First annual Samofest provides fun and games for students

On Thursday, Sept. 26, Samo’s football team and cheer squad hosted the first Samofest, a fundraising event celebrating the new school year and the football and cheer teams’ seasons. The event featured food trucks and informational booths for Samo’s various clubs, along with a variety of games and other activities. Matt Kirk, head coach of the Samo football team, worked hard as the Samofest coordinator to generate excitement for the event and publicize it. “The idea came from one of my football parents, Ruthie Thomas, who works for corporate Nike and had the idea for an event and fundraiser for football,” Kirk said.The entertainment provided included a ball pit with twister in it, various carnival games, food and a pull-up challenge hosted by a US Marine who was invited to Samo for the event. The food trucks featured were In-n-Out, Shake Noodles and Kona Ice. The students who attended Samofest were able to take advantage of the opportunity to gain exposure to some of Samo’s student run clubs and participate in the many activities offered. “It was so much fun being surrounded by friends, food, music and football. It was amazing because we were chilling and cracking jokes, and when everyone did the pull-up contest, it was hilarious,” Carlotta Banfi (’21) said.The Samo football team helped facilitate the event by setting up booths and promoting the attendance of Samo students and faculty. Chaperones, parents and fellow coaches supervised and coordinated the event alongside Kirk.“I think it was a nice way to kick off the year. I had fun and the In-N-Out truck was fuego. I want to see more people come; that would make it better in my opinion,” football player Mark Phifer (’21) said.Originally, the event was supposed to take place at the beginning of the school year,  however insufficient funds and activities coupled with the lack of available space on campus led to its postponement. Despite this setback, Kirk was determined to make the event happen.“[Samofest] was to showcase clubs and get everyone excited about being back to school and football,” Kirk said.Kirk plans on continuing the tradition of Samofest next year and wishes for it to become a yearly kick-off event for the school year.