Dodgers win back-to-back World Series
On Nov. 4, there were elections in New York, Virginia, New Jersey, and California. Each election resulted in favorable outcomes for the Democratic Party.
ASB petition for new sustainability position
On Oct. 22, students in the environmental advocacy club Team Marine released a petition urging the Associated Student Body (ASB) to add a position focused on sustainability at school events. Samo’s student body has specialized committees for various categories, such as spirit, media and community service, and this position would focus on making ASB events more environmentally friendly to reach the school's sustainability goals. Since the petition began, it has gained the support of over 55 verified signatures and is continuing to grow.
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Is Mamdani the right direction for American politics?
Zohran Mamdani won the New York Mayoral election on November 4th, 2025. The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist ran an unconventional campaign characterized by grassroots fundraising, a strong social media presence and the advocacy of radical policies. His decisive victory has generated conversations surrounding the future of American politics.
The reality of stereotypes around safety gear in sports
This year, new advancements of safety technology in a variety of sports have been introduced, including cooling vests in Formula One (F1) racing and specialized goalie helmets in water polo. While these inventions are effective in preventing potential injuries, they bring up questions on stereotypes around the use of extra safety equipment. Do athletes prioritize their reputation over safety?
ICC’s mission to clean up clubs
Samo’s Inter-Clubs Council (ICC) stepped into the ’25-26 school year with new guidelines for clubs to concise the number of clubs, putting the focus on club quality and publicity rather than variety.
Samo’s MUN team competes at UCLA
On Nov. 8-9, Samo’s Model United Nations (MUN) team attended the annual UCLA BruinMUN conference, one of the largest in the nation—hosting nearly 2,000 students.
JPL competition conquered
On Dec. 5, Samo’s Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Engineering team won third place in the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) “Bucket Brigade Contest” competition. This follows their first place win in the regionals.
Netflix vs. Pentagon: the boots controversy
“Our standards across the board are elite, uniform and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn’t care if you’re a man, a woman, gay or straight,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said. “We will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda, unlike Netflix whose leadership consistently produces and feeds woke garbage to their audience and children.”
The play that goes wrong....goes right???!!!!!
On Nov. 14, Samo Theatre’s ‘Scotch’ Cast performed “The Play That Goes Wrong,” written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields for their first of six showings, followed by the ‘Paint Thinner’ Cast on Nov. 15. The cast and crew did an excellent job bringing a massive catastrophe to the parents and students of Samo. The humanities center was filled with laughter as soon as the lights dimmed to begin the show.
college admissions culture is too competitive
Last year, many Samo students were accepted to prestigious colleges like Stanford and the Ivies. That kind of success sets a high standard for future graduating seniors, which can inadvertently cause considerable stress. Students will stretch themselves thin, and too often, seniors tie their self-worth to which college they are accepted to.
Questionable calls lead to growing criticism of referees
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has recently experienced a surge in popularity over the past couple years, following polarizing new stars like Caitlin Clark entering the league. During the current 2025 season, the WNBA has made sports headlines across the nation. Not because of the athletes, but stemming from intense criticism of the referees.
Fujinomiya and Santa Monica celebrate 50 years of friendship
On Oct. 23, Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) and the city of Santa Monica welcomed the delegates from the city of Fujinomiya in Japan to Samo, commemorating 50 years of the sister city partnership between the two cities.
Protecting your mental health at Samo
As the winter months progress, bringing colder weather and heavier work loads, Samo students may benefit from taking time to decompress through activities offered on campus. Whether it's resources that support mental health, or creative outlets like arts and crafts workshops, there are a variety of opportunities for students to use in order to find balance during these challenging months.
Mediocre media marketing: it’s boring please make it stop
Advertisement is the off-the-record make-or-break of any film. A movie can be serene and meticulously crafted beyond comprehension, but make absolutely nothing in box office if it's poorly advertised. Good marketing creates word of mouth and anticipation for all forms of cinema, television, movies and even music videos. Without it, the spotlight ceases to shine, leading potentially monumental films to be utterly disregarded. We are all taught at a young age not to judge a book by its cover. However, in the hyper-commercialized world we all live in, if a billboard is bad, it’s simple: just look elsewhere. Recently, it seems the marketing of up-and-coming blockbuster films with notable actors and beloved directors have been falling flat.
Closure of I-Bathrooms: The what, where, when and why?
Since the beginning of the school year, multiple Samo bathrooms, primarily those in the Innovation building, have been closed to the student body for extended periods of time. School administrators cite vandalism and vaping as some of the main reasons behind the bathroom closures.
Girls soccer is off to an exciting start
Last season, the Samo girls’ soccer team finished second in the Ocean League with a record of 8-2, while advancing to the first round of the CIF playoffs. During the first round of CIF, they faced a 1-2 loss against Notre Dame Academy, which concluded their season with an overall record of 11-10-1. The team coaches, Jason Daglis and Alyssa Pazzi, hope to build off of last season to strengthen their future performances, as well as the new five team captains that were named; LB Caldwell (’26), Audrey Howard (’26), Nyla Ryf (’26), Becky Scholze (’26) and Kayla Yee (’26)
Wrestling team shows promise in pre-season
Samo’s co-ed wrestling team is back and ready to prove themselves once again. The season ended strongly last year, with Arata Sakamoto (’26), Fred Ekberg (’25), and Kenji Ineno (’25) all qualifying for the CIF Masters Meet. The team’s commitment was evident in their early fall and summer training, with intense practices to build strength and cohesion.
E-bikes rise in popularity
E-bikes have experienced massive growth in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. With sales exceeding $ 1 million in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, this increase has been supported by government initiatives.