the bird on fire

Culture Shock–from China to America

May 28, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

Sophomore Michael Ma won 3rd place and $100 in the English-Speaking Union’s Writing Competition for his essay about a unique American custom. The prompt is as follows:

In the United States, some of our customs are so much a part of our lives that we don’t even recognize them as unique. Is there one custom that you think exemplifies life in the US? How would you explain it to someone from another country–or planet?

Here is Michael’s award-winning reply:

American Culture

As an international student, it’s funny to talk about a topic like American culture. Sometimes I felt that I had much in common with Amy Tan (the author of The Joy Luck Club) while I was reading those stories. As a Chinese, actually I don’t feel something has a huge gap between Chinese culture and American culture. So many universal elements emerge and I grow up under those elements. So in some ways, teens are similar in both countries. But I have to say that people are actually different in these two countries. Americans always give me a feeling of kindness, and everybody here loves smiling. American people often give off a feeling of positivity. From my perspective, the first thing I noticed about American culture is smiling.

The United States is a combination of a variety of cultures; the people come from all over the world to stay here and form into a big country. Above all, it’s easy to see that American people are tolerant. That’s why smiling is so popular here.

Actually, when I was in China, I heard a lot about how tolerant American people are, and I think this is a country full of happiness and freedom. I think that the biggest sign for this country is smiling. It’s hard for an unhappy person to keep smiling all the time. I heard a lot about how a smile can change a person’s life before, but I could not get it until I came to the U.S. by myself. I can see the smile from a stranger’s face on the street, from my teachers, from the cashiers and also from myself. I truly understand why so many people love the United States.

In China, a stranger is a stranger. We don’t know each other, so we don’t need to say hello or give each other a warm smile. We just walk past each other quickly without even any eye contact, because no one would like to be misunderstood as a mad person. In China, if you smiled at a person you did not know, they might think you are crazy. So did I. That’s why the culture of smiling shocked me so much that I started to change myself deeply. I want to be a part of everyone. So I started smiling to an old lady on the street or a little kid around my feet. This is a fresh feeling for me. And also an unforgettable experience.

From now on, I will keep reminding myself to enjoy the power of the smile. Because the magic of this country is not beautiful land, it’s not flourishing cities, but a warm smile on everyone’s face.

A Pocketful of Verses

May 26, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

April 28 was Poem in Your Pocket Day and one of our favorite events during April’s National Poetry Month when millions of people throughout the United States carry poems in their pockets and share them with others.

Ms. Zachik and her English classes celebrated Poem in Your Pocket Day! with extra credit and poems being unfolded from pockets all day long. Notable Poems in Pockets were as follows:

“Haiku Ambulance,” pocketed by sophomore Nick Kaufmann–

Haiku Ambulance
— by Richard Brautigan

A piece of green pepper
fell
off the wooden salad bowl:
so what?

“Mirror Piece,” pocketed by sophomore Shasta Stone–

MIRROR PIECE
— y.o. (1964)
Instead of obtaining a mirror,
obtain a person.
Look into him.
Use different people.
Old, young, fat, small, etc.

And, “An old silent pond . . . ,” pocketed by junior Trey Lucatero–

— Matsuo Bashō

An old silent pond…
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.

Spring Time in Nebraska and . . . Rancho Mirage, if there is any

May 19, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

American Literature class is reading Willa Cather’s O Pioneers! Cather prefaces her novel with her poem “Prairie Spring,” celebrating the “earthy dusk” of springtime in Nebraska. When asked to “celebrate” springtime in Rancho Mirage in verse, senior Aaron Berenzweig and junior Trey Lucatero penned these replies.

Prairie Spring

—Willa Cather

Evening and the flat land,

Rich and sombre and always silent;

The miles of fresh-plowed soil,

Heavy and black, full of strength and harshness;

The growing wheat, the tired men;

The long empty roads,

Sullen fires of sunset, fading,

The eternal, unresponsive sky.

Against all this, Youth,

Flaming like the wild roses,

Singing like the larks over the plowed fields,

Flashing like a star out of the twilight;

Youth with its unsupportable sweetness,

Its fierce necessity,

Its sharp desire,

Singing and singing,

Out of the lips of silence,

Out of the earthy dusk.

Spring Time for Aaron

— Aaron Berenzweig edition
As the sun rises from behind the little San Bernardino Mountains,
our quaint little valley slowly rises.
Golf courses get their daily shave and rinse;
old people everywhere climb out of bed to take blood pressure medication;
tourists put a new roll of film into disposable cameras;
and Aaron struggles to realize that our valley has seasons,
even a spring time!

Spring Time for Trey

— Trey Lucatero edition

The heat of spring

kindles the very fire

of my misery.

“For Mother Russia!!” — Ken Sarkis

May 19, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

World Literature student, Zachary Jenkins–also known as our Temporary Executive Arts-and-Theatre Blog Correspondent–submitted this review of Mr. Sarkis’s reprise of Shakespeare at Starlucks. Zach‘s findings were somewhat surprising . . . .
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A quick glance of Shakespeare At Starlucks might reveal this production to be a fun look at a play about an odd little coffee house where all of Shakespeare’s characters come to drink a cup of joe; however, we must wake up and look at what this play really is. If one does not know the true meaning and tone of this play, the truth will only come out when it is far too late, for this play is obviously communist brainwashing at its finest.

In order to o stalin pen your eyes to this sick truth, we must first look at the author and director, Mr. Ken Sarkis. Ken Sarkis, though he has never come out and said it, is a communist, maybe even a deep cover Soviet spy. Though few thin
k that the time spent toe to toe with the USSR and the USA still affect us today, I must clarify that it does, and Mr. Ken Sarkis is a prime example of this. Through his childhood and some of his adult life, there was a silent, and yet very loud, war going on overhead. This was, of course, the Cold War. In this war stood two respectable sides, communism and capitalism. Though Ken was raised in the US, this did not stop communism from seeping through the cracks right into his little empty head. After this evil seed was somehow planted, Ken Sarkis lived what appeared to be a normal American life, claiming to do regular American things. However, there are gaps in his timeline, and with these gaps unfilled, we must assume that he was training to become a Russian spy, and likewise, a communist. Now, looking at what he has given us for his incomplete timeline, one can see that he has been a teacher for many years now. This is, as you might have guessed, the perfect job for a man who wants to spread the evil seed of communism and the everlasting glory of the USSR upon the American youth. In order to spread this even further, he expanded into writing plays, specifically targeted at a larger audience. This leads us to this play. Last year, Mr. Ken Sarkis wrote another play called Rhythm. This, however, failed to get across as many communist ideas as he may have hoped. Desperate to make a clean shot, he went back to one of his most reliable plays, Shakespeare At Starlucks.

If you have made it here, then you must not believe me yet. Honestly, I’d hope that any good American citizen would have already been out the door with their pitchfork of freedom, but since you are still reading, I guess I am going to have to go into the play itself. In the very first scene of the play you can already see Comrade Sarkis at work. The poor actor who plays Othello is the first pipeline of Ken’s ideas. Othello starts by playing a capitalist, who is seen through a communist lens. He is shown wanting not just one role in the play, but mostly all of them. This rotten perspective of a good American citizen is worked throughout the entire play. The next scene that you can see this is when Prospero arrives. This mighty man obviously portrays a fine Russian ruler, perhaps even Stalin himself, who is there to bring the new recipe of communism, that will brainwash all who drink it. After passing this vile recipe along to be made, he leaves two spies there to watch over his creation, Othello and Prospero’s own daughter, Desdemona. Now comes the grip of the storm. Three heroic capitalists, portrayed as evil, see what is going on and come up with a plan to stop it. This plan includes turning Prospero’s spies against each other and then getting rid of the mighty Russian ruler himself. In order to do this, they supply a heroic undercover spy by the name of Caliban with a test tube of freedom made from poison to pour into Prospero’s drink of communism, now code named, Frappe-Ever-After. As the heroic three American “villains” put their plan into motion, a glorious mix up happens, and the fairy who is sent out to gather the still beating heart from a good Russian girl accidentally rips out the still beating hearts of two wonderful and young American girls. Though this is a disturbing and tragic loss, it is still for a good cause, for it buys the three American “villains” time to execute their plan to end communism. Now, with the stakes set high, we reach the end of the play. Sadly for our heroes, Prospero’s two spies have reconciled and once again are on the prowl. Everything is mostly aligned. As Caliban slips the poison of freedom into Frappe-Ever-After and passes it on, he is caught by the evil heart-ripping fairy, who forces Caliban to drink the drink of communism. This rips poor Caliban’s mind into shreds and forces him to flip on his allies.
In all, this is really a tragic play that entails the victory of communism over the good forces of capitalism, and tries to brainwash all who act in it, and all who watch it. As this has been more of a warning than a review, I will now leave you with the words of our very own David Kocen, “Eleven out of ten! It was okay.” Also, Shakespeare’s goatee is a perfect triangle.

Shakespeare_Droeshout_1623 *We went to Mr. Sarkis for comment. He said:

“Besides sparkling with ironic humor it glitters with subtle Truth.”

O Sarkis, Sarkis! Wherefore art thou Sarkis? –At the Tony’s!!!

May 4, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

Each year the Tony Awards, Broadway’s version of the Oscars, recognize outstanding achievement in live Broadway Theatre. Awards go to actors and actresses, directors and choreographers, composers, lyricists, costume and lighting designers, as well as Best Play and Best Musical.

This year, for the first time ever, the Tony’s will present an Award for Excellence in Theatre Education. For the last several months, drama teachers throughout the country have been eligible to be nominated for this prestigious award.

We are proud to announce that we have nominated, for this year’s first ever Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education,

Mr. Ken Sarkis.

Sarkis5-2

Each Nomination had to be accompanied by three Letters of Recommendation. Mr. Sarkis’s letters were written by former Palm Valley School Headmaster Graham Hookey; Mr. David Mule, father of Jake and Max; and former Palm Valley Student Jake Phillips, currently studying theatre arts at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in New York City.

This spring three Finalists will be announced by the Tony Awards. Those Finalists will each receive $1,000 for their schools, a flight to New York City, hotel accommodations, and an invitation to the 69th Annual Tony Awards Ceremony at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, where the Winner will be presented with the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education, along with a $10,000 cash prize for his or her school.

Whether or not Mr. Sarkis ends up a Finalist, we know that, here at our school, in our community, in our lives and in our hearts, he is indeed our Tony Winner.

For Excellence in Theatre Education: Mr. Ken Sarkis

The Tony Awards’ 1st Ever Annual

To be presented at the
69th Annual Tony Awards Ceremony June 7 2015
Radio City Music Hall
New York City

Sarkis3-2

Ken Sarkis, Drama Teacher Extraordinaire, Palm Valley School

We proudly nominate

Mr. Ken Sarkis Educator Extraordinaire

to honor his 50 years of bringing passion, imagination, creativity, joy, & an intense love of the theatre
to thousands of young boys and girls

Excerpts from the Nominating Essays:

Nominator Mr. Chris Griffin–

Ken Sarkis has been teaching middle school kids on both coasts for over 50 years, and has become a living legend. Equal parts magician and taskmaster – able to tap into a kid’s inner creative spirit and show him the way to express it – he is a bracing drill sergeant demanding the very best of his charges, and an embracing father figure full of love and generosity. Hundreds of middle school students have gone through his exacting, challenging, inspiring drama program – in which, along with the skills required to appear on stage, they learn the value of self-control, discipline, integrity, honesty, accountability and teamwork. He shouts, he cajoles, he threatens, he sweetens, he sets the bar high and demands that that bar be reached, he digs deep, he encourages, he inspires – and the results are downright miraculous. He transforms a ragtag gaggle of undisciplined middle schoolers into a professional troupe of actors, emphasizing motivation, consistency, discipline, projection, articulation, harmony (both musical and social) – as well as generosity, joy and love.

. . . . I nominate Ken Sarkis for the Tony Education Award.

–Christopher Griffin English Department Palm Valley School

Parent & Boardmember Mr. David Mulé–

Ken Sarkis is a rarity in this world. He is a brilliant artist, a modest man and an extraordinary teacher. His love and achievement in the worlds of theatre and teaching combine, making him a remarkable person who has had a profoundly positive effect on the lives of the many students whom he has taught over the years. Ken Sarkis is deserving of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award because the phrase so aptly describes the man.

. . . . Having seen first-hand the effects of his work as an artist and a teacher on the lives of so many students, he is most deserving of this award.

–Respectfully submitted, David B. Mulé

Former Head of School Mr. Graham Hookey–

I had the good fortune of being the senior administrator in the school Ken worked in for nine years, (Palm Valley School) from 1999-2008. With little experience in anything other than what I would classify as the “standard” arts programs in 99% of schools, I had the most amazing experience to see Ken take the middle school drama program in our school and turn it into a cultural phenomenon. Ken’s dedication to the performing arts saw his students blossom into exceptional speakers (many students went on to win titles and scholarships through state Shakespeare competitions and public speaking contests), impressive actors, singers and dancers and, most of all, thoughtful, respectful and hard-working young people. In the school, it WAS “cool” to aspire to high performance in academics, arts and athletics all at the same time. That “culture” graduated large proportions of high school students who were extremely well accomplished in all three areas, chased with outstanding scholarship opportunities by colleges across the country.

I have been in education for 35 years and a senior administrator for 25. In that time I have had the good fortune of working with many excellent educators. But like his students, no one has ever had the same impact on my own value system and dedication to education as Ken has had. Truly, he is extraordinary, and has my deepest respect.

–Graham Hookey, Head of School

Former Student Mr. Jake Phillips–

March 30, 2009. I am just returning from an after-school cross-country meet. There’s a teacher sitting in a small auditorium, penning the last few pages of a play he’s written for his middle school students. It’s past 7 p.m., and he’s been free to go home for hours now, but he doesn’t. Instead he stays and works on this play which he’s been constructing for months. His eyes are red. “I’m tired, Jakey,” he says to me, but this self-acknowledgement only makes him smile to himself and propels him deeper into the world he’s creating. Being thirteen, I remember wondering why anyone would want to stay at school a moment longer then they had to, so I ask him, “Why are you still here, Sarkis?” He stops writing and looks up at me, “Because I owe these kids something good.” I left shortly after, but I still don’t think he left until early morning. Ken Sarkis became my hero that night.

As a thirteen year-old kid, I didn’t understand why he would want to stay at school so late for his students, but now it has never been so clear. He fills the need he has found – the need for creative spark, for discipline, the need to model the genuine joy of the creative process and the love of theatre for all his students. What an extraordinary teacher.

–Jake Phillips
Freshman
NYU Tisch – Playwrights Horizons Theatre School

*The Bird on Fire has learned that there were 750 teachers nominated for the award around the country. The list was cut to 25. Mr. Sarkis is in that list of 25. The announcement of the top three finalists is to be made this week. Keep your fingers crossed. Mr. Sarkis may be headed to New York City this June!!!

April 30 = Poem-in-your-Pocket Day

April 28, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

April is National Poetry Month. Have you been celebrating? You can be part of the “Dear Poet Project” where you can write letters in response to poems written and read by award-winning poets. Here’s Toi Derricotte reading her poem “For Telly the Fish.” Do you have a fish, too? Share your experience with Poet Derricotte.

Also, you can sign up for “Poem-a-Day” at http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem-day and a poem will be emailed to you each day of the year. Here is today’s poem: “At night, by marriage:” by Lisa Ciccarello:

At night, by marriage:
Lisa Ciccarello

Here is how I control my heart: I string each thought one

behind the next, like beads.

I wear the answers I am waiting to give. The jewelry

becomes heavy as soil.

My long blink is a scream & a yes. There are things I have to say,

but they do not yet know the questions they must ask. & a blink is

no word; if they misunderstand—

A heart is just soil. Ask anyone. A heartbeat is a blink. A long blink

is a scream. A longer blink is sleep. All night I am screaming.

And, finally, this Thursday, April 30, is “Poem-in-your-Pocket” Day. The Academy of American Poets writes:

“On Poem in Your Pocket Day, people throughout the United States celebrate by selecting a poem, carrying it with them, and sharing it with others throughout the day as schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, and other venues ring loud with open readings of poems from pockets.

Poem in Your Pocket Day was originally initiated in 2002 by the Office of the Mayor, in partnership with the New York City Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education, as part of the city’s National Poetry Month celebration. In 2008, the Academy of American Poets took the initiative national, encouraging individuals around the country to join in and channel their inner bard.”

So, go get a poem for your pocket! Ben Cho, Blog Editor, has the following pocket poem suggestions:

Hope

“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all,

– Emily Dickinson

Daybreak

STAY, O sweet and do not rise!
The light that shines comes from thine eyes;
The day breaks not: it is my heart,
Because that you and I must part.
Stay! or else my joys will die 5
And perish in their infancy.

–John Donne

Risk

And then the day came,
when the risk
to remain tight
in a bud
was more painful
than the risk
it took
to Blossom.

– Anais Nin

Once you have your poem, SHARE IT! You can even share on Twitter by using the hashtag #pocketpoem.

PoemInYrPocketDay_2015_FINAL

Teachers Be Rhymin’

April 27, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

In March, the PVS English Department brought LA poet Cecilia Woloch to campus for a Saturday-long Poetry Workshop for teachers and community poets. Cecilia Woloch is an award-winning poet and celebrated teacher who conducts workshops for writers across the United States and around the world–Paris, Istanbul, Poland, etc. She has served on the faculties of a number of graduate and undergraduate creative-writing programs, including nearby Idyllwild Arts and her most recent tenure as Associate Professor at USC.

poet Cecilia Woloch
photo: Mark Savage

Teachers from Palm Valley’s lower, middle, and upper school, teachers from Xavier, community poets from throughout the valley followed Cecilia’s lead, generating several poems. One prompt asked workshop participants to draw randomly from a list of given words. Ms. McKee, PVS Calculus teacher and noted bookworm, drew the following words: “discourse,” “hillbilly,” “goosebumps,” and “peanut butter.” What resulted is the delightful poem below. Imagine yourself in Calculus class, staring at the board . . . .

As I write my frenzied equations on the blackboard,
I try to keep up a discourse with my students.
I affect a hillbilly accent to make them laugh.
“See how this here slope field splits like a wishbone?
Don’t y’all just get goosebumps?”
Feigning the utmost sobriety, I inform them
That we have just calculated the calories of
A cubic light year of peanut butter.

–Ms. Emily McKee

The First Rule of Film Club… is You Talk about Film Club

April 23, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

The new Palm Valley Film Club got off to a riveting start with a screening of Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece Blade Runner – a haunting, eerily prophetic mixture of science fiction and film noir, boasting one of the most astonishingly designed futures ever put on film – a dark, decaying Los Angeles circa 2019.

As Trystan Swan pointed out in his informative introduction to the film, when Blade Runner was released in 1982 it received a tepid welcome, overshadowed by the more family- and user-friendly sci-fi movies E.T., Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Poltergeist. Audiences and critics alike found it too dark and ponderous. Blade Runner did not even place in the top ten grossers of 1982, beaten out by Tootsie, Porky’s, Rocky III and even the horribly misconceived musical Annie.

Over time, however, Blade Runner has gained a huge fan base – it is now listed as IMDB’s most popular film of 1982 – and is generally recognized as one of the greatest American films of all time. Its totally original vision of a dense, crowded, multiculturally diverse and dystopian Los Angeles future was unprecedented, and inspired countless films to come.

(Early in Blade Runner Harrison Ford is seen chowing down on noodles as his spacecraft flies by an enormous digital billboard advertising Coca-Cola. Trystan cleverly decided that the snacks for the evening would be Cup-O-Noodles and Coke.)

The Film Club’s next pick is Ridley Scott’s incomparable Alien, one of the scariest movies ever made.It will be shown in Mr. Griffin’s room US8 Friday April 24, 6 pm.

Snacks for the evening?

Breakfast Cereal & Chow Mein

(You figure it out.)

Chemists as Artists –Mrs. Sackett’s Alchemy

April 21, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

The Chemistry class delved into how science and art are deeply intertwined. After the sophomore chemists learned about the chemistry involved in creating various forms of art, they chose a work of art that represented them, described why they chose this art work, and explained the chemistry behind how the piece of art was created. Their projects were displayed in the Upper School lobby.

Said Mrs. Sackett, “I loved reading them!”

She shared with us the following projects:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kyler Deshpande’s project on The Starry Night