Darrick Jacob appointed chief after 21 years of service
On Jan. 14, Darrick Jacob was sworn in as Santa Monica’s new police chief after serving as interim chief since Roman Batista stepped down from the job in October. Jacob has been working with the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) since 2004 and is stepping into the permanent role while the department is still navigating staffing challenges, evolving public safety priorities and ongoing community scrutiny.
Samo swim team starts the season strong with meet wins
Samo’s swim team kicked off their season after their Intrasquad Meet on Feb. 20, setting the tone for a competitive spring campaign. The early race allowed swimmers to establish baseline times and evaluate relays before facing outside competition. The team won their first meet against Venice High School and Cleveland High School on Feb. 25.
The distasteful trade-off of classic books
The vast majority of books deemed “classics” by literary critics are plagued with subtle to blatant racism. While these works usually contain sophisticated and near-revolutionary writing, it is morally wrong to excuse, justify or ignore comments made or stereotypes reinforced by authors. I have never been one to argue against reading, and that’s not what I’m doing. Plenty of older books have real value in reading, even if they are shadowed by judgements that add no quality to the writing. What is inexcusable, though, is to pretend that older works don’t sell blatant offenses to their audience. Books should be read critically, no matter how they’re regarded by historians or litterateurs.
Strong finish, stronger future for Samo wrestling
Isabella Hillier / Contributor
Scott Limon (’28) pins a Redondo High School opponent during a home match.
Strong finish, stronger future for Samo wrestling
Samo Girls’ beach volleyball team began their season on Feb. 10 with a game against Santa Barbara, with a score of 0-5. After finishing their ’24-’25 season, 2-4, the team is trying to put a new emphasis on growth.
A Madlibs from Over the Rainbow
On a (adjective) March 17, you wake up on your (furniture) because you feel something (verb ending in ing) your arm.
You look, and see it’s a leprechaun that has a (color) (facial hair) and (color) apparel. In his hand you can see a (type of metal).
.
Boys’ Lacrosse projects to have a strong season
The Samo boys’ lacrosse team looks forward to another season after putting months of work in to prepare.
Boys’ Basketball concludes with first round cif loss
This season, Samo boys’ basketball had high
hopes out of the gate, having prepared exten-
sively, bonding as a team and building skills.
Boys’ basketball started their pre-season games
hot on the court. The Vikings first game of the
season was on Nov. 17 against Los Angeles High
School which resulted in a 77-31 win, start-
ing the momentum for an eight game winning
streak, dominating their competition right out
of the gate.
School Threats: how samo responds (Copy)
The Samo girls’ water polo team ended their season in the first round of CIF, with a final overall season score of 19-10-0. They lost against Chaparral with the match ending in a score of 6-7, they ranked 70 overall in California, of which they moved up 33 places from their state ranking last season.
California Gives $90 Million to Planned Parenthood
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 106 on Feb. 11, which amended California’s Budget Act of 2025. SB 106 gave roughly $140 million to California’s Department of Healthcare Access and Information, with the money to be spent on the health care workforce, health care quality and affordability and facilities development. $90 million of this was provided to Planned Parenthood, a sexual and reproductive health care nonprofit organization, given in the form of grants.
Girls’ soccer ends after a momentous season
The Samo girls’ soccer team ended their season on Feb. 14 after falling short in round two of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 3 against Flintridge Prep, with a final score of 1-4. The Samo girls’ soccer team played their first CIF game on Feb. 12 against Oak Hills High School. They won with a close score of 1-0, which moved them into the second round of the playoffs.
The overconsumption of ozempic and media’s exploitation of the “Ideal Body”
Recently in media skeletal frames and protruding collar bones are being used to promote a new era of fitness culture, disguising blatant starvation as wellness. Debloating tips, low calorie recipes and “what I eat in a day”’s followed by glaring body checks plaster the internet, normalizing the idea that sickly skinny bodies are, in actuality, healthy ones. Having public figures become noticeably thinner will of course directly influence the public, causing the trend of extreme weight loss to reenter the mainstream. With the rate at which trend cycles come and go these days, the desire to speed up the weight loss process is at an all time high, leading to an intense push of weight loss drugs into advertising.
Santa Monica receives $49.9 million grant for affordable housing and transportation
On Dec. 16, 2025, Santa Monica was awarded $49.9 million to supplement their affordable housing and transportation projects. This grant was given to Santa Monica from the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC).
Government in Iran cracks down on anti-regime protests
In January, Iran experienced its most significant government crackdown since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, acting as a response to nationwide protests. Beginning as a movement against the country’s current economic state, the protesters’ intent shifted into a desire for an end to the current regime, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The downfall of stranger things through season five
After a long three years since its last release, critically acclaimed TV series Stranger Things released its fifth and final season. The first volume, airing on Nov. 26, consisted of four episodes, followed by a three-episode volume released on Christmas Day, with the finale episode airing on New Year’s Eve. After years of anticipation, expectations for the finale were at their peak - but, instead of celebration, the finale caused viewers to feel widespread disappointment and borderline psychosis. Although it was an enjoyable watch, it should have been better prepared and executed as it ultimately felt more like a Marvel movie than a horror show.
Samo Grad Delany O’dea ‘24 makes Jeopardy! History
Delany O'dea, Samo alumni (’24) is now one of “Jeopardy!”’s youngest champions. She recently made her game show debut on Oct. 15, 2025, winning first place before finishing second in another game the following day.
Samo welcomes new AP 3-D Art and Design Class
Advanced Placement (AP) 3-D Art and Design will be introduced at Samo in the ’26-’27 school year, allowing students to explore multidimensional mediums of art. The new course will immerse students in the study of form and material experimentation through cardboard engineering, multimedia sculptures and textile structures, among other art forms.
Girls’ water polo team set to head to CIF
The girls’ water polo is nearing its finale, with CIF games only a couple weeks away and Samo’s team is heading in with hopes of winning it all. Their overall score pre-CIF is 19-9-0. This is a notable improvement from the previous ’24-’25 season, which had an overall score of 12-13-0. They won League Championships against Culver City 7-5, so going into the championship Samo was seeded first and Culver was seeded second.
Our unwarranted disrespect of subs
When the teacher is out, how can a classroom function? Whether it be for jury duty or maternity leave, it is inevitable that a teacher will have to leave. In their place, a substitute teacher fills in to keep the classroom in order and continue students in their curriculum…