I House Principal Markussen moves on to Culver Middle

Samo said goodbye to I House Principal Julie Markussen Wednesday, Jan. 31.  Markussen, who had been a member of the staff since 2015 has taken a new position as assistant principal at Culver Middle School. During her two years at Samo, Markussen has witnessed many changes she is proud to have been a part of. She has seen a dramatic shift in the number of students enrolling in AP classes, and is happy to see a wider variety of students taking these challenging classes. Markussen also served as the administrator over the English Department, and she has found this job to be one of the most special parts of working at Samo. “It was very interesting for me to be on the other side of it: to be able to support teachers and students rather than to be the one in the classroom,” Markussen said. Of all the memories Markussen has made during her two years as I House Principal, she will remember the pep rallies most fondly. When she first arrived Samo in 2015, she had come from Venice High where they had stopped pep rallies years prior. Having never experienced the intensity of Samo’s pep rallies, Markussen was taken by surprise. “It sounds cheesy, but the first time I saw [a Samo pep rally] I actually got a little bit teary because I couldn’t believe something like this existed and that there was so much school spirit. I had just never experienced the kind of school spirit that I saw here at Samo,” Markussen said.  While Markussen has expressed her love for Samo, she felt like her new job in Culver City was too good of an opportunity to turn down: the middle school is just half a mile from where she lives. When she heard they had an opening for an assistant principal at the school, Markussen applied and was later offered the job. Although she wasn’t actively looking to move schools, Markussen understood the significant benefits of working so close to home. “I thought it would be a cool opportunity to live and work in the same community. When I lived in Iowa I taught in the community where I lived and I always found that it’s a strong connection that you have with your own community. You get to see your neighbors and your kids and can support them at the school as well,” Markussen said.  Administration has been looking for replacements following Markussen’s decision to leave Samo. After interviewing several candidates, the team chose to hire Gregory Runyon as the interim I House Principal. Runyon served as the S House Principal until 2011 and is coming out of retirement to fill the position until a permanent hire is found.