inventory_2 Archive: Fall 2010 - Spring 2014
Technology is not always your friend
Ever since people realized the Internet’s potential to become a way to relieve stress (a.k.a. looking at cleverly captioned videos of cats), it has morphed into the hypothetical birthday cake for the midnight snacker.
How to successfully live your Summer?
You awake to an incredibly sunny afternoon. You stumble downstairs for some OJ, rubbing your eyes vigorously. After spending some quality time stalking your friends on Instagram and Facebook, you sprawl on the couch to play Call of Duty for the remaining hours of the day. You figure, “It’s summer, why should I do anything?”
Principal Eva Mayoral presents new philosophy for Samo students
Current John Adams Middle School (JAMS) principal Eva Mayoral will begin her appointment as Samo principal Aug. 22, bringing with her the beginnings of a new plan for the school.
Illuminate down as year ends
Illuminate crashed on May 28 and 29, leaving students and faculty without access to grades and attendance records online.
Samo selects new House Principals
Two Samo “veterans” and two newcomers will join H-House Principal Leslie Wells in house leadership positions during the 2013-14 school year.
What is going on with Samo?
With Samo’s current principal and four of its five house principals leaving their posts, there is no question that our school is headed for change. The only question is, what exactly is that change?
Samo Blood Drive canceled by UCLA nurses' strike
The annual Associative Student Body (ASB) Blood Drive on May 21 was an unintended casualty of a dispute among University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), nurses who help with the event.
If you smoked it, please don't post it
What you do on the weekend is entirely your choice, but is it really necessary to pollute my newsfeed with selfies of you smoking a bong, popping open a beer or worst of all — posting a poorly photoshopped picture of yourself with not-really-questionable items hidden beneath those oh-so-classy kittens?
SSA plans the final Bike It! Day of the year
Samohi Solar Alliance (SSA) will host the last Bike It! Day of the school year on May 22, aiming to promote bike safety through the help of various collaborations.
Samo announces new house principals
Samo administration is undergoing large changes as the four new house principals for the 2013-14 school year have been selected.
Fretz warns students about the dangers of Vine
Principal Laurel Fretz drew mixed reactions from students when she warned of the dangers of Vine, a video social networking application, in a recent email to parents on May 3.
Stranger in a Strange World
Tahreem Hassan is a sophomore foreign exchange student who comes from Pakistan. She has been attending Samo since the beginning of the school year.
Silence can be golden
Emma Gardner is a junior who is involved in Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial, tennis, choir and Site Governance. She is a frequent contributor to The Samohi.
SMMSUD receives "C" rating in minority services
The Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) received a “C” rating for failing to support minority students by the Education Trust-West.
Possibility of a Friday prom creates conflict
Prom may be scheduled for a Friday next year, throwing student plans into conflict.
City Council unanimously passes Sustainability Bill of Rights
The Santa Monica City Council unanimously passed the Sustainability Bill of Rights (SBR) on Apr. 9 after the Samohi Solar Alliance (SSA) and Team Marine clubs backed the bill over the past year.
Samo moves from STAR to computer-based testing model
Lack of computers for student use remains a concern among staff and administration, as plans for Samo’s shift from physical to computer-based state testing next year unfold.
Samo curriculum to focus on writing
Samo’s curriculum will drastically change over the next two years as part of a national shift toward the Common Core Standards, which adjust the focus of school from content learning to application.
Teachers become students for an afternoon of education at Samohi University
Samohi University, a professional development session for Samo faculty to share its strengths and interests with each other, will be today, Wednesday, April 24.
Samo students set out on international tour
Samo students Eli Brown ('13) and Ryan Roberts ('14) will tour with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), a newly formed orchestra of the best musicians in the United States, for a month during the upcoming summer.
Samo rules third round CIF, quarterfinals vs. Mission Hills
Samo boys’ basketball defeated Mission Hills High School in the third round of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the quarterfinals, 51-33 on Tuesday, March, 12.
Eva Mayoral appointed as new Samo principal
Current John Adams Middle School (JAMS) principal, Eva Mayoral was recently appointed as the new principal for Samo. She will take her post at the commencement of the 2013-2014 school year.
Samo summer school program to be altered this year
This summer, a select few classes will be offered for free to students as part of the Ed Ahead program, instead of the array offered last year by the Santa Monica Education Foundation (SMEF) for $595 per class.
The Pipeline and the protest – Samo unites against the United States Keystone XL Pipeline Project
In the late ’60s, civic-minded high school and college students would get together for anti-Vietnam war protests, demanding peace and love. Nowadays, they are protesting a different war, the war on the environment.
Schedule changes disrupt events and student habits
Over the span of the last two years, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) pushed forward its calendar, a change that has caused unintended consequences for students and staff.
Samo students turned away from annual ASB blood drive
Many students were turned away from the annual Associated Student Body (ASB) blood drive in partnership with the Red Cross on Feb. 12.
Samo students plan counter protest against hate group
Students responded passionately to the plans of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) to picket Samo on Feb. 25., organizing a “wall of humanity” in support of gay rights.
Let me order steak: The vegetarian trio
In restaurants and cafés across the nation there is a quiet murmur of people of all ages, politely turning down offerings of chicken as they smile and proudly say, “I’m a vegetarian.” With a dignified superiority, they continue to grin as they digest their leafy meals — leaving me staring down at my plate piled high with carcasses of adorable animals.
Marisa Silvestri takes on full-time position as Samo Athletic Director
This semester, Samo teacher Daniel Escalera stepped down from the position of co-Athletics Director, leaving social studies teacher Marisa Silvestri the only person with the position.
Samo students design technology to harness new energy sources
Samo students Ryan Tepper (’13) and Julian Mickelson (’13), also co-president of the Samohi Solar Alliance (SSA), are competing in the 2013 Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge.
SMMUSD elects new president of BOE
Previous Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) parents Laurie Lieberman and Maria Leon-Vazquez were elected president and vice president of the Board of Education, respectively at their Dec. 13, 2012 board meeting.
Consequence process for tardies streamlined
Samo administrators have worked to streamline the school tardy policy, while a revised detain system is still in the works, according to H-House Principal Leslie Wells.
Samo drafts homework policy with input from students
Samo administrators issued a survey on Jan. 7 to students and staff in order to create the first ever Samo homework policy after complaints from parents and students about the amount of homework assigned at Samo.
Staff Editorial: The most effective use of homework
We accept the fact that homework is an essential element of the learning process. However, we refute the claim that all assigned homework is beneficial. A line must be drawn between homework that helps students learn new concepts and homework that simply bombards students with the same concept over and over.
Samo students celebrate the three kings tradition
Many of us get lost in the post-holiday depression that ensues after the Christmas madness. It's hard not to feel like a deflated balloon after the holidays end. But for some, there are still things to look forward to after Christmas, like the Three Kings Tradition, which celebrates the last of the twelve days of Christmas.
New Year's Eve: 3...2...1...2013
Although by the time it’s Dec. 31 (at least according to the ancient Mayan calendar) we might all be tiny particles in space, let’s just say for this article’s sake that the Mayans were wrong and that Judgement Day is far, far away.
Staff Editorial: Tardies for the greater good
Although the Samo tardy policy has not technically changed, many students have witnessed a more strict enforcement of it this semester now that teachers are marking tardies themselves instead of sending students to house offices. For many students last year, consequences for tardies were, relative to this year, scarce. But despite the disciplinary policy remaining the same for this year, detentions and Saturday schools have been much more frequent for many students.
How much is too much homework?
As I sit here writing this article, I write it with the knowledge that I’m about to fall asleep and that I still need to finish a project, revise an essay on “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” complete a Pre-Calculus assignment, study Advanced Placement (AP) Biology notes, write an article review for AP U.S. History and practice the violin.
Wrestling adjusts to youth in lineup
Of the 13 wrestlers on the Samo wrestling team, only four have varsity experience and a third are underclassmen.That kind of rebuilding would intimidate most coaches and captains but the Samo team is ready for the challenge.
Flicks that make us tick
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a motion picture is worth a million.We are subconsciously being shaped by the culture of films. They provide an escape, tradition and a whole arsenal of references and jokes that have become incorporated into our daily vocabulary. Whether it is an inspiration to be something different, or just a new perspective on daily life, movies have shaped Samo students’ lives. Here, some Samo cinephiles recommend their favorite films. Grab some popcorn, update your Netflix queue and enjoy.