SoCal’s mountain regrowth post Los Angeles Wildfires
It has officially been one year since the Los Angeles wildfires devastated communities across the Los Angeles (LA) region.
Franklin Elementary set to expand
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) have decided to expand their campus and have recently purchased 814 25th Street for $2.8 million using funds from the Capital Outlay Project Budget.
Girls Basketball Starts of League Strong
Samo girls’ varsity basketball has faced a challenging preseason. After a promising start to their season, with a morale boosting win in their first game of the season, Samo girls’ basketball faced a number of losses in their preseason.
How private equity is reshaping the future of sports
The sports industry is ever-evolving, as advancements are made in streaming, venues, and technology to benefit the viewer’s experience. Providing the sports industries with this support has been private equity firms, who have aided the growth of teams by utilizing professionalized management, giving the teams a corporate driven lead.
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.
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.”
Cross country finishes strong at cif championships
The cross country season at Samo has now ended for most athletes, giving the majority a well deserved break. Following this two week break is the preparation, in which most cross country athletes participate, for the track and field season.
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.