the bird on fire

The Seniors of AP English Literature and Composition class banded together (with the help of Instructor Chris Griffin) to create a compilation of short stories, editorial pieces, poetry, prose, and graphics. Says senior editor Rebecca Rhoades, “Exceptional talent needs a place to reveal itself. The English Department at the Palm Valley School is a place where young writers discover and hone their writing skills.” Students needed a venue. Rebecca and the AP Lit class created one: The Order of the Phoenix, the PVS Upper School Literary Journal. The inaugural edition hit newsstands two weeks ago. They are available at the Upper School front desk for a donation of $3.

Below is a sample from Volume 1, The Order of the Phoenix. Sam Kocen, in verse, provides advice on “Stayin’ Alive.” Cover artwork for The Order of the Phoenix and the graphic art of senior Cody Coleman are also featured. Photo credit: Winnie Chien.

Stayin’ Alive

1. Hydrate or Die!!
2. Move forward or get out of the way.
3. You can stay alive for 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without protection from the elements. 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.
4. Never take a knife to a gunfight.
5. If there is a monster in your room, then follow this rule: If you can’t see the monster then it can’t see you.
6. Sometimes in life you have to just sleep it off.
7. Don’t Act; React
8. Take care of your feet and they’ll take care of you.
9. Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.
10. Why worry about tomorrow; we may not make it through today.

—Sam Kocen

Alan Turing proved the central limit theorem, was a fellow at Cambridge, created a machine that is capable of computing anything computable, and shaved off two long years of World War II, saving countless lives. Turning is also credited with the influence of the world’s first personal computer. And, he was arrested for “gross indecency.” Senior Winnie Chien reacts to his story as told in The Imitation Game.

The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightly was a huge success. The story is about a British computer scientist and cryptanalyst, Alan Turing. He helped the British government win WWII by using the concept of computation with the “Turing Machine,” which was later regarded as the origin of the computer. Despite his intelligence and contribution, Turing suffered a lot for the fact that he was a homosexual, which was a crime during the time period. He was not pardoned until 2013 by Queen Elizabeth II for his “crime.”

Benedict Cumberbatch played a great Alan Turing in the movie. In my opinion, he successfully depicted the loneliness, arrogance and passion of Turing. All the geniuses have the problem that they are not understood by the commonwealth. Luckily, Turing met Joan Clarke, played by Keira Knightly. She was the person that was closest to Turing’s heart. They even got engaged once. Due to the fact that Turing was a homosexual, he felt that he could not be a normal man for Clarke. However, the connection between them is more spiritual. They enjoyed each other’s company because of the knowledge they share.

When I was at the theater watching this movie, the time flew by really fast. I want to know more about Turing due to his legendary life. I think that the British government treated Turing unfairly. He was literally the hero who ended WWII. He should be pardoned for his crime and awarded for his contribution to Britain and the world. Cumberbatch said it is a shame that as an Englishman he had never heard of Alan Turing before reading the script. Screenwriter Graham Moore made sure that this story of an inspiring role model was told. The Imitation Game is indeed the movie you want to watch.

The 2015 English Speaking Union’s Nunn-Russo Creative Writing Competition asks students…

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?

First Prize: $300

Second Prize: $200

Third Prize: $100

And here is Sophomore Gaven Li chasing the dollars…

Football — Made in the USA

Although this is only my fifth month in the United States, I still want to talk about American football — one of the best sports in the world.

As a Chinese, I got confused every time when people in America call football “soccer” and use “football” to represent another sport, which seemed a rough and violent sport to me at that time. So when the football coach asked me if I wanted to play football on my second day at school, I considered how terrible football is and hesitated for a while. I knew nothing about football; I’m not strong, and I did not want to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I still remember the first day I watched the football practice. That was a hitting practice. I saw them run into and hit each other. I opened my mouth so big that I couldn’t even close it. “Oh my God.” was the only thing in my mind at that time. It scared me, but made me excited too. I told the coach: “Yes” then everything changed.

Football is not popular in China at all, but here, in the United States, most of the people are crazy about it. After I joined the football team, I started to understand why and quickly fell in love with this amazing sport. There’s no such sport like football, full of skills, power, teamwork, toughness, and passion. When I told my parents in China that I play football, they were so mad and worried about my safety. I think that’s the reaction of every parent if they know their children play American football. A lot of people might say football is dangerous, rough, it stops every ten seconds. There are too many commercials, but all these make football so exciting and special.

However, football is not only a sport but also part of American culture. People in other countries will never understand how much Americans love football: you can hear someone talking about the playoffs in the subway; you can feel the passion everywhere in the whole nation when the Super Bowl is coming. You think people only love professional football games? No! Pro games, college football or even high school football have millions of players and fans. Football is everywhere, not only on the field, also in people’s lives.

When you talk about soccer or basketball, they are everywhere. But football? Only in America. I believe this unique sport, which is made in the USA, played in the USA, will keep gaining its popularity all over the world.

In American Literature class, PVS students read Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing,” then they wrote their own response. Students considered what they hear singing. 

Here is Whitman’s original version:

I HEAR AMERICA SINGING

                                                        Walt Whitman, 1819~1892

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
     and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
     work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the
     deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing
     as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the
     morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at
     work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
     fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

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Here is Senior Jackie Sutton’s response: