Weight

A study conducted in 2015 by Doctor Gil Bar-Sela and colleagues at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa showed that there may be promising evidence that wheatgrass can increase metabolism aiding in weight loss (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Studies have also shown that ingesting wheatgrass daily can reduce hunger and help patients maintain a healthy caloric deficit to safely lose weight (prevention.com/food-nutrition). 

Regulate Blood Sugar and Diabetes

According to the Journal of Herbal Medicine and Toxicology, “[W]heatgrass is very effective in enhancing the levels of lipids and glucose, which in turn helps in controlling diabetes” (24mantra.com/blogs/health). According to a study at Pondicherry University, India, wheatgrass can increase the capacity in which insulin can bind to its receptors, increasing the efficiency of insulin in type II diabetes patients (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). 

Contribute to a Healthy Diet

Wheatgrass contains phytochemicals which help boost the immune system (health.clevelandclinic.org). Wheatgrass can also assist the gut in breaking down food because of its enzymes (webmd.com). Wheatgrass also contains Vitamin A, C, E, K, B, and Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium (webmd.com). 

Summary

In conclusion, there is no reason that you shouldn’t take wheatgrass!* It improves your gut health, slows the progression of cancer, aids type II diabetics, and helps you lose weight! It is a super potion. 

*Do adhere to medical guidelines if you have allergies.

Tinalina: Girl from the Grass

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By Eighth-Grader Louisa Richardson

Once Upon A Time…

. . . There lived a small fairy. She lived on the great lawn of Buckingham Palace. Her house was an old peanut shell which was practically a mansion compared to the Mushroom Apartments she and her family used to live in. This little fairy girl’s name was Tinalina.  She was an ordinary little fairy girl who lived with her two brothers and one sister. However, she tragically lost her fairy father due to an incident involving one of the Palace Guard’s shoes. 

Tina often thought about that day. She wondered if the humans knew that they existed. Her kind had always lived in harmony with the other animals big and small in the lawn. Tina had never really been outside of the gates surrounding the lawn; she heard rumors about tunnels leading to the outside world. However, many families at fairy school had lost a family member or friend due to shoes or, worse, a tire.  Venturing out of the great lawn was always a consideration to Tina as a little hatchling, but there were those stories involving the horrors of the outside world. Because of this, Tinalina was always very cautious when venturing outside her peanut.

 One day while walking to school, she saw something amazing–it was a tunnel leading to the sidewalks outside of the gates. The tunnels existed. She immediately ran to inspect it. Tinalina had never seen over the grass, so she wasn’t really sure who lived outside the gates. She imagined it was probably more grasshoppers and ladybugs. Curiosity grabbed a hold of her, and, before she knew it, she was climbing down into the tunnel, but as she tried to make her way down, she caught her wing on a little ledge. All of the sudden, she fell into the deep dark pit. 

After falling to the very bottom of the tunnel, she looked around. All around her were beautiful crystals, and a small sign with an arrow stating, “Outside World This Way.” Tina was so small, she never really knew that there was more to the Outside World beyond the Buckingham Palace lawn. Tinalina’s curiosity got the better of her, and she ventured out in the direction of the sign. Once she reached beyond the sign, she noticed that the tunnel lost the crystals that lined the walls, and things started to get very dark and gloomy. Finally, she saw a light. She ran to the end of the tunnel. Outside was a huge shoe. It was bigger than any of the grasshoppers she’d seen before, even bigger than a pinecone! All she could do was stand perfectly still until the foot passed with a loud thud. Tina’s mouth hung open as she watched all the commotion and chaos outside the tunnel–huge children screaming, gigantic mothers chasing, and enormous couples pointing at the castle. Tina was in awe. She took a step into the new world and began to explore. She flew over the traveling cars and took a closer look at the palace. It was one of the most beautiful places she has ever seen. All of a sudden, she heard someone clear their throat. She felt someone pluck her out of the air, and before she could even think, she was aggressively thrown into a dark, moist, bag. 

TO BE CONTINUED

Photo Source: thatoregonlife.com

What am I?

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By Junior Jess Billimore

You see me everyday, 

Or do you?

You’re familiar with my presence,

Maybe too much so.

You walk all over me,

To and fro. 

Some of you dislike me,

Yet I continue to grow.

Am I invasive?

I endure the pain that you give;

All I want is to live.

I take up lots of space, 

Growing at a fast pace.

Is my existence a waste?

You see me everyday.

Please, appreciate me today.

*Log in your answers in the comment section.

I started a microgreenery in my friend’s backyard.

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By Luke Sonderman, Backyard Farmer

Microgreens. No, I’m not talking about broccoli and baby carrots. I am talking about microgreens. What are microgreens? I asked myself that same question before I spent a thousand dollars building a farm. 

What are microgreens?

Microgreens are vegetables that are picked as young seedlings right as leaves begin to grow (integrisok.com). Microgreens are grown in many varieties and can be found at farmers markets and fancy boutique grocery stores. If the microgreens are grown hydroponically (grown in water with no soil), you can find them at stores and farmers markets still growing in the package!

How did I become a microgreen farmer?

I decided to go into business with my best friend Ethan after he pitched the idea of growing microgreens to me. I had no idea what microgreens were, but after researching microgreen business models, I discovered that it was a business venture with very little risk. Ethan found a business in Joshua Tree via Facebook Marketplace that was selling a 10ft x10ft microgreens grow tent, microgreen racks, microgreen grow trays, a grow tent ventilation fan, several LED grow lights, and booth decoration for farmers markets. After purchasing the equipment, we built the tent and set up the racks with lights. With our farm assembled, we began doing research into the most profitable microgreens to grow and the most popular microgreens at farmers markets. 

How microgreens are grown

After starting our farm, we had to make the big decision whether to grow our greens in soil or hydroponically. Hydroponically-grown microgreens are grown in water trays with no soil. This means that when you package them, if you put water into the container they will continue to live and grow as long as they stay in water. For simplicity, we grow our microgreens in soil. It is much easier. 

When can you buy our microgreens?

Since we are still in the testing and licensing phase of our farm, our microgreens are not yet for sale. In coordination with multiple local farmers markets, we plan to have multiple farmers market spots throughout the seasons where we will sell our microgreens, mixes, and microgreen beverages! So, in the next few months, when you are at your local Coachella Valley farmers market, look for the name Little Sprouts, and try some microgreens. Maybe you’ll get a little friends and family discount!

Can you eat Foie Gras guilt free?

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We said, “Write about the implications of grass.” Levi, as always, went in a surprising direction: foie gras. (Note: “gras” does NOT mean grass, but “fat.”) Foie gras is a highly contentious cuisine. Levi thinks he’s found a guilt-free way of tasting the delicacy.

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Have you heard of foie gras? “Foie gras” is French for fatty liver. If you’ve heard of it but don’t like it because it’s unethically produced, then I have good news for you. There exists ethical foie gras, where the geese frolic about a pasture eating acorns, olives, and grass. If you don’t know what foie gras is, then why are you even here?

Foie gras is fattened goose (or rarely, duck) liver. Typically, it is produced year-round in factories by shoving metal tubes down the throats of geese and force feeding them (sentientmedia.org). And, they are forbidden from exercising. This force feeding of stationary geese can fatten the liver to 10 times its normal volume (npr.org). If you read my wagyu article, you’d know that the more fat involved, the better flavor and texture. Unsurprisingly, because of the name, this is a product of France. However, in Spain there exists two men by the names of Eduardo Sousa and Diego Labourdette who have a farm that produces foie gras…ethically (npr.org). 

Geese wandering around the farm outside of Pallares, Spain (npr.org). 

How do they do it?

As I said earlier, these geese are not force fed. They roam free, eating–of their own free will–olives, acorns and whatever else they desire. Naturally, the geese fatten themselves up during the beginning of the winter to prepare for their annual Southward migration (a-z-animals.com). We all know, though, that the geese will not be making their Southward migration. They will instead be “sacrificed” on a “night of the new moon” when their livers are the fattest (Eduardo Sousa, npr.org). In an interview with NPR, Sousa revealed that before they kill the geese, they “paralyze them with flashlights.” After the geese are hypnotized, they are swiftly and painlessly killed with a knife. The rest of the goose is used for various other products such as meals of duck leg and duck breast (npr.org). 

What does this ethically-raised foie gras taste like?

Usually, foie gras barely tastes like liver because it is so fatty, but this liver tastes like liver. While I cannot personally vouch for its flavor, James Beard award-winning chef Dan Barber said it was “the best foie gras of my life” (npr.org). Taking on the flavors of what they eat, the foie gras would probably have a deep, earthly flavor with notes of acorns, olives, and whatever else the geese choose to eat. 

How to buy it?

Because only a handful of geese are slaughtered every year, Sousa’s foie gras is extremely difficult to obtain. You can find the foie gras on their website (lapateria.eu/) for €200 per 180g. It is currently sold out, but I will try to get my hands on it and report back this winter!

If I Could Get Rid Of Something It Would Be…

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These sharp blades of grass when wet and even dry made Alyna hate the outdoors. 

By Junior Alyna Rei

I have always had a love-hate relationship with grass. I love to lie down on the  SOFT grass and have a picnic. But, I also hate how wet sharp grass makes my legs really itchy. I’ve had a couple of incidents with grass in elementary school that makes me hate sharp-bladed wet grass. Here are some of my unpleasantries from elementary school regarding the green beneath our feet.

3rd grade

In 3rd grade, it was required to do P.E. Before the class started, the students would have to sit on dots that were lying on the grass so the teacher could come and take attendance (this would take around 15-20 minutes). You would think that this sounds normal, but I had P.E. in the morning. In the morning, the sprinklers would go off. Not only did my clothes get wet from the grass, when I was sent off running, the wet grass would rub on my legs and make them really itchy and red. 

4th grade

Since I moved up a grade, I did not have to do P.E. in wet grass anymore. But I had to do P.E. with really dry and hot grass. Running around in 115 degree weather was not great at all. Dry and hot grass feels like thumb tacks grazing your legs every time you move. My old school was lazy with their landscape, so the grass was long enough to scratch your calves.

5th grade

There was no more torturous P.E. for me. But a grass incident happened during recess. I was on the field with my friends. We were jogging slowly and just talking. I don’t know why, but when we were running, one of my friends happened to knock me down on the grass. My face, arms, and legs were exposed to the hot and dry grass. She apologized, but the only thing that mattered during that moment was how itchy my body was. At the end of the day my arms and legs were red and me being sweaty on a hot day made it a lot worse.

During the summer, I try to avoid grass since the hot air and dry grass really make my body react badly. I swell, itch, and turn red. My best remedy to get rid of these horrible reactions  in elementary school was to expose the affected area to cold air (I don’t know why, but it worked). I am here to say that the days of me running in the sharp blades of grass are over. If I have to walk on this type of grass, I try to walk through it quickly. But, I would happily walk over anything besides grass.

Haiku on the Grass

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Pull up a lawn chair. We’re talking about grass. Penny opens our theme with meditative haiku on that which grows beneath our feet.

By Seventh-Grader Penny Andreas

The grass stands up tall

Upon the hill with the sun

Its blades reaching high

The pine tree sits strong

Shorter among the birches

Green and yellow leaves

The bluebird flies high

Up in the sky with the clouds

It flies with the wind

The snail moves slowly

Sliding on the blade of grass

Its shell balancing

I walk in the field

Alone in a labyrinth

Of long and tall grass

Geocaching–Modern-Day Treasure Hunting

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By Lilah Nick

What is geocaching? Geocaching is sort of a “global treasure hunt” where people look for hidden “treasure” or stashes. Geocaching can also be considered as a series of hide and seek games. People online will provide clues to where their cache is for other seekers to find. The seekers use a GPS to find the hidden cache. 

There are three main rules in geocaching:

  • Take something from the cache.
  • Leave something in the cache.
  • And write about it in the logbook, which is inside the box.

The caches are usually in some sort of box, but they are usually small, waterproof, and made of something like plastic, metal, or wood. You might find things like a camouflage Altoids container, an old can of nuts, or an emptied ammo box. Caches are usually hidden, but cannot be buried or intrusive. 

          Photo credit: NPR

When Geocaching launched in 2000, there were only 75 caches, and now there are over three million around the world. There are also millions of players finding caches. Some people play to see how many caches they can find or to see how many new places they can visit. Geocaching is a great way to get outside and find some hidden places you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. A common way to search for caches is to go on to the official geocaching website geocaching.com. Once you make an account, you’ll get access to a map that has the locations of all the caches around you.

My family and I mostly went letterboxing (the older version of geocaching), which is the same thing just using a series of clues instead of a GPS. I mostly went geocaching and letterboxing in Northern California. When I would go, we would sign the logbook with individualized stamps. I had an owl stamp, and my brother had a palm tree. We also made our own stamps.

Overall, geocaching is a really fun hobby to try out this summer.

“I’ve been geocaching! And it was a blast!”

Luke Sonderman, sophomore

“Geocaching is a really fun to explore your communities, and I often find really cool areas in nature that I didn’t know existed.”

Indy Behr, sophomore

I say, try it, it’s a great way to get out of the house.