Abigail Horwitt Archives - the bird on fire

The New Leaders of the 2022-2023 School Year

May 23, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Abigail Horwitt

This week the new Nest Captains and their Nest Deputies have been chosen. After tallying up all the votes from each of the Herons, Hawks, Owls, and Roadrunners, the new faces of the Nests have been finalized. Starting off with my Nest, the Hawks, our new leaders are Jerry Wang and Sierra James. Next, the Herons have new leaders Tal Maruvada and Rylie Conway. The Owls will be led by Lily Jones and Walker Craven. And finally, Ally Bankers and Evan Wang will lead the Roadrunners. Congratulations to all the new Nest leaders for the year of 2022-2023. Hopefully, you live up to the same or maybe even better standards of your previous captains. Say goodbye to the old and hello to the new faces of all the different Nests.

Next, is the current scoreboard of all the Nest points and where they stand.

Standing in first place is the Hawks with a total of 471.
In second place we have the Roadrunners with a total of 439.
Close behind in third place is the Owls with a total of 433.
And, last but not least, we have the Herons with a total of 328.

There was also another election that had taken place around the same time as the Nest elections. The new ASB Executive Officers for the 2022-2023 school year were elected this month. Each candidate had to submit to their own video to help encourage students to vote for who would fit the role the best. And, if you looked around the school, you may have noticed some posters of the different candidates who were running. There were four different offices up for re-election: Business Manager, Spirit Commissioner, Vice President, and lastly President. After all the votes were tallied the results were in.

Your new ASB President will be Harliana Otto,
with the Vice President Ani Madanyan,
Spirit Commissioner Jocelynn Montoya,
and Business Manager Abigail Assefa.

Congratulations to the winners of the new ASB executive officers of 2022-2023. Let’s see what they will bring to the table for next year and how they could even improve on and differentiate from this current school year.

Why do People Love to Hate?

April 27, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

An Editorial and Explanation by Abigail Horwitt

According to my classmates, I am known to hate people. I wouldn’t say it’s something to be proud of, but it is something normal among people. Let me explain the reasons behind why people enjoy hating other people.

First of all, what is hate? According to medicine.net, “Hate is the feeling of intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or a sense of injury.” Enough hatred towards a person can lead to hurting them, or even yourself. Everyone has gone through uncomfortable hatred at some point, either after being betrayed, or hurt physically or emotionally. Yes, it is normal to have hateful thoughts sometimes, but having the feeling of hatred build up for a certain period of time can mess with your mind and body. It can also bring out more negative thoughts and feelings which can affect personal and general relationships. On the other hand, hatred can change the chemistry inside your brain by stimulating the area in your brain that is responsible for planning and putting actions into motion (medicine.net). This part of your brain will trigger aggression, causing you to either defend or attack. While that is happening, your brain will increase two of your hormones called cortisol and adrenaline which can cause things like weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and other chronic illnesses (medicine.net). The feeling of hate can further trigger anxiety, restlessness, overthinking, and paranoia. Very often your brain will try and predict what the person you hate might say to defend themselves against you. Overall, hatred can take a major toll on your mind and body, to the point where if you hate for too long, it could completely affect and hurt your mental health. Your body’s nervous system, immune system, and endocrine system are also negatively affected by hating someone. Having these extreme emotions can also trigger the release of stress hormones in your brain, and over time the stress hormones can cause inflammation throughout your body that can result in serious health consequences (medicine.net). The more intense your emotions become and the more you hold on to the hatred the more it affects your body.

Love isn’t actually the opposite of hate. Love is the feeling of deep affection towards someone. The actual opposite of hate is mental and emotional indifference. Why? The reason for hate not being the opposite of love is because hatred is a form of attachment to the thing or person you hate the most. Instead of affection towards someone, the feeling of hate can falsely inflate the ego and creates a false sense of superiority and self-righteousness against the thing or person who is hated (medicine.net). What makes you feel better about hating?

Finding someone to hate with you.

The Science of People site asks, is the cliché true that “No bond is stronger than two people who hate the same person?” (scienceofpeople.com). Research out of the University of South Florida has discovered that people who are able to share their negative feelings towards someone compared to those who share positive feelings are more likely to form a stronger bond. So, that cliche does actually have some truth to it.

Even though hatred is socially unacceptable on most occasions, it’s natural; we’ve all felt it. Careful: hatred can be intoxicating. When we hate enough to share our strong feelings, we often find like minds, and people bond–but not in a necessarily healthy way (scienceofpeople.com).

Medicine.net recommends we acknowledge our feelings of hatred and find a solution to the problem; bring down our blood pressure; understand the root cause of our hate; and do something about it. Very often, the root of hatred is insecurity and mistrust. So, build and gather the tools you need to strengthen.

Senior Spotlight: Sara Habibipour

March 29, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Abigail Horwitt

thebirdonfire continues its ongoing spotlight of the Class of ‘22. Here is the PVS 2022 Class Valedictorian, Sara Habibipour.

Graduating senior Sara Habibipour is a person of countless talents. She has accomplished numerous things inside and outside school and has won many awards for her achievements. Sara is currently the Yearbook Editor-in-Chief, Associated Student Body Co-President, California Scholarship Federation President, and Academic World Quest Co-Captain. She is also an active member in the community, helping around local areas, and coordinating community events. Sara’s favorite subject is Biology and when she goes to college, she plans on majoring in either Human Biology, Molecular Cell/Biology, or Microbiology/Immunology/Molecular Genetics. Outside of school, she founded an online platform called MedSoc Talk where she talks with other students, physicians, Nobel Laureates, and scientists about topics relating to the intersection of medicine. To go along with that she’s also done internships to help her get a feel for the career that she wants to pursue.

“I’ve always had a dream to build hospitals and deliver medical care to developing countries while learning about different cultures and that’s something I strive to pursue in the future.”
Sara Habibipour

A fun fact about Sara is that over the summer she researched HIV and presented her work at a university symposium. While she was there she produced her own abstract (a summary of a research study that allows readers to quickly learn about the important aspects of a study) and got the opportunity to shadow multiple operating rooms that included seeing an open heart surgery.

Sara Habibipour, Class of ’22
Photo Credit: Jessica Denyer

Sara’s hobbies outside of school include dance, music, and Shotokan Karate. She has been dancing for 14 years, has a second-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, and knows how to play the classical piano. She enjoys listening to music, too. Her favorite music includes Chopin, Peruvian pan flute music, Hozier (which Sara especially enjoys), and the most important to her Def Leppard. She also has a few other favorites which are CCR, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and many more. A fun fact about Sara is that she has her own collection of rock band t-shirts.

Her parents are from two different cultures and perspectives: her dad, who is from Iran, and her mom is from Arkansas. Being interested in culture and traveling the world, Sara would like to one day travel to undeveloped countries where she delivers medical services like Doctors Without Borders (an international humanitarian non-governmental organization).

Recently, Sara has become interested in earrings and collecting them. It started when her dance teacher took her and a friend to get their ears pierced. Ever since she’s been obsessed with collecting all different kinds of earrings. When Sara goes out on an adventure, she particularly likes to find really abstract and funky earrings. Her latest findings were when she came across a random vintage thrift store in the middle of nowhere and discovered a pair of huge, shining, cactus earrings, which she was able to grab for 5 bucks. Want to know more about Sara? Go ask Jesse or Ms. Coffey what “Serving Sara” means.

Milk: Is it really a healthy drink?

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

This week cereal critics Abby Horwitt and Sienna Price branch out and share their opinion on . . . milk. Is milk good for you? Is milk disgusting? And, how many people actually drink milk at PVS?

By Abigail Horwitt, Plain Milk Supporter, and Sienna Price, Plain Milk Attacker

You’d think we could all agree on something as simple as milk. Surprisingly, many people have adamant opinions about what is milk, what we can call milk (Almond Milk, we’re looking at you), and how good milk tastes.

Abigail says this about Milk:

In my opinion, I love plain milk. I believe that a glass of milk has a great taste, and on top of that is really good for you. According to Healthline, milk has many benefits. It is packed with nutrients; it is a good source of protein, helps strengthen your bones, helps prevent weight gain (healthline). Milk is also an ingredient in many dishes. However, it should be noted: I do not believe in fat free milk. If you really want a good glass of milk, you need to have at least some sort of fat in it.

Sienna Responds:

Personally, I think that plain milk is disgusting. The only reason I would drink milk is with cereal. Milk has a horrible taste and texture. Why would you want to drink a full glass?! I understand that some people believe that milk is actually good for you, but milk and other dairy products are the top source of saturated fat in the American diet; they contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine). Studies have also linked dairy to an increased risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers (https://www.pcrm.org/).

We took the discussion of milk to the courtyards and classrooms of Palm Valley. Here is what people had to say about the milky creaminess of Oreo’s favorite companion:

“2% is better.” – Jerry Wang

“I have to drink milk with something. I don’t prefer milk just by itself.”– Alyna Rei

“I drink almond milk.”– Ms. Zachik

“I hate milk. The smell of it is bad.”– Lilah Nick

“Milk is just milk, so get chocolate and put it in the milk and then you get chocolate milk.” – Kayliee Augustine-Sails

“Milk is a nutritious substance and is great for growing teens. It tastes pretty good, but if you have too much it might hurt your stomach.” – Emily Feffer

“Yesterday, I immediately went home and drank a glass of milk.” – Christina Lam

“I like milk with my special K.” – Levi Kassinove

“The richer the milk the better.” – Ms. Castellano

“You’re taking what is meant to be fed to a baby and drinking it yourself; the idea of it is kind of weird but it’s yummy.” – Tal Maruvada

“Fat free is a scam #wholemilkforlife.” – Jesse Denyer

The Vending-Machine Crisis

February 9, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

Abigail Horwitt tells us about the controversy going on in the PVS Upper School. The vending machines are charging $1.25 instead of $1.00 for food and drinks. We find out what the students are trying to do about it and why the 25 cents is such a horrible idea. – Editor Lilah Nick

By Abigail Horwitt, Vending-Machine Objector

Recently, there has been a major problem in the Palm Valley Upper School. About a month ago our vending machines were hijacked. Instead of our drinks and snacks being a dollar, the price was raised to a dollar and 25 cents. This sparked an outrage between both students and teachers. Having to have an extra 25 cents is inconvenient and troublesome. Due to these issues, ASB Co-President Sara Habibipour has taken it into her own hands by putting up signs protesting against the vending machines. With the help of the students, Sara has managed to get many signatures with the hope of bringing back only having to pay a dollar for your Diet Coke. I have heard countless students and teachers complain about not having two dollars, or not having an extra quarter just to buy a snack or drink. The amount of students and teachers going to buy something from the vending machines has decreased due to the pain of carrying around an extra quarter. I used to buy a drink from the vending machine everyday until the price unexpectedly rose an extra 25 cents.

Not only is the food overpriced, some of the food had been reported to be stale. The Palm Valley Upper School students are also hoping for a different variety of snacks in the vending machine, since some of the food has been sitting in these machines for most of the school year. The selection is “not good,” says senior Jesse Denyer. Hopefully, the spark of controversy with the vending machines helps raise enough attention to the school vending market and helps to bring change to our machines.

Bring back our $1 drinks and snacks!

Average Cereal Eater Harshly Judges Various Cereal Brands

January 6, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

There’s nothing better than waking up in the morning to a good bowl of cereal or just a good snack in the middle of the night. (I have been censured for liking Special K, but I know there are some people who agree with me.) Cereal enthusiast Abigail Horwitt gives us her controversial opinions on the matter of breakfast cereal. — Editor Levi Kassinove

By Abigail Horwitt, Cereal Rater

Starting off with a classic, Cheerios. I don’t really have any bad memories with this cereal, it’s just an easy and simple cereal that everyone enjoys. I’d give this cereal a 5/10 because honestly it’s a pretty average cereal. Honey Nut Cheerios on the other hand, I feel, is the better version of regular Cheerios. Just that little extra taste of sweetness changes the whole experience, and it’s not so sweet that you feel guilty about eating it. Being one of my favorites, I’d give Honey Nut Cheerios about a 7/10.

Abby says Honey Nut Cheerios is a solid “good cereal.” Photo credit–amazon.com

Next, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios–I wouldn’t really say they’re bad, but they aren’t good either. I’d rather stick to the original or the Honey Nut Cheerios. So I give Apple Cinnamon Cheerios a 2/10, considering you could just eat Apple Jacks instead. Frosted Cheerios is up next, and I think at this point so many Cheerio variations are getting unnecessary. You might as well just let another company handle the frosted cereal. It’s a 1/10 for me. It’s the same story for Chocolate Cheerios. They should just let another company handle that. Cheerios should just stay in their lane and stick to the original or the honey nut ones.

Enough about Cheerios, next up is Lucky Charms. You can’t go wrong with a bowl of Lucky Charms. Personally, I enjoy eating just the marshmallows and leaving the other brown pieces in the bowl so I can only have a good spoonful of sugar. But, having a few brown pieces in it from time to time with a marshmallow hidden within them still satisfies me. I’d give Lucky Charms a 9/10. Up next, Reese’s Puffs. You might as well say you’re eating straight-up candy for breakfast at this point. Yes, the cereal is okay, but the commercials are even better, somehow managing to get stuck in your head every time it comes on the TV. 7/10.

Rice Krispies is one of my favorites. I remember eating these every morning on the way to school because I could never wake up on time. The best part was hearing the crackling and popping noises the cereal made whenever I’d pour the milk in. I love this cereal and always will. I give it a 9/10. Again, however, this is another cereal brand needing to make an unnecessary cereal, Frosted Krispies. If I want a bowl of frosted cereal, I’ll have Frosted Flakes not Frosted Krispies. 2/10. Same with the Cheerios–they made a chocolate one, Coco Crisps. Just stick to the original. There’s no point in making it if nobody wants it. 2/10.

I know these cereal opinions are extremely controversial, but rest assured these are only that: My opinions. There’s no need to get upset, no need to cry, and no need to start a war in the comments. I am open to hearing everyone’s thoughts, so please tell me what your favorite cereal is! :))