Investigative Report: Do AP Scores Match Class Grades?

Von Dutchʼs Secret
Page 3
Meet your Homecoming
Court
Page 4 & 5
Vikings Succeed!
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Vol. XCV No. 1 October 8, 2004
Published Triweekly
Permits Unfrozen for 22
Out-of-District Students
By Emily Foshag
On Sept. 22, Samo and district
officials stopped the freeze on
district permits at Samo and allowed 22 out-of-district students to
enroll. At the end of last year, the
administration projected a total of
3,396 students,but since 32 fewer
students actually enrolled, they
decided to allow the wait-listed
students to attend Samo.
Seven permits were denied,
including “Opportunity Permits,”
which are permits for students
whose parents do not work in the
Santa Monica but would still like
to attend Samo, and permits for
students whose parents work in
Santa Monica but are not employees of the City.
According to CEO/Principal
Ilene Straus, Samo and District
administrators had previously
decided not to accept students on
permit until the final enrollment
counts were completed.
Although Samo accepted only
four more ninth graders than last
year, there are 118 more students at
Samo this year. There are over 900
students in this year’s freshman
class, a number Straus describes
as “huge.” However, she explains
that the high enrollment has more
to do with over-crowded middle
schools than with Samo accepting
out-of-district permits.
Page 7
History Teacher Michael Felix
felt the effect of adding two new
students to his class last week: “It
makes a difference. It’s frustrating to have to repeat a procedure
for new people, and more people
changes what I assign.” When
asked about how adding more students will affect class sizes, Straus
reasoned, “[The permit students]
put us at right about our projection, which we are staffed for.” She
explained that although the ninth
grade class will be the largest in the
school, “The District has a commitment whenever possible to let all
the kids in one family come to the
[same] school.”
Ilona Fellows, the parent of a
current out-of-district Samo senior
whose ninth grade daughter had
been on the waiting list for enrollment, agrees it is helpful to families
to have all of their children attend
the same school. She describes
her own experience of having her
daughters in two different high
schools as “totally inconvenient.”
Senior Marshea Wilson, who
has attended Samo on permit
since her freshman year, took advantage of the Samo’s resources.
She is currently a member of the
basketball and track teams, as well
as a variety of clubs on campus.
As Fellows’ninth grade daughter
Michelle puts it, “Samo just has
more to offer.”
With 37 students in Math Teacher Annamarie Fellaʼs 6th period Geometry class, two students must
sit in desks behind the rest of the class. Due to budget complications, class sizes have increased
this year.
Photo by Brittany Benjamin
Investigative Report: Do AP Scores Match Class Grades?
By Brittany Benjamin and Emily
Ferrell
Data collected from the district,
and compiled by The Samohi last
week shows inconsistency between
2003- 2004 Advanced Placement
(AP) Exam scores and the grades
that students received in the corresponding Samo AP class.
The closest correlation between
AP class scores and AP exam scores
can be seen in AP Micro- Economics (see graphs below). There, the
percent of total students who received As is close to the percent of
total students who received 5s, the
percent of Bs is close to the percent
of 4s, Cs are close to 3s, and so on.
In most classes, including English
11 AP and 12 AP, AP Chemistry, AP
Calculus AB and AP US History,
students received a larger percent
of top grades than top AP scores.
AP Calculus BC is the anomaly,
where students received 5s on the
AP exam more often than they
received As in the class.
“This is very important data,”
Superintendent John Deasy said.
“It raises many questions on how
students do on courses overall, and
also on our course assessment and
alignment.”
Some wonder what the lack of
exam score to class correlation reveals about the level and intensity
of Samo’s AP classes. “I don’t think
AP courses really reflect what will
be seen in college. Teachers grade
like it’s high school, but then in
May, people get tested like it’s college,” said senior Nick Kim, who
has taken AP classes, including 11
AP English, and is taking a class
at SMC.
AP Economics Teacher Michael Burnett feels that scores
and grades should correlate, and
is pleased to see that the scores
and grades correspond for economics. He believes it reflects his
college-level standards. Burnett’s
philosophy is that typical honors
students do not necessarily get A’s
in AP courses, since AP courses
should be at a higher level. “My
expectation is that you should be
able to get an A in a college class
if you get an A in my class,” said
Burnett.
Burnett’s views differ from English Department Chair Carol Jago’s
grading philosophy,however. “I
would be unhappy if 40 percent
of 11AP kids weren’t getting As.
Grades should be skewed for Honors classes,” she said.
Jago cites the large number of
students taking APs, particularly in
classes like English, as one reason
that the scores do not correlate
with grades.”One third of our 11th
grade is clearly not going to pass
a college class, but they can do
wonderfully in a [high school AP]
class,” said Jago.
The data makes CEO/Principal
Ilene Straus want to investigate
more. “It is worth the school’s
time to assess classes where there
is not a correlation and look how
grading and assessment works,”
said Straus.
While some question the reason
behind the uncorrelated classes,
Samo 2004 graduate Rebecca
Beasley- Cockroft, who took AP
Calculus BC last year and received
a 5 on the AP and a B in the class,
thinks that for Calculus BC, it
makes sense. “BC’s high five-rate
is a reflection of good teaching—of
making everyone successful,” said
Beasley-Cockroft. “We worked
hard and struggled in BC, and
were well-prepared for the test, but
grades are more than test scores.”
Calculus Teacher Heather
Calahan commented, “Teachers
can benefit from using the AP
score as part of their inquiry into
the multiple measures they use
to assess student achievement.”
She also added that it’s important to consider trends over several years since a particular year’s
comparison can be influenced
by many different factors, such
as a particularly hard AP exam
which is generously curved or a
high lack of homework or project
completion.
Deasy stresses that people
should not jump to conclusions
about the meaning of the data.
“This data does not lead to judgments. It should lead to questions on how we learn to aid
students.”
Opinion—Page 2 The Samohi October 8, 2004
THE SAMOHI INDEX
In honor of this year’s back-to-school season, The Samohi has compiled a list of shocking, titillating, amusing, frightening, steamy, nauseating, unprecedented information you may never have considered before. Take a look at the numbers that affect us daily.
Price of one paperback copy of A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris: $14.00
Ratio of girls to boys in Mr. Barraza’s 3rd period 11th grade AP English class: 23 : 13
Number of Samo’s assigned summer reading books written by a woman: 0
Number of German classes canceled for 2004-2005 school year: 1
Number of additional Spanish classes created for 2004-2005 school year: 1
Number of burritos on the menu at a Wienershnitzel restaurant: 2 (wienerschnitzel.com)
Number of school days in the 2004-2005 school year: 182
Number of inspirational messages found in this year’s binder reminder: 64
Number of “inspirational” messages in the Technology Building girls’ bathroom: 12
Number of student bathrooms (male and female) on campus: 18
Times by which you are more likely to encounter germs that will make you ill in a women’s restroom than in a men’s restroom: 2 (University of Arizona study)
Approximate number of ounces a completely full bladder can hold: 18 (Encyclopedia Americana)
Number of different possible ways to order a Starbucks Coffee: 19,000 (Hemispheres Magazine)
Heaviest average weight in pounds of a Samo junior’s backpack in April 2004: 35-42 (The Samohi)
Number of pounds Mary Kate Olsen has gained since completing treatment for an “unspecified eating disorder”: 10 (US Weekly)
Number of chicken wings that competitive eater Cookie Jarvis consumed in 12 minutes at the National Buffalo Wing Festival: 94
Number of songs that a 20GB Ipod can store: 5,000
Approximate number of cars and trucks produced annually by automakers in the US: 60,000,000 (Detroitnews.com)
Number of parking spots available to Samo seniors last year: 40
Ratio of the average number of vehicles to the number of children per US household: 5:2 (Harper’s Magazine)
Year in which Samo was broken into six small schools: 2003
Percentage of Samo students proficient in English Language Arts according to CAT6 results for 2004: 44%
Median expected annual salary for a typical high school teacher in the US in 2004: $46,635 (swz..salary.com)
Price which actress Lindsay Lohan paid for a Chopard watch in May: $80,000 (People Magazine)
Number of hours it takes to view the 2003 film Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: 3.35
Number of hours it takes to complete the new SAT: 3.75
Number of administrators at Samo: 8
Number of last year’s administrators who did not return to Samo this year: 4
Number of people needed to make up one season’s cast on MTV’s “The Real World”: 7
• Cost of one Samo ID card: $5
There’s Nowhere To Park, But At Least You Can Drive
By Sara Frier
It’s dumb luck. Those spaces in
the Senior Parking Lot are allotted
to applicants by way of a “fair” lottery, where all you can do is enter
your ticket and pray. However, the
results turn out to be far less fair
than one would expect: more than
a few close-by Santa Monicans are
parking pretty while long-distance
commuters are left to the curb. Faroff students and carpool drivers
repeatedly lose to people living
minutes away from Samo on foot.
Thus, the time-honored parking
lottery is in desperate need of
reform. With such precious little
space to spare, it is necessary to
consider need before chance. Some
students simply must have spots.
Of course, “necessity” is a matter of opinion. There is no argument
that the opportunity to eke out
another ten minutes of sleep with
guaranteed parking is a wonderful
thing. Yet, senior Emily Gordon
lives approximately half an hour
away, takes an AM, and drives
three other people to school every
day, without a spot: “I leave at 6:20.
Traveling time takes around half an
hour, and in order to assure I find
a parking space, I’m 20-30 minutes
early every day.” Emily’s effort is
one of many ordeals that a distant
student endures. Also, while a
carpool like Emily’s is energysaving, three other students must
now depend on luck and lack of
sleep in order to make it on time
themselves.
It is therefore up to the school to
reserve a small number of spaces
for people who can prove their
absolute need. That way, these drivers are guaranteed an easier time
while the old lottery remains fair
for everyone else. A pre-lottery for
the students who carpool, have late
activities, or live at least 20 minutes
away would ensure that they have
a higher chance of getting their
tickets drawn yet prevent anyone
from being hand-picked. Sharing
doesn’t seem like a bad idea either,
but permits are off-limits to anyone
but the driver. When asked why,
nobody-including Dean of Students Catherine Baxter and CEO/
Principal Ilene Straus- seemed to
truly know. As the lottery goes,
students with credits like high
GPAs and late extracurriculars are
allotted a few extra tickets each.
ASB Advisor and World History
Teacher Ned Acker maintains, “We
really have to do something about
finding alternative parking for the
students.” Until then, only a few
may park; those few should be the
most deserving.
It is instead the question of unnecessary privilege that is causing
the problem. Of the forty spaces allotted this year, a disproportionate
number of students live quite close
to school, some within a mile. While
it’s convenient to have a space,
it seems that the real purpose of
having one is…just to have one. If
you live close to school, and don’t
get a spot, you can always walk. Of
course, walking is a dated activity
rarely practiced in the new millennium, and everyone knows that the
atmosphere could use a little more
smog from your car, and the roads
are desperate for more traffic, so
naturally applying for a spot is not
just a privilege, it’s a senior’s duty.
Even if you live on Bay Street, go
ahead and save up those calories for
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a rainy day. Drive to school, park
in your space, and don’t forget to
laugh at Emily on your way there.
After all, what’s the fun of having
a spot if you can’t flaunt it at other
people?
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Unsigned editorials reflect the opinions of the staff. Signed editorials
represent the opinions of the writer.
Staff
Jacqueline Berkman,Michael
Blackman, Lincoln Boehm, William Bromell, Peter Egziabher,
Emily Ferrell, Emily Foshag, Max
Jordan, Petey Kass, David Kim,
Travis Korte, Sanyu Nagenda, Alice Ollstein, Jeremy Rosen-Prinz,
Marissa Silverman, Michael Rubin,
Samantha Walters, Matt Weber,
Nicole Wong
Opinion
Von Dutch: Racist, Bigot, Expensive Hats Bush Right, Kerry Wrong
By Adam Siegel
The neo-Nazis have officially
invaded Santa Monica. The Third
Street Promenade is now home to
a store whose namesake once remarked, as reported by Los Angeles
Magazine, “I have always been a
Nazi and still believe it was the last
time the world had a chance of being operated with logic.” Although
said Axis Power is now defunct, its
ideology lives on in many ways,
one of them with the symbol
of a swastika. But now
there is another, more
commonly seen symbol that represents
hate and bigotry:
the Von Dutch
logo.
Von Dutch,
born Kenneth
Howard, was
by all accounts
a racist and Nazi
supporter. Now,
a store bearing his
name is doing brisk
business five blocks
from Samo. Yet Von Dutch,
despite his crazed notions, may
not even be the bad guy in this
situation. His racist ideals are
overshadowed by some greedy
entrepreneurs’ need to make
money off a name that represents
intolerance.
In 2003, Von Dutch Inc. reported
33 million dollars in sales, yet Dutch
himself won’t be seeing any of that
money. He died in 1992, writing in
a letter that he was not willing to
struggle to maintain his health anymore “only to emerge in a place full
of n--gers, Mexicans and Jews out
of control,” according to the May
edition of Los Angeles Magazine.
The rights to Von Dutch’s name
and property (he was an artist and
car striper) were essentially handed
over to businessman Ed Boswell.
He made a deal with Von Dutch’s
daughters, permitting him use of
the Von Dutch name for a clothing
line. In less than a decade, Boswell
and other investors, including present CEO Tonny Sorensen, built up
the Von Dutch image by simply
glossing over that pesky part
about how Von Dutch rooted for
Germany in World War II. Thus the
namesake of a horrible, racist man
now adorns hats, shirts, belts, and
butts in huge letters, and is worn
by people who probably don’t have
the faintest idea that they are walking billboards for bigotry.
It’s strange to think that Dutch,
a man described by friend Robert
Williams in Orange County Weekly
last January as having “all the
trappings of being a neo-Nazi”
and being “[unable to] tolerate
black people” is not really in the
wrong here; after all, Von Dutch
never acted on his warped beliefs
and never knew his name would
grace a clothing line. The people
who put it out there, however, are
irresponsible, ignorant, and yes,
a little bit racist too. Spending
millions of dollars to promote
Dutch’s name, while knowing
full well what he stood for, shows
that those in charge at Von Dutch
Inc. couldn’t care less that their
products enhance Von Dutch’s
image and have created an empire
based on a name that symbolizes
hatred, even to Dutch’s own family and friends.
A company that disregards all basic morals, sensitivity, and
judgment does
not deserve your
money. Some
may point out
that now Von
Dutch is just
a name, and
yes, that’s
true.
But
names represent people and
their ideals. By
parading around
with Von Dutch clothing (or clothing with
anyone’s name for that matter), you are basically saying that
you don’t mind sharing your body
with his namesake and all that’s
associated with it.
So, if you already have Von
Dutch gear I would suggest
throwing it out, or even better,
mailing it back to the company
with a nice little note explaining why you think it might be a
little inappropriate for them to
turn Von Dutch into a symbol
(Von Dutch Originals c/o Tonny
Sorensen, 7521 Melrose Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90046). And in
the future, think before you buy;
it saved me from purchasing an
expensive Mussolini hat.
By Jeremy Rosen-Prinz
The War on Terror has long
been a central feature of the Bush
administration. It has led to,
among other things, the invasion
of Afghanistan, the creation of the
Department of Homeland Security, and, most controversially,
the war in Iraq. All throughout
these various stages of the war on
terror our Commander-In-Chief
bolstered our will with such
inane phrases as, “We will win the
War on Terror.” Now, unlike, say
The War on Germans, it is very
hard to win against something
that has no physical form (see
The War on Drugs).
Sometime between January,
when in his State of the Union
address he said, “This Congress
will give you the resources you
need to fight and win the War
on Terror,” and August, Bush
changed his position. On Aug. 30,
while appearing on “The Today
Show,” he was asked about the
war on terrorism. He replied, “I
don’t think you can win it, but I
think you can create conditions
so that those who use terror as a
tool are less acceptable in parts
of the world.”
This stands as one of the truest
things that George W. Bush has
ever said and he should have
been congratulated for speaking
the truth, even if it wasn’t what
he said before.
In a campaign marked by
a level of stupidity absolutely
unheard of in recent years, Presidential Candidate John Kerry responded the next day that the war
on terror could “absolutely” be
won. Vice Presidential Nominee
John Edwards, while discussing
Bush’s comments, said, “I think
that’s just wrong, and it’s the
opposite of what the American
people, the world, and the terrorists need to hear from America’s
leader right now.” By disregarding all common sense about
wars on nouns, Kerry/Edwards
managed to propel themselves
ahead of Bush/Cheney in a race
to become the stupidest men in
politics.
Bush was 100% right. We
cannot win the War on Terror.
As long as there are people, there
will be terrorism. Even if we
were to eliminate all of Al-Qaeda,
there would still be terrorism in
Chechnya, the Philippines, and
Israel/Palestine. If all the terrorists were eliminated in those
countries, there would still be
Ireland, Mexico, and Kashmir.
Even with all of Al-Qaeda
destroyed (which is a physical impossibility), the means
of constructing car bombs and
suicide bomb vests would still
exist. As long as hatred for the
United States exists, there will
be people who will risk it all to
fight us. There can never be an
end of “terror” because “terror”
is a tool for people to get what
they want.
The fact that Kerry would
be so stupid as to say that we
can win the War on Terror just
goes to show how sad the Kerry
campaign is. It seems that Kerry
Democrats now just argue the opposite of every issue, in an effort
to show a distinction between
their candidate and Bush. And
even though the very next day
George W. Bush reversed his position and said that we could win
the War on Terror, for just for one
day, for one moment, he spoke
the truth, and I treasure that.
Celebrities, Take Some Direction: Exit (Political) Stage Left
By Michael Rubin
Celebrities hold a special
place in American society, and as
a result, are given undue respect
and attention when it comes to
matters outside the realm of their
understanding. They speak out
on issues they know nothing
about and hold their fingers
to the political wind, gauging
the momentum of a politician’s
sentiments in order to further
their own careers. They handle
their positions irresponsibly,
maintaining little
discretion
when advertising
their cause.
Unless they
are ignored,
celebrities
will hollow
out American political discussion.
The celebrities
of today
speak out against political actions when they see that it is
popular in either Hollywood or
New York City. Comedian Janeane
Garofalo resurrected her lackluster career from the publicity she
received after her protests of the
Bush administration and the right
wing as a whole. She has become
one of the most popular speakers
among the far left, appearing all
over television and on the radio.
Her particular political stance,
however, is not what detracts from
American politics; it is her motivation that upsets the earnestness of
her cause. When asked why she
did not speak
out against the
military actions
of the Clinton
administration,
particularly the
Iraqi air strikes
in the mid ‘90s
called Operation Desert Fox,
she responded
with an answer
typical of the
calculating behavior of celebrities in politics.
Garofalo said,
“I did not support Operation
Desert Fox. It’s just that you didn’t
know me very well back then.
Nobody really was interested in
listening to me back then.” When
Comedian Janeane Garofalo
asked why Clinton protests never
materialized she responded, “It
wasn’t very hip.” The problem
with celebrities is they act based
on contemporary partisanship,
with a shrewd eye on what will
be popular among Hollywood
media. They fail, however, to live
up to the idealism that they so
adamantly claim to answer to.
The reckless approach of celebrities discredits their message, and
draws attention away from the
real issues. In March 2003, actor
Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now,
“The West Wing”) led a march in
The Samohi seeks submissions for the student-written column “My Turn.”
Submit articles to T217 or [email protected]. Submissions
may be edited for grammar and length and are due by October 18, 2004.
downtown Los Angeles. He taped
his mouth shut with a piece of
duct tape that had the word Peace
written on it. He then proceeded to
carry a giant painted cross while
supporters surrounding him read
a prayer that he had prepared.
This twisted impersonation of
Jesus, though extreme, is an example of how celebrities inherently dramatize. The idea of the
public ‘spotlight’ exists because
those who occupy it are there as
entertainers. When delivering a
political message these celebrities do what they
know how to do
best, sensationalize, or else no
one will listen
to them. Without the beacon of
the silver screen,
celebrities have
to present a provocative front in
order to receive
attention. The
problem with
this is that the
substance of their
message is often
lost in the ego and fame of their
person.
Though celebrities often mishandle their fame when lobbying
attention for political issues, they
can serve an important and noble
position in society. No one is more
effective at getting out the vote
than celebrities. People listen to
them, and when they present a
positive, inclusive message of civil
duty, they do the nation a great
service. However, when division
is wrought by their theatrics, it
does little to help the common
causes in society.
The detriment that celebrities
bring to society comes
when famous people abuse
their recognition.
Turn away
your heads
when these
people
speak, for
they belong
with the
neon glow
of Access
Hollywood, not with the nightly
news.
Send “Letters to the Editor” to Journalism, c/o Santa Monica
High School, CA 90405 or submit them to T217. Letters must
be signed and may be edited for clarity and length.
Campus Life
Yellow Bracelets in Blue Hallways Samo: It’s a Small
By Nicola Persky and Nicole
Wong
Take a senior football
player, a junior sporting uggs
and a ruffled skirt, and a
petticoat- adorned freshman
wearing sunglasses
bigger than her face.
What unites these
various high
school students?
They all
“livestrong.”
Lance Armstrong, fivetime winner
o f t h e To u r
de France,
and testicular
cancer survivor, founded
the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) in 1997
to raise money for
cancer education. In
2004, Armstrong took
a visual approach to the
cause by creating the yellow
“livestrong” wristbands, which
can be seen gleaming under fluorescent lights all over Samo.
“I had no idea it would be
such a fad when I got it,” said
junior Jessica Berek. Sophomore
Alex Park said, “Yeah, aren’t [the
bracelets] an anti-drug thing?”
M-House Principal Tristan Komlos thinks that “not only [are the
wristbands] raising money for a
good cause, but because [they are
worn] so broadly and because
Lance is such a hero to a
lot of different people, it
kind of brings everybody together.”
T h e
“livestrong”
wristbands
have had a
more personal effect on
senior Carlos Nesies.
“My dad recently passed
a w a y f ro m
c a n c e r. . . I ’ v e
been wearing
[this wristband]
for around three
weeks.”
The LAF has sold
over thirteen million of these
one-dollar bracelets. On eBay.
Photo by Samantha Walters com, customers are willing to
pay as much as fifteen dollars for
one band. Whether they are for
what the bracelets represent, but fashion or soley for the support
most everyone has noticed thier of cancer, these wristbands have
growing presence on campus. been spotted campuswide.
Hannah Kirby explained that
“[the wristbands have] definitely
become a trend. Everyone is
wearing them.”
Some students may not know
ZeNan: Our Biology Prodigy
By Nicole Wong
This summer, ZeNan Chang
won the National Biology Olympiad. The Samohi sat down with
him to ask about his experiences
at the competition.
Q: Can you describe the
competition you participated
in last year?
A: I was in Mr. Gaida’s AP
Biology class, and he asked
some people to enter the Biology
Olympiad. After two rounds of
tests, two of us from Samo advanced to the national round. For
me, qualifying for Nationals was
luck because in class we hadn’t
gone over Ecology, so the night
before the test I skimmed over
that section, and on the test, there
were a lot of questions about
the exact information I had just
read. I think that’s how I probably got in.
Q: Tell us about Nationals.
How did it go?
A: It was during the first week
of June in Washington D.C. I had
to miss school and take my finals
early. There were only 20 of us
from all over the United States.
At the awards ceremony, after
they announced the bronze and
silver awards, I thought “Oh
well, at least it was worth the
trip.” But somehow, when the
gold medals came I got called.
So I didn’t expect that.
Q: What was it like going to
Internationals in Australia?
A: I got to meet people from
Turkmenistan, England, Taiwan
– all over the world. It was fun
because we got to go on a bunch
of tours and see the country. In
the competition they give the
top 10 percent gold medals.
There were 159 people, and this
year, all four of us from the U.S.
got gold.
Q: Does that mean you’re
one of the 16 smartest kids in
the world in biology?
A: Not really. The other three
people from the U.S. had a lot
more experience, so I was just
trying to catch up with them
and match how much they knew.
It’s also a competition, so luck is
involved. A lot of the time you’re
half-guessing.
Q: If you could be any multicellular invertebrate, which
would you be?
A: Hmmm...I think I’d be a fly
so I could see the world from a
different view.
World, After All
By Cara Safon
The Samohi sat down with two foreign exchange students
attending Samo for the 2004-2005 school year, junior Franziska
Sieber of Stuttgart, Germany and senior José Davalos of Cueca,
Ecuador. Sieber and Davalos commented on the top three
differences they notice between the U.S. and their respective
countries.
1. Burger, Fries, and a Milk Shake
Sieber: “[In the U.S.], in the morning, breakfast is a heavier
meal...and [the U.S has] more microwaveable food.”
Davalos: “[In Ecuador,] everyday, the people eat rice and
soup.”
2. The Social Life
Sieber: “In Germany, if you don’t know someone, you don’t
say hello. [Here people are really friendly.]”
Davalos: “[Because we get out of school at 1p.m.],after school,
I eat lunch with my family.”
3. The School House Rock
Fun Fact: Both Sieber and Davalos mentioned that usually,
they stay with the same students the entire day in one classroom
and the teachers are the ones who move rooms between class
periods.
Sieber: “In Germany, you have one schedule for the whole
week...every day in a week is different, but every week is the
same.” (Sieber takes a whopping 13 classes in Germany.)
Note: If you want to celebrate the cultural differences between
different countries, go to E217 on Wednesdays for the Study
Abroad Club.
Samo By The Numbers:
Compiled by Ava Tramer
• Number of copies of A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael
Dorris sold at Dutton’s Brentwood Bookstore from May through
August, 2004: 100
• Number of copies of A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael
Dorris sold at Dutton’s Brentwood Bookstore during the month
of September 2004: 84
Wear The Samohi Newspaper!
By Eliza Smith
The Newspaper Hat has withstood the test of time with good
reason: not only are these little
beauties affordable and easy to
come by, but they’ll fit and flatter
the cranium of any newspaper
reader. Although their history is
somewhat debatable, their construction is undeniably simple.
Now you can read your newspaper and wear it too...
Step 1: Sizing: If your head is
on the larger side, use an entire
sheet of newspaper, with the two
pages connected at the middle. If
you’re more petite, use a single
piece.
Step 2: Fold your newspaper
in half width-wise.
Step 3: Fold the sheet in half
again and unfold. (This makes
a useful crease that’ll come in
handy.)
Step 4: Fold the top corners of
both layers of the sheet in towards
the center so they meet.
Step 5: Fold the bottom flaps
upward (this stabilizes your
hat by holding in the folded
corners).
Step 6: Turn your almostcompletely-constructed hat over,
repeat Step 5, and... Voila! You
have your very own Newspaper
Hat: wear it with pride.
Sports— Page 7 The Samohi October 8, 2004
Samo Football Back on Track with Two Wins
By Jonathan Lee
It was a good day for Samo
football.
After going 0-9-1 last season,
and seemingly continuing the losing trend this season with a loss
against West Torrance in their first
game, the Vikings bounced back
with a 20-7 victory against the
Palisades Dolphins on Sept. 17.
The win marked a point of
salvation for many of the team’s
older players, some of whom
had forgotten the priceless feel
of victory. “This was a redemption win. We’ve made mistakes
in the past, but we showed what
we could do here,” said senior
quarterback Kevin Poindexter.
The game also provided playing
time for some promising younger
players to shine, such as junior
runningback Michael Henley,
who established himself as a
powerful and agile runner who
has the potential to take over the
Samo ground game.
However, Samo was not so
fortunate the previous week.
Playing West Torrance, the only
team they tied against last season,
the Vikings knew they would
have to either step up or face the
embarrassment of losing to a team
that also went 0-9-1 last season.
The Warriors seemed to have the
game won from the start, scoring
on a long touchdown pass just
five minutes into the first quarter. The Vikings countered with
numerous long passes of their
own, but were ultimately unable
to convert on many of their scoring opportunities.
The 19-6 loss put the Vikings
on high alert. Practicing intensely
over the next week, the Vikings
got ready to face Pali, a team
featuring a strong running game.
Hoping to contain Dolphin running backs Andre Harris and
Anthony Anaebere, the Viking
defensive players got their game
on. Senior linebackers Freddy
Diaz and David Kim, along with
junior Robert Garcia, flew around
the field making big plays while
senior defensive linemen Keroni
Osazuwa and Devin Packard
used their six-foot, six-inch
frames to disrupt the flow of Pali’s
offensive attack.
On the other side of the ball,
Poindexter put on perhaps the
best performance of his career.
With three minutes left in the
first quarter, Poindexter called
a running play— for himself.
Smashing into numerous Pali
defensive players, Poindexter
scored on a short run. Samo
continued to lead the rest of the
way, with Poindexter completing
passes on the third down to keep
drives alive. Henley broke off an
impressive run in the middle of
the second quarter giving Samo
Girls Cross Country Going Strong
By Jonathan Lee
After finishing an impressive
season last year, the girls cross
country team is making strides
towards continuing its success.
With top-notch early-season
performances by numerous
athletes, the girls are poised
once again to compete for the
Ocean League title and CIF
championship.
Senior Co-Team Captain
Stephanie Thornton has consistently led the team with impressive performances. She took 14th
place at the competitive Seaside
Invitational on Sept. 10 and
followed that accomplishment
with second place at the Kenny
Staub Invitational on Oct. 2 with
a time of 20 minutes flat.
Head Coach Pat Cady is also
relying on some underclassmen to
help the team achieve its potential:
“I’m excited at the Varsity level.
[Junior] Alison Brown is new here;
she came up from JV last year and
ran a real good race.”
After losing some of last year’s
talented runners, Cady did not
have a large selection while choosing his lineup for the Kenny Staub
Invitational. However, all seven
runners at the varsity level ran the
3-mile course in under 25 minutes,
with another seven finishing under
that time on the junior varsity and
frosh/soph levels. “I figured
that we would be where we are,
which is leading in the league,
but I thought that we would have
[junior] Misty Goldenberg and
[sophomore] Sophie Abramowitz running very fast and helping
make for a better team. However,
we’ve gotten some good people
from losing those two from last
year,” said Cady.
The girls compete tomorrow
at the Central Park Invitational
in Huntington Beach and will
receive their second taste of CIF
competition at Kenneth Hahn
Park on Oct. 14. The girls have
the potential to be a dominant
Ocean League team.
Meet Samo’s New Athletic Director
With Big Plans, Douglas Kim
By Daniella Greenberg
the importance of bonding and
the connection between the coach
and the athlete. He said, “Coaches
have to care about who our athletes are, beyond the field. They
hope to accomplish? “I would
like to have more exposure for
our school in a positive way. This
After years as Samo’s Athletic
is our high school; we represent
Director, Mike Griswold retired
Santa Monica. We’re the biglast June from the position to make
gest school in the district.
way for the new director to
The community should
fill his shoes: Douglas Kim.
be proud of Samo and we
A History teacher by
should be proud to wear
trade and previously a woour colors,” he said. Samo,
mens basketball coach at
in Kim’s eyes, seems to be
Culver City and Cerritos
lacking that school pride.
High Schools, Kim led his
On that subject, Kim is
teams to many victories inglowing with ideas of how
cluding making CIF Finals
to improve the Viking spirit:
and defeating number one
“What would be my dream
teams before beginning work
is that every home game,
at UCLA for four years as its
regardless of the sport,
Assistant Recruiting Direcwould be sold out and we’d
tor. Now, Kim has decided
be screaming and drenched
to take that reputable record
in blue and gold.”
and expand it at Samo. But
Kim is currently teachwhy us? “I wasn’t going to
ing Freshman Seminar
leave [UCLA] just to go to
this year, which will allow
any school. Santa Monica
him to be in contact with
is a sleeping giant— it has
students not necessarily
the ability to have one of
involved in athletics, while
the best sports programs in
combining his love for the
the Southern section, hands
classroom, enabling him to
down,” Kim said.
Kim plans to bring even more Viking spirit accomplish his goal of inSince the summer, Kim
creasing our school’s presprepared for the upcoming to Samo.
ence at games and matches:
school year by meeting most
of Samo’s coaches and by
Photo by Max Jordan “I’d really like our student
body to come out and be
attending different practices,
even though his official work have to care about them in a way proud of our sports. That’s part
started Sept. 1. Thanks to his ob- that makes them more than just of what high school is about. It’s
servations, he already has a good the person in the jersey. I think about going to games, being with
idea of what to expect from the our coaches have that good con- your friends, about having school
spirit. I’m looking forward to a
coaches this year. Because he is a nection.”
So what does Kim immediately good school year.”
coach himself, Kim understands
a 13-0 lead.
The Vikings were more confident after the win heading into
the Sept. 24 game against Venice.
The Gondoliers, who came into
the game 0-2 after losing to the
about our offense because we’re
improving everyday.”
Hoping to improve their record to 2-2, the Vikings faced the
St. Monica Mariners on Oct. 1.
The Mariners, who beat Samo last
Vikings get ready to win the Santa Monica title against St.
Monica on Oct. 1.
Photo by Max Jordan
powerful Carson and Loyola
teams, let junior running back Ken
Ashley loose. Ashley scored three
touchdowns, despite the Samo
defensive players’ best efforts.
Although the 13-42 score may
indicate otherwise, Samo’s defensive efforts were strong. A few
crucial mistakes led to Venice’s
short-yardage scoring runs, and
the defensive line placed pressure
on senior Venice quarterback
Robert Ambers throughout the
game.
Senior receiver Oscar Benitez,
who scored one of Samo’s
two touchdowns, pointed to
turnovers as the reason for the
offense’s failure to produce.
Benitez said, “We just gave [the
game] away. You can’t expect
to win a game with so many
turnovers. Offensively we can
do as many things as possible,
but we were just restricted by
mental mistakes. I’m optimistic
year 19-15, presented a daunting
spread attack headed by senior
quarterback Mitch Smith. The
Viking defense, however, was
able to keep St. Monica under
wraps, limiting the Mariners to
just one touchdown. Meanwhile,
the Vikings found the end zone
four times, all off running plays.
Henley and fellow junior Daniel
Locke formed the backbone of
the Samo running game, running
behind a solid offensive line that
also allowed Poindexter to complete numerous passes.
With a 2-2 record overall, the
Vikings will compete to achieve
their first winning record in a
long time against Roosevelt.
The Vikings will rely on their
talented linebackers and defensive linemen to stop Roosevelt’s
run-oriented defense.
After a year of disappointment, it looks like the Vikings are
once again a competitive team.
Boys Waterpolo
Treading Steadily
By Analee Abbott
Only eight games into the
season, the boys water polo team
is off to a strong start.
The Greenies started out this
season with the Bell Gardens
Tournament. Winning their
first game, 11-2, against Valencia
High School, they continued that
same streak as they blew four
other teams out of the water,
beating Colony High School 112, Downey 14-11, and Flintridge
Prep 7-6. The Greenies suffered
a close loss during their game
against Bell Gardens with a final
scoreboard reading of 6-7. This
bad luck continued in their game
against Palos Verdes, when they
clocked in at 6-2. Regaining
their stride and enthusiasm, they
recovered from their losses and
beat their rival Peninsula with
an impressive 8-1 win. The
Greenies 6-2 record won them
second place in the tournament
and sets the stage for more intense action.
“We’re looking pretty good.
We’re definitely better then last
year...We have a lot of experienced players,” said senior
Greenie Charlie Glick. He seemed
to be confident in his team.
According to coach Matthew
Flanders, some key players wo
watch for are junior Adam Cline
who does the two meter set, junior
Sam Devorrs, who’s the two meter
guard, and senior Sammy Momin,
the team’s goalie.
“We have a really strong team
this year. It’s going to be a very
successful season. We hope to
win league and go far in CIF,”
said Flanders.
Sports
Samo Baseball’s
New Dynasty
By Wade Moody
If you visit the new baseball
coach’s office, you will be
surprised to find how spacious
and orderly everything is.
The floor once covered with
trash, dusty uniforms and
numerous pieces of equipment
now reveals a blue carpet.
You will also find a dedicated
coach who has been on the job
for only one month, but has
already made big plans for
the Samo baseball program.
Meet Baseball Coach Kevin
Brockway.
Coach Brockway started
his baseball career for North
Venice Little League and went
on to play for Venice High,
then for Santa Monica College
(SMC), and then West LA
College. From there he was
drafted in the fourth round by
the Detroit Tigers, but chose
instead to finish his education
at the University of Texas-Pan
American (UTPA), earning a
Bachelors of Science Degree
and a Minor in English. He
pitched a year in the San
Francisco Giants’ farm system,
but decided that the long
wait to get to the majors was
not worth it. “Money was a
lot different during the time I
played. My scout was awfully
upset when I told him I wasn’t
going back to spring training,
but I thought why spend 10
years in the minors waiting
to get to the majors when I
can make the money now,” he
said.
Brockway
made
the
transition to coaching baseball
by becoming assistant coach
at SMC. He was head coach
during his fourth year at
SMC, but the college dropped
baseball the following year,
prompting Brockway to take
the job of pitching coach for
UTPA for one year. As pitching
coach, Brockway made a huge
impact, lowering the team’s
ERA by 1.50 points. He then
became assistant coach for
Pepperdine University before
becomingVenice
High’s
Head
Assistant/Pitching
Coach.
Venice won three
consecutive Western League
Championships
during
Brockway’s last three years
before coming to Samo.
Brockway has high hopes
for Samo’s baseball field. He
has made a wish list of field
additions which he feels
will draw out-of-state teams
to come and play in big
tournaments. “It’s the best
facility west of La Cienega,
north of the airport, and south
of the valley.” On Brockway’s
wish list is a baseball clubhouse
with bathrooms between the
dugout and stands, padding on
the wood behind home plate,
an enclosed hitting screen for
batting practice on the field, a
snack bar and an observation
deck behind home plate for
scouts and score keepers.
“There are a lot of possibilities
here for a great high school
facility,” said Brockway.
Brockway brought three
other coaches to the Varsity
staff: Coach Damon Farmar,
Coach Chris Brennon, and
Coach Paul Casillas, all
specializing in different areas
of baseball. Brockway plans to
run his practices identically to
college, which means rotations
through different stations.
Senior slugger Cody Decker
looks forward to the upcoming
season
under
Brockway.
“Everyone loves him, everyone
thinks he’s an awesome coach.
He’s a good guy to be around,
he gives us a good attitude and
he seems like a guy you want
to play for,” said Decker.
Volleyball Looks to Bright Future
and zero errors. Junior Laura Myman
demonstrated her defensive abilities
with nine digs. Sato, however, exLast year the Samo girls volleypected more from the whole defense.
ball team wrapped up the season
with a disappointing 4 – 8 overall
“There was a lack of communication
record. Coach Liane Sato, however,
and position on defense. Instead of
is excited this season with
staying in our zones,
a more aggressive, expeweʼre just doing a free
rienced, and competitive
for all some of the
team. This could be the
girls are going where
girls’ pivotal year.
ever they feel like they
The team’s fourth-year
should be.”
veterans, senior hitters
The defense adMilan Clarke and Akilah
justed Sept. 28, as
Bledsoe and senior setter
Lipka and Jacobs conJade Chacon, have put up
trolled
the back floor
incredible numbers in the
aiding
the
team to an
past but have never made it
intense
3
–
2 victory
to CIF. This year, however
against an El Segunthe Lady Spikers feature
do team assisted by
a strong all around team
an extremely rowdy
that with the threesomes’
crowd. A dense crowd
guidance, has a strong
of El Segundo fans
possibility of going to
CIF. Senior Casey Lipka
crowded the court inand junior Lizzy Jacobs
side the small gym and
provide a solid foundaviolently pounded the
tion for defense. Their
floor cheering on their
quickness and accurate
team as El Segundo
passing assist the team’s
lead 9 - 4 in the decidunstoppable offense. As
ing game. Chacon
Clarke has switched from
saved the Lady Spikmiddle blocker to outside
ers from a near defeat
hitter, senior Traci McHugh
as she served four
and junior Roxanne White
crucial aces. White
have adjusted well to the
showed
consistency at
new position. Junior Marla
middle
blocker
as she
Senior
Milan
Clarke
demonstrates
her
volleyball
Kabashima gives the team
totaled
six
kills
for
her
strong offensive support at prowess.
second game in a row.
opposite hitter along with
Photo by Wade Moody
Sophomore Joanne
Lipka. Clarke has high
hopes for this years team and sali- together.” Chacon added, “We Kubalski started the first two games
vates at the thought of going to CIF. played some really good teams and as the team setter and demonstrated
“It would be a great way to finish beat them so now our confidence excellent passing control. Despite the
my career as a Samo volleyball is higher than ever because we’ve aggressive crowd, the girls kept their
never really had that level of suc- cool. “It was really intense. We could
player,” said Clarke.
On Sept. 18, the team went 4 – 1 cess before.”
feel the floor moving but we stayed
and placed third among 25 teams
The Lady Spikers added to their calm and really picked it up to pull
in a North Venice tournament. The confidence as they breezed by Pali- off the win,” said Bledsoe.
Lady Spikers had a tough loss in sades 3 – 0 on Sept. 21. Palisades
It has been 5 years since the girls
the semifinals as the second place could not find a way to circumvent the volleyball team went to CIF. With
finisher, Brentwood, won by two onslaught of Bledsoeʼs and Clarkeʼs the agressive competitive play the
points. Sato was pleased with the kills assisted by a good mixture of
Lady Spikers have a chance to stop
team’s performance. “We looked sets by Chacon. Bledsoe had 17 kills
the drought.
By Wade Moody
more aggressive and competitive
than last year,” said Sato. Chacon
reflected on the tournament: “The
team is really gelling. Not only
have all the players improved individually, but we’ve really come
Girls Tennis Sets Sights on Making Playoffs
By Marissa Silverman
The Samo girls tennis team is
prepared and eager to uphold
its title as the Ocean League
Champion. With the returning
expertise of senior teammates,
the new freshman talent of
Anastasia Sonkina, and the help
of Coach Antonio Robertson, the
Lady Netters are ready to take
the championship home once
again.
The race to the title began on
Sept. 14 against Agoura Hills,
in a non-league practice match
which ended in a close but
disappointing 8 - 10 defeat. “In
a race to 10 you usually win,”
said Robertson, “but we figured
out a way to lose nine out of the
next 12 sets, which didn’t exactly
make me very happy.” Robertson
summed up the game by stating,
“I strongly feel we would have
beaten [Agoura Hills] if we had
our top players playing.” Lauren
Berkman, a senior singles player,
agreed with Robertson when she
said that “We need to harness
our efforts... since our main
players are gone.”
Unfortunately, two of whom
Robertson considers to be his
“leading players” are injured,
including sophmore Savannah
Yeh. Yeh, who helped lead her
team to victory last season,
will be out for an indefinite
period due to a fractured back.
The singles player has been
described by Robertson as “One
of the best, if not the best player
on the team,” and he adds that,
“We hope to have her back at
the end of the season, or use her
sparingly.”
The second non-league game
on Sept. 21 against Malibu,
ended in a loss of 6-12. Abbie
Zaretsky, a sophmore doubles
player, mentioned yet another
setback to the teams season.
“Our team has to adjust to the
new line up, so we’re not quite
on top of our game.” Senior CoCaptain Jasmine Vasquez adds
that, “The doubles teams are not
set, so it’s hard to find people
who work well together.”
The official season of league
games began on Sept. 23 against
Morningside High School, a
match that Robertson wanted to
“start off on the right note,” and
Zaretsky “expected to win.” The
Lady Netters came back with a
strong line up winning 17-1.
On Sept. 28, the ladies
took on Inglewood in their
competitor, Beverly Hills, in a
2-16 defeat. Senior Co-Captain
Alex Khoury concludes that,
“Last year the team had a lot
Alex Khoury gets ready to put some “umph” into her game.
Photo by Wade Moody
second league game, coming out
on top once again at 17-1. This
winning streak, however, was
soon interrupted by anticipated
more confidence, and this year
our overall moral is low, so our
game is not at its best.” Khoury
believes that the team will only
make playoffs if each individual
team member makes the extra
effort to improve their game,
and gives it their all.
Although some teammates
may have their doubts, Vasquez
is
confident
that
despite
hardships the Lady Netters may
face, “We want to keep a positive
attitude, keep our game up,
and keep [our] focus.” With an
exciting season ahead, the girls
are keeping their spirits high,
and ready to take on a challenge.
Robertson expresses a team
consensus: “My goal right now
is to make playoffs and finish in
the top three. Anything better
than that will be gravy.”