The Renaissance of Digital Art
Digital art first blossomed in the late 90s and early 2000s and while initial forms of it were not as expansive as current apps such as Procreate, these beginning stages opened a new medium into the art world.
KCRW, Keeping Local Radio Alive Since 1945
In recent years, radio channels have declined in quality while platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have replaced go-to sources of personalized sound. Amidst these modern music empires, KCRW, an iconic radio station based in Santa Monica, is hard at work to keep independent media alive.
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Prompts Response in Santa Monica
On Apr. 8, multiple reports came out detailing the use of swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti marked on sidewalks, trees and lamp posts within the SM-Pico neighborhood.
Samo choir echoes their Spain trip at Cathedral Classics
On Friday April 19, 2024, Samo’s top choir showcased their skills at the Cathedral Classics Concert, held in the foyer of Barnum Hall. This performance culminated their recent tour across several Spanish cities such as Barcelona, Zaragoza, Segovia, Madrid, Toledo and Burgos, where their melodious voices graced iconic cathedrals, including the renowned Catedral de Burgos.
European soccer’s top teams fight for league titles
As we begin to prepare for summer, Europe’s biggest soccer leagues are preparing to crown their newest champions. Europe’s, and subsequently the world’s top five leagues, are in England, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. They range from having 34 to 38 games per season with a point system of zero points for a loss, one point for a tie and three points for a win.
Boys’ tennis find success amidst challenging season
The Samo boys’ tennis team started off the season strong with a big win against Venice when the Vikings defeated the Gondoliers 16-2 on Feb. 29. They played their final match on Monday, April 22 against Culver City, ending the season on a high note with a win of 11-7. Although the team performed well on both ends of the season, they faced challenges in consistently holding their form steady. The Samo boys’ tennis team finished the season with a record of 5-9.
The College Admissions is Raising its Bar
This year, the looming anxieties that seniors must face when applying to colleges didn’t budge, and neither did the privatized aspect of most Ivy and UC institutions. It seems as though highly regarded colleges are only accepting students who have essentially accomplished career-level achievements, such as writing books and creating start-ups, and even then, these kids are being rejected from their dream schools.
The fUTURE OF THE SANTA MONICA Airport
While the Santa Monica Airport is projected to close by the end of 2028, its spaces are being utilized in contemporary ways.
Track optimistic after record breaking Pre-season
During the 2022-2023 track season, Samo’s track stars set records, advancing individuals and relay teams into CIF. Last season, the 4x200 team of Lucas Milk (’24), Dylan Hanvey (’23), Spencer Hotch (’24), and Gus Reyman (’23) broke the school record twice for a final time of 1:29.03. The Samo team appeared in multiple prestigious track meets including The Arcadia , the Redondo, and the Mt. SAC Invitationals where the team proved themselves against other highly ranked runners.
Spring Break Staycations
For those who are in town for Spring Break, and still are seeking an abnormal adventure, don’t spend your spring break rotting away in your bed. Your newfound time is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of all southern California has to offer.
Girls’ beach volleyball makes waves in the 2024 season
After only two years as an official Samo sport, Samo girls’ beach volleyball team is gearing up for their third season in CIF. In their 2023 season, the team placed fourth in the Bay League after a tough loss against Mira Costa, Beverly Hills and Palos Verdes, but a successful win against Redondo. The girls began practicing on the sand immediately following the end of the indoor volleyball season under the guidance of Coach Liane Sato.
sports culture: why it’s deeper than just a game
It can be agreed upon that sports have turned into a sort of religion in the United States. For many, there is much more behind sports than just playing and watching the game itself. The fan bases and traditions behind each sports team and players make a significant difference in sports culture.
Samo alumni Greg Morena gives winter sports athletes NIL course to learn crucial money management skills
Samo Theatre performed The Phantom of the Opera to sold-out audiences for two weekends, from February 23 to March 3, setting the stage with luxurious costumes, digital backgrounds and operatic singing.
LA Hotel Strikes begin to end after negotiations
The hotel strike, which started on July 10 2023, began to reach closure in early January after successful negotiations with hotels.
Inside inclusive on Victor the Viking
A quick bit from an interview I had with Victor the Viking yesterday.
The unfiltered truth about social media
As discourse about the most desirable body image, bullying, grooming, self-harm and unhealthy beauty standards flood our feeds on social media, tech giants seem to find themselves entangled in messy court cases regarding the safety of their apps for teenagers.
Girls’ lacrosse looking to regroup with a new roster
Samo’s girls’ lacrosse team is officially in season. The team began with a game against Notre Dame High School, resulting in a loss by 9 points as the scores totaled 5-16. Additionally, they competed against Saugus High School on Feb. 20, ultimately leading to a tie of 14-14.
Boys’ volleyball off to a promising start under new coach
Samo Varsity Boys Volleyball begins off their season with a strong start, looking to go forward, win CIF and build valuable experiences with their new head coach Pete Barraza.
Wave of prestigious colleges re-requiring SAT and ACT
SAT and ACT tests, formally made optional in elite colleges around the country, have now in a wave decided to re-require the controversial exams for admissions. This decision will affect many members of the Samo class of 2024-2025 during their college applications.
Breaking seams and stereotypes through women’s fashion
From the Lex Oppia (a series of laws under the Roman Republic that restricted female extravagance) 215 B.C.E. ruling that women could not wear more than a half ounce of gold to early American indecency laws, women’s fashion has always been a way for men to stifle and patrol women. In the face of oppression, women have found ways to overcome, and fashion is a central part of this progress for women.
Lights, Camera, Recycle: Is the movie industry running out of ideas?
Movies are arguably a foundation of today’s society. People generate much of their ideals from the information perpetuated in the media, especially when it comes to film. This presents a pressing problem when today, the film industry has increasingly refused to be original and daring. How will this travesty change our society to come?
Is it possible to be a “girl’s girl”? Exploring female friendships and stereotypes (Copy)
A girl’s girl is the confident girl that helps other girls out and is there to uplift and empower women. Being called a “girl’s girl” is a newer term but the root of the term is about supporting other girls rather than bringing them down. But like most trends, is being a girl’s girl too good to be true? Are there actually women like this?
Samo introduces fem-lit course
In its first year at Samo, feminist literature emerged as a standout course among one of the several senior English electives, each with an identity-based focus. The class delves into women's literature and was originally formed by a passionate group of students, which stemmed from the Feminist Literature Club led by Lillian Topp (’23). Topp, along with Halie Matsui (’23), Rosie Haygood (’23), and Kaela Khorsand Mashhadi (’23) shared their vision with the English teacher, Elizabeth Waters, which eventually gained traction among Samo’s English department and SMMUSD administrators. Through much collaboration, they created a curriculum teaching students a nuanced understanding of feminism and the active presence of gender within historical and modern writing.
Unmasking samo theatre’s “The Phantom of the Opera”
Samo Theatre performed The Phantom of the Opera to sold-out audiences for two weekends, from February 23 to March 3, setting the stage with luxurious costumes, digital backgrounds and operatic singing.
HOTLB: Samo’s “her-story” faves
March is National Women’s History Month (NWHM) – a time to celebrate historical women from the United States of America and around the world. The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom all celebrate Women’s History Month in March, while many other countries celebrate Women’s History Day on March 8. With women so often overlooked in history, NWHM celebrates and recognizes women’s grand achievements and the important contributions that they have made to America. We asked Samo students who their favorite historical woman is and why:
Samo orchestras leave sold-out audience in awe
On March 7, the Samo Orchestra Program put together its long-anticipated 2024 spring concert, where all eight orchestras got the chance to perform their pieces to a sold-out audience.
Color guard continues to compete in spring season
Color guard is a performing art that incorporates contemporary and jazz fundamentals along with anything that implements color and story into performances. For this, they use equipment varieties such as flags, rifles and sabers.
Celebrating the True Origins of St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated across the U.S. however, in Ireland, this holiday's birth country, festivities are entirely on another level.
Boys’ tennis aims for CIF this season
The Samo Boys’ Tennis team finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 1-5-1 and a league record of 0-4-1. After an unfortunate run last season, the team is determined to turn it around and prove themselves this spring. Coach Shaun Simone explains that pre-season has been full of hard work and constant effort to ensure a great season ahead.
Fleeting Knowledge: The downsides of summer courses for student retention
In a society so brazenly proud and insistent of its sensitivity to women’s needs, there is a significant area in which we remain unenlightened: medicinal research. Despite major strides in recent years, the advancement of women’s health remains at a disadvantage, hindered by years of exclusion and discrimination in an industry so long dominated by the male perspective. To this day, women continue to suffer from the shortcomings of the pharmaceutical industry, an industry that they are forced to support if they wish to live.
Samo’s new buildings revolutionize learning
SMMUSD has persevered in their attempt to revolutionize the learning process with the construction of Samo’s new buildings, the Exploration Building and Gold Gym. The three-sory Exploration Building will be home to multimedia, visual arts and the Capstone program.
Exploring the gender bias in healthcare
In a society so brazenly proud and insistent of its sensitivity to women’s needs, there is a significant area in which we remain unenlightened: medicinal research. Despite major strides in recent years, the advancement of women’s health remains at a disadvantage, hindered by years of exclusion and discrimination in an industry so long dominated by the male perspective. To this day, women continue to suffer from the shortcomings of the pharmaceutical industry, an industry that they are forced to support if they wish to live.
American Fiction Wins Well-deserved Oscar
“American Fiction” is a remarkably thought-provoking film that challenges the level of consumerism, creativity (or lack thereof) and “wokeness” that society has. Not nearly enough people are discussing this complex and touching movie, despite its five Academy Award nominations, People’s Choice Award win and best-adapted screenplay Oscar, which is a huge accomplishment for first-time director Cord Jefferson. “American Fiction” is the perfect combination of hilarious satire, emotional generational family conflict, and calling out what the general public deems to be politically correct in a fascinating manner.
PBL to move to samo campus in fall of 2024
At the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, the Pathways for Project-Based Learning (PBL) will be moving to the Business building on Samo’s campus.
The move will occur at the same time as the opening of the new Exploration building on campus, which will most likely happen in time for the fall semester; the staff in the Business building will transition to Exploration, as the moving of PBL will displace them.
Cartoon Saloon Puts a Twist on Irish Folktales
This Saint Patrick’s Day, rather than simply sporting green, hone in on the celebration with Cartoon Saloon, a remarkable Irish-owned animation studio based in Kilkenny, Ireland. Since their establishment in the late 90s, co-founders Tomm Moore, Paul Young, and Nora Twomey have used their platform to bring Irish folktales to life. Each of their dozens of projects combines compelling storylines and gorgeous art to shine a light on an important part of Irish culture with the rest of the world.
WASC and State Testing assess Samo proficiency
From Mon. Feb. 12 to Wed. Feb 14, Samo was visited and evaluated by The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Additionally, juniors are in the middle of California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress Testing (CAASPP) — another metric attached to Samo. However, some question the real benefits these evaluations bring.
Samo’s cafeteria transforms for spaghetti and strings
On the night of Feb. 10, the Intermezzo, Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras greeted guests at Samo’s cafeteria for the annual Spaghetti and Strings concert.
A deep dive into the 2024 Girls’ Water Polo season
Samo's Varsity Girls' Water Polo closed out their season on Jan. 31 with a game against Culver City. Winning 8-1, the score reflected the effort the team has put into practice throughout the semester.
Rising stars take the stage at cafe samo
On January 26 and 27, the Samo choir program hosted its annual Cafe Samo show, leaving an adoring crowd in awe of the students’ talent. Each act was carefully picked through an audition process led by Brooke Aron (’24), Justin Xu (’24), Walden Sullivan (’25), Sam Rubin (’25), Madeline Bryce (’24), Hope Hamilton (’24), Sarah Linowes (’24) and Valentina Manco (’24), and ultimately 21 acts were selected to play both nights. Upon being chosen for the show, students had just 10 days to prepare for the final culmination of their hard work.
Martial Arts From the female perspective
Within sports, conversations around sexism are usually limited to pay, physical ability and overall resources and popularity. However, with close-contact sports such as martial arts, sexism becomes much more complex and nuanced. The dynamics between trainees and the overall ultra-masculine culture within such sports create toxic and unwelcoming environments, particularly for women.
Reading burnout: Inevitable?
Samo's Varsity Girls' Water Polo closed out their season on Jan. 31 with a game against Culver City. Winning 8-1, the score reflected the effort the team has put into practice throughout the semester.
Banned Books Find a Home at Samo
For the past few years, the issue of banned books has been a hotly debated topic across America, especially in terms of policies in education. From toddlers to teens, state governments have grown concerned about the information put into young minds through literature.
Tiktok is the new tireswing
Generation Alpha is the first generation to have a hand-held smart device for the entirety of their lives. 10-year-olds flooding Sephoras all across the nation are making news because they are purchasing extremely expensive make-up and skin care products designed and marketed towards adults. This led to the “Drunk Elephant 12-year-olds'' trend on TikTok, where pre-teens purchase unnecessary skincare products.
Whats going on around Samo?
Hazel Health:
Hazel Health, a new program coming to Samo available from home and at school, will provide free virtual therapy to all students in need, This program was brought together by Samo after taking part in a needs assessment a couple years ago through the LA county office of education.
From print to pixel: the digital dawn of news consumption
As society descends deeper into the digital age, our youth becomes progressively more media illiterate and desensitized to misinformation. Gen-Z often mocks older generations for falling victim to false information on platforms like Facebook, yet we are indifferent to this. Teens are immersed in a life that revolves around information they intake on the internet that the line between fact and fiction begins to blur.