inventory_2 Archive: Fall 2010 - Spring 2014
Samo defeats Hawthorne, seniors’ season ends without playoff berth
The night before facing Beverly, the stress of playing their last possible game affected some seniors more than others. Timmy Lozano reflected on the possibility of a loss.“I’m never going to relive these memories,” he said.On the other hand, senior Terrance Saheim saw it as just another game.
Athlete of the Issue: Tess Walther
Walther began playing volleyball in fourth grade at John Muir, and debuted as an outside hitter for her club team freshman year. At Samo, Walther continued to play as an outside hitter, and was promoted to the school’s varsity team as a sophomore — unusually early. However, when senior year came around and the team needed a setter, Walther took on the challenge.
Volleyball’s promising season ends
The girls went into the match confident. But, as the match progressed, Samo made errors and began to break down.Although the team had a successful season, their second round match against Lancaster ended in an unfortunate loss 25-22, 18-25, 10-25, 21-25.
CNN Hero speaks in Barnum Hall
When her mother, who was still living in Malawi at the time, informed da Silva that a school in her hometown was shutting down, she decided to make a difference. Using money she had saved up from her work as a nanny, she started a school in her childhood home. Forty-eight children began attending her makeshift school in 2001.
Samo dress code to be revised, strictly enforced
After the standard of student dress has come into question, administrators have begun to reexamine the dress code.
Cody Williams: captain off the field
Cody Williams returns to the football field to cheer on his teammates after a long season without him. This year he will star in a documentary highlighting football players who have suffered similar injuries.
S-House Principal Gregory Runyon to retire
“I just need to start taking more time to be thoughtful about myself,” Runyon said. “I’ve had a rough year. I’ve lost three friends, and I just have to get my life in order.”
ASB divides to improve classwide efficiency
ASB focuses specifically on events and policies by dividing into two groups during class.
One Tree Hill actor Tyler Hilton performs for Samo students
Hilton’s hopes for his career path always included performing his own songs.“I always wanted to do music, I always wanted to be a musician – I loved it,” Hilton said. “My family all played so I was singing from when I was really little, always performing in coffee houses, different ice cream parlors or wherever they’d let me sing.”
Butterbeer to Heineken: Harry Potter growing up
Though it’s not celebrated every week, Harry Potter related events are welcomed by hoards of parties, thrown by people who have convinced themselves that their owl just got lost and any day now their acceptance letter to Hogwarts will be arriving, possibly bursting out through their chimney to defy the rule of their cruel, manipulating uncles with handlebar mustaches.
New school year proposed, put to vote
Samo teachers are among those to vote on a new school year for SMMUSD, which would begin in August and end in early June.
Daniel Katz: up in the air
Daniel Katz was infatuated with aviation from an early age. He always looked forward to watching the planes take off from the observation deck at Santa Monica Airport and visiting the Museum of Flying with his parents. While these experiences planted the seed in his mind of becoming a pilot later in life, Katz’s love didn’t really reach the skies until the summer of 2006.
NCAA makes new policy regarding Division I athletes
Effective Aug. 1, 2010, the NCAA will no longer accept online courses for any of the 16 “core subjects” required to graduate high school. College-bound athletes who take online classes after that date will then become ineligible to play sports in Division I or Division II schools.
Tennis battles Beverly, qualifies for CIF
The match was close — seemingly every one of Samo’s wins was followed by a loss. But in the end, the pain of losing two weeks prior drove the Vikings to victory.
ASB members resign in the wake of Homecoming events
In response to what some believe to be irresponsible student behavior at the homecoming pep rally and football game on Oct. 22, Associated Student Body (ASB) members Charlie Schmittdiel and Meghan Loftin have been asked to step down from their elected positions, and all school-wide activities and events related to ASB are postponed indefinitely.
Football earns first league victory
After a poor defensive game by Samo, a victory was shortly out of reach on the last play of the game. The final score was 12-19.Aside from excessive penalties the main reason for this loss was Samo’s defense.
A new soda parlor with an old-time feel
Tucked away in a corner of the 1916 Landmark Carousel building, a vintage soda fountain harkens from the past like the carousel itself. “Soda Jerks” is a new concession that opened on the Santa Monica Pier in July. For the record, a soda jerk isn’t an obnoxious person who spits up Coke. The soda fountain gets its name from the 1930s slang used to describe the youths who worked behind the counter jerking silver levers to hand-pump syrup and soda water.
The men and the music: Man Choir
Jain said. “It is one of my favorite days of the week. I spend lunch singing with my friends and we do fun songs that you wouldn’t usually see in a classical choir.”
Canball Club scores as membership grows
The object of the game is to throw the volleyball and hit the “can” or beach trashcan. There are four members on offense and three on defense, plus a goalie in a circular court. If the defenders tag the offender who has possession of the ball, there is a turnover and the offense and defense switch positions. The sport, although unique, is similar to team handball and soccer.
Steven Gordon: all that’s jazz
“In recent months, I’ve really started diving into writing my own music. Over the summer I worked on the music for a short film, and since then I’ve been writing music focused around a story or a character,” Gordon said.
Samo student assaulted near campus
School safety is examined after a student is robbed and assaulted while on her way to school.
School evacuates after gas odor is detected
The Samo community evacuates after students and faculty detect an odor in the History building.
Juniors in the driver's seat: the quest for league supremacy
As pressure and intensity increase, the boys’ water polo team continues to power its way past competitors as they find themselves well in reach of the League Champion title. Though for their hopes to become reality, each player realizes that better defensive playing becomes more crucial each match.
Amy Clark: from rap beats to art tweets
“What I really wanted to do was to make art out of something that wouldn’t usually be considered art.”– Amy Clark
An honorable solution to tracking
A broader honors program, properly managed, might alleviate the disparity between advanced and regular classes.
Letter to the Editor
Reflecting on his Latino roots, Leslie Wells discusses the offensiveness of the 2011 theme “Juan Juan.”
Voters “McCann’t” say no to this argument
Like Moses, I have heard the cries of my people, and contrary to Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman, I’m prepared to morph California from a land of deficit and sin into a land of milk and honey. (Mind you, this will be untaxed milk and untaxed honey).
A fight to the death — and we are the casualties
This election is not the first political race to use these smear tactics, nor will it be the last. However, our new age of media has catapulted them to astronomical levels. The accessibility to the public that viral ads offer to candidates has incredible potential, and if used properly could be an invaluable way of educating the public. Instead, candidates like Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman use the airwaves to distort the image and character of their opponent instead of expounding upon their own political opinions, ideas and plans.
Editorial: Hear it. Cheer it. Spirit.
Chanting is the one spirited activity that arises spontaneously, and is therefore the only one we truly feel a motivation to participate in.
Gardening Club cultivates veggies with district foodies
The Food and Nutrition Department and Samo’s Gardening Club share the same soil — but is there room for two cooks in the kitchen?
GSA wears purple for hate-crime awareness
On the “Spirit Day,” page, the creators Tasha Gawkowski and Malcom Zawaci wrote, “Purple represents spirit on the LGBT flag, and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality.”
The man behind the mustache: Nick Salazar
“Our captain doesn’t have to be the fastest. It’s about creating harmony and creating leadership,” coach Tania Fisher said.“It’s a hard thing trying to balance being captain with being a top member of varsity. It definitely makes it harder to focus,” Salazar said.
Cross-country on the trail to victory
The squad pulled off a substantial victory, placing first as a team. Salazar was the first to trounce the hill running, an impressive 17:07. Right behind him came junior Andrew Capron, finishing with an equally admirable 17:15.
Volleyball defeats league rival Beverly
With the crowd going crazy and Samo on fire, Beverly was silenced. Continuing their roll they went on to sweep Beverly in the third. Despite many bad calls, the girls overcame them and drilled kills and focused on passing with senior libero Lindsey Nakatani making great pancakes to lead her team closer to the victory.
"Write About Love"
If I were young and hip and having a party in my high rise apartment in New York City, Belle and Sebastian's new album "Write About Love" would be the first thing to come to mind for excellent background music. I'd also crank up the volume the next morning in my Prius for a perfect road trip theme song.
The Big Draw
From crude drawings on the sides of dusty caves to the iconic murals of the Sistine Chapel, art has been our way of marking history. Before language and individual letters existed, drawings and symbols were the only means of communication. This October, the act of drawing and making marks is being celebrated in Los Angeles with The Big Draw arts festival, occurring at several museums throughout the month.
Girls’ tennis fights through the rain, loses to Beverly Hills
“I think we went in very confident because of our previous wins, maybe a little overconfident,” senior and co-captain Lucy Walsh said. “I think it was that we weren’t thinking about tennis, we were thinking about winning. We need to think more about the fundamentals of the game in order to succeed.”
Samo saves lives one pint at a time
Samo faculty and students piled into the South Gym on Oct. 15 to donate a total of 200 pints of blood at the first Blood Drive of the year.
Turntable soul music just got amplified
After hearing several KCRW DJ’s play Belleruche’s “270 Stories” more than that many times over various broadcasts, I guessed this had to be a must-hear record. Anyone with even an inkling of soul in them will agree.
McKeown proposes free bus passes for Santa Monica Residents
Although the Big Blue Bus is currently facing a $6.4 million deficit, city council member Kevin McKeown has proposed giving free bus passes to all Santa Monica residents.
Football drops league opener after overwhelming victory
Even though Samo was crushed in its Ocean League opener to Inglewood, 28-7, it can take solace in the previous week’s victory over Compton Centennial.
Girls’ volleyball on a roll, loses to Windward
Going into the second game they made an uncharacteristic eight serving errors and gave up momentum to the Culver City team. It looked as if Samo was heading towards their first loss. The Samo bench looked unusually nervous, but steeled themselves for the second game.
Plugged in, tuned out: Does technology cripple human contact?
Laughter is the best medicine. LOL doesn’t always cut it.
School spirit back in blue
When a Samo student thinks of school spirit, they probably visualize a raucous group of juniors and seniors fervently screaming their graduation years until their lungs burst. Blue Crew aims to push that image aside, and take school spirit to an entirely new level.
From campus to cabin, Ramos is no chicken
To get away from city chaos, each month Irene Ramos heads home to Mount Pinos, her cabin and chickens — a welcomed respite.
Tayllor Johnson: rhythm and soul
Every word Tayllor Johnson utters is poetry. One of her passions, poetry enriches her life so that she speaks in verses, walks in dances. Her life is dictated by her passions to the point that being Tayllor Johnson is an art.
Dear Samo,
We are forgetting that earning good grades and college acceptance are not the only things that should come to mind when we look back on our years at Samohi.
ASB starts new homecoming traditions
After a recent decline in attendance to the Homecoming Dance, ASB takes over in an effort to increase ticket sales.
City Council poised to vote on plastic bag ban
After a statewide law banning the distribution of single-use plasic bags was rejected, city council will vote this month on a local ban.
Teachers should be judged by their merits and not just by their scores
LAUSD teacher’s suicide causes people to reconsider the methods used to rate teachers.
The “lawn-gest” five minutes of the day
Samo students find peace of mind every day between third and fourth period on the grass in front of the History Building.
David vs. Goliath: Vidiots triumphs over Blockbuster
While Netflix offers convenience, Vidiots and Cinefile have begun offering more than just movies. In July, Vidiots began Vidiots Annex, which offers film study classes in everything from censorship in cinema to anime mythology to cult films as well as free screenings every Saturday night at 8. The movies they show on Saturdays are brilliantly selected, from Run Lola, Run to The Apartment. Their website includes ‘playlists’ of movies with common themes ( “Beyond Harry Potter” and “Manhattan Fabulous” to name a few).
“Never Let Me Go”
“Never Let Me Go” presents elements of passion, fear and empathy in a way that although sometimes falls flat, generally is always haunting and emotionally absorbing.
Greenies find early success
“Last year we had better cohesiveness, but this year we’re having more fun. I think we’re positioning ourselves well for our league drive, which starts in October,” coach Matthew Flanders said. “We could have won those games, but we were having problems with over-aggressive players.”
Girls' Cross Country has room to grow
After their first two races where the team was unfortunately divided between grade levels, the varsity team was finally able to pull off a cooperative win at their first league meet at Kenneth Hahn park. They placed first, beating the Beverly Hills girls’ team, which has been a long-standing rival of the Lady Vikings.
Girls' Volleyball rebounds after initial loss
After losing to El Segundo Wednesday, Samo was hungry for a win. In the end they defeated Morningside in a 25-2, 25-8, 25-3 demolition. Most of Morningside’s points came from Samo’s serving errors.
Athlete of the Issue: Kris Comas
Even though he is small, he still works hard. In this respect, his inspiration is DeSean Jackson. “He reminds me that I still have to push hard [and] don’t get down because you’re small.”Comas’ size makes him faster, and makes it easier for him succeed on the field.
Vikings’ efforts not enough for Valencia
The excessive turnovers in the game played a big role in Samo’s loss, according to Clark.“The cons obviously were the turnovers. That’s just difficult to overcome,” Clark said.Ramos agreed with Clark, saying “We had about seven turnovers, and you can’t win a game with seven turnovers.”
Islamic cultural center affirms American values
When I first heard about it, the idea of building a Muslim mosque near Ground Zero rubbed me the wrong way. But after I calmed down, took the initiative to listen to what American Muslims were saying and further researched the issue, it became apparent that allowing the Muslim center to exist in lower Manhattan is exactly the kind of thing that makes us a free country. We are a democracy founded on freedom of religion. We build synagogues next to cathedrals and Mormon temples next to Buddhist temples.This is America!
Bang for your buck? How college tuition shoots the middle class down
As if that weren’t enough, the cost of private tuition has gone up 154 percent since 1979, and 186% for public tuition. This would be fine if family income increased at this rate as well. Unfortunately, it hasn’t. Since 1979 family income has only gone up by a measly 10%, according to the US Census Bureau and the College Board.This means that while college is getting ridiculously more expensive and students are expected to pay thousands more than they were ten years ago, income isn’t making any sorts of leaps or bounds to meet that gap. The estimated undergraduate tuition is slipping farther and farther away from what families can pay.
Tardy Machine raises concerns from students
“Doing it by hand was infinitely longer,” Semik said. “I think it was money well-spent; less kids can fall through. Today, we scanned 203 kids for tardies.”
Measures Y and YY would raise $6 million for district
According to Allen, if the measures fail, SMMUSD will once again be faced with teacher layoffs, increased class sizes, closing of elementary libraries, and other harmful cuts.“Measure Y and YY money would help continue the programs that we already have; some of the things we really enjoy – drama, athletics, music, dance, as well as classroom supplies and things like that,” Semik said.
Malibu school applies for charter status
“Being a charter school gives us more power and with the power comes more control,” Kristy said. “... We can be part of LAUSD without being completely under its authority.”
Samo alum and “Titanic” star dies at 100
Gloria Stuart, the 1930s Hollywood beauty who went on to become the oldest Academy Award nominee for her role in “Titanic,” died in her sleep on Sept. 26, 2010 at age 100.
Label Me Not: Bad Teacher
The reasons behind all this fright are the stories that follow certain teachers. Sometimes those are just as, if not more, vicious than the stories and rumors that follow student. They can also thoroughly sway a student’s decision to take a teacher’s class.Here’s the thing about rumors: they’re hardly ever true. And I’m speaking from experience.
Label This
Without labels, there would be mayhem in the streets, people not knowing which car was theirs, which home was theirs, or even which children were theirs (well, they may be able to deduce which child was theirs, but there is no way of knowing for sure).
Label Me Not: Ginger
As a pale-skinned, freckle-faced, redhead I have been privy to all the labels. In grade school, I was the girl under the hat, and I got a lot of looks, mostly from mean girls donning Limited Too. When we went on class field trips to the beach, I wasn’t in my “itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini.” I was dressed in full combat gear, fighting a battle against the sun. Tights covered my legs, long sleeves my arms. No one dared to be different then. Standing out meant you were out.
Label Me Not: Nonconformist
I’m sorry to disappoint, Californian nonconformists, but nonconformity is a label, too.
Label Me Not: Different
The separation between Special Education and General Ed. has created an environment where we view each other not only as people with slight differences, but as people part of two entirely different species.
Label Me Not: Fat
As teenagers, our job is to experiment, make mistakes, and be judgmental. We find ourselves casting stares upon our classmates, envying their toned waistline or clear skin. Many teenagers jump to conclusions when noticing someone’s physical appearance. They assume that people are fat because they eat too much, or that skinny people don’t eat at all.
SAGE team travels to South Africa, places second
Samo’s ROP Students of the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship team of Global Entrepreneurship team placed second in the SAGE World Cup 2010 business competition this summer in South Africa.
Coach Cady to run for Board of Education
Longtime Samo coach and teacher Patrick Cady has will be representing Malibu this year as a candidate for a spot on the Board of Education
Girls' Tennis inches past Mira Costa and El Segundo, falls to Harvard Westlake
“In the Harvard Westlake game, my girls were not focused. But against Mira Costa, they moved better because of their commitment and practice."
In the face of loss, Escalera remains positive
Difficult though it may have been for him to step into the position, Escalera still gleans an obvious pride and pleasure from his participation in Samo athletics. A longtime football coach and former high school athlete, he harbors a deep-rooted belief in the power of sports to improve individuals and unite communities.
Fall TV Preview – “Boardwalk Empire”
Created by Terence Winters, the pen behind more than a few episodes of “The Sopranos,” this latest drama by HBO follows Atlantic City, New Jersey Treasurer Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (a spot-on Steve Buscemi) in his crooked life as a mastermind political boss and cutthroat gang leader during the early years of Prohibition.
Fall TV Preview – “Undercovers”
You know that the acting is sub-par when the first aspect of a character you can remember were those moments when he or she was topless. The main characters are gorgeous, and Steven Bloom is a complete hunk, but acting skills? Nonexistent. A wooden cast of his body could do just as well.
Catch of the day: Catfish
From its truthful, humorous beginning to its disturbingly realistic climax, “Catfish” dives the viewer into the desperate heart of our Facebook generation.
Fall TV Preview – “Outsourced”
But Outsourced just falls flat. Each joke is a simple one-liner, meant to attract the least educated, most primitive of viewers. It fails to deliver the same intelligent comedy that makes How I Met Your Mother fun, yet intriguing.
Fall TV Preview – “Event”
Although I have my own reservations, The Event is a solid show. It feels like 24 because things are constantly happening. The plot never stops moving, it changes each week, and asks more questions, allowing the show to grow.
Are Samo students on a “Race to Nowhere?”
In education today, students always feel the need to please, with the fear of failure and the feeling that no learning is really occurring ever-present. Instead, it feels as if we’re just taking in our daily dose of information and spitting it out again at someone’s request, like machines.