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We Lift Our Lamp Beside the Golden Door

January 13, 2016 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

  As we continue to wrestle with terrorist attacks, the threat of terrorist attacks, refugees in desperate need of help and sanctuary, Bloggers Anna Kleckerova and Trey Lucatero wrestle with handling the turmoil humanely, responsibly, with fear and with courage.

This piece does not necessarily reflect the views of Palm Valley School or our fellow bloggers.–Anna Kleckerova and Trey Lucatero

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Friday, November 13th, 2015 marks the most devastating day in French history within the last several decades. The first attack on Paris began just after 9:20 pm UTC. Several armed men began roaming the streets of Paris, opening fire on clubs, diners, and crowds of innocent people. They were calm and steadfast in their resolve. President Francois Hollande called the attacks an “act of war” by the Islamic State (The Washington Post). Radical cutthroats cowardly kill civilians from all over the IMG_0505world. They slaughter anyone who does not conform to their ideas. They kill those who stand in the way of their ideology. These terrorists wish to instill immense fear in the hearts of everyone. And, they’re succeeding. These men, women, and children who are stuck between the crossfire are forced to seek refuge in safer lands. Europe is currently overflowing with refugees from Syria, unable to support so many who cannot support themselves. Up to this point, America has done nothing in regards to helping the refugees escape their war-stricken home. The refugees want to come to a place where they can be safe and successful, without having to fear for their childrens’ lives. They have to travel thousands of kilometers every day for a chance at a better life. America should intervene and alleviate some of Europe’s weighty responsibility to the refugees. We cannot send these refugees back to their hell. It is our duty as humans to help them. Not every Muslim is a terrorist. That’s a fact we should all realize.
America and Europe have to stay strong together during this crisis. They can easily help each other to coordinate relief efforts to save these refugees. It is extremely important for Americans to take some of the refugees. If they don’t do so, the terrible consequences will be felt by both Europeans and Americans, and many others throughout the world.
Recently, several governors of various states have proclaimed that they will not, under any circumstances, accept Syrian refugees. They believe that allowing any refugees into our country will result in spontaneous terrorist attacks on our soil. People are afraid, and rightfully so. Yet, does our cowardice run so deep that we will turn down accepting innocent men, women, and children into our country? Closing our borders is exactly what the radical terrorists want. They want us, the once great and mighty America, to cower in fear of Islam, and we’re letting them do exactly that.
Closing our borders to these people would be against everything America stands for.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.  Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The New Colossus — Emma Lazarus

These words are etched in stone on the Statue of Liberty. If we were to inhumanly deny these lost souls, we would be disgracing our legacy and dishonoring every value and ideal set forth by our founding fathers. We do not consider this as an acceptable thing to do. This is why we believe America must accept Syrian refugees.

–Edited by Chloe Sweeney

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Filed Under: Culture, Politics Tagged With: America, courage, cowardice, Czech, Emma Lazarus, Europe, Islamic State, lamp, liberty, refugees, World Affairs

Immigration Wave in Europe

October 9, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

image2 –by Anna Kleckerova, European Correspondent

The situation with immigrants is getting worse with every day. These people are coming from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, filling up all European countries. Many of them went to Greece first. They want to get to Germany, Austria and Great Britain because the economies are good and the migrants often speak the languages, but they are not always accepted. Germany is accepting many of them. The Germans are really trying to help them and show the whole world that they are a better country than what many remember from their past. Immigrants with valid ID cards have the greatest chance of getting accepted. Other countries usually don’t have much mercy for the immigrants and send them back to the country from which they came.

I want to show you how brutal ISIS is to get you to better understand how important it is to help the migrants. A life in Syria is horrible. ISIS totally took control of everything there. They are an extreme sect of Islam. News organizations report members of ISIS murder, arrest, rape, enslave, and terrorize people who believe in another religion or don’t keep to their rules, often using the Quran as justification.

Rashid Khalidi, a professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, disputes that the Quran offers any justification for [things such as] beheading. He cites the lines coming immediately after one of the two verses used to justify the act: “Therefore, when you meet the unbelievers, smite at their necks.” But the very next line, contained in Chapter 47, Verse 4: “At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind the captives firmly. Therefore is the time for either generosity or ransom.”

So basically, Khalidi said, there’s nothing about this passage that justifies the cutting off of heads.

“It just shows that they don’t know anything about Islam and they probably don’t know how to read this properly,” he said.—PBS NEWSHOUR

ISIS has been taking prisoners (soldiers, journalists) and cutting their heimage1ads off while they were recording the whole process. The Czech News reports many young Syrian men are coming to ISIS because it is an easy way to get women as slaves, and their violence is constantly increasing.
The European Union is trying to solve this huge problem. Countries that are members of this Union had a meeting in Brussels and were talking about this immigration crisis. Their final verdict was that European countries have to split 120,000 immigrants between each other. All European countries now must support the vote in Brussels. One of the theories is to provide an island for this mass of people and send them there. But Europe has to start doing something with this or it will have a horrible impact on the whole continent, and America should help, too, because Europe will never be able to accept so many new people who are coming there every single day.

 

*Anna Kleckerova was born and raised in the Czech Republic, most recently coming to us from Prague. She is now a senior at PVS.

Filed Under: Politics, The World Tagged With: Europe, help, immigrants, migrants

Meet International Student Rosa Gillet

September 30, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 5 Comments

–by Gaven Li

Rosa has been a Firebird for a month now. She hails from Germany, near Frankfort, and she’s with us for a semester. Here’s her unique German perspective on life at PVS.

Q: Simply introduce yourself please, Rosa.
A: My name is Rosa Gillet. I’m 15 years old, and I’m from Germany, near Frankfort, and I’m here for only one semester…..ah….I have two older siblings? (Laughing)

Q: So, is this your first time coming to America?
A: As an exchange student, yes. But, I was here four times with my family for vacations.

Q: Oh. How do you feel here?
A: I don’t know. At first I was very excited, and then it was like… Okay, I’m here. And,…most of the people here are very nice. So, that’s good.

Q: I heard that you’re living with the other exchange student Nick. How is it? I mean, your new life, your host family and everything…?
A: My host family is nice, but sometimes they forget everything. (Laughing) That’s alright…And with Nick, everything is good cause it’s really cool to talk to him sometimes.

Q: Do you prefer German food or American food?
A: American food! Because in Germany, the food depends on the region. And the food in the region where I live is like…I don’t like it. And I like fast food!

Q: Are you on any team?
A: Yeah, I’m on volleyball (team).

Q: How’s it going?
A: Um…..First, I wasn’t very good. But, I’m getting better I think… I hope so.

Q: You will! How about the school? What’s the difference between Palm Valley and the school in Germany?
A: Everything! In Germany, we don’t need to walk to different classrooms every class. We just stay in the same classroom and have the same classmates everyday. Also our grades are like 1,2,3 instead of A,B,C. There are more teachers [in Germany] and…the campus too! We don’t have a big campus; we only have two buildings and two gyms.

Q: Okay. What’s your favorite class? And the class you find difficult?
A: I love P.E. And English! Algebra is…not difficult, but I can’t understand the expressions because they are much different from in Germany.

Gaven: I think this is it! Thank you so much, Rosa.
Rosa: You’re welcome!

Filed Under: Interview, Set Up and Welcome Tagged With: Deutschland, Europe, Gaven Li, Germany, International Students, Rosa Gillet

European Schools vs. American Schools

September 24, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–by Anna Kleckerova

How does European education differ from American? Like American students, we go to preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and college. Our high schools separate students based on their intelligence, whether they’re public or private, and by length. High school can last 4, 6, or 8 years.

The big difference between these two continents educationally is that in Europe, we have to take every single subject every year without any electives; students take biology, cEurope Schoolhemistry, physics, geography, math, their native language, English, a second foreign language, history, social science, and art. In America, students have a choice over their classes and have the option of electives. On one hand, this sounds more democratic, and it is awesome that you can choose classes that you really need for your life, but, on the another hand, you can have some big spaces in your knowledge. No system is perfect.

What do I like about the American education system? Studying is more of a game. It is interactive, and you discuss everything. There is a space for everyone to say their opinion, and it gives students opportunity to actually think. They don’t have to jEurope School 2ust listen to the teacher, take notes and then take exams. They are not like robots, and they can really understand the main idea. School provides sports for students, so they can rest their heads from studying at least for a little bit.

Also, here you get more homework every day, unlike Europe, where you get a homework assignment once a week. You can go study by yourself, and it makes you actually do something, build something, create something original. Plus, you don’t get grades only from tests, but  your homework counts as well. This can greatly improve your final grade.

In summary, American students are more involved in choosing their own classes and studying outside of school. In Europe, students have to take every class every year.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: american, Europe, klasicke gymnazium modrany, school

European Culture vs. American Culture

September 18, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

 by Anna Kleckerova

I would like to share my experience with you. I was born in the Czech Republic. That is in the center of Europe. But, I also spent one year in America, and I will  continue probably my life here for the next several years. I’d like to compare the two cultures.

image1-2Let’s start with Europe because it is still closer to me. Countries in Europe are very old. There were many wars in Europe’s past, yet a lot of culture was saved. We can find a very old colosseum in Rome where gladiators were fighting for their lives. Venice is well know for her transportation through canals on boats. Paris has its Eiffel Tower and the most famous museum in this world, the Louvre. We can find any culture in this museum. It is too big to see all of it in one day, and it makes you want to go to France again and again. Also if you decide to take a tour through Europe, you hve to visit definitely Prague. This capital city also has really old culture, and it is in pristine condition. You can find here Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the astronomical clock and so many others sights.

In summary, Europe has really old history, and there are so many different types of architecture such as gothic, renaissance, symbolism, romanticism, realism, baroque, rococo, secession, and others.

America, on the other hanimage2d, isn’t as old as Europe, so it is not easy to find such deep culture here. Everyone knows of the Statue of Liberty that is in New York that Mr. Eiffel made for America. This country took a culture from other countries–like Asia, Africa and Europe. Immigrants brought their own ideas and cultures from their homelands. In America, there is no one culture; it is a mixture of many, many different cultures. American people are so proud of their country, and they show it on every corner with flags and the Pledge of Allegiance. Also, there are so many states in America and each of them has a different accent, dialect, food and culture.

While America doesn’t have as long and as rich a culture as Europe, you can find here beautiful architecture, national pride, and a diverse culture.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: America, Europe, Paris, Prague, Venice

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We are the Palm Valley Firebirds of Rancho Mirage, California. Join us in our endeavors. Venture through the school year with us, perusing the artwork of our students, community, and staff. Our goal is to share the poems, stories, drawings and photographs, essays and parodies that come out of our school. Welcome aboard!