the bird on fire

Does the Camera See Who We Really Are?

November 15, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Alyna Rei

Years ago, Stanford admissions asked freshman applicants to attach a significant photograph, then write about it. Generations of Stanford applicants attached photos of horses, grandfathers, fields of flowers, the contents of their desks. The PVS Blog Staff went on their own photo scavenger hunt in search of a compelling photograph. Once found, their task was to tell us the story behind the photo. Alyna found a photo that reveals, perhaps, “the real Alyna.”

I recently went through my camera roll on my phone and found this interesting photo of me. I was curious about the photo and asked my mom what I was doing. This photo was taken when I was about three.

Apparently, it was another day of preschool for me, and I was acting like the normal toddler that did not want to leave the house. I’ve been told that I was screaming and crying, so my parents bribed me into quiet with a bag of Ruffles chips.

Alyna, not happy, on the way to preschool. Circa 2009

Then, my memory came back to me. I remember I was feeling so betrayed. I had this annoyed feeling in my chest. When I was younger, usually I would be okay with going to places, but I guess this one day I was not having it. I made a fuss. Ironically, as soon as we hit the preschool, I remember I was actually fine. Maybe I just had a rough morning.

I’m not sure why this photo fascinates me so much. Maybe it’s because of the way my mom turned in her seat to take a photo of me. Or maybe it’s because of the way my mom dressed me (I hate those pants). But, this photo will always be a favorite of mine and be something I will always find funny. Today this is not usually how I act. Back then . . ., apparently, it was another story.

In the words of my mother, if you have a kid who is fussy or crying because of preschool, bribe them with food; make it a treat that they don’t usually get, like ice cream. That’s funny, too–my mom advocating bribery.

Steak of the Gods–Wagyu

November 15, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Culinary Aficionado Levi Kassinove

Who wants turkey when you could have wagyu?

What is Wagyu?

A grade A5 Wagyu steak is Levi’s picture of beauty. (Photo source: robbreport.com)

You know steak. You might have heard of wagyu. Wagyu literally means Japanese cow, which has evolved to connote the highly marbled and expensive ($200 per pound) steak that we know today. Generally, people agree that the more marbling (intramuscular fat) a steak has the better. The marbling is the white stuff you see in the steak. The steak pictured is grade A5, which is the highest grade of wagyu. Wagyu is graded by the Japanese Meat Grading Association (mychicagosteak.com). I wonder if there is a Japanese Meat Tasting Association. If so, sign me up. Anyway, for comparison, here is a picture of normal angus steaks that you’d buy at the grocery store:

Typical angus steaks found in the typical grocery store. You don’t see as much marbling, although an angus is still good if cooked right. (Photo source: dartagnan.com)

As you can see, the wagyu steak has much greater marbling. But what does this mean for the flavor? How do you cook it? And, most importantly, is the price worth it? I’ll give you a hint: The answer to all three questions is “Yes.”

The Flavor

Assuming that the steak is cooked correctly (which I will get to later), wagyu will genuinely be one of the best, if not the best, food you will ever eat. Your favorite food is pasta? Pizza? Tacos? Not anymore. It’s wagyu now. You know what umami is? It’s the flavor that makes things taste good. You best believe that wagyu is full of it. When you take a bite, it’s like a hedonist party in your mouth. The amount of rendered fat in there will make you redefine the word “juicy.”

Honestly, I don’t know how else to describe it. The flavor of wagyu isn’t actually so complex. It has a sort of…fiery simplicity. There is an explosion of comfort. It is heavenly. I will say, though, that the more marbling a piece of wagyu has, the less it tastes like steak and more like a kind of refined grease. It certainly won’t make you feel good after eating it. That is why I recommend staying away from notoriously marbled cuts like ribeye. In my opinion, it will just be too fatty.

How to Cook Wagyu

I would say that 70% of what makes a steak good depends on how you cook it. For most steaks, the optimal way to cook a steak is by reverse searing, which is basically just cooking the steak in an oven before searing it on a piping hot cast iron skillet. Medium rare to rare is objectively the best level of doneness for steaks, as evidenced by the late chef Anthony Bourdain in his book Kitchen Confidential. Bourdain stated that people ordering well done steaks at a restaurant “pay for the privilege of eating our garbage,” and that anyone who does it is a “philistine” who “cannot tell the difference between food and flotsam” (mashed.com). Now, I’m about to say something that might make you hate me. I prefer wagyu that’s cooked medium. I know that some ~~idiots~~ inexperienced steak lovers will say that medium rare is still optimal for wagyu. And, if you want to try that, then have fun. Tell me how it goes. I’m sure it will still be good, but I encourage you to do a side by side comparison of my method vs. the regular medium rare reverse sear. The fact of the matter is that wagyu is just too fatty to be cooked like a regular steak. Cooking a wagyu steak medium rare or rarer will just not render (melt) all of the intramuscular fat (in my experience), leaving you with a steak that hasn’t reached its full potential. Now, I’m going to teach you how I cook wagyu. It’s based on the way Japanese chefs do it.

Materials:

A wagyu steak
A cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan
High quality salt (why use the cheap stuff on a $150 steak?)
Meat thermometer ~~for losers~~ (optional; you can touch the steak to gauge internal temp)

That’s seriously all I would use. Now, let’s get into the preparation. I’m assuming you know how to defrost a steak. If you’re thinking about defrosting it in the microwave or something, you might as well stop reading this article. Moving on, the next step is to trim the fat. Save whatever you’ve trimmed off because it will be important later. After that, salt the steak. Be generous. Cover all sides including the edges. If you think you’ve salted it enough, put a little more. Then, you’re going to want to put it in the fridge for at least an hour. What’s going to happen is the salt will draw moisture from the steak, then let it distribute back in. This is why you need so much salt. You are salting the whole steak. This tenderizes the steak and gives it more of an evenly distributed flavor. The longer you leave it in, the better. People do it for 24-48 hours even. But I don’t know if I could leave wagyu in the fridge for two days without eating it.

Cooked wagyu (Photo source: kitchencookbook.net)

Now that the preparation is over, the next step is to get the skillet ready. You’re going to want to get it as hot as possible. I would say like 700 degrees Fahrenheit is a good place to start. If you don’t have an infrared thermometer, you can just splash some water on the skillet and see if it evaporates instantly. At this point you should also take your trimmed fat out of the refrigerator for it to melt at room temperature. Once melted, brush the steak with the fat and coat the skillet. Now, cut the steak into strips or cubes, whatever you want. This will efficiently cook the steak. Now toss them onto the skillet and sear the strips for about a minute on each side. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the steak. Just take it out when you feel like it’s right. Also, be sure to have a fan running and a window open because it’s gonna get smoky.

That’s it, and that’s all. Have it with a glass of wine–or water for the kids. But, I know you’re not sharing your wagyu with your kids. If you’re having it with wine, just make sure it’s red, unless you want to expose yourself as someone who doesn’t understand how the universe works.

Is the price worth it?

Honestly, yes. Absolutely. If I were a billionaire I’d have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’d live fast and die young for wagyu. In all seriousness, if you can afford it, I’d highly recommend you try it at least once before you die. It is truly an unforgettable experience. Even if you can’t afford it, I suggest you still save for it. Who needs water and electricity? Who needs to respond to the IRS? Spend that otherwise wasted money on wagyu instead. You won’t regret it.

Соколови, сиви тићи*

November 10, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Lojane, Serbian-Bulgarian Border

In a series of stories told from multiple perspectives from all over the world– collectively known as the Kaiserreich Files (inspired by the titular mod for Hearts of Iron IV), blogger Remy Haring explores an alternate history, one in which the Central Powers win the First World War.

January 24, 1937

“Za Kralja I Otadžbinu, Sloboda Ili Smrt! For King and Fatherland, Freedom or Death!” The entire platoon shouted as General Draža Mihailović was giving us orders for our fight against the Bulgarians. He was about fifty years old, had small, circular glasses, a big, bushy beard and the gray uniform that all Serbians had in the army. I always chuckled to myself whenever I heard that phrase: “For King and Fatherland, Freedom or Death!” Since the Great War we were technically a kingdom, but given that we do not have a monarchy in place, a military dictator by the name of Drogomir Vlasić has taken power. For the peace treaty, we lost our southern lands, the Greeks lost their northeastern land, and the Romanians lost their coast. With the founding of the Belgrade pact, all three nations vowed to fight against the Bulgarians and reclaim their lost land.

Our camp was overlooking a picturesque flatland on the foothills. There was no sign of Bulgarian troop movements, just an open grassland with snowy mountains towering over. Shame I got assigned to the artillery squad because my job will be to blow it all up. My position was up on the foothills with two other soldiers: Dejan and Nikola. We had a great view of the plains that stretched south down to Macedonia. But there was no time for sightseeing. The Bulgarian army could charge at any moment. Immediately the soldiers down in the plains began digging a trench and laying out barbed wire and landmines. It’s 1918 all over again, I thought.

January 25, 1937

I woke up to the sounds of shouting and gunfire. Nikola shook me and shouted,

“The Bulgarians are here, get to the gun!”

It was the crack of dawn, and the first thing I saw was a wave of Bulgarians charging across the field and the Serbians firing from the trenches. The next five hours were all the same: I load; Dejan aims; and Nikola fires. Load, aim, and fire; load, aim, and fire. It felt more like a factory job than anything. I didn’t even bother to look up to see the follow-through explosions because of the sheer adrenaline. By the end of the day, the formerly pristine meadows were a blasted heath. My ears were ringing from the gun, and the smell of smoke and gunpowder filled my nostrils. The first day of the Battle of Lojane was over. The Bulgarians didn’t manage to break our trenches, but this was only the beginning.

January 26, 1937

Nikola was searching for Bulgarian positions. When he slowly lowered his binoculars, he looked like he saw a ghost and all he said was “oh god…” A tank was rolling onto the battlefield like a lumbering bear. This wasn’t anything like those shipping containers with treads that the British had back in the Great War, this was a modern, German-made, tank that was approaching the trench followed by infantry. I loaded the shell; Dejan aimed; and Nikola fired. The shell whistled through the air, and for what felt like minutes, my heart skipped a beat. The blast engulfed the tank, but just as we began cheering, the tank continued its march across the field. The turret slowly turned to our position, and with a thunderous crack, fired. Debris burst into the air, and all three of us were coughing up dirt. The shell hit just below our position, and the artillery gun was now just fragmented, metal scrap that dotted the hill. A tide of men launched from the trenches–charging the Bulgarians as a last resort. The tank shot once, and again, and again. I… I don’t even want to describe what I saw on that blasted heath.

*Falcons, Grey Birds, a Serbian monarchist song

The Only Real Artist in the Family–My Grandmother

November 9, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Our PVS bloggers explored art and artists. Levi went close to home with his favorite artist, . . . his grandmother.

I know my writings are usually pretty…avant garde–and not exactly in ways that have clear merit, either. (See “A Clam Thanksgiving.”) My grandma, on the other hand, possesses an artist gene that she clearly refused to pass on. Nobody else in my family is even good at drawing. Working as an art therapist for 23 years in a community mental health clinic gave my grandmother a unique, empathetic perspective on people with mental illnesses. I interviewed her recently about how her experiences in the clinic shaped the way she painted, and this is what she had to say.

Me: Let’s start from the beginning. Who are you besides my grandma?

Tina: My name is Tina Kassinove, and I have been painting for over 50 years. I lived in New York for most of my life and moved out here to the desert around five years ago.

Me: Why did you become an artist?

Tina: I’ve always loved art, even as a young child and more so around the age of seven. As I went into elementary school and to higher grades, I was always asked to go down to the lower grades to teach kids art. It was always something I loved. Maybe I’ve always felt the need to express myself through art because expressing myself verbally was not my skill.

Me: What kinds of paintings were you originally making?

Tina: Early on in my career, I did hardline acrylics. There is no blurring of one area into another. Every aspect of the painting is clearly defined. Mentally, I was very rigid in my application of the art, and I was not allowing myself to freely paint what I wanted. I was not comfortable with who I was as an artist. Later on, working as an art therapist for the mentally ill just…freed me up. It really did. It gave so much more dimension to my life and to who I was. When I moved here, to [the Coachella Valley], I immediately embraced the beauty of the mountains and the colors of the foliage, which freed me up even further. I’ve allowed myself to not let the concepts that I come up with control my art, but let the canvases control my concepts.

Me: You’ve done a lot of paintings about mental health; can you talk about those?

Tina: Working as an art therapist gave me such insight into the pain and suffering of those that grow up with mental illness. Everytime I completed a work, I would see something that reflects one of those patients and their struggles in that artwork. I also think that during my time working at the community mental health center, I gained insight into the workings of the mind and how nothing is black and white. There are so many grays and colors in between that really transformed who I am as an artist today.

Me: Did you have any famous artists that you looked up to?

Tina: I absolutely did. I loved Mondrian, for instance. Some of my paintings earlier on, even now, reflect Mondrian. When I graduated from college and was developing my skills, I also liked Picasso and Lichtenstein.

Me: If you had to pick a favorite painting, what would you choose?

Tina: If I had to pick? Honestly, I think that one over there, “Coexistence.” I think the reason why is because of how the painting developed, and how I saw difficulties with it and just went with them. And, it turned out to be successful. I allowed the shapes to guide me.

(Side note, this is what she meant by the canvases controlling her concepts.)

Me: Lastly, if you had advice for young aspiring artists, what would it be?

Tina: Have faith in yourself, and never give up, and…let the experiences in your life guide you. Just allow yourself to be free and express yourself.

I don’t know, that doesn’t sound so good. Help me out here. You can tweak it, you know? Make me sound real good, kiddo.

Truly, it is difficult for artists to define why they do what they do. It is also difficult for them to give advice. Anyone who plays with emotion, color, and philosophy is bound to be somewhat mystifying. It seems that artists have a unique approach to life, in that they let it wash over them without thinking too much about the logistics. With Covid, most people would complain and lie in their beds all day. At the end of the ordeal they’d complain more about it to their friends and family. My grandma would choose to make a painting to express how she felt. How exactly a painting captures her experience is up to your interpretation. Also, you can find more of her art at https://www.tinakassinove.com/.

“Weathering my storm” by Tina Kassinove, the Covid painting

Every Man a King*

November 8, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

San Francisco, USA

By Junior Remy Haring

In a series of stories told from multiple perspectives from all over the world– collectively known as the Kaiserreich Files (inspired by the titular mod for Hearts of Iron IV), blogger Remy Haring explores an alternate history, one in which the Central Powers won the First World War.

November 3, 1936

A deeply unpopular president, two economic crashes and new, extremist parties that could very well win the election–What could go wrong? I muttered while on the way to the ballot box. The sky was a deep gray with the Golden Gate Bridge towering over the great city. On those Victorian-style apartments that San Francisco was famous for were signs and banners for the various candidates. One banner read, “Every man a king! Huey Long ‘36” and another read, “Join the one big union! Bill Haywood ‘36.” Everywhere I went, I saw signs promoting every candidate but Herbert Hoover – our Current President. I even saw a few signs promoting the far right Old Democrat Party (ODP).

With the Great Depression and the subsequent Black Monday, both the Democratic and Republican parties have been competing with new, rising radical parties. The America First Party, led by Huey Long, has developed a stranglehold in the impoverished Midwest and promotes everyone having the basic goods they need. It’s a party that wants to enforce a wealth ceiling. However, they have been criticized for their populist, authoritarian rhetoric. The Socialist Party led by Bill Haywood wants to make America a Syndicalist nation not unlike the UK or France. They are really popular in the Rust Belt. The far right ODP led by William Murray preaches agrarianism, ultranationalism and white supremacy. For the most part they are popular in the Deep South. “Yep…” I thought to myself, “…our country is screwed.”

Outside the ballot box, there was a fist fight between two campaigners: one loyal to Huey Long, and the other was for Bill Haywood. A middle-aged man who looked like he just left his job as a day laborer spat on the Huey Long campaigner before entering the building. As I approached the building, there were campaigners desperately trying to make people change their vote at the last minute. Some teenager wearing a French beret basically forced a pin for the Socialist Party in my hand. The pin had the red and black anarchist flag with the One Big Union motto. Unsurprisingly, there was no one campaigning for Hoover at all.

As I was filling out my ballot for Huey Long, I heard a massive crash followed by the twinkling sounds of shattered glass. Looking up, there was the syndicalist campaigner with a broken bottle in hand standing over the crumpled body of a campaigner for the ODP wearing a stereotypical cowboy outfit. God save America, I muttered while making my way out of the voting station.

*A slogan commonly associated with Huey Long

Indy’s Outlook for the Midterms

November 8, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

By Junior Political Pundit Indiana Behr

SPECIAL ELECTION COVERAGE

The midterms are today, and the outlook is…. unclear. In the age of more political polarization than we’ve seen in decades, electoral prediction has gotten much harder. This election’s results are likely to greatly affect our country’s political future, with issues like crime, abortion, taxes, and the Biden administration’s political agenda being in play. I am going to show some of my predictions and some interesting info about what’s to come. I am going to start with some competitive Senate elections, an unlikely gubernatorial standoff, and the swingy Congressional race in a new district that covers Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and La Quinta.

Pennsylvania Senate

John Fetterman (D) and Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) debate in the general election (abcnews.com).

One of the most prominent Senate races in this cycle is the Pennsylvania Senate race. The incumbent, Pat Toomey (R), announced his intention to retire last year, and almost immediately, a bitter Republican primary broke out. The initial frontrunner was the Trump-endorsed former House candidate Sean Parnell, but after a child custody battle with his estranged wife made its way to the media, he withdrew, and shortly after, television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz and wealthy businessman Dave McCormick entered the race. Oz initially lost several polls, and the race seemed to lean in McCormick’s favor… until Trump endorsed Oz. He experienced a surge after this, and after a long election with threats of recounts, Oz won by just 0.07%, less than 1,000 votes.

The Democrats saw this seat as a potential flip in their favor, especially with the incumbency advantage gone. John Fetterman, the incumbent Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania, created an exploratory committee early on, and later officially entered the race. Then, a few months later, Rep. Conor Lamb entered; however, he failed to gain traction even when Fetterman attracted criticism for an incident where he chased a Black jogger with a shotgun in 2013 while mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Fetterman stated he believed the man was connected to a recent shooting, but the jogger was not. Though Lamb received a multitude of endorsements, including three members of the House in Pennsylvania, and over thirty State Representatives, that ultimately was not enough, and Fetterman won with a margin of 32%, sweeping every single county.

Days before winning his primary, John Fetterman suffered a stroke. This has become a central point of the campaign. Due to this, Fetterman has publicly required the use of closed captioning devices to speak with reporters, and he used these devices during his debate with Oz. He has struggled to speak at times as a result, and this showed during the debate, where he occasionally struggled to get words out. Oz has been criticized for being out of touch with Pennsylvanians. Many people have claimed that Oz lived in New Jersey prior to the election, and he has also been called out for promoting medical practices not approved by the FDA on his show. Initially Fetterman led all polls by wide margins; however, it has gotten much closer over the last several weeks. Now, a couple polls show Oz with the lead. FiveThirtyEight has moved their prediction from “Lean D” (barely Democrat) to “Toss-Up.”

Georgia Senate

Another high-profile Senate Race is Georgia’s, where incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) is defending his seat against former football star Herschel Walker (R). The primaries for this race were not very contentious, and both won by very wide margins with no serious competition. The general election, on the other hand, has been the most controversy-filled this year in my opinion.

Almost all of these controversies surround Walker, yet he is still tied with Warnock in several polls, and he has even won several. Several news outlets have alleged that Walker paid for a woman to terminate her pregnancy, and on Monday, the New York Times reported that they had spoken to the anonymous woman, and she reportedly told them that two years after that incident, he unsuccessfully lobbied her to terminate another pregnancy. Walker has denied these allegations. Many have accused Walker of hypocrisy, as his campaign platform states that he has a pro-life stance. Other parts of his past, such as his unsubstantiated claim that he was an FBI agent, or his admittance that he played Russian roulette have also come under scrutiny. Walker may struggle in the general election due to these scandals.

New York Governor

On the left is Lee Zeldin (R) and on the right is Kathy Hochul (D)–the two wrangle for governor of New York (static01.nyt.com).

New York, a typically blue state, is seemingly facing an unlikely competitive race. After two competitive primaries, polling has indicated this race is down to the wire, with most showing incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul (D) ahead. Hochul, the former New York Lieutenant Governor, became governor following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo due to a sexual harassment scandal. The race instantly had a shake-up, as several candidates jumped into the Democratic primary for the position. Attorney General Letitia James launched her campaign early, but withdrew due to polls showing her trailing, and she is now running for reelection. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and New York Representative Thomas Suozzi also ran, but both candidates did not do well, sometimes polling in the single digits. Ultimately, Hochul won the primary by nearly 40%. This indicates that the Democratic electorate is firmly behind her, but the question is whether turnout will be enough to bring her across the finish line in the general election.

On the Republican side of the aisle, a race that initially seemed competitive ended in a landslide. Representative Lee Zeldin, 2014 New York Governor GOP nominee Rob Astorino, and Andrew Giuliani (son of former New York City Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani) were the three main candidates in the election. Despite previously aligning himself with Trump in the House, Zeldin painted himself as a moderate in contrast to other candidates. Polling showed the race was within single digits; however, this proved to be false when Zeldin won by over 20%.

New York is normally a solid Democratic state. After all, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by over 23% in the Presidential election. Despite that, this election has been uniquely close. One of the most prominent topics in this election is crime, and this is an issue where Hochul has attracted severe criticism. Crime has risen in New York City, and she has taken a hit for this. Hochul has criticized Zeldin’s support for the pro-life movement, and he deflected this by saying that he would not make any attempts to change reproductive health laws in New York if elected, a state where 63% of people have said they support expanded abortion rights. The latest poll from Emerson College shows Hochul at 52% and Zeldin at 44%, with 3% being undecided at this time.

US House CA-41

Incumbent Ken Calvert (R) and challenger Will Rollins (D) vie for the newly-drawn 41st district (gannett-cdn.com).

Following California’s redistricting, the incumbent Representative for Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, and several other parts of the Coachella Valley switched from Raul Ruiz (D) to Ken Calvert (R). This race has become very competitive, as this is now a district that Trump won by just 1%. Trump endorsed Calvert, stating that he is, “a leader on National Security and Strongly Supports our Brave Military and Vets.” Calvert’s opponent is Will Rollins (D), a former prosecutor who received the second most votes in California’s nonpartisan jungle primary system, where all candidates are on the same ballot, and the top two candidates move to the general election regardless of party affiliation. Rollins has very effectively established his presence in the district. In fact, his signs are planted right outside of our school, and I see his television and YouTube ads daily. While I have seen the occasional Calvert sign, his presence is much less significant in the valley. The latest poll showed Calvert up by just 3 points, and Cook Political Report predicts this race as “Lean R,” their closest ranking after “Toss Up.”

I hope you found some of these races interesting, and I encourage you to do more research about our local Congressional race and other local races, and, for any senior students, teachers, administrators, parents, or anyone else reading who is eligible, please vote!

Chapters: Teens and Their Phones

November 3, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Alyna Rei

When considering the chapters in her life, Alyna considers the impact of that electronic device attached to so many of our hands.

Every parent that has a kid going through an electronic middle-school faze knows this story. This chapter of a teenager’s life is defined by them evolving into their more teenage faze with electronics. In this chapter, we learn, phones control our lives.

Chapter 1: the start of the faze

This phase begins when we get our first phone. I got my first phone in 5th grade. I carpooled with different people, so that I could keep in contact with my family, they gave me a phone. In the beginning, we teenagers only used our “phones” for purposes like playing games when we were bored or calling our parents when we really needed to. We used our phones, but they didn’t completely take over–yet.

Chapter 2: when it starts to take over

This is when teenagers enter middle school. There’s social media, and teens have friends they want to keep in touch with electronically. We start to really want to be on our phones all the time. We look at the screen non-stop. Our parents have the authority to take away our phones when they need to. At the start, we would tolerate our parents taking away our phones, but we were awful happy with parents giving them back.

Chapter 3: now there’s no way out

This can be during middle school, but I would say this happened to me in high school. At this point, we’re obsessed with our electronic devices and can’t live without them. All our basic doings and necessities can be done with an electronic device. So, if our parents take away our phones, then it’s the end of the world. If our phone is dead, then we NEED a charger to get the battery up asap.

Sadly, these are a few of the many chapters in teenagers’ lives that tend to stay with them as they grow up. We always say the world is changing, but I can already tell this isn’t the best way to go.

The Annual Decoration of the Doors

November 3, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

A summary of the Halloween contest as seen through the eyes of Indiana Behr.

By Junior Indy Behr

It was officially Halloween season, and so began the annual Palm Valley tradition of classroom-door decorating. Last week, I wanted to see this tradition in progress, so I went around to several advisories throughout the Upper School to see what was up and what was being taped up.

Ms. Zachik

Ms. Zachik, a 9th-grade advisor, showed me what the ultimate plan for her door’s decoration is. Her advisory’s door was expected to be a scene from Angry Birds. When I saw it, they had a sky background on the door with several cutouts ready to be added. I asked myself, Will this be enough to win? We shall see…

Ms. Maguire

Ms. Maguire’s 10th-grade advisory was the runner-up in the door-decorating contest last year, and her advisory is known to be very competitive when it comes to their door decoration. So far, when I saw it, nothing had appeared on the advisory’s door. As most of the preparations were done inside of her classroom, Ms. Maguire said confidently, “We’re ready,” and time will tell if they can come out on top.

Mr. Jowett

Mr. Jowett is a 10th-grade advisor as well, and so far his door has been seen to have several skeletons on it. They even had several skeletons peeking out at those crossing the halls through the window in the door. It seemed that a lot of effort had been put into these decorations. My thoughts were This door could definitely be a serious contender.

Mr. Satterfield

Mr. Satterfield’s 11th-grade advisory had a large amount of purple pieces of paper attached to the inside of his door. He told me that Christina and Alyna were collaborating on decorating their advisory’s door, and that the end result was going to be three-dimensional in some way. If this was executed correctly, this door could definitely have had a shot.

Ms. Castellano

Ms. Castellano is an 11th-grade advisor (and my advisor). Her door was covered by a huge spooky octopus, with tentacles sprawling all across the outside of the science building. I may be biased, but I think that our door was one of the best, and I was very hopeful that we could pull it off.

Mrs. Bernstein

Mrs. Bernstein, a 12th-grade advisor, attributes college counseling on Tuesdays and Fridays as the reason for which her advisory had not been able to decorate their door this year. Hopefully next year her class will have an opportunity to participate!

After administrative judges scoured all of the competition, on October 31st, the winner of the Upper School was declared. The winner was my own advisory, Ms. Castellano! What was the secret? Ms. Castellano said, Go beyond the door. Think outside the box.

One small, single blur

November 3, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By 7th-Grader Penny Andreas

When I said, “Give us a chapter from the book of your life,” PVS Blogger Penny wrote the story of her first migraine. I’ve only read one other description of a migraine so descriptive and revealing–and that was the famed Joan Didion’s.
Blog Advisor Zachik

It’s not the same as it was.

I walked into my 1st-grade classroom to the familiar smell of rain and Lysol. The rain boots were lined up beside the cubbies, with colorful backpacks hanging among them. Sitting on the alphabet carpet, I met my friend, Lucia. We both waited patiently for our reading groups to be divided. The teacher, Marissa, walked in. Every day, I was jealous of her hair that reached all the way down her back. She walked over to us, and split up the class; me and Lucia separated. I walked over to the corner of the large classroom, excited to show Marissa my “reading skills.”

Marissa sat me down, right next to the small window with the chicken painting I loved. I opened my book: The magic treehouse. Marissa told me I could start reading whenever I was ready. I took a sip of water from my small water bottle and slowly turned the colorful cover of the book. On the first page was a small drawing of a tree. But, there was something wrong. There was one small, singular blur blocking the people in the picture. I rubbed my eyes and started to read. The words now came harder to read by the second. I couldn’t see the words; they were blocked by that one singular, small blur. I stopped reading, and I looked up to my teacher. Half of her face was blocked; my eyes somehow refused to show her expression. I started to breathe heavily. I couldn’t see my friends’ faces. I couldn’t see the letters in the book. I couldn’t figure out what was happening. My breathing would not slow down. My heart was beating abnormally fast. I had to place my hand on my chest to try to slow it down. I started to cry, and all I could hear was my loud and heavy pulse. My teacher desperately tried to calm me down. She took me to the hallway; she said she would call my mom to pick me up.

When she left, my head started to throb with pain, as though it was going to beat with my heart. I tried to make it stop. I held my head in my hands. I tried creating pressure from my hands. As tears created smooth pathways on my face, my legs started to tremble, uncontrollably. It was so much pain, so much confusion, so many things going wrong. Alone, I sat there in the hallway, not able to see, not able to stop trembling, not able to control my body. As I was holding my head; it felt as though my brain was traveling down my face. My head burned, and the pain made me wince and close my eyes. The world around me had stopped; then, blood rushed out my nose. I tried to stand; my legs were weak. I attempted to walk toward the bathroom, not even seeing where I was walking or where I was. Eventually, I made it and stuffed the crusty-musty paper towel up my nose. The nosebleed lasted only a couple of minutes. When I walked out of the bathroom, my mom was there. She carried me to the car. I started to cry harder, I could not even see my mom’s face. She put me in the car seat, and buckled me up. She raced to get me home. The sun shone brightly in my eyes, making them feel sore and hurt. At that moment, my stomach losing control, forced me to throw up. My mother handed me a bag, begging me to not get her car dirty. She frantically turned into our driveway, and, holding me, ran up to my bedroom where she lay me down in bed.

Student-Led Conferences Are Dumb: A Luke Rant

November 2, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

Student-Led Conferences are scheduled for Monday, November 7. Luke has lived through several of these bi-annual conferences. And, he has an opinion about them . . .

By Junior Luke Sonderman

This is going to sound like a bit of a rant, but hear me out. I think that the Palm Valley student-led conferences do no good for most students, and there isn’t much of a reason to have them in place. Let me explain.

The Problem

End results are all that matter. Who cares how you get there? As long as you produce solid end results there is no reason for parents to stay updated on their child’s academic progress. Don’t taste the dish before you cut the onions. Don’t eat the burger before you cook the meat. Don’t fry the eggs before you crack them. Don’t drink the milk right from the cow. Don’t cook the chicken before you pluck the feathers. Anywho, students read off of a script that asks for pieces of work that students are proud of. Hold up… why do parents need to see what their kid is proud of at a conference? Students can show their parents work they’re proud of at any time. If they’re really proud of it, then they shouldn’t need a script to get them to show their parents.

Also, student-led conferences should really only be about what needs improvement. If I’m getting a 4.5 GPA, then why should my parents have to leave work to come to a conference about my progress? That’s what PROGRESS reports are for.

Honestly, I feel kinda bad for the teachers. Imagine having to sit at school all day talking to parents of High Honor Roll students on what they need to do to improve. Just take your A+ and be happy with it.

The Solution

I think that student-led conferences should only be held for students that are in significant need of academic improvement. Maybe a better solution would be to have a set GPA threshold that determined which students are in need of a conference, or advisors could decide which students really needed a group conference with the teacher and parents.

Students prepare for the Student-Led Conference where the discuss their classes, their academic strengths, and their challenges.

I mean when everything is said and done, I am cool with the day off of school. If I have to spend a half hour of my day talking about what I need to do to improve my academic performance then so be it.