INSPIRED BY TONY TOLEDO: FALL APPLE PICKING

By Olivia
Recent graduate of The Phoenix School

Back when small curled piggy tails protruded from my head and my wardrobe consisted of frilly pink dresses, I remember when my pre-school took our annual trip to Brooksby Farm. All of us tiny people were wrangled into a big yellow school bus and shipped away with a small snack of Saltine crackers.

This day in particular was the perfect fall day. The leaves burned yellow, orange, and red like a wild fire. The wind was a soft whisper echoing through the trees. Sun beat down on us as we bumbled around the tall apple trees making sure to only pick the apples off of the ground. This, was a real challenge, for most of the apples were bashed or bruised, or had worms crawling through the inside, and since young kids are competitive a sort of a competition broke out to find the most perfect apple.

I busied myself, searching everywhere for this precious perfect apple, my pigtails bobbing like mad, until….. I slowly lifted up a twig and some small leaves to find sitting before me the winning apple. It was big, bigger then my own little hands. It gleamed the brightest red and was untainted by a single bruise or speck of dirt. I was elated! It was not possible that anybody could find a more perfect apple then mine. I had surely won in the quest to find the perfect apple.

Before I had the time to brag and boast, we had to board the bus and return home, fed once again those two measly Saltine crackers. As we bobbed along the road I held so covetously in my hands the prize apple. We kept riding and a chorus of The Wheels on the Bus had broken out among my friends, but I was too enthralled in my apple to join them in song. Just as I had slowly loosened my tight grip on my apple we hit a pothole. Up popped the bus, and up I flew. There rolled my perfect apple smacking the floor, and landing right underneath the dirt smeared sole of a classmate’s shoe. I was incredibly distraught by the sight of my bruised and dirty apple, but that day I learned the hard way to always hang tight to my apples.

Savlon Sounds

Olivia
grade 8

Songs are like lives. They tell a unique story, each one its own, composed of low notes, high notes and sour notes. These bad notes simply represent bumps in the road, stage fright, self-doubt, but then again from all these experiences bad or good, can come a song.

Jeff Savlon is one of those people who can take his experiences and weave them into an inspiring song. Jeff has enjoyed music, especially Van Morrison, since he was a teenager. When he was 16, after much begging his parents gave him a used electric guitar and, with the help of some friends, Jeff taught himself how to play. He didn’t write his first song until he was in his early 20s’ and living in California, and completely forgets even the title of that song.

Song writing, for Jeff, is an enjoyable process. He does not force himself to write songs; instead he plays around on his guitar, gets the song, and then adds his words. Personal experiences are what inspires his lyrics and I feel that that is what makes Jeff’s music inspiring.

Years after his time in California, he has found himself the event coordinator at The Gulu Gulu Café in downtown Salem. His job is to schedule the bands, and organize the Open Mic Nights that happen every Wednesday at Gulu. He says that the job can be very stressful, having to satisfy the different artists who come through, but at the end of the day the job is extremely rewarding because of all the amazing and talented people he gets to meet, like his good friend Hannah Cranton, who also visited our school with Jeff.

Jeff, like many people, has a passion aside from music and that is writing. He enjoys writing short stories, mostly fiction, and hopes to someday write a book and pursue his passion. One of the things I found interesting was that Jeff says music is only half his passion, the other half is writing.

Hannah and Jeff shared with me some great things about following my passion. They said that we might doubt ourselves, or others will tell us not to follow our passions, but that we need stay true with what we believe. They certainly filled me with a new sense of importance, and desire to fulfill my passions. My passion is writing. Someday I would like to travel the world, and write down all my experiences and let my thoughts and deepest emotions flood onto paper. I don’t know what I would do if anybody tried to take that away from me, and worse if I let them. Hannah and Jeff instilled in me a certain power for which I thank them. This day I learned that no matter what your dreams are, they can be reached, and that nobody can keep you from achieving your dreams.

Zach
grade 7

Jeff Savlon is a young inspiring musician, with plenty to teach us. Jeff specializes in acoustic guitar and folk style music. However, it is not ordinary music. His notes and chords always seem to come together perfectly, weaving themselves into perfect harmony. His singing compliments the music, expressing the emotion of his music, usually sounding quite sad and downbeat, this style however works very well with the message he tries to send. Sacremento, the song he played for us, was about the sadness and homesickness that comes with traveling. Personally, I quite enjoy his music. I could tell he clearly enjoys doing what he does, because his face confirms the meaning in his songs with clear passion showing in his face. His friend Hannah Cranton has a beautiful voice that makes his songs sound even more emotional and moving. Hannah’s high-pitched voice works flawlessly with Jeff’s deep voice, creating near perfect harmony.

Jeff was very good with my school as an interviewee. He always answered our questions truthfully and gave clear answers to our younger members. Jeff is extremely modest, maybe even too modest, for he was much better than he gave himself credit for. His polite personality is obvious as he was repeatedly complimenting us and even let one of our youngest members try playing his guitar. Jeff and Hannah were constantly encouraging us to not give up on our dreams, and that we should always do what we love in life if we want to live life to its fullest.

Jeff runs the Open Mic Night at the Gulu-Gulu Café. He gets to hear a lot of great artists of all different music styles. His personal favorite type of music is currently jazz, but it wont be for long because he likes all kinds of music. Personally I like rock and metal; music with a faster tempo. But something about the way Jeff plays makes me like his music. I think that Jeff Savlon is a fantastic musician, and his inspiring message will not be forgotten.

Jeff
grade 8

Music has the ability to sway my mood and alter feelings depending on the type of music. It is raw emotion but unlike other types of art it moves and changes, like a living creature of sound. Music is quite a wonderful thing and I believe anyone can find peace within it.

A musician I recently met was Jeff Savlon, a very inspiring local artist. His songs seem to send a message that is wrapped in a fabric of melody and words. Unlike today’s popular music that seems to be going a mile a minute, Savlon’s music is soft and slow. My personal favorite of his songs is “Sacramento.” The song feels very calming and at first I thought it was a song from a famous acoustic artist because it was really good. People listening are able to think about the words and understand the actual meaning of the song.

Not only does Jeff Savlon’s music inspire me but how he has become a local leader through music makes me look up to him, even though I have only just met him. Every Wednesday night Jeff manages the Open Mic Night at Gulu-Gulu Café. As one can imagine, that is not always the easiest thing to do since not everybody is cooperative. Even though the job can sometimes be difficult it has brought local people to go to Jeff if they want their music to be heard.

By far the best part of the interview was when Jeff played a song. His fingers slowly plucked the guitar chord, his body hunched, head bowed. A soothing beat pulsated through the air, droning out all other sound except for Jeff’s deep voice singing. Jeff Savlon is a very talented musician and songwriter that has encouraged me to follow my dreams, as he would encourage you to follow yours.

The mission of The Phoenix School is to develop global citizens who are compassionate, creative, and technologically proficient individuals in a dynamic and interconnected world. Student, teachers, and parents of diverse backgrounds join together to integrate the knowledge, values, and leadership necessary for students to participate actively within their families and communities, now and into the future.

Impressions: A visit by Salem Film Fest founder Joe Cultrera

By Jonah
Grade 8

This week, in light of the Salem Film Fest we had its founder, Joe Cultrera, come to our school. We interviewed him and asked him about the festival. He told us all about the documentary films that are at the festival and his experience as a filmmaker and editor. He even had us watch the previews of some of the films.

After hearing all of this I really wanted to go to the festival. It seemed to me that it would be quite interesting and the films seemed like they would be amazing. My mind started to wander and I thought about the festival and all of the people, directors and most importantly, the films. As I thought about this I stumbled upon a question that is simple but quite profound, with no wrong answers. What is the point of a documentary film festival?

Read more in NS Art*Throb

The Phoenix Caribbean Connection

The following is a new column, showcasing writing and artwork by the students at The Phoenix School in Salem. This week, students have made creations from a recent trip to St. John. What better way to learn geography, science, writing and culture than to visit a place.

The Swim By Daniel Grade 8
Fear, excitement, worry, and adrenaline all surge through my veins as I leap into the tepid, salty waters of Reef Bay. Following our hike is a boat ride and even before being informed of it I knew I would have to swim. I cannot help but feel the worry even stronger as I hand over my life vest to a fellow student and observe the fierce waves that battered the shore.

As I claw my way through the salty water, I strain to see our boat, the Sadie Sea, and am quite surprised to find it closer than I imagined. With growing confidence, I calm down and chop quickly through the water with a near perfect crawl stroke. Only now do I notice the calm coolness of the ocean and gladly choose to embrace it rather than fight through it. My brain goes from panic to comfort in an instant. To my great satisfaction I see the boat bobbing nearly ten feet away and, almost reluctant to leave the water, I climb aboard.


A Story Untold By Jonah Levin Grade 7
I immerse my head in an underwater world where those who live within its grasp know all and all is mysterious to those who aspire to know what the meaning of it truly is. As soon as I do, I realize that I do not belong here. Sooner or later the sea will cast me out of this mystical land, which I will never call home even though I am equipped to breathe on the surface for a short amount of time. This does not frustrate me. It just strengthens my love.

I decide to take it all in, and, for just a moment, I am one with the sea. I watch the coral and imagine the little polyps broadcasting their messages to every coral in the sea. Love, war, food arguments, economic issues, who the best reef guests and makers are, and whether the parrotfish and sea stars are worse than last year. Nobody knows but the coral. I can hear the fish calling to me and to each other, trying to find mates and ward off the primordial monsters of the deep. Sometimes they will insult death and slap danger in the face and the predators must go hungry. Other times the predator succeeds in its endless quest to survive and the fish loses the one thing it cannot afford to lose.

The sea holds no good and evil, only eat or be eaten. It is the universal rule of life. I can feel the sea trying to expel me from its depths and hiding what I have found. Is wrath is so great that it moves the very sea floor and its own inhabitants. I want to stay however so, for now, I fight the mightiest of the mighty. I can taste the salty sea. It is the water, which I must not drink. It is the vine from which I must not take the fruit, the feast that is poisoned. My body will suffer the consequences if I partake in this taboo liquid. The sea, however dangerous, is beautiful. It is like a rose bush yet infinitely more beautiful and more sinister. For a moment, I am part of it all.