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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

 

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Teachers Be Rhymin’

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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

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

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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.)

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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?

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Breakfast Cereal & Chow Mein

(You figure it out.)

Chemists as Artists –Mrs. Sackett’s Alchemy

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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:

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Kyler Deshpande’s project on The Starry Night

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Bryan Johnson’s project on The Starry Night — Contemporary Edition

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Mac Spear’s project on Sketched Meditation

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Gaven Li’s project on Brutal Bruce

Submit to “The Order of the Phoenix”! Resistance is futile?

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The Palm Valley Literary Journal “The Order of the Phoenix” is accepting submissions this week and next.

Poetry. Short Stories. Non-fiction. Op Ed pieces. Humor. Art and Photography.

All upper school students are encouraged to submit their work for review by the editorial staff for inclusion in the next issue.

Submit to Rebecca Rhoades at rrhoades@pvs.org.

 

Deadline for all submissions: Friday April 24.

Students Meet Author Scott Anderson

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“No four-hour movie can do real justice to the bureaucratic rumblings, the myriad spies, heroes and villains, the dense fugue of humanity at its best and worst operating in the Mideast war theater of 1914-17. Thrillingly, Scott Anderson’s Lawrence in Arabia . . . . does exactly that, weaving enormous detail into its five-hundred-plus pages with a propulsive narrative thread.”

— USA Today

The Desert Literary Society invited Dr. Carr, Ms. Zachik, and eight students to meet Lawrence in Arabia author Scott Anderson at their March luncheon. Before the luncheon, the PVS students met with Anderson in a small conference room at the Renaissance Esmeralda. Students were free to ask questions of the author, questions about his writing process, his investigative process. Most often, however, the questions turned to the Middle East. Anderson spent years living in and researching the Middle East. The subject of his recent book was Englishman T.E. Lawrence (often known as “Lawrence of Arabia”) during WWI and the forming of the modern Middle East. PVS students wanted to know “How could things be different?” “Better?” and “What’s in the future for the Middle East?”

Before being escorted into the ballroom, Anderson signed the students’ personal copies of Lawrence in Arabia.

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The Interview: Shakespeare Edition

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Senior Blog correspondent on-the-scene Jingwen Zhu interviewed competitors and PVS finalists in the English Speaking Union’s Shakespeare Monologue Competition:  Junior Andrew Olson and Sophomore Adam McDonald. Nearly every upper school student participates in this school-wide competition, and these talented speakers were selected by ESU judges as school representatives last January. In early March, Andrew and Adam, accompanied by the PVS Drama Department, competed at Shadow Hills High School for the spot at the national competition in New York’s Lincoln Center. Adam qualified for the valley-wide finals and took home the second place position with a prize of $300. Listen to the recorded transcript above.

Jing: So GOOD MORNING, Andrew Olson (trying very hard not to laugh).

Andrew: Good morning!

Jing: We know that you and Adam got into the Shakespeare Competition, ( being serious) and if you win, you will go compete in New York, correct?

Andrew: Yes.

Jing: What monologue are you doing?

Andrew: I am performing King Henry from the play Henry V.

Jing: Would you like to tell us what the monologue is talking about?

Andrew: Yes, sure. So, in the monologue, King Henry is addressing the army, because France is attacking England. He has to lead the army and defend against them. He is giving this speech about how… if… if we win this battle we will win eternal glory for our families.

Jing: I see. The monologue is very strong and exciting. I am curious, why did you choose this monologue then? Do you have any similarities between you and this character?

Andrew: Yes. I picked it because it is a fun monologue to do, so I thought  it would be an interesting  experience and … (thinking) a unique way to act… Yes. (laughing)

Jing: So you did it for your interest. (thinking) Also,  I heard that in the competition you have to pick a sonnet along with your monologue.

Andrew: Yes, we do. I am doing Sonnet … 29, I believe.

Jing: Okay. I have a question. Did you choose a sonnet that relates to your monologue…?

Andrew: No.

Jing: So you just picked it randomly?

Andrew: This sonnet is completely opposite to my monologue. It’s … to show the judges my range….

Jing: Okay.

Andrew: You know, to show them I have a wide range of my acting ability. Because lots of the other actors can just shout… all they do is scream the words to the judges. They don’t know how to be a soft lover speaking his love, like I do in my sonnet. (both  laughing…)

Jing: Yes. You are trying to show judges the different sides of you…  that you can be a powerful king and a spoony lover at the same time.

Andrew: Indeed.

Jing: I know you are in school drama class; you’ve had experience acting before. How do you feel right now? Are you nervous?

Andrew: Actually, I am really nervous, even though I have been on the stage many times. At the school competition I was practicing my monologue till the last minutes. So I am very happy that…

Jing: You got moved to the next level?

Andrew: Yes, I am. I am prepared though… Nervous, but well prepared…

Jing: Thank you so much for your time. Good luck in the Shakespeare Competition. Relax and have fun!!

Andrew: I will, thank you!

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *Monologuers

Jing: Good morning! Mr. MacDonald!! (smiling)

Adam: Good morning! (waving…)

Jing: I would like to ask you some questions about the coming Shakespeare Competition.

Adam: Yes, sure.

Jing: How do you feel about it?

Adam: Uh… A little bit nervous, but not a big deal!

Jing: Nice! What monologue are you doing?

Adam: I am playing Aaron from Titus Andronicus.

Jing: Okay. would you like to tell us a little about it?

Adam: The story of the monologue…uh…is basically…this character is set up to be executed, and he is giving one final speech to the person executing him, telling him that for all of the horrible things he has done, for all of the crimes he’s committed, he doesn’t regret a single moment of it.

Jing: I see. I heard that you have been doing drama for many years and…

Adam: Yes, I took a break last year…

Jing: And you are a great actor. One thing I want to know is how do drama people choose their characters? Do you first think about those characters who share the same personality as you?

Adam: Uh…for me, I sometimes do. But most of the time I just go choose whatever character I want and have fun with it.

Jing: Okay. I see.  You are saying that you can pretty much act any one, it doesn’t have to be a specific kind of character.

Adam: Yes.

Jing: How about your character Aaron in the monologue?

Adam: I can’t say that I relate to it that much, since I am not a psychopathic murderer. But…

Random People: Yes, you are!!

Jing: !! (laughing)

Adam: Thanks, but…

Random people: You’re welcome!

Adam: But…overall it is a very fun part, and I can see …uh, the audience enjoys the role.

Jing: I am sure. Everyone should like it.

Adam: Thank you!

Jing: So what sonnet are you doing along with your monologue?

Adam: I am doing Sonnet #81, which I enjoy doing it a lot also.

Jing: I see. This time, Andrew Olson and you both got into the Shakespeare Competition, and I remember both of you did an amazing job in the play 1776. He is very nervous. As a friend, do you want to say something to him?

Adam: Uh…. Calm down Andrew and enjoy the competition.

Jing: Thank you and good luck!

The First Volume of “The Order of the Phoenix”

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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.

 

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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