the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

December 8, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

Gone. Romeo’s gone–at least the PVS version of Romeo is gone. If you missed last week’s PVS Drama Department enactment of Romeo and Juliet, here’s guest blogger Lily Jones with the recap.

By Junior Lily Jones

This play really exceeded my expectations. I thought it was really good. Abby, Anais, Mirabelle, and I went on Saturday night, and it was a really nice night to hang out with friends and watch some good Shakespeare. I like the idea of having the play in the little amphitheater outside; it has a nice atmosphere (even if I was freezing to death). I kind’ve felt like I was at a drive-in movie with my friends on a Friday night, so the vibes were really nice. The set looked really, really cool. The shading on the columns was on point (shoutout Rylie Conway). I liked the ladder as Juliet’s window, I thought that was very creative.

I also thought it was cool that the art classes helped create the sets; I liked the collaboration and sense of community. Anais, Abby, and Mirabelle pointed out which parts of the set they had helped paint, which was fun. I also think it’s fun that they collaborate with outside companies for food; it makes it feel like a really nice event. The tacos were really, really good.

I remember a critique I had from last year’s play was that I could barely hear anything. This time, that wasn’t a problem. There were microphones, and I could hear everyone perfectly!

The costumes were beautiful. I especially liked Mel’s dress; it looked really pretty. Shayan’s costume was also really cool. I thought that the fight scenes were super cool, and the choreography looked very realistic. Zander did an amazing job. His emotions and the way he said his lines was just amazing. I thought his death scene was super good. Lorelai’s death scene was also crazy. She actually just face-planted into the floor, and Anais, Abby, Mirabelle, and I were very impressed with her commitment to the scene (but we were also a little scared because it looked like it hurt.) Matteo and Emerson did a really great job as Romeo and Juliet. There were a lot of sweet and cute scenes. Indy also did an amazing job as the friar. I loved the passion and emotion that he said his lines with. I also think Shayan did a great job. Mel did a good job with her emotions when Emerson “died.” Even though Abby, Anais, Mirabelle, and I know what happens in Romeo and Juliet, we still found ourselves being sad and gasping when someone died. Alex was amazing as the nurse. We all noticed his makeup, and it looked really good, so whoever was on hair and makeup absolutely slayed his makeup.

Overall, the play was a great community event. I was really happy to see so many people in the audience. This play was amazing, and I think it’s definitely something for the drama students to be proud of because it was really good.

Filed Under: Art, Culture, Current News, Entertainment Tagged With: Lily Jones, O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Congratulations, Poet Lily

November 24, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

PVS Junior Lily Jones was selected–second year in a row–as a Finalist for Riverside County Teen Poet Laureate. As well, Lily was the recipient of the Jane Block Prize for Environmentalist Teen Poetry. Jane Block is a celebrated environmentalist, feminist, and children’s services activist in the Inland Empire. Below is a picture of Lily with Ms. Block at the November 14th ceremony. The recognition of teen poets is hosted by the Riverside County Office of Education and the Inlandia Institute. Together, the two publish a chapbook of the winning poems. Lily’s poem “The Miner’s Song” is included in that chapbook. You can find the chapbook with Lily’s poem in county libraries, or read it here at thebirdonfire.org.

Christa Jones, mother of Lily, said of the celebration of young county poets, “As a parent, the event filled me with hope for the future.”

Lily with Ms. Block.jpg
Lily is the 2023 recipient of the Jane Block Prize for Environmentalist Teen Poetry. She is pictured here with Ms. Block at Riverside County’s Teen Poet Laureate awards ceremony.
Teen Poet.jpg
Lily Teen.jpg

The Miner’s Song

by Lily Jones

If pressure creates diamonds

then I hope my mind is a coal mine,

filled with twisting dark tunnels.

A place where soot coats my fingers as I 

sift through the rocks,

the thoughts that are crowded together,

clumped by feeling,

left to wilt quietly within deep tunnels.

I’m left alone to find the gem,

to dig deep and mine

the thought in the rough.

The words covered in soot

that will bleed silver when extracted.

Let this thought spill out,

overflowing with my forgotten spoken voice,

a diamond from a void of coal,

the shards cutting my heart deeply.

The greatest exchange of all is words,

so please give me your heart

and I will lay mine bare,

stripped from barriers and lies,

splayed out only through paper and ink as

my words build friends out of paragraphs,

and I build safe houses out of poems.

Filed Under: Academic Spotlight, Art, Arts & Letters Awards Tagged With: Lily Jones, Riverside County, Teen Poet Laureate

Congratulations, Lily!

December 13, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Lily Jones, PVS sophomore, was one of six finalists for the Riverside County Teen Poet Laureate competition. Friday, directly after performing her Poetry Recitation for our school finals (she’s good at reciting poetry, too), she was whisked off to Riverside for the Poet Laureate ceremony and final announcements. Lily came in first runner-up! She also was named finalist in the Jane Block Prize for Teen Environmentalist Poetry. Lily is an active poet, actively writing, submitting, and sharing her poems. Below is reprinted one of her entries in this year’s Riverside Teen Poet Laureate competition: her original “Well of Words.”

Well of Words

Our minds whirl so much swifter than

the words that, trying to keep up, 

tumble from our mouths.

Sometimes they waltz elegantly,

but mostly they tumble out jumbled.

At times our astute minds are 

too complicated for our simple tongues.

At other times our mind prevents us from

speaking our truth.

Sometimes even the world prevents us 

from telling our truths.

Our thoughts are forced to stay at a standstill.

So we sit in drawn out silence

or meaningless conversation,

while the letters of thoughts in our brilliant minds

plunge deeper down into a well,

the place that we are too nervous to share.

Keeping track of twenty-six letters

in different combinations

placed in different patterns 

is arduous.

So the well becomes a jumbled heap,

a tangled cluster of extreme emotions

and thoughts that create a unique mind.

Yearning to reach out 

and discern this well brimming with letters,

we begin to ink our obscure thoughts.

The muddled letters creep up from the well,

sunlight from the surface clearing my

mind of dark fog.

The time varies for each individual

but the letters always find their rightful place.

Words spill to the surface,

as ink on paper becomes the 

fundamental way to organize this well,

making sense of each thought

as they become amalgamated.

There is a pattern of words

waiting to be summoned.

These individual patterns create a poem.

An intricate concoction of emotions,

that are hidden there for safekeeping. 

Words that taste sweet,

and perhaps ones that leave a bitter aftertaste.

Together, they craft something beautiful.

Poetry.

An artform filled with emotions.

Something that allows our minds to speak

our truth, pulling from our well of words,

fusing everything into a meaningful story.

The refined dance of words carry our essence,

so that we may be seen.

Filed Under: Poetry Tagged With: Congratulations, Lily Jones, Lily!

About

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!