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Paradise Valley Unified School District
Supporting all of our students on their
Journey of Excellence
News
PVSchools Seeks ESSER III Feedback with Community Survey
Artist Spotlight | Laura Syjud, Suzuki Strings Teacher
An Invitation for 8th Graders! Learn About Shadow Mountain’s DAAPS Program
PVSchools Hosts Virtual College & Career 101 – An Introduction of College & Career Basics Event
Featured Videos
PVSchools
09 17 2021
"My name is Skylar, and I am a student in the NVAA (North Valley Arts Academies) Music Tech program at Shadow Mountain High School.
My love for music goes back to kindergarten when I started taking piano lessons. I also would always be writing lyrics. I remember looking back in books I had in first grade, and there would be random little lyrics strewn about. It’s just really cool to look back on everything and say, “wow, I have really always done this.”
It’s great because I can see that I’ve always had this intuitive musicality in me. So joining that natural ability with the technical side from my Music Technology class was just amazing. I can now combine real acoustic instruments with digital instruments and add my lyrics as well, all in one software. The NVAA Music Tech program has really just given me a huge opportunity to further delve into my passion for music and to get it out there for more people to hear. Knowing that this class helps me get my ideas out of my head and into the world for people to enjoy is just so cool. It’s such an encouraging and inspiring environment, and everyone just wants to help each other grow.
The arts are always evolving, it seems, and this is just one of those new emerging ways for people to create art and express themselves. Especially with new digital audio workstations, everything is at your fingertips. From all types of instruments and plug-ins to all the effects, everything is available in one spot.
My family is the biggest influence and inspiration for me. I think I get a lot of it from my dad since he was a musician. My grandma and great-grandma knew the piano. They really inspired and motivated me at first, and when I realized the gift I had, it kind of just took off from there!
Music is such a powerful and transcendent medium that anybody can connect with it. I want people to connect with me through my music and be able to say, “wow, that is what I’ve been trying to say for so long, and she just said it with her music!”
I am definitely going to continue with music in my life. It makes me feel so alive; it’s just my element, you know? As long as I am still making music in life, I am good."
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PVSchools
09 16 2021
"My name is Samantha, and I am a student in the Ceramics Program at Pinnacle High School.
I have always had an interest in the arts. Art is something I felt that I could do all the time, both inside or outside of the classroom. I remember when I was little, I would always doodle on my papers. My art teacher would even feature and nominate my drawings.
Art has always served as an escape for me—a way out of my own head. I also like that with ceramics, I can make something that I can actually use. So there’s this utilitarian aspect to this art as well.
I think an art form can be anything you’re really passionate about. As long as you’re able to bring an idea to life. Like that “banana taped on the wall” that was considered a piece of art! So I think anything could be art. It takes a lot of skill and talent to be able to make something out of nothing. Molding a block of clay into a shape or object and having to paint and design that object are just some of the creative aspects that make ceramics such a great art form.
What I like about my school’s ceramics program is that I can make stuff that I can take home. Like around my house, I have soap dishes, pots, and little bowls that I made at school. The class and environment give me a reason to create more. I probably would have never worked with clay if it wasn’t for this class.
My favorite piece was from last year. I had to make a plate of food. So, I made a stack of pancakes made of coils. The top pancake lifted off to reveal that it was a bowl. I like the way it came out and how it had a function and utility to it.
An artist that really inspires me is a painter, Lisa Elley. She is from San Francisco and does oil paintings with palette knives. I just think the paintings are really cool.
I’m not sure where I see myself in the next few years. I definitely want to remain in the art field, and even if it doesn’t become a career for me, I still want to keep doing it as a hobby."
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PVSchools
09 15 2021
"My name is Victoria, and I am a student in the Culinary Program at Paradise Valley High School.
I grew up with my mom working all the time. She worked late nights, so I had to provide my own dinners, but I wasn’t really sure what to do or how to make anything. As I got older, I decided it was time to start learning to cook. When I was younger, I grew up watching a lot of Bobby Flay, and I just thought he was the coolest! He was also probably one of my favorite inspirations going into the culinary field.
What I find most enriching about being in culinary arts is how it spawns so many new, creative ideas. For example, “M Culinary Concepts,” came into class and did a demo on how to make homemade caviar. It was just so cool to see all of the new ideas that I would never even have thought of.
I think with most arts, what makes them an art form is that you are able to express yourself through them. We all derive meaning from one place or another, and no one is the exact same. So, what makes Culinary Arts an art to me is that I can take my ideas and my culture; I am Native American, and I can embed that into whatever I am making. I can express myself through the food I make.
With the Culinary Arts program at Paradise Valley, there are a lot of scholarship and program opportunities. For example, we have “C-CAP,” where you can go and compete in culinary competitions to earn scholarship money. Even if you don’t earn scholarship money, it’s still a great experience you can have outside of school that not everybody has access to. I am actually competing for the first time this year. I am very excited!
My favorite dish would have to be fry bread. I’m Navajo, so I grew up making fry bread with my grandma. Even to this day, we still make it together. We make it for every type of holiday. It’s so versatile. You can pair it with anything sweet and savory. It’s even good by itself.
I definitely see myself working in a restaurant in the next few years, but, I don’t think I will pursue it as a career. Cooking is something very personal to me. The whole reason I got into it was to be able to provide for myself and for my family. I wanted to gain independence."
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