The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans
By Shelby Armor
A river,
so majestic,
so beautiful,
home to so many things
and I cannot be one with it.
My dreams are filled with the illusions
of fins on my arms
and of flippers on my feet;
it all seems so close
yet so far away.
I could sit for hours and sway,
sway to the melodic sound of rushing water
and leaping fish,
but I cannot.
I cannot breath using water
or slice through the sea
for I am a human,
and that is all I will ever be.
Editor: A.J. Patencio
By Guest Blogger & Poet Jessica Denyer
Everyone has a beginning, middle, and end to their story.
But who says the beginning is where we start from?
The end is many times the beginning of something
much greater than the end,
something more profound,
something more knowledgeable.
Sometimes we must get to the end of what seems like
a never ending eternity to reveal the new beginning.
Sometimes the middle is a nice place to start as well.
Sometimes the middle is more understanding
when it’s time to stop and think
than when it’s time
to pray for the end.
The beginning is tricky.
The beginning is what the middle and end need to thrive.
The beginning is what makes or breaks the middle and ends philosophies;
either they flourish or they perish.
But the middle is always a great place to soul search,
and the end is always a place to reflect.
But even when there is the beginning–
there is always the end to start from.
Editor: Reneé Vazquez
With an interest in crime and the criminal mind, Claire (otherwise known as Officer Jenkins) uncovered scientifically documented and titled fears.
Below are some interesting phobias you may not know. ENJOY!–Blogger Claire Jenkins
*Feel afflicted by #6? Want more information? Try Phobialist.com or allaboutcounseling.com.
Editor: Peter Kadel
By Claire Jenkins
Polo (the real kind, not the water kind) is known as the game of kings. To put it simply, polo is kind of like half hockey, half soccer, and throw in eight horses and eight players. The objective of the game is to get the ball through the goal posts, much like soccer. It is four against four in field polo, and the fields are about 300 x 160 yards, which is about the length of three football fields.
Four of the players are trying to score one way, and the other four are trying to score the other way. In field polo, after one team scores, you switch directions so that the teams are now going opposite ways. The ball for field arena is a small white ball, kind of like an oversized golf ball, but big enough to comfortably fit in your hand.
The match is divided into chukkers, each lasting seven minutes, with a break of three minutes between each one. At half time, the interval is extended to five minutes, and the crowds are invited to walk onto the field to tread in divots.
Polo has many interesting quirks, but like most other sports it has rules against fouling. There are lots of different fouls in polo, and some are severe enough to get you kicked off the field. Below are some common rules and possible fouls:
Right of Way–When the chukker is in play there is a “line of the ball,” which is the direction in which the ball travels once the ball has been hit or thrown. When a player has established the right of way along that line, it can’t be crossed by any player if there is any risk of collision.
Crossing the Line–Any player who crosses the player who has the right of way close enough to be dangerous or cause a player to slow down, commits a foul.
Riding Off –This is the act of pushing another player and their horse out of the way using your horse and your body. It is allowed at any point in the game whether the person has the ball or not. It must not be done at a dangerous angle or varying speeds because that can cause serious injury.
Hooking mallets – A player may hook an opponent’s mallet if they are on the same side of the opponent as the ball and the mallet must be below the level of the opponent’s shoulder. Players cannot hook an opponent in front of the horse’s legs, as it would be called a foul.
For more information about polo rules or upcoming events, go to uspolo.org. or empirepolo.com.
Editor: Makena Behnke
By Shelby Armor
My grandmother once told me
of painted skies and
a blank sheet of paper
with nothing on it but ideas for the future
The paper, hidden in a shed,
buried in an Arabian desert
held the concepts of happiness,
the concepts of joy for all
This paper, where it waited to be found,
spelled out a future of good fortune and happiness
That’s what my grandmother had said,
but I, being the curious child I was,
challenged these ideas and yearned for more,
I yearned for more to that story,
I yearned to understand this fairy tale,
I yearned to be older so I could see,
See the top shelf,
live in a world where I would tell the fairy tales.
It would never come, I thought to myself
“Too long” I said to my grandmother
when she asked me how school was,
and then I blinked
I could see the top shelf
I had children of my own to read to every night,
but my grandmother wasn’t here to see
when would those days come back,
the days of exploring outside
and playing pretend with my friends?
But they wouldn’t come back,
I had wasted my innocent days
thinking of things beyond my years,
waiting to grow up,
and doubting fairy tales
Editor: Makena Behnke
By Peter Kadel, Blogger Naturalist
Mountains, throughout history they’ve been there. Majestic towering behemoths that inspire adventure and invoke wanderlust in the hearts and minds of people everywhere. The Greeks told stories of the famed Mount Olympus where the gods dwelt; mountaineers dream of summiting lofty peaks such as Mount Everest; the rolling hills and mild peaks in the Lake District of Great Britain have inspired many classic literary works. Mountains are deeply ingrained in our history, and I believe they can be instrumental in fostering a new appreciation and even reverence for the natural world. Mountains are more than just geological features; they are mighty titans that bellow a challenge to the world, daring us to summit them. Climbing a mountain, putting its entirety beneath you and breathing in the vistas seen from that exalted point of view, is a thrill that will instill anyone with a love of the earth and a desire to protect it. Since the beginning of time we have sought safety in valleys and looked for protection in the shadows of mountains, but now as we have become more adventurous, we seek out the challenges mountains have to offer. And this is good; it’s common sense that being outside is good for you. Exercise and fresh air are beneficial.
If we can convince people to appreciate and even enjoy the mountains in the world, then we are one step closer to preserving then for generations to come. After all, people are more likely to protect things they care about. And protecting mountains and the surrounding areas isn’t just to allow recreation; it can also keep water sources clean because many mountains deposit rainwater and melted snow into lakes and rivers below. Protecting the mountains–staving off development–will go a long way towards protecting our water sources from contamination. These benefits won’t just help us; the various critters that inhabit mountains benefit greatly from having places that aren’t full of people and factories and housing subdivisions. Giving the natural world and its denizens their own space will greatly improve the harmony between mankind and nature.
Editor: Makena Behnke
By Anonymous
A little glance from
You
Is all I need.
A smile of
Yours,
The force that
Pushes me
Forward.
Constantly
I forget
Who I am.
Hour after hour
I grow further away from
The well of myself.
Your glance,
Your smile
Reminds me
Who
I
Am.
Editor: A.J. Patencio
By Renée
Maybe one day
I’ll know just what to say…
Maybe one day
I’ll have the courage to speak,
and allow myself to be me,
in front of more than my dog…
Maybe one day
I’ll stop hiding behind the pages,
and the ink,
and I’ll have the ability to be,
a person outside of the paper…
Maybe one day
I’ll be able to talk to you
and have a conversation
without that contemplative silence,
when we don’t know what to say…
Maybe one day
I’ll know just what to say
to make your day
a little bit brighter…
Maybe, just maybe, one day,
I won’t be afraid.
Editor: A.J. Patencio
By Renée
You will fight.
You will conquer.
You will go up in front of the crowd,
and you will shine.
You need your strength,
my little darling.
Though we may fight,
us, together, we will win the world over.
You don’t always have,
to be so strong;
I’ll be here to lift you up.
We will fight,
and we will conquer.
Editor: Peter Kadel
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