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The Palm Valley School Student Blog

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Sam Smith as “Raw Material”

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By Claire Jenkins

Poetic Form: Found Poetry

The literary equivalent of a collage, found poetry is often made from newspaper articles, street signs, graffiti, speeches, letters, or even other poems. A pure found poem consists exclusively of outside texts.–Poets.org

The following poem is completely made up of lyrics from various Sam Smith songs creating a uniquely original “Claire” poem about love.

 

Don’t have direction, I’m just rolling down this road

Waiting for you to bring me in from out the cold

Cause I was built for you

Yes I was built to carry all your feelings

No need to step back

Don’t be scared, I got you, you know that

Now I’ve got you in my space

I won’t let go of you

Please don’t get me wrong

I wanna keep it moving

I know what that requires

I’m not foolish

We both have demons, that we can’t stand

I love your demons, like devils can

And deep down I know this never works

But you can lay with me so it doesn’t hurt

There’s a method to my madness

It’s clear that you don’t have a clue

And I hate to say I need you

I’m so reliant

I’m so dependent

I’m such a fool

I wish this would be over now

But I know that I still need you here

Don’t say it was the best thing for the both of us

When I’m the one playing the fool

I don’t think this will last

But you’re here in my arms

Told me not to cry when you were gone

But the feeling’s overwhelming, it’s much too strong

Cause I put everything out there and I got

Nothing at all

There’s nothing I can do

I’m helpless without you

Editor: Makena Behnke

Femina

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By Tahra Dactyl

 

Our value as women is disregarded,

compromised.

When we are anything other than the body

constructed for us,

we are outcast,

we are treated as an anomaly.

 

We are expected to wear makeup and

look pretty.

Our bodies are used to promote products,

treated as no more than an outlet for revenue.

But when we accept our bodies

(thus showing some skin),

we become shameful.

We lose our credibility.

We become

the dirt

that we walk on.

 

But we are so much more than that.

Editor: Claire Jenkins

The True Heroes

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By Charles Schnell

 

Charles received Honorable Mention for this poem submitted to the Youth Town Hall “Giving Back” Poetry Competition–a valley-wide competition held in honor of Caroline Kennedy, former ambassador to Japan and daughter of John F. Kennedy. Kennedy is a longtime advocate and editor of poetry. Her family is known for its dedication to service. The compilation of poems was a gift to Kennedy when she spoke at the Desert Town Hall Forum last month.

 

The celebrities,

The athletes,

The CEOs,

The lawyers.

These aren’t the

True heroes

(Especially the lawyers).

Rather,

Blessed be

The organ donors,

The charity givers,

The teachers,

The soldiers,

Those who give their time, money, and life

To giving back,

For they are

The true heroes.

Editor: Renée Vazquez

My First Experience With American Beauty

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By Leo Milmet, The Bird on Fire Resident Film Critic

When I was ten, I began to take a serious interest in film. I saw a poster for the Cinemark Classic Series at the theater at The River. The tickets were $5 per film, so I went to see each of the listed films (Forrest Gump, West Side Story, Lawrence of Arabia, American Beauty, Casablanca, and The Godfather).

I fell in love with film that year. I was introduced to an entirely new world: the world of the greatest films of all time, not just something like Star Wars or Gone With The Wind. I became invested in the wonderfully written and beautifully realized characters of American Beauty and Casablanca like I never had been before. I was introduced to the sheer power of brilliant cinematography through Lawrence of Arabia’s beautiful, epic shots. The themes of West Side Story, despite my having already seen the film and enjoyed it, challenged me in a new way. The Godfather showed me a truly tragic fall from grace.

However, of all these classic Oscar winners, American Beauty (1999) was the film that made me want to become a filmmaker. I remember the night I saw that film. The film was a cheeky satire, but also a melodrama. I didn’t get behind Lester, the film’s anti-hero, and his disquieting desires, but I felt terrible for him nonetheless. As much as I loved every one of these films, and I did (I REALLY LOVED THEM ALL), I had become absolutely enamored with the quiet power of American Beauty, the character-based work of genius that I will forever remember seeing for the first time. I was drawn in by writer Alan Ball’s realistic characters. The film’s powerful themes of nostalgia, uncertainty about one’s place in the world, lust, and breaking the system are accessible to anyone. Even when I was not old enough to actually understand them, I still felt them. Somehow, someway, Sam Mendes directed the film so that each character, each scene, each theme spoke to me.

American Beauty changed my life. It made me want to make films just because I want another person to experience what I experienced that night. I owe this film so much because it truly was the film that made me love film.

Editor: Shelby Armor

Stage Fright

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By Tahra Dactyl

Humans are incredible at acting,

except not on a conventional stage.

We act on a stage of discrimination:

sexism,

religious intolerance,

homomisia,

racism.

A stage of social constructs.

We have doomed ourselves to lives

of acting.

Pretending we’re someone we’re not.

Forced into personas by our fear of being left out,

our fear of being seen as

different.

We’re all good at acting,

because

of our stage fright.

 

Editor: Renée Vazquez

Ciana

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By  Renée

 

I looked at her

felt my heart fall to the floor

and begged the earth to

swallow me.

 

I fought with her.

 

She made me cry.

She wanted me to leave.

She said I wasn’t worthy for my dreams.

 

She cried too.

 

I could see right through her–

she was disintegrating–

and a pain in my chest burst through.

 

Then I splashed some water on my face

and walked away from the mirror.

Editor: Claire Jenkins

Story Study

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Blogger Shelby Armor comments–alliteratively–on storytelling reveals.

 

Sometimes, stories solve stress. Stories show surplus strength. Stories, so shocking, so sad, show sacrifice, satisfaction. Stories show secrets. Stories, so sympathetic, show self.

 

 

Can you be as alliterative?

Editor: Bella Bier

March Madness: Or U Must Be Cinderella

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By Guest Blogger and Basketball Fan Holden Hartle

March Madness is a time where everyone, not just college basketball fans, puts some money in and fills out a bracket in hopes of making that perfect bracket. Well, for those who are more inexperienced, and want to win some money, here are some good pointers.

  • Three’s are better than two’s–Statistically, the three pointer has become very popular in the past decade. Furthermore, college teams who shoot better from the three-point line often have a better chance of winning the game.
  • Be careful of Cinderella Teams–There is always that one team that is not a high seed but goes far in the tournament. Don’t get too caught up in this. This is usually GREAT advice. Before this year, only four double digit seeds had ever made the final four. It just so happens, this is the year of Cinderella Teams! For instance, No. 11 Syracuse upset No. 3 Michigan State AND beat No. 6 TCU; No. 11 Loyola-Chicago upset No. 3 Tennessee AND No. 6 Miami; No. 16 UMBC won over No. 1-seed Virginia; No. 13 Marshall defeated No. 4 Wichita State; and No. 13 Buffalo upset No. 4 Arizona.
  • Free throws win championships–-Every NCAA championship team has been an above average free throw shooting team; keep this in mind.

However, the most important rule of all is go with your gut. If your gut tells you to pick it, then pick it. With these in mind, I hope you happen to win lots of money!!!

Editor: Peter Kadel

We met Caroline Kennedy

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By Shelby Armor

On Thursday, March 8, a team of our Upper School students went to see former US Ambassador to Japan and daughter to John F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy. Desert Youth Town Hall hosts four such events each year at Indian Wells’s Renaissance Esmeralda. Leo Milmet, Shelby Armor, Andrew Zhu, Renée Vazquez, and Jordan King were all in attendance and enjoyed a great night of talk on foreign policy with Japan, Caroline Kennedy’s life, and JFK!

Renée, Andrew, Jordan, Leo, and Shelby all pose for a photo before they go to see Caroline Kennedy.

Caroline Kennedy addresses Coachella Valley high school students before she enters the main ballroom at the Renaissance. She welcomed questions from the crowd.

Leo Milmet, at the request of Caroline Kennedy, shares inspiration for his poem he wrote for the “Giving Back Poetry Contest.” The contest was a tribute to Kennedy, to her love of poetry, and to her family’s dedication to service.

Next Wednesday, the Town Hall Forum hosts the final speaker of the 2017-18 series, journalist Chris Wallace. Our own Jordan King is tasked with introducing the Fox News commentator.

Editor: Makena Behnke

gurl power

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Poet Blogger Makena Behnke reminds us March is National Women’s History Month.

 

don’t tell me how to wear my hair

don’t tell me how much makeup to wear

don’t tell me you don’t like my style

and definitely don’t tell me to smile

maybe in your small dumb brain you think it’s flattering

but in our big broad minds it makes us want to scream

screaming, though, is no big fun

our voices hurt and then get numb

though they turn to deep, hoarse voices

maybe then you’ll think we should have some choices

–women’s day is everyday

 

Editor: Shelby Armor