A World Without Technology

November 4, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

Our world is defined by all the things that make it unique, our ability to sustain life, water, oxygen, etc., but lately we’ve been caught in a web of technology–one that is so addictive that we lose sight of who we truly are. We see influencers as role models and change ourselves to gain popularity. What’s the point in changing ourselves to be like other people? In the past, we were true to ourselves. When I think of social media and AI, I wonder what our world would be like without that technology.

Not all technology is inadequate, as the different forms give us things like electrical power, the satisfaction of researching a topic online, discoveries to help us communicate with astronauts up in space, medical findings and much more. But there is one thing everyone seems to be addicted to, and that is the iPhone. Children of this generation are growing up using their screens all day long, spending their time learning “brain rot” or binge watching shows. Parents don’t realize the effect that constant screentime has on their children as they are also busy scrolling on Instagram or TikTok themselves. But, if we were to take the scrolling and the binge watching away, even for a short period of time, we would become more involved in what is happening around us.

The University of Chicago Press says, “The mere presence of one’s . . . smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity.” Photo Credit: Soleil Antle

Back in time when we didn’t have such things as tablets or iPhones, people spent their time hanging out with their friends and family. Relationships were stronger and children didn’t try to change who they were based off images they saw online. This type of socializing emphasized the phrase “live in the moment.”

Social media is a loop that triggers the brain’s reward system through likes, comments, etc. It helps with FOMO (fear of missing out) and makes people forget about the real world problems they are facing. But, when I think of all the problems we are facing in the world today, I wonder if some problems come from children being inappropriately influenced. Influencers who spread their content on social media have a lot more power than it seems, and their word has a big impact on many people. This applies to the foods they eat, what they wear, how they act. Aspiring adults take in what these people are saying, and use it for themselves. Not embracing their true selves makes them “sheep.” (Sheeple : people who are docile, compliant, or easily influenced.–Merriam-Webster).

If we took away the power of mindless influencers, we would use our best judgement. We would talk to family and friends more, and be kinder to everyone. Think about your life, your addiction to technology. How can you work in a little time to spend with family, friends or hobbies without a phone in your hand?

Sometimes you just have to put your phone down and live in the moment.

mr. killeen.jpg Starts the Apocalypse

October 28, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

An animated story . . .

By Former and Now Guest Blogger Mark Huber

You might remember Mark’s illustrations, animations, movies, and stories from last spring semester when he was a Blog Staffer. Mark is on a different elective track now, but he never stopped drawing and storytelling. He shares here the ongoing saga of “Mark” and “David.” Enjoy.

*Thank you to science teacher extraordinaire Mr. Killeen for use of his name and likeness(?).

I thought downloading Mr. Killeen’s image from the official PVS website would be as easy as downloading any other image. But, no, I was so very wrong about that. To tell you what actually happened, we’re gonna have to go a little bit back in time, about three days.

FLASHBACK!

“Hey, David,” I said, “you know what’d be funny? If I downloaded Mr. Killeen’s picture off the school website.”

“Oh, yeah, that’d be funny,” said David.

Aaaaaaand here’s where everything went totally wrong. Because I got all the way to the point where the option to download it popped up on the screen, and then I clicked on it. But nothing happened. So I clicked on it again. And again. AND again.

“Welp, that’s hopeless,” I said. And then I started walking away, when the computer said–

“Computer detonation in ten, nine, eight…”

I randomly pushed a whole bunch of keys on my keyboard, hoping that would stop the detonation.

“seven, six, five…”

I kept doing that. While doing so, I accidentally closed Chrome, opened the camera app, opened Chrome, searched for “fvhytfcvgtrdfghgfdsdfgh,” and played a YouTube video.

“four, three…”

“Why isn’t this working!?!?” I said.

“Two, one, zer- detonation purged,” it said.

“Phew,” David and I said.

And that’s when all the electronics in the room turned to me. Even the lamps and reading lights. And the TV and the microwave, which weren’t even in the room to begin with.

“Uh, hi,” I said to the electronics. “How ya’ doin’?”

“We’re doing great,” said the TV. “We just want to destroy you and make the world perfect.”

“Um, that sounds great,” I said. Then I whispered to David, “We need to get out of here!” I picked up my iPad and grabbed David by the hand, and made a run for it. I had recently installed an emergency exit panel into my bedroom (it was just a part of my wall that hinged outwards). We ended up in the backyard, and then we both jumped into the same lemon tree (David’s a yellow pig, so he’d look like a lemon, and I’m green, so I’d look like the leaves). While in the lemon tree, I took a thing out of my snout storage that looked sort of like a USB.

The “USB” was actually a device that when plugged into another device, would stop it from malfunctioning like this. I plugged it into my iPad, and it started a reboot. The reboot only took like 20 seconds, so I had all my stuff back really fast. I had this custom add-on thingy for Bad Piggies that I created, and, when activated, would turn anything built in the game into physical things in real life. I had the add-on thingy because it was much faster to build in-game than in real life. Pretty soon, we had a fast 2-pig car ready to go. It had a thingy to launch itself into the air, so we would be able to get over walls easily.

Once we got into the physical one, we drove it away. We launched the car over the gate. We thought the devices wouldn’t be able to get to us, but when we went past the front door, we saw them all. And at the front, was my homemade robotic clone, B.O.O.M. That stood for Bonkers Outstanding Oinking Machine. I should’ve known he would let the other devices in through my emergency exit hole, and then open the front door! He was the smartest piece of tech on all of Blerf, so what did I expect?

Anyway, he rocketed towards us (yes, he has rocket boosters) and tried to crash into David’s little watchtower place, but we turned around at the last second, and B.O.O.M. ended up knocking over a palm tree. I pushed the car’s motor to its absolute limit, and it started turning red. We were almost going as fast as B.O.O.M., but he was still going faster. He engaged his grappling hook (really just a plunger tied to a string attached to an air-powered propellant) built into his arm, and caught onto our car. He reeled himself in, and now he could much more easily destroy us and stuff.

David made a risky move and leaned out of his watchtower then shoved B.O.O.M. off. David quickly got in right before we hit a large rock, and the car went flying into the air.

The car broke into all of its little components. B.O.O.M. woke up and started coming after us again.

“I’m gonna get you, Mark and David!!! You will be gone from this world, and I’m gonna rule all of Blerf!!!”

B.O.O.M. picked up David and began crushing him. Normally, our species of pig is very squishy, but when we get tense, our entire body becomes super vulnerable to breaking. David was very scared, so he was very tense, so he was super breakable. This was bad. This was very, very bad. This could land David in the hospital. This could paralyze David (that means your whole body can’t move). This could be the end of David.

“NOOOOOO!!!!!” I yelled at the very top of my lungs. My vocal chords almost snapped. “I’M GONNA SLINGSHOT YOU AT A WALL OR PUT YOU IN A CRUSHER, IF THAT’S WHAT IT’S GONNA TAKE TO STOP YOU FROM CONTINUING THIS INSANITY!!!!!!!!!!”

I picked up the punching-glove-in-the-box and jumped at B.O.O.M., and started using it to punch him. He was getting dented and broken, but I didn’t care. I just needed him to quit crushing David.

“Stop your imperfect automated punching machine! I’m trying to bring perfection to Blerf!” yelled B.O.O.M.

“YOU QUIT TRYING TO CRUSH MY BROTHER!!! PERFECTION DOES NOT EXIST! IT’S NOT MEANT TO BE! SO STOP TRYING TO BRING IT TO BLERF! Listen, B.O.O.M.! The beauty of this world is that it’s not perfect! If you make it perfect, you’re just going to destroy it all!” I yelled back.

“Well, who cares, anyway!? Then I’m just gonna make as close to perfect as possible!” yelled B.O.O.M.

“Mark, would you shut up about perfection and help me!?” yelled David. “I’m almost crushed!”

“Right, then!” I said. I started punching B.O.O.M.’s arms, so that they would fall off and he’d have no way to crush David. They fell off right away, and then they raced back to B.O.O.M. Aw, dang it! I forgot that I installed magnets in his arm sockets so they would stay on! I had to opt for the last resort: the self-destruct button. I knew that if I tried to turn him off, he would override the command.

“I gotta push the self-destruct button, David! It’s the only way!” I yelled.

“NO! You’ll lose B.O.O.M.! We could just go into his code and delete the part that’s making him go bonkers!” David yelled.

“That would take too long! We just have to destroy him!” I yelled.

I opened his back panel (which contained the self-destruct button). I didn’t want to push that big red button, but I had to if I wanted to save the world, and save David.

I pushed it.

“Huh?” said B.O.O.M.

And then B.O.O.M. really did go boom. Well, “boom” just doesn’t describe it enough. It was more like, “Ka-BLOOEY splort garble clatter.” All the other devices now no longer had a leader, so they just turned around and went back inside, back to where they were before mr. killeen.jpg was downloaded. It was as if nothing ever happened, except for the collection of green robot parts on the road and the giant smoking crater.

“O-kay,” was all I said. We picked up all the B.O.O.M. parts and went inside the house.

“Boys, why did all the electronics go outside?” asked Mom.

“I tried to download a picture on my computer, and then it started a virus with all the electronics, and they started attacking David and I, and we decided to go outside,” I said.

“And what was that explosion noise?” asked Dad.

“That was B.O.O.M. exploding,” I said.

Dad laughed. And then he said sorry. He does that a lot.

“And there’s a smoking crater in the road outside,” David said.

No one said anything and just stared at David for a few seconds.

“O-kay, moving on,” said David. But, we still did have to fix the road. No one else was.

So we studied how to be a road fixer, and then we got college degrees in road-fixing, and then we fixed it in 7 minutes flat.

Yeah, right! We just made a makeshift cover out of wooden beams (from our snout storage) and called the people who actually fix roads to fix the road soon. While we are waiting, we just have to hope that our wooden beams can hold the weight of a car…

When I opened my computer again, it said on the screen:

So I’ve got some advice for you: If you ever want to download that picture of Mr. Killeen, you better be prepared for a robot apocalypse.

Now, back to the present…

Well, that was a crazy story. Let’s talk about what’s happening now.

I laid all the B.O.O.M. parts on my bedroom desk and got some tools from my snout storage. David came in to see what I was doing. Well, I was going to fix B.O.O.M.

“MARK! DAVID! DINNER’S READY!” yelled Mom from the kitchen.

“Okay, fixing B.O.O.M. will have to wait. For now let’s just–” I began.

“Robotal a-assistance persososon han c-celp youyouyouyouyouyou,” warbled B.O.O.M.

“What was that?” asked David.

“Just B.O.O.M. He’s still broken, so don’t worry if you hear something fishy,” I said.

We went into the kitchen and got our food. Cue more gibberish from B.O.O.M. heard over the baby monitor.

“Like I said, don’t worry about it,” I said.

To be continued…

AI?

October 22, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Former Blogger and Always Animator Mark Huber

For your enjoyment, here’s a quick meme from Mark.

The Beast Inside Its Beauty

October 22, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 5 Comments

By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle

Sarah challenged us to write about The Beauty and the Beast of Things. Sarah explains, “I think everything, beautiful or not, has a ‘beast’ in it. For example, a mountain has a lot of beauty, but it can also be seen as a beast with its landslides and avalanches. Also, the sun produces a sunset, which is gorgeous but when too close, it becomes a scorching hot star.” Sarah challenged us to describe a thing in detail–addressing the positive and the negative of it.

Soleil responds with a look at the beauty and the beast of relationships.

I’m sure anyone has that one person whom they loved so deeply at some point in their life but was betrayed by. It’s hard to imagine a time when they were your core, and now all that’s left is a distant memory. I can’t express the physical destruction it causes, but I know it’s not a pain that goes away quickly. Both love and companionship can be described as beautiful and substantial, but there’s a beast hidden inside its beauty. Not every love story works out nor does a lifetime of commitments, but that is life, and in every fairy tale someone usually gets hurt. This is an original poem about the complexities of someone you once loved turning unloving.

Winds Change

Always be ready to lose anyone
Because people change like seasons. 
They say they’re there forever
But still end up leaving, as if you meant nothing. 
One second you’ll breathe the same air,
Your joy and laughter are untamable.
The next it's all a distant memory,
One you can hardly remember.

When you stop giving, you see who’s genuine.
When you stop talking you see who actually cares.
Silence is power.
Loyalty is strength.
And truth is reality.

My mind wanders
As the illusion of you roams free in my mind; 
Maybe you left your mark
Embedded in my brain
Reminding me to forget 
That someday I will see you again,
As you left this hurt to me.

I’ve seen the scars you hide beneath– 
The tears shield inner peace.
I would’ve stood by you, so caught in the dark.
But you are not the only one who’s lost.
We could have taken on the world just us;
not anymore. 

There’s no right place to be.
And though I can’t bring you back,
And I don’t wish for another like that, 
It still hurts to breathe
From long ago
when you dug that hole so deep in me. 

Loyal, I once thought you were,
But you crushed me like dried leaves.
Now all we share is our community of air 
And the silence of our old joy.
Nothing is forever, as seasons pass through.
Be ready to lose someone.
Hearts and courage hold truth.

People come and they go in your life, but your true friends are there forever. A person’s mental health is always affected after losing someone or something so special. When you imagine their laugh or smile again, it hurts more than physical pain, but that is the risk we take for love, isn’t it? Sometimes the good things in life don’t last, but they add to the story of your journey.

Deceptive Sea

October 17, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Sarah Alnabelsi

Everything, beautiful or not, has a “beast” in it. A mountain, a flower, a butterfly–all have some negative aspects: avalanches and landslides, carbon emissions, hurting plants, and more. When I think of the concept of beauty, I wonder, “What is the most beautiful thing?” The first thing that comes to mind is the sea. Its gorgeous look is captivating, yet it makes me think, “What could be negative about the ocean?” My poem answers this.

Deceptive Sea

Glistening water, 
Radiance of blue,
The smell of freshness,
What seems so pure,
Is just a trick.

Boundless miles of water,
The soft feel of sand,
Cool calm breeze,
The inevitable demise.

The deceptive beauty 
causes a catastrophe.

One second, peace.
The other, lethal destruction.

A single shake, 
an unfortunate fate.

A mountain of water 
Peering down at the shore.
Bound destiny–destruction.

Photo Credit:.onegreenplanet.org
This photo of the ocean depicts what our immense oceans are capable of. During a mega-tsunami in Greenland in 2023, a mountain of water was created. Something as small as a shake can cause something lethal. This tsunami specifically caused immense destruction across the nearby area and also caused “seismic” waves that splashed across the globe. While the stunning ocean is a spectacle to look at, we often overlook the “beast” and power it can hold.

Political Violence Needs to End

October 10, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Middle-School Bloggers Sami Alnabelsi and Mason Conway

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable.
–President John F. Kennedy

There has been an increasing divide between opposing political beliefs. And that makes for dehumanization. We forget the person disagreeing with us is a person, too.

It feels like in the last couple decades, political figures and parties have further split apart, showing no agreements. This needs to stop. Violence is erupting. Something should be done to show we can agree on more things than we know. Also, political figures need to stop stirring things up, stop being hypocrites, and start sticking to what they believe.

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (or UNDRR), “Violence is a social phenomenon that involves forceful acts or behaviour that are intended to cause harm. The injury or damage inflicted by violence to an individual or collective group may be physical, psychological, . . . or deprivation.” Compared to criminal acts such as violence of personal gain, political violence has a core element, and that is political motivation. For example, someone’s political party has certain beliefs, and another has a different set of beliefs. If you feel those beliefs go against yours, and you take it so seriously that you’re moved to violence, this would be political violence. Usually when people are committing political violence, they often target a specific person, but in some cases this violence is focused on institutions or entire governments.

Have we seen a rise of political violence?

Now that we know what political violence is, we can see if this form of violence has increased over the years, or even decades. According to GOVFACTS, high profile attacks sometimes create a perception that political violence is rapidly increasing. Now let’s look at the numbers to actually see what’s going on. According to ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), the US has joined the list of top 50 conflict-ridden countries, primarily due to rising political violence. And, according to Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative, there is a rise in threats and harassment in this country. Threats against public officials are rapidly increasing to almost 3x the number of what they were in 2020 (see GOVFACTS chart below). The rate of political violence is climbing. It needs to stop.

What is driving the rise in political violence?

There are so many factors on why political violence is on the climb. According to GOVFACTS, a major reason for this is dehumanization or “affective polarization.” It is where you have sheer hatred for the opposing party–to an extent where you have no remorse, no regret, nothing at all because you don’t see them as “one of you.” This is effectively demeaning humans. Another possible reason for the rise in violence is hateful rhetoric from political figures. Political leaders saying many hateful and dehumanizing things to opponents is not only immoral, it’s just immature. For example, if you were to be in a political position of authority and you say the person you are running against is a liar and needs to be hated on, that is hateful rhetoric; this leads to your supporters following along in your dehumanizing rhetoric. Eventually both sides speak of this hatred, which fuels the fire in political violence. Lastly, one of the largest “fuel to the fire” is the internet. The online world is large and sometimes we see individuals who spread hateful, radical rhetoric. The most unfortunate thing is because the internet is so large, this rhetoric gets shared with many people, and people start normalizing radical ideas, creating a space where millions of people can willingly excuse or even support political violence.

How can we solve it?

We need a solution. A very effective solution is talking things out. Things like productive arguments can help reinforce safe and healthy debates. According to Sami’s “Arguing is Good for Friendship,” a past thebirdonfire.org post, having a productive argument is having an open mind. It doesn’t mean you have to completely agree with the person you are talking to, but at least understanding an issue will allow you to take things in without hatred and fury. Even if someone has something hateful to say to you, understand that he or she needs to learn how to argue productively. And so, you can teach them in a respectful way. Do not resort to political violence. “When you stop talking, that’s when you get violence,” said late activist Charlie Kirk. When we stop having productive debates or arguments, we stop listening to each other.

Graph comes from a GOVFACTS article from September 11, 2025: “Is Political Violence Rising in America?” (govfacts.org)

How Pets Affect Your Mental Health

October 9, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Middle-School Blogger Sarah Alnabelsi

Think of your favorite furry, scaly, or feathered friend. What seems so small actually means more to you than you think. A UC Davis Health article points out several mental health benefits that stem from pets: they “help reduce stress and anxiety, ease feelings of loneliness, provide unconditional love and support, create a calming presence, give a sense of purpose for pet parents.” In the moment, your best friend might be perceived as just a playmate–just a pet you have to feed and play with; in reality, they mean a lot more. They contribute to your mental health.

Animals and your mental wellness–this is what I found out:

The effects of pets on mental health–

They decrease your stress and anxiety.

The American Psychology Association says that in 2024, 70% of teens faced anxiety and depression in the US. That’s a high percentage, especially among teenagers and young adults. With a pet’s companionship and reassurance, you can feel happier, and therefore less anxious. For example, you feel better when your cat purrs. Inspira Health Network says that just listening to a purring cat can lower your blood pressure. It releases oxytocin, a hormone that promotes happiness and reduces stress (inspirahealthnetwork.org). The same happens when we see our dogs wagging their tails. This also releases oxytocin, which in turn makes you happier.

Your pet makes you feel less lonely.

Loneliness is something usually everyone will experience in their lifetime–whether it’s from lost friendships, being alone, or a move to a new place. Loneliness has become so normalized, but pets can alleviate this feeling. In a study conducted by Mental Health America, 85% of people questioned in a national survey agree that pets can reduce loneliness. With pets, people feel more connected and supported; therefore, they feel less lonely.

Pets bring love and support.

Having a companion that supports you no matter what is something that everybody should have. You can’t get into arguments with pets, which is something that makes them so much greater. Given you treat them with respect, they will always love you the same. My cat Papaya has her highs and lows. However, even when I leave her home all alone, she’s always happy to see me coming back from school. Leaving might be perceived as betrayal, yet my cat responds to me with nothing but unconditional love.

Sarah posed Papaya for a photo shoot for The Bird on Fire. Papaya came into Sarah’s life three months ago. While Papaya lives with the whole Alnabelsi family, Sarah says Papaya is closest to her.

Pets create a calming presence.

While pets have their burst of energy or periods of time where you can’t seem to catch a break from their zoomies, a big percentage of the time they are either sleeping or not doing anything at all. With their calm presence, with them sitting or lying beside you, you are more eased and relaxed. For instance, think of coming back home from a long day of school. You’d want something calm to relax beside when you get home, and your pet does exactly that.

Animals give pet parents a purpose.

Having pets requires lots of care and attention. Some might think that this much work is bad; however, having a sense of purpose is something that helps people immensely when it comes to mental health. The American Psychiatric Association says that people with a great purpose in life were facing less stress. Having this feeling that someone–your pet–relies on you, provides a reason for someone to get up, even when they don’t want to. Knowing that your pet needs you for food, water, basically to live, is something that people find very helpful for their mental stability, physical agility, and emotional engagement.

While it’s true that their time with us is limited, the impact they have on you is more impactful than the inevitable loss–which is true for most relationships. You might have not even known it, but your pet’s influence on your life is something that can brighten up your day, or for others might even be their will to live.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
Anatole France

Sources:

The Story of Rain

October 7, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

By Middle-School Blogger Morgan Richardson

Here in the desert, rain is not ordinary, but back in my home in chilly Oregon, rain comes on a regular schedule–like every day. All year long, the droplets would haunt my window. Now that I’ve become accustomed to the dry hot desert, rain is a blessing. From what I used to see as a warning of winter, I now see as a little glimpse of home.

A Rainy Day in the Neighborhood

Look through the window

Tears running down the glass,

The breeze has become

A wave of home at last.

My sister grinning and stomping her feet

Above the cherry tree, our eyes meet.

Slippery steps and squeaky boots,

The swings are soaked and of no use.

Snuggled up in my mermaid pajamas,

I hear the loud whistle of the train horn’s gallops.

I rest my eyes and drift to sleep

With the comfort of knowing

The rain drops will guide me through my dreams.

This just in . . .

October 1, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

“In era of AI and TikTok, middle-school blog shows what kids really think”

*The Desert Sun* just ran with a story about our Palm Valley School Blog–The Bird on Fire. See our “cool” 8th-grade staffers in print and photo talking about writing, blogging, and Journalism. Thank you to Education Reporter Jennifer Cortez and Photojournalist Taya Gray.

Want that link one more time? Here it is:

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/education/2025/10/01/ai-tiktok-blog-rancho-mirage-bird-on-fire-palm-valley-school/86050775007

And, here’s a copy of the FRONT PAGE!

Two Journalists Walked into a PVS Classroom . . .

September 30, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 4 Comments

A few weeks ago, Desert Sun Education Reporter Jennifer Cortez emailed our Blog Advisor Zachik stating SHE WAS A FAN of thebirdonfire.org. And, she wanted to talk to PVS Bloggers. Flattery gets you everywhere, so we invited Reporter Cortez in for a talk. She brought with her Photojournalist Taya Gray. They interviewed us, your PVS Bloggers. And, we interviewed them.

We wanted to know . . .

How do reporters choose stories?
What’s the difference between digital and print media?
What is the relationship between writers and editors?
Do journalists have editorial freedom?
How do journalists train for the job?
What do journalists major in to become a reporter?
Do most journalists start as early as middle or high school?

The Bird on Fire PVS Blog Staff met with and exchanged interview questions with *Desert Sun* Education Reporter Jennifer Cortez (second from left) and Photojournalist Taya Gray (first on left). PVS Bloggers (left to right) include 8th graders Morgan Richardson, Sarah Alnabelsi, Soleil Antle, Mason Conway, and Sami Alnabelsi.

Here’s what we learned:

I learned a lot from the journalists from The Desert Sun. I asked Jennifer Cortez if she was being regulated [editorially], and she responded with “No” and explained that she tries her best to post factually and gets help from her editor(s). They go through 1-2 rounds of editing. I also asked how many viewers she gets per month and how she acquired them? She said around 15,000 – 40,000 a month on average depending on the post’s relevance. She said she acquires viewers by reporting on things helpful to the community. Since Ms. Cortez is an Education Reporter, I asked her if she has seen any effects of AI in the education system. She said that teachers say that students just want the easy way. The problem is, she explained, you need to struggle to learn. If we train to think more thoughtfully, we can be more successful. –Sami Alnabelsi

I asked if Jennifer Cortez–or writers in general–have a separate editor that they have to submit through. Originally, I thought that they don’t have a separate editor considering the profession they have is in writing and they’re all good writers. Ms. Cortez answered that she does have an editor, just like us. I was very surprised that though her and our level of skills in blogging are different, she has similar fundamental steps. I also learned that she doesn’t face problems with editorial freedom. She got especially close to writing when she was in college but has always written. In fact, just like us, she took a blog class during school. Both Ms. Cortez and Ms. Gray shared that AI isn’t good and takes away the purpose of writing and blogging. In fact, I also learned about the negatives of AI in not only writing, but also in photography. Overall, this discussion taught me a lot of helpful information on how to be a better blogger, as well as the reality of being a reporter/photographer. – Sarah Alnabelsi

Soleil too was curious about the uses of AI, and wondered about their editorial process,

When talking to Ms. Cortez and Ms. Gray I learned that what you write influences your readers, and as a writer you want to share your story to the audience in a way they will understand. Ms. Cortez says she had experience in middle and high school writing. Ms. Gray says she was inspired by Photography in her first and second year in college and ever since then she’s been in love with it. She says that a photo is worth a thousand words.

I was surprised when I heard about the editing process. The Desert Sun has three editors for all the journalists, but typically you are assigned to one main one. Everyone has a strong relationship. Ms. Cortez says that her editor helps her to be a better writer, while reading her posts and giving feedback.

What didn’t surprise me was both of their opinions on AI. Both say to always be original and don’t take the easy way out. When you are a writer you should never really turn to this source because when researching a post you want to get into as much depth as you can. AI also provides work that isn’t your own work; therefore, you are claiming someone else’s research.

Ms. Cortez has helped me to take a deeper drive when writing my posts and to explore my passion for journalism. – Soleil Antle

Lastly Mason really wanted to know if you can make enough money to support yourself, and if you had to read books.

I learned that journalists don’t make that much, only the big ones do. You don’t have to be a long time writer and blogger to enter journalism either. I learned reading is necessary if you want to become a journalist. I found it interesting that being an editor is an entirely different job. – Mason Conway

Watch your Desert Sun. Journalists Cortez and Gray took notes on us, too, took pictures, even videos. You might see your PVS bloggers making Coachella Valley news.