the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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Luke Wins!

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Palm Valley senior Luke Sonderman is the California Scholarship Federation South Region Seymour Memorial Award winner. This is one of the state’s most prestigious scholarships. After an all-day interview on Saturday, April 27, in Irvine with the other nine finalists, CSF judges selected Luke for his leadership skills and acumen. Said Ms. Cherise Sonderman (Luke’s mother), “The finalists all had crazy amazing qualifications. But when they said it was all based on today’s interview and discussion, I had a feeling.” Luke said he could tell it was time to step up and be a voice in the group discussions. His mother added, “One of [the judges] mentioned that Luke really led most of the discussions of this group of leaders.” These honor-society finalists will be attending some of the finest universities in the country. Each goes home with $2,000. Luke earns an additional $3,000. While our Palm Valley Chapter of CSF has sent half a dozen finalists on to the final interview in previous years, Luke is the first in our school and chapter history to be the regional winner. Of the day, Luke said, “It was fun.”

Photo Credits: Cherise Sonderman

Mirabelle Lee Comes in 2nd at State Poetry Out Loud!

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PVS Junior Mirabelle Lee travelled to Sacramento on March 17 & 18 to compete, as our Riverside County representative, in State Poetry Out Loud. And, she placed 2nd! Out of 18,000 statewide participants, 51 county representatives, and 5 finalists, Mirabelle is our #2 poetry recitator in the state of California. In rounds one and two, she recited Toi Derricotte’s “My dad & sardines” and Lady Mary Chudleigh’s “To the Ladies.” Then, the five finalists were selected.

Mr. Satterfield’s Economics class and I logged into the live stream just in time to watch the finals. In the third and final round, Mirabelle recited “Meeting at an Airport” by Taha Muhammad Ali. Mirabelle brings home a trophy and a record performance for Palm Valley. Previously, Jackson Dean (Class of ’19) placed 3rd in the state. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of poetry via a recitation competition for high school students across the country.

Junior Mirabelle Lee, pictured here in the state Capitol, took 2nd place in California’s Poetry Out Loud competition. Photo Credit: Ms. Shawane Lee

–Blog Advisor Zachik

Mirabelle Lee is Riverside County Poetry Out Loud Champion!

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On Thursday, February 8th, junior Mirabelle Lee, her parents, the family dog, Ms. Zachik, and Mr. Koehler traveled to downtown Riverside where the Riverside Arts Council hosted the Riverside County Poetry Out Loud Competition. On stage, Mirabelle recited, in Round I, “My Dad and Sardines” by Toi Derricotte. She followed up with “To The Ladies” by Lady Mary Chudleigh in Round II. Before a panel of four judges, Mirabelle won! She advances to State Poetry Out Loud on March 17 and 18 in Sacramento. If Mirabelle wins there, she heads to Washington, D.C., for national Poetry Out Loud competition.

Palm Valley has been fortunate. We’ve sent half a dozen recitators to Poetry Out Loud State Competition. Jackson Dean (Class of ’19) went so far as to place 3rd in the state. Mirabelle continues this fine tradition.

Lily’s Beautifying the World

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Junior Lily Jones and PVS Art Teacher Mr. Wendt-West

PVS Art Teacher Mr. Wendt-West announced that the SunLine Transit’s 8th Annual Student Art Contest recently announced their finalists for this year, which includes our very own Lily Jones representing Palm Valley School!

Says Mr. Wendt-West, “This is truly a great honor and achievement as this is the 2nd year in a row that Lily has been selected as a finalist in the Sunline Annual Art Contest! Incredible!”

He continues, “There were many amazing submissions this year from throughout the Coachella Valley and we want to congratulate Lily Jones for the artwork she submitted. Please join us in recognizing the participation and creative talents of Lily sharing her artwork with the broader community.”

On Tuesday November 21st there was an event at Sunline for the unveiling of the winners. Sunline Board members, community members, and sponsors presented the awards to the finalists. The winning student artwork was on display. Below is Lily’s award-winning graphic work.

Congratulations, Poet Lily

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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.

“I had chills.”

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Lily Jones wins first place in the Holocaust Poetry Competition.

It is 1938.

The glass breaks, Kristallnacht.

She can no longer gaze through the window,

as she is pulled into the unforgiving world.

There is nothing to shield her now.

Her window is in shards.

–from Lily Jones’s winning poem, “Through the Window”

Congratulations, PVS poets!

Sophomore Lily Jones, Sophomore Riley Jorgensen, and Junior Remy Haring swept 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the Jewish Federation of the Desert’s Holocaust Poetry Competition. Lily took first place, Riley second, and Remy third. The three were acknowledged and awarded $300-$100 at a gathering on Tuesday, February 28, at the Jewish Federation in Rancho Mirage. Our poets shared their poems with the group. One audience member came up to Lily after the reading and said, “I had chills.” Lily, Riley, and Remy also met and heard stories firsthand from Holocaust Survivors. 

Riley Jorgensen, Lily Jones, and Remy Haring receive applause and cash rewards at the Jewish Federation of the Desert.
The Jewish Federation of the Desert’s Holocaust Poetry Competition was a valleywide competition involving public and independent-school participants and teachers.

Harli won!

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Harli Otto pictured with 2nd and 3rd place winners at Riverside’s The Grind Coffee House.

I am offering this poem to you,
since I have nothing else to give.
Keep it like a warm coat
when winter comes to cover you,
or like a pair of thick socks
the cold cannot bite through,

                         I love you,

Jimmy Santiago Baca

Congratulations to senior Harliana Otto! She won first place in the Riverside County Poetry Out Loud Competition. Harli recited two poems–Jimmy Santiago Baca’s “I Am Offering This Poem” and Mary Lamb’s “Envy” on Thursday, February 16th, at downtown Riverside’s The Grind Coffee Shop. She triumphed. Harli advances to State Poetry Out Loud Competition. 

Harli outside The Grind Coffee House with her #1 fan, her mother, Mrs. Gina Otto.

Isabella Goetschel Prepares for Poetry Out Loud State Competition

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By Lilah Nick

On February 7th, Senior Isabella Goetschel found out that she won the Riverside county-level competition for the Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation competition. You might remember; Isabella was our school winner. She advanced to county competition, won, and this means she will move on to the state-level competition. If Izzy wins at State, she will be awarded $200 and will move onto nationals. (The competition is virtual again this year; otherwise, Isabella would also win a trip to D.C. for two.) I asked Izzy what she was doing to prepare for the competition. 

Preparing for state-level Poetry Out Loud has been really interesting. I got to pick a new poem, which is really exciting for me because there are so many options and possibilities. I finally picked “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy as my third poem. For preparation, I’ve had some meetings with Mr. Sarkis [former Palm Valley Drama teacher]. He’s really helped me perfect each poem and, of course, none of it would have been possible without the help of Ms. Zachik who helped me register and get set up. It’s a lot less stressful this year because the competition is online, so I can record my poems. That definitely has its own set of challenges though. The rules for the videos are quite strict, and let’s just say I had a very unstable stack of boxes to get my phone to the required height. Overall though, it’s really fun to be able to perform, even if it’s on a recording in my room rather than in front of people.”

Isabella Goetschel
Photo Credit: Ms. Bernstein

Isabella must recite, from memory and with displayed and conveyed understanding, one poem that is pre-20th Century. She again is reciting “Epitaph” by Katherine Philips–the poem with which she won the Palm-Valley competition. She also must recite one poem that is 25 lines or fewer. She’ll bring John Berryman’s “Dream Song 14” to the competition to satisfy that requirement. Then, should she advance to the finals during state competition, she will need a third poem. That’s when Thomas Hardy’s “The Man He Killed” comes into play. We’ve reprinted the poem for you here.

The state competition poems and video entries are due to POL this Monday, March 7th. The judging takes place the following Tuesday and Wednesday. We should hear on the 11th who advances to the National Poetry Out Loud Competition. We will all be cheering for Izzy!

The Man He Killed

By Thomas Hardy

“Had he and I but met

By some old ancient inn,

We should have sat us down to wet

Right many a nipperkin!

“But ranged as infantry,

And staring face to face, 

I shot at him as he at me

And killed him in his place.

“I shot him dead becuase — 

Because he was my foe,

Just so: my foe of corse he was;

That’s clear enough; although

“He thought he’d ‘list, perhaps,

Off-hand like  —  just as I  — 

Was out of work — had sold his traps — 

No other reason why.

“Yes; quaint and curious war is!

You shoot a fellow down

You’d treat if me where any bar is 

  Or help to half-a-crown.”

Isabella with the Words

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Congratulations to Palm Valley School’s US Poetry Recitation winner: Senior Isabella Goetschel. Isabella recited “Epitaph” by 17th-century poet Katherine Philips. In a striking twist of fate, Isabella was also selected Audience Favorite. Second Place went to Sophomore Indy Behr with a recitation of “be careful” by poet Ed Roberson. The Third Place recitation went to Freshman Lily Jones with “Poor Angels” by poet Edward Hirsch.

On the Friday before Thanksgiving break, the Upper School gathered for Poetry Recitation Finals in the Gym. Eleven finalists competed before judges Ms. Bernstein, Ms. Maguire, and Mr. Richardt. The judging criteria was that of Poetry Out Loud.

Isabella will advance to Riverside County Poetry Out Loud. She is our Palm Valley School representative. She will recite two poems before a panel of judges. If she wins, she advances to State Poetry Out Loud competition. Indiana serves as our alternate.