Santa Monica crime rates rose dramatically in 2012 and have affected Samo students both inside and outside of school.

According to college adviser Frank Gatell, the University of California (UC) Website has been reported to crash days before the UC college admissions are due. Due to the thousands of applicants accessing the website to upload applications, the site overloads, preventing students from being able to submit.

Due to an assembly presented by an organization called The Village Nation, Samo students had a block schedule on Nov. 16 and 17.

Samo's Team Marine is helping the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) organization collect supplies to ship to students affected by Hurricane Sandy in New York.

Samo's Circle of Friends club held a mixer in the Humanities Center at lunch on Oct. 19 for club members to meet each other and their buddies, the Special Education students they will work with this year.

Regional Occupational Program (ROP) Digital Design teacher Richard McGee passed away on Oct. 13 after an extensive struggle with cancer.

Principal Laurel Fretz announced at the Homecoming Pep Rally on Oct. 12 that Samo's Academic Performance Index (API) score increased by 19 points this year, from a score of 804 to 823.

The Santa Monica City Council decided in August to prohibit advertisements from non-commercial campaigns, including the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Walk, on the Big Blue Bus.

Hip-hop violinist Karon Briggs and spiritual sculptor Artis Shreve Lane performed in Barnum Hall on Friday Sept. 28 for the second annual Back-to-School with The HistoryMakers event at Samo.

S-House Leadership is attempting to make the 2012-13 school year more enjoyable for the entire school through their Kindness Campaign, introduced last year by teacher Meredith Louria.

M-House has welcomed Stephen Franklin as its new M-House principal, taking over the job from long-time House Principal Larry Boone.