May 3, 2007

MY TURN: Blind Allegiance
Special Report: School Safety
Page 3
Page 5
Track Hopes to Rebound
Page 8
On the Internet:
www.samohi.smmusd.org/thesamohi
Circulation: 3,600
COLUMN ONE:
Say Cheese!
By Erin Nadel
Vol. XCVI No. 13 May 3, 2007
Roberts Shares Little Rock Nine Experiences
Sports Editor
Junior Devon Weiss recently flew to Texas over spring
break, all expenses paid, to
model for Abercrombie and
Fitch. A year ago Miss Jay Alexander, a judge on the hit CW
television show America’s Next
Top Model, discovered Weiss.
She was backstage on the set
of American Idol when Miss Jay
asked for her phone number and
took a picture.
“I never considered being
a model before because I was
never really skinny, only tall,”
said Weiss. Miss Jay tried to
recruit Weiss for his show,
but she was only 14-yearsold at the time and Top Model
contestants must be at least
18-years-old. Miss Jay gave
Weiss the number of a modeling
agency. “I called the next day
and had an appointment with
them within a week or two,”
said Weiss. “When I went to the
appointment they told me to
lose weight and come back.”
Weiss was told to lose an
inch off her waist and to tone her
legs. Before going to the agency
Weiss had never exercised.
“Girls do ridiculous things to
loose the weight,” Weiss said,
“but I went to the gym.” Weiss
now measures at 34’’ chest, 24’’
waist, 34’’ hips and is 5’10.5.”
Weiss said of the modeling
industry: “I would love to be
a model as a career. It’s good
money.” In her recent job, Abercrombie and Fitch campaign
“August Back to School 2007,”
Weiss was paid $1,500 a day on
working days and $750 everyday she was on set not modeling.
Although Weiss plans to continue in the industry, she feels:
“Modeling is definitely not for
everyone. It’s a really bad environment...You have to be able
to take criticism about the way
you look and your body.”
Weiss hopes to model for
Vogue Italy next. She summed
up, “I just love pictures—looking at them and taking them.”
By Jade Kedrick and
Leah Robinson
Staff Writers
On April 26, Dr. Terrence
Roberts, one of the nine black
students integrated into all-white
Central High School in Li�le Rock,
Arkansas in 1957, visited the Samo
campus during periods 5 and 6.
Civil Rights club advisor Michael
Felix, club co-presidents Allegra
die!” He decided to stay at Central
because it was the, “right thing
to do.”
Roberts was taught at a young
age that hatred should not be
part of his life. His bravery and
strength inspired many students
at the assemblies. “The students
stood up and applauded him,”
says Sophomore Rosie AchornRubenstien. “I’ve never seen
anything like that happen at Samo.
[Dr. Terrence Roberts] was truly
inspirational.” He le� students
with a word of advice on schooling: “Education is simply learning
what the opportunities are in the
universe… You get an education
to know what opportunities are
out there for you.”
Photo by Maisy Bragg
Martinez Replaces Esseln As H-House Principal
By Gabrielle Hernandez
Staff Writer
Stephen Martinez has
accepted an interim position
as H-House Principal a�er the
mid-year departure of former
H-House Principal Ruth Esseln.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
School District (SMMUSD)
Superintendent Dianne Talarico,
“felt that this is a critical time for
high school students with testing
and it’s not a timely period to train
a new principal,” so she asked the
veteran administrator to take on
the position.
Part of the Viking legacy,
Martinez graduated from Samo
in 1968, as did his mother in
1940. A former classmate of
English teacher Berkeley Blatz and
substitute teacher Rufus Baker,
Martinez said, “Walking through
the halls brings back memories.”
A�er graduating from the
University of San Francisco,
Martinez came back to SMMUSD,
where he has spent more than
30 years in education. Martinez
served as principal of Edison
Elementary School for eight
years before leaving to direct the
Adult Education Center. Martinez
also taught at both Will Rogers
Elementary School and Madison
Elementary School.
Thus far, Martinez has been,
“impressed with the H-House staff
and with the level of instruction
that goes on here.” He added that
since his days in high school, Samo
has become “a lot more fun,” but
seems to serve the same cookies
and pizza as he ate in the 1960’s.
“It makes me feel at home,” joked
Martinez.
Photo by Jesse Grebler-Hull
Samo Installs
Security Gate
By Chelsea Rinnig
Opinion Editor
and Nora Casey
Campus Life Editor
A black wrought-iron
gate was erected surrounding
rooms B206 and B207 in the
Business Building on April
18, following Spring Break,
to blockade the alcove during
non-school hours.
Principal Hugo Pedroza
authorized gate construction
prior to Spring Break when
English teachers Berkeley
Blatz and Eleanor Bloom discovered feces in front of their
classroom doors on multiple
occasions. “ I wanted to make
sure we fixed the problem
immediately…it’s unhealthy
and it’s unsafe,” Pedroza
explained.
The Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)
funded the $2,000 project
and the gate was installed
in the morning, before late
start. The gate is opened at
about 6:30 a.m. every morning. Bloom, Blatz, or a custodian locks it in the early
evening.
“So far it seems to be a
deterrent,” English teacher
Eleanor Bloom reflected on
the gate’s effectiveness. “As
far as I know, it has only
been in place for one or two
weekends. Both Mondays I
haven’t noticed any evidence
that people have urinated.
Based on that, it seems to be
discouraging that activity.”
Poet Laureate Al Young Reads to Samo Students
By Zoe Young
chorus of the jazz song “April in
Paris” so that his audience would
Staff Writer
understand the poem’s inspiration.
The poem characterized his
On April 26, 2007, the Poet
Parisian experience on a very
Laureate of California, Al Young,
personal level. It spoke of his
read his works to a Samo library
interactions with one woman in
packed with over 100 students.
one moment.
Young opened the last of
According to Young, “all of
four a�ernoon sessions with an
the
other
arts are comprised of
explanation of the meaning of
poetry.” He went on to explain
“Poet Laureate.” “The tradition
that poetry can dance and paint
comes from ancient Greece and
a picture and sculpt and be
Rome,” said Young. “They would
as rhythmic and musical as a
crown the best poet with laurel
drum circle. “Poetry teaches us
[leaves from the laurel tree which
language that engages,” said
signified high status]. The
Young. He closed by saying:
By
Carl
Nunziato
,
Staff
Writer
Poet Laureate was expected
“Once a poem is wri�en,
to compose poems for
and Matt Weber, Outreach Coordinator
it no longer belongs to
special occasions.” Al
the author. It’s what
• oris Yeltsin, Russia’s first democratically elected president, passed away at
Youngwasappointed
you make of it that
the age of 76. Yeltsin’s controversial presidency began following the collapse of the Soviet
by Governor
Union.
He
struggled
to
convert
Russia’s
economy
to
capitalism
and
repair
relations
with
the
ma�ers.”
Schwarzenegger,
United States (Boston Globe).
a ceremony
which he
•
group of European scientists have discovered the first Earth-like planet outside of our solar system.
described as
Photo by
The
planet,
which was found about 20 lightyears away in the Gliese 581 system, has temperatures that range
“slightly less
J e s s e
from
32
to
104
degrees
Fahrenheit
and
has
a
diameter
about
1.5
times
that
of
Earth’s
(Reuters).
glamorous”
Greblerthan the
• overnor Schwarzenegger has threatened to sue the Federal Environmental Protection Agency if they do
Hull
G r e e k
not grant the California government power to enforce stricter regulations on carbon emissions from cars (Los
tradition.
Angeles Times).
I
n
Yo u n g ’s • he “Worlds Worst Dad” has been apprehended in Mexico a�er more than a year on the run. Byron Keith Perkins
o p i n i o n , was temporarily transferred from a North Carolina jail to a medical facility in January 2006 so he could donate a
poetry is a
kidney to his ailing son. Once at the medical facility, Perkins fled, leaving his ailing son to die (CNN).
healing force
that helps
humans to
cope with
a frenzied
w o r l d :
“ Po e t r y i s
our oldest
language.
If anything,
it can help
us through
this chaotic
B
A
G
T
Courtesy of Devon Weiss
Fonda-Bonardi and Analee Abbo� and I-House principal Eva
Mayoral worked together to plan
this I-House sponsored event. A
short clip from Eyes on the Prize
followed an hour-long “Q and A”
session in which students could
speak directly to Roberts.
In the summer of 1957, Arkansas made plans to desegregate
public schools. Originally, 150
black students signed up for this
opportunity, but due to threats
and actual violence, only nine
entered Central High on the first
day of the school year, greeted by
intense hatred and racism from
fellow students and teachers.
“Every second I was [at Central]
I wanted to drop out. I had never
been so scared in my entire life. I
was so afraid, I thought I would
Published Biweekly
situation.”
The first poem
of the reading
was entitled
“A p r i l i n
Paris,” from
Young’s book
The Sound
of Dreams
Remembered.
Before he
began to read,
he sang the
World News Top Four
Page 2
OPINION
Mass Media Exploitation is Harmful to America
By Jennifer Galamba
Ad Editor
On April 16, one disturbed college student’s rampage cut short
33 lives--but instead of properly
mourning the innocent victims, it
seems we are too busy focusing on
the killer, Seung-Hui Cho. Cho’s
face, thanks to the media frenzy
a�er the tragedy, is permanently
etched into the collective American conciousness a�er disturbing
and hateful images were broadcasted non-stop in the days following the shooting. Members of
the media swamped the campus,
interviewing grieving students at
every chance possible, even during a religious service for those
lost. The media’s exploitation of
the worst massacre in American
history is disrespectful, and only
detracts from the grieving process
as a whole.
Cho’s disturbing tirade included pictures of himself with
guns, a 23-page suicide note, and
a video that blamed everything
from religion to wealthy students
for his unhappiness. As a nation,
we all are mourning for the 33
lives lost. It is almost impossible
to cope when hateful and chilling
videos from the killer are on the
Internet, on the radio, and on television every time we turn around.
How can family and friends of the
victims heal when they see their
loved one’s murderer every time
they check the weather? They
can’t. In fact, they were so frustrated and upset by the continual
playing of the tape, the victim’s
families refused an interview on
NBC’s “The Today Show”, when
NBC became the first network
to broadcast the footage. As The
Chronicle of Higher Education
aptly described: “Cho, in death,
Worth
the
Wait?
By Sarah DeRemer
Freshmen: Get Ahead
By Leah Robinson
Staff Writer
By the time you are a freshman
in high school, you are probably
aware of your likes and dislikes,
the way you learn best, and what
extracurricular activities interest you. You know your overall
personality, or at least have a
general idea.
So, as a freshman, it should be
easy to start thinking about colleges. I’m not saying that every 12 and
13 year-old should start signing
up for Ivy-league tours or spend
countless hours online at college
web sites reviewing admission
requirements. I do believe, however, that it’s important to launch
your college search early. Ge�ing
an early start allows you to have
more freedom throughout your
high school career. If you have a
general idea of what kind of school
you wish to a�end, you can map
out your next four years and take
the necessary courses, ge�ing a
head start on the process. For
example, if you know you want
to make sculptures, you can skip
over the UC requirements in
search of a more alternative school
that fits your interests. This way,
your senior year, you won’t be
cramming in two math classes,
an a�er school arts course, and a
foreign language in order to meet
the requirements for your “dream
school.”
In the past two years, colleges
have reported the lowest percentage of accepted students in history. If you start earlier, you can
beat the odds and be one of the
accepted students. Colleges especially like students who already
know what they want in life and
what particular schools will be a
be�er match for them. With the
extra time to meditate on what
schools would be a be�er match
for you, you will undoubtedly
write stronger, focused college
essays and increase your chances
for an admission. It works out
be�er for everybody.
Take a light-hearted approach,
however, to an early college
search. You still have time, so don’t
stress one bad grade; colleges
like to see improvement. When
looking at colleges as a freshman,
focus on personality rather than
academics. You have your junior
year to worry about top choices;
just get a general idea. Remember:
the point of an early college search
is to reduce the stress later on, not
to induce the stress earlier.
is taking everyone hostage by his
videos.” By bombarding their audience
w i t h
t h e
kill-
e r ’s
d e praved
rants the
media is insuring that Cho will be
the only loss remembered from the
Virginia Tech massacre. Although
harsh criticism has forced the net-
works to remove the video from
their broadcasts, the damage has
been done. Thanks to the media’s
interference, the memories of innocent bystanders will be long
forgo�en before that of a mass
murderer. This fact is disgraceful,
and has only further shocked and
outraged grieving Americans.
Not only did the extensive
coverage of the tragedy disturb
America as a whole, but has
inspired thousands of a�entionstarved students to make similar
threats of violence. In the days
a�er the tradegy, a man in Northern California threatened to “go
on a rampage that would make
the Virginia Tech tragedy ‘look
mild.’” (latimes.com).
Since the tragedy, reporters
have swarmed the Virginia Tech
campus on a daily basis, shamelessly exploiting the school’s
grief. One student expressed his
frustration: “How can one pray
when a strange man is poking a
camera in your face and holding
a boom microphone over your
head?” (abcnews.com) The intrusive manner in which the media
is covering the rampage is causing more hindrance than help to
a school that desperately needs
to heal. The fact that the media
is present everywhere from
the crime scene to a memorial
service only deprives students
of personal time to handle their
loss, without the entire nation’s
focus.
In a time of crisis, Americans
will always be tranfixed by the
news. Television networks,
newspapers, and magazines do
not need to resort to immorality to engage an audience and
increase viewership. There is a
fine line between covering a story
and exploiting a catastrophe.
The proposal of adding a field
on the adjacent corner of the Civic
Center’s property is also a necessity.
When sports seasons overlap, as
they o�en do at a school such as
Samo where post-season participation is expected, current field space
must be divided among football,
soccer, baseball and track teams,
between boys’ and girls’ squads,
and Marching Band. Cramped
areas also compromise safety; two
months ago, shared field space
between baseball players and discus throwers resulted in a serious
injury. Since one of Measure BB’s
priorities is to improve the safety of
SMMUSD’s students, School Board
members should jump at the opportunity to solve this problem.
Although the district’s concerns
about parking and academic resources are legitimate, the $100,000
needed to repair the track would
hardly make a dent in a Measure
such as BB which includes the potential for $1 billion in total improvements.Additionally, raising the track
and installing parking underneath
is part of an all-encompassing plan
that is long overdue. However, fixing the image and safety problems
require a sense of urgency and are
easily within the School Board’s
power and budget.
Each Samo student uses the
athletic facilities to fulfill a 2-year
P.E. requirement, and 883 athletes
and 120 members of Marching
Band and Color Guard are using
athletic facilities to pursue extracurricular interests. Furthermore,
over one-quarter of the district’s
students currently a�end Samo,
and if the enrollment disparity
between Malibu High and Samo
continues, the vast majority of
the students currently enrolled
in the district’s elementary and
middle schools will benefit from
athletic facility upgrades when
a�ending Samo in the future.
Many outside athletic organizations such as Pop Warner and the
Santa Monica United Soccer Club
also use Samo’s facilities.
All things considered, the
Facilities Master Plan, which will
govern Measure BB spending
over the next 20 years, comes
to the School Board for review
next month. Until then, it is imperative that students and parents
demand that athletic facilities
receive the a�ention they deserve.
As athletes, we take pride in
representing Samo. It is only fair
that the School Board provide
facilities of which we can be
equally proud.
away from home!” and, more
uncommonly but not unheard of,
“I’m sacrificing my first born child
to Souplantation!”
Despite what all you Souplan-
to food that actually tastes good.
The variety of the menu, and specifically its “multi-cultural” options
are arguments that have o�en been
made in the plantation’s favor. With
such ethnic items as “Won
Ton Chicken Happiness,” and
“Joan’s Broccoli Madness” I
would rather avoid this so
called culture, mostly because
it sounds fairly similar to what
put my grandmother in a
wheelchair.
So, for those of you that are
disgusted by of steaming vats
of soup that evoke memories
of your elementary school cafeteria,
for those of you who support eating
until you’re full instead of eating
until you vomit, and for those of you
who are angered by hymns of praise
lavished upon Souplantation, keep
in mind that you are not alone.
Athletes Deserve Measure BB Funds
By Emily Foshag
Editor-in-Chief
When you question why the
Drake Pool’s closure by the Health
Department last fall led to no renovations, or why inadequate cushioning
on the track raises few red flags, the
answer is always the same—lack of
funding. But, following the approval
of Measure BB last November, the
Santa Monica Malibu Unified School
District (SMMUSD) has $268 million
to spend on updating and repairing
facilities. Lack of funding is no longer an excuse for the state of Samo’s
athletic facilities.
While Barnum Hall accurately
represents our esteemed music
program, the athletic facilities on
campus do not do Samo athletes
justice. The South Gymnasium
is an embarrassment. How can
swimmers and water polo players
represent Samo to the best of their
abilities when their locker room is
regularly shut down due to mold
problems? Athletes should not
have to run on an inadequately
cushioned track any more than
tennis players should have to
play on courts that have not been
resurfaced since their installation.
Measure BB funding can alleviate
these, and other, concerns.
Some Salad With Your E.Coli?
By Sophia Young
Copy Editor
Souplantation: home of the
“healthy” all you can eat buffet,
and mysterious strains of the
stomach flu that you didn’t even
know existed.This unholy empire of soups, sandwiches, and
germ-ridden salad bars is now
connected to outbreaks of food
poisoning in Orange County.
Victims of the E.coli strain in
question were said to have
eaten at the same Souplantation
between March 23 and 25. Food
poisoning aside, the question arises:
Why would anyone be there in the
first place? Every time Souplantation
comes up as a topic of conversation,
I find myself surrounded by various
declarations like: “I love Souplantation!”, “Souplantation is my home
tation fans may believe, there are
in fact those of us who may think
this Mecca of soups, salads and
more is not all that it’s cracked up
to be. While the idea of a practically
unlimited menu may be appealing
to some, I am much more drawn
Opinion—Page 3 The Samohi May 3, 2007
Hunting Season
MyTurn: History Matters
Needed for Gators
By Henry Gruber
By Charlie Paris
Sports Editor
The Gators are running wild,
and with the passing of Steve Irwin, who’s there to stop them?
The University of Florida Division I men’s athletic program is
unstoppable, snatching up every
major championship the y can get
their hands on, and it looks like
there is no end in sight.
The Florida football team
capped their championship winning season with a 41-14 rout over
the favored and undefeated Ohio
St. Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl
on Jan. 8. Then, on April 2, the
Florida men’s basketball team
finished the season once again on
top, which made Florida the first
school to win both the football and
basketball championship in the
same academic year. A�er easily
defeating UCLA by 16 points in
last year’s finals, the same Gators
held off Ohio State en route to an
easy 84-75 victory to become the
first team ever to win back-to-back
titles with the same starting five.
This brings Florida’s con-
secutive major championships
to three, and makes the school
a multi-sport dynasty. Similarly,
while UCLA posted seven consecutive national championships
under the direction of John
Wooden from 1967-1973, millions
of viewers tuned in to watch the
games, waiting, wishing and
watching to see if the mighty
Bruins would ever fall.
Now, we’re waiting. Can anyone stop the Florida Gators? The
Buckeyes tried to stop them twice,
but proved to be no match and
became the first school to lose both
the football and basketball championship in the same season—to
the same team no less.
But if not Ohio State, then
who? Someone needs to step up
and defeat the Florida Gators,
because watching the same team
hoist the championship trophy
year a�er year lacks excitement.
Someone needs to end Florida’s
reign, and give the sporting world
a new champion.
There’s a new casting for the
job of Crocodile Hunter, and applications are out.
France Needs to Get Real
By Evan Perkins
Staff Writer
The upcoming French presidential election begs the question:
who cares? What does it ma�er to
the average American who wins?
More than you think, as it turns
out. The results of this election will
not only determine the future of
France and Europe, but also the
relationship that the United States
will be able to have with the land
of bague�es and berets.
The two candidates, Nicolas
Sarkozy and Segolene Royal,
have very different views of the
world. Royal (the socialist) is
vehemently anti-American and
has compared Israel’s occupation
of Palestine to the Nazis occupying France, in addition to such
other faux pas as praising China’s
brutal justice system. On the other
hand, Sarkozy (the conservative),
has acknowledged that France
needs to mend broken fences with
the United States and pursue a
foreign policy beyond disagreeing with whatever America is
doing.
He is also far more on the
mark when it comes to economics.
Royal wants to expand France’s
already bloated welfare state by
reducing the already miniscule
work week and raising the already
high minimum wage, making
France an even worse place to
do business than it already is.
Sarkozy, on the other hand, wants
to a�ract business to France by
making the darn place competitive to companies, and by actually
trying to eliminate some of the fat
from France’s massive and inefficient public sector. Perhaps a bit
heartless, but at this point, France
needs something drastic.
France has the second largest
economy in continental Europe,
making the wealth and prosperity of the rest of Europe dependent on France performing well
economically. With a nearly 10
percent unemployment rate and
continuing GDP growth decline,
it’s safe to say that things aren’t
going well. If France wants to stay
a first world country and a real
player in global politics, they’ll
be wise to elect Sarkozy.
Junior, Co-Editor, The Grip
Doctorine
According to its mo�o, Los
Alamos, New Mexico, is “where
discoveries happen.” What Los
Alamos prides itself on is the
discovery of the Atomic Bomb.
In the town’s museum, I watched
a video entitled, “World War 2:
Fight For Our Freedom.” Unfortunately, this movie, although
filled with patriotic footage of
American soldiers, left out a
key part of the war. It failed
to mention the Russians, who,
not the U.S.A., defeated Nazi
Germany. Contrary to what the
film implied, it was the Russians,
a�er suffering over 23 million
Staff Writer
Administrators and teachers
at Samo o�en brag about the
school’s huge size and diversity.
But it becomes very easy to
miss out on these two aspects
entirely, especially now that the
administration has canceled
the remaining pep rallies this
year.
Students o�en never, because of their own insecurities,
take the opportunity to interact
with other pupils from different
cliques or grades. Since most high
schoolers go through life habitually Samo begins to seem like it’s
made up of the same faces.
However, when the pep rallies
were still incorporated into the
Samo agenda, there was a chance
for students to actually associate
with other peers, not just their
private social factions. During the
rallies, one could turn to anyone,
no ma�er what social group, and
share in a laugh at their peers’
foolish behavior on stage. Pep
rallies created a shared bond that
all students, not just the athletic,
druggy, or nerdy ones, could
experience together. Seeing the
school’s massive student body in
one place allows students to get
an understanding of the size and
diversity this school has to offer.
While detractors often say
a lone superpower. We cannot
brush over the reason for America’s greatness: cooperation. It is
videos like the one at Los Alamos
and the ideas they (mis)represent
that lead us into our situation today. Scientists won a war through
unity and togetherness. To allow
their memories to blind us to
the lessons of that war and lead
us into war today is a disgrace
to them and to ourselves. As
Manha�an Project leader R. Oppenheimer said, “The peoples
of this world must unite or they
will perish. This war, that has
ravaged much of the earth, has
wri�en these words.” In today’s
world, as much if not more than
the past, this holds true, in peace
as much as in war.
Final Word: Mind Your Business
By Jackie Berkman
Opinion Editor
Pretend you’re an
upperclassman, coasting
within the walls of your
high school, ready to move
on. No longer do you have
to pay a�ention in class,
at last you don’t have to
pretend like you actually
c a r e . Yo u ’r e e x c i t e d
about your future and
wondering: “Could things
get any be�er?”
And the answer is yes.
Yes they could. Because
while this is undeniably
an exciting time, it’s also
a time filled with lots of
changes. And with lots of
changes come questions.
Lots of questions. Basically,
a ridiculous amount of
questions. People seem
to have exchanged such
common courtesies such
as “Hello,” and “How are
you?” with “Where are
you going to college? who
are you going to prom
with? What are you doing
with your life?” and, with
the particularly curious,
Pep Rallies Necessary for School Unity
By Michael Bromberg
dead, who captured Berlin. The
U.S. never got close. We learn
this in our history textbooks,
but it’s nowhere to be found at
the Los Alamos museum. This
lapse should show us all how
vitally important history is in our
modern world. This idea that the
U.S. can and does succeed when
it goes it alone leads us to our
current situation. We are, like the
U.S. soldiers in the documentary,
alone. Unfortunately, today we
no longer have the “invisible”
hand of the U.S.S.R. sweeping
back our foes. Instead, we are
alone in Iraq. This is why history
is vital. To understand America’s
place in the world, we cannot
allow ourselves the comfort of
a history edited to depict us as
pep rallies are simply an outlet
for students to abuse alcohol,
the truth is, students are going
to drink and do drugs with or
without pep rallies. According to
M-House counselor Cam-an Vo
there have been many drug and
alcohol related suspensions as of
late. M-House principal Becky
Romano recently had to warn
seniors that the administration
takes these offenses seriously.
Obviously, alcohol is a problem,
and ge�ing rid of pep rallies is
not the solution.
Administrators, bring back
the pep rallies; they are not
privileges, but rather rights. Every
student has the right to know he
is a part of something bigger than
just the baseball team, the Black
Student Union, or even the class
of ‘07. Each student is a part of
Samo, a great school that all of
us should be proud of.
“Where do you see yourself
in twenty years?” These
questions buzz within the
walls of Samo; they echo,
and the echo sounds like
this: ”Whereareyougoing
tocollegehowaboutproma
ndwhataboutyourlifegoal
sandhowabou�wentyyea
rsfromnow?”
This would give anyone
a migraine. Or at least it
gives me a migraine, and
I’m not even headache
prone. At least I’m not a
junior anymore, when SAT
scores are exchanged more
frequently than herpes.
The truth is, SAT scores
don’t even matter after
graduation
Of course we all want
to know about each
other’s plans (if, for no
other reason, we’ll have
something to say when
we’re standing around
awkwardly at our 10 year
high school reunion while
a bad band is playing),
but please, for a moment,
relax. It’s hard to coast
when you’re being asked
too many questions.
Have an Opinion? Submit a MyTurn or Letter to the
Editor via e-mail to [email protected].
Submissions Due: May 24 and June 7
Editor-in-Chief..................Emily Foshag
Managing Editor..............Analee Abbott
News Editor........................Molly Strauss
Opinion Editors............Jackie Berkman
Chelsea Rinnig
Feature Editor...........Marissa Silverman
Special Report Editor.....Jeremy Tramer
Campus Life Editor..............Nora Casey
Sports Editors........................Erin Nadel
Charlie Paris
Photo Editor...............Samantha Walters
Ad Editor....................Jennifer Galamba
Copy Editors.....Saba Boradeh-Hamedy
Sophia Young
Art Editor.......................Sarah DeRemer
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Adviser...............................Kathleen Faas
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Published biweekly during the school
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of Santa Monica High School, 601
Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA.
90405. Unsigned editorials reflect the
opinions of the staff. Signed editorials
represent the opinions of the writer.
Staff
Zoey Baldwin, Hannah Bernstein,
Maisy Bragg, Michael Bromberg,
Sam Cotten, Aaron Eslamboly, Henry
Garf, Jessica Gerhardt, Owen Gorman,
Gabrielle Hernandez, Jacquelyn Hoffman, Jesse Grebler-Hull, Kevin Katz,
Jade Kedrick, Vincent Lai, Tina Naderi,
Carl Nunziato, Evan Perkins, Bennett Rankin, Anthony Ramirez, Leah
Robinson, Danielle Worthy, Natalie
Yadegar, Zoe Young
FEATURE
Page 4
“Celebrities” : Get Over Yourself, Or Get Your Own Show
By Jackie Berkman
Opinion Editor
It seems that these days, the
only ingredients one needs to
make one’s own television show
is a pulse and a somewhat decent
sense of humor. And even that’s
stretching it. The sudden and
startling web of sitcoms that have
cropped up on such networks as
MTV, E! Entertainment, Vh1, and
Comedy Central share nothing
in common but a host who suffers from chronic narcissism. Oh,
and of course us, the viewers,
who have nothing better to do
but watch their every mundane
move. Let’s take a look at a few:
The Andy Milonakis Show
(MTV): In retrospect, the opening song lyrics “I’ve got bees on
my head but don’t call me a bee
head” were probably a warning
sign for what was to come. What
was this show, exactly, but a 30
year old man posing as a thirteen
year old and harassing innocent
(and often elderly) pedestrians
on the streets of New York City?
Some may call
this humor, but
I call it a video
camera and a ridiculously lucky
break on MTV.
The Chelsea
Handler Show (E!
Entertainment):
For those of you
who don’t know,
Chelsea Handler
often
provides
commentary on
Vh1’s Best Week
Ever. Often her
remarks
are
slightly
humorous— a little chuckle here and there, a “ha
ha” at another stupid move Britney Spears made. But then, all
of a sudden, Handler went from
making satirical remarks on pop
culture to chronicling the day to
day events of her life, often while
stumbling around pretending to
be drunk. This doesn’t seem fair.
If I stumble around and pretend
Staff Writer
from being anything
more than a tourist trap.
Los Angeles is
probably the world
capital of sushi (outside of Japan, that is,
and maybe New York).
Unfortunately, sushi is
quite expensive. Where
is a cash strapped student to go for his raw
seafood fix? Fortunately, here are a few
places to get sushi that
won’t break the bank
or (hopefully) the gastro-intestinal system.
(Rated 5 being the best)
Sushi Mac (2222 Sawtelle Blvd.) 4 out of 5
Hidden in a stripmall
near Baja Fresh and
Panda Express, Sushi
Mac is a treasure, with
pretty good fish at pretty low prices. For less
than three bucks, you
can buy a plate of sushi,
with varieties including everything from eel
to sea urchin offered.
Personally, I stick with
the tuna rolls, which do
not dissapoint, though
aren’t spectacular. A
good deal.
Staff Writer
Kaiten Sushi (1456
Third St. Promenade) 3
out of 5
Food on the Third Street
Promenade is generally
overpriced, and Kaiten
Sushi is no exception to
that rule. While the food
quality is similar to that
of Sushi Mac (unspectacular), and the location is unquestionably
better, the prices are
that much higher. Even
a really cool magnetic
conveyor belt thingy
used to get your sushi
cannot save this place
Noma’s (2031 Wilshire
Blvd.) 5 of 5
A step up in quality and
price from the last two,
Noma’s is a great restaurant with a great sushi
bar. The tuna rolls are
flavorful and delicious,
while the eel is smoky
and savory. Don’t skip
the miso soup either, it’s
good. Though a tad bit
more pricey than other
sushi joints, the quality makes it very much
worth the money.
Show (E! Entertainment): Okay,
everyone knows this show was
terrible, but no one will talk about
it due to Anna Nicole Smith’s
tragic recent death. As Kurt Vonnegut would say: So it goes. But
wait. He’s dead too.
Notorious! (Vh1): Not only
did Tori Spelling mooch an entire acting career off of her father,
she also got her own personal tv
show out of it! Never underestimate the power of connections.
Whatever happened to
shows like Happy Days or Wonder Years, television shows with
cute opening songs, awkward
haircuts, and loveably lame story
lines? A television strike is definitely needed. And so is a statement about how our television
preferences parallel the decline
in America’s values, something
like, “there’s no I in team.” Or, I
don’t know, maybe you can come
up with something better.
Lacie and Paul and a group of
other Samo students gather at their
“Theatre of Life,” usually a street
corner, and communicate reciting
their favorite lines from movies
ranging throughout the generations. From the 1931 Frankenstein to
the 1997 Titanic, they have bridged
the worlds of big screen fantasy
and reality. “We do this to initiate
the week. Mondays are notorious
for being kind of a drag. I mean
take the line from the movie Office
Space: ‘Somebody’s got a case of
the Mondays.’ We just try to lighten
up the mood. No one can feel bad
when they’re quoting Will Smith.
It’s just impossible.”
Surprisingly, these “moviequoters” are not consumed by
their love for movies. They don’t
take film classes or belong to any
campus clubs, merely using their
knowledge from the movies they
see. “ The movies have ultimate
wisdom,” says sophomore Kelly
Ridel, “ The answers to all of life’s
questions can be found in a movie.” Kelly recounts the time a boy
introduced himself to her, and
instead of choosing to hurt his
feelings, she replied, “I already
know an awful lot of people and
until one of them dies I couldn’t
possibly meet anyone else.”
Quoting Audrey Hepburn’s line
in Paris, When it Sizzles caused a
few laughs and got the message
across.
The movie-quoters explain
their quoting with wisdom from
Ferris Bueller, “life moves pretty
fast. It you don’t stop to look
around, you might miss it.” So
take a look around, grab a group
of friends and embrace your own
culture— or write your own
movie.
I’ve Seen It In The Movies
By Danielle Worthy
By Evan Perkins
to be drunk, will I get a show on
E! entertainment? All signs point
to no.
The Sarah Silverman Show
(Comedy Central): This show
is ridiculous. Sarah Silverman has
to be the most
obnoxious person on the face of
the Earth. If her
squeaky
high,
whiny
voice
doesn’t put you
off, then everything else will.
Maybe
some
people find that
funny. I guess I
find it funny too,
in a I-want-tohurl-somethingat-the-television-screen kind of
way.
The Anna Nicole Smith
Since the inception of moving
pictures, movies have wriggled
their way into every corner of our
society. Phrases such as “Hasta la
vista, Baby! “ and “Fasten your
seatbelts, it’s gonna be a bumpy
ride!” are now commonplace. A
group of students have even gone
so far as conducting entire conversations only in movie quotes.
This began when two students, Lacie Thompson and Paul
Glazer, found they both had a
knack for remembering movie
lines. They began to quiz each
other, and, after years of friendship, their little game had a few
more players, the game having
escalated to entire conversations.
Now, every Monday, after school,
Kurt Vonnegut
By Vincent Lai and
Nicholas Barlow, Staff Writers
One wonders, if Kurt Vonnegut were to write his own
obituary, exactly how it might
read.
The great American novelist passed away April 11 at the
age of eight due to irreversible
brain damage as result of a fall
With a childhood shrouded
by his mother’s
suicide and his
father’s
brain
damage.
Vonnegut held a
skewed perspective on life and
death: “We are
put on earth to
fart
around,”
said Vonnegut,
“don’t let anyone tell you any
different.”
And fart around he did.
Vonnegut also wrote some of
the finest American novels of
the 20th century and had a
knack for writing satirical and
entertaining novels set in the
darkest of atmospheres.
In what many believe to be
his masterpiece, Slaughterhouse
Five, or the Children’s Crusade,
Vonnegut writes about the fire
bombing of Dresden, Germany
by Allied forces during World
War Two, which he witnessed
as a prisoner of war. Though the
novel is seen as autobiographical, it barely focuses on the actual firebombing; instead, the
narration travels through time
following the life of Billy Pilgrim (an alter ego to Vonnegut).
This fragmented structure plays
a key role in Vonnegut’s writing
style.
After fighting in the War,
Vonnegut became a police reporter for the Chicago News
Bureau and also studied for a
master’s degree in Anthropology at the University of Chicago. His thesis on” The Fluctuations Between Good and Evil in
Simple Tales” was rejected by
the faculty. (25 years later they
accepted his novel Cat’s Cradle
as his thesis).Perhaps Vonnegut
would have handed over his
obituary to be written by another alter ego, Kilgore Trout, a
failed science-fiction writer who
appeared in four of his novels.
Vonnegut was known to dismiss his own writing as one failure after another… a delusional
idea considering the success
and influence of his writing.
But maybe, this is just Vonnegut
playing the role
Kilgore Trout:
the role of a
pulp prophet.
In his last
book, Vonnegut
wrote the following pem in
his last book, A
Man Without A
Country, Vonnegut
wrote
the
following
poem:
“When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
‘It is done.’
People did not like it here.”
IN THE WAKE OF TRAGEDY
Mr. Chapman: VT Alum at Samo
By Leah Robinson
Staff Writer
Samo Spanish teacher
Jimmy Chapman graduated
from Virginia Tech in 1996. He
feels that, the events at Virginia Tech were “shocking and
disappointing.”
Chapman has been getting involved with the healing here at Samo. His students
dressed in Virginia Tech colors on April 20, and he sent
pictures of this display to Virginia Tech.
He also shared his feelings
about the University’s initial
response: “Once all the information came out, it was apparent that Virginia Tech did not
turn a blind eye. If this person
was on campus and there was
a lock down, he could have
just easily gone into a bigger
dorm and done as much—or
even more—damage. I think
they did go through proper
procedure.”
“This reminds me of the
issue with Eddie [Lopez],
where even though people
didn’t know him, there was
a sense of loss, of mourning.
I don’t want the legacy of
Virginia Tech to be lessened
because of a random act of
hatred, just like I didn’t want
the legacy of Samo to be about
either racial tension or shootings or that type of carry-on,”
said Chapman.
Chapman says that he
never felt unsafe on campus
during his time at Virginia
Tech. “I hope that, although
it may seem all done, people
will keep an eye on the Virginia Tech community from
time to time and don’t just say,
‘well okay, the story is done
and we can move on,’” said
Chapman.
Mr. Davis: A VT Alum Speaks
By Jeremy Tramer
Special Report Editor
Peter Davis, a 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech who
teaches English to ninth graders at Samo, was in Virginia on
the day of the shootings. His
sister-in-law initially broke
him the news, via a cell-phone
call on the way to the airport
there, where he was going to
fly back to Los Angeles. He
flew back on JetBlue, an airline that gives each passenger
access to a personal television
VIRGINIA TECH:
WHAT REALLY
HAPPENED
APRIL 16th
By Natalie Yadegar
Staff Writer
screen. “I was glued to CNN
for the whole four-and-a-half
hour flight,” he said.
Three of the people killed
at Virginia Tech were members
of a church at Virginia Tech of
which he was also a member.
“It was initially a shock. Since
I found out, I’ve gone through
a lot of the stages of grief that
one would go through if a
family member died,” said
Davis. He is very open about
it with his students, which has
been helpful, he says.
Virginia Tech Incident Hits Home
Compiled by Owen Gorman, Staff Photographer, Aaron Eslamboly, Gabrielle Hernandez and
Evan Perkins, Staff Writers, and Jeremy Tramer, Special Report Editor
Freshman
89% of students have seen a physical
fight on campus
“Security
does a good
17% of students have participated in a physical fight on campus
job of keeping order, but
I worry about 44% of students have knowledge of a student
things getting bringing a knife to school at Samo
stolen.”
39% of students have seen a student with a knife on
Brooke
Snell
Sophomore
campus
11% of students have knowledge of a student bringing a gun to school at Samo
On the day the shooting
happened, I woke up at about
7:30 (I hadn’t heard anything
about the two shootings) and
proceeded to a�end my regular
classes. I went to Calculus, which
ended at nine, and then went to
Physics in the Chem/Physics
building. During my Physics
class I heard sirens throughout
the period but didn’t think anything of them. A�er my teacher
dismissed us at about 9:50, I
started to walk back to my dorm
room which is on the other
side of the drill field. As I approached Burrus Hall (which is
the huge building in the center
of the administrative side of the
campus) I saw about four police
cars parked the wrong way on
a one-way road. That’s when I
knew something was going on,
but I kept on walking, thinking
that it was nothing major. As
soon as I got to the front of Burrus Hall, I heard numerous gunshots, which seemed to be very
close to me. I ducked down on
Josh
Tillipman
Senior
50% of students feel that if violent acts
were to happen at Samo, security mea“We need more se- sures would not be in place to stop “Samo’s campus is
curity on campus, them from getting out of hand
definitely safe, but
because anyone can
walk onto campus
and lie about who
they are.”
very sorrowful and still mourning those who have passed.
What I have mostly noticed,
though, is the great sense of unity in the student body at Tech.
All the teachers are disregarding any current coursework that
was going on or was due at the
Photo by Garrett Parcells
to my dorm room. When I got
back, I turned on the television
and watched the news, which
informed me of the shootings.
For the rest of the day I stayed
in my dorm room watching coverage of the incident.
Everybody on campus is
“We practice
lockdowns, so
Samo should
be able to handle a threat.
And Mr. D is
a beast.”
5% of students have seen a student with a gun
on campus
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the safest, the average rating of Samo’s campus by all
students surveyed was 7.25
7:15 a.m. - Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho, 23, kills two students in a residence hall.
7:30 a.m. - Police arrive at the scene and seal off the building. They declare that the shooting is an isolated domestic incident.
8:25 a.m. - The Virginia Tech Leadership Team, including the University president, meet to assess the
situation and to decide how to notify students of what has happened.
9:01 a.m. - Cho mails 43 threatening photos and a video tirade to NBC News.
9:26 a.m. - University officials send an e-mail to all staff and students, saying there has been a shooting
at West Ambler Johnston Hall and that police are investigating.
9:45 a.m. - Cho kills 30 people and then himself in Norris Hall.
the ground at first and naturally
pulled out my pocket knife. As I
started to look around I saw students sprinting away from Norris Hall towards the dorms. As I
started to realize what was happening, I steadily (without running) started to walk fast back
Junior
15% of students have feared for
their own physical safety at Samo
Former Samo Student Now at Virginia Tech
By Garrett Parcells
Samo Class of 2006,
Virginia Tech Freshman
Alexander
Spence
The Samohi randomly
polled 262 students in grades
9-12 about campus safety.
Raquel
Hernandez-Solis
time of the incident and are giving students all sorts of options
and support. We have been given the option to either accept the
grades that we had up to April
16 and use those as our final
grades, or we could go back and
finish off the classes and take
finals. I naturally chose not to
take any finals and receive the
grades I had accumulated so
far.
There are mixed feelings
about the University’s response
to the crisis. There are some
that feel the University and police did all they could do with
the information they had at the
time, but I disagree. I feel that
they should have shut the campus down when the first two
kids got shot. There is no excuse
for not doing so. Furthermore, I
feel the police wasted too much
time ge�ing into the building
to stop the shooter. As soon as
they heard the gunfire, someone
should have been kicking the
door in and stopping this maniac--a�er all, that is what they
are paid to do.
Most of all I am crushed
that a student at our very own
school could have done this. I
feel that the shooter is a traitor
for doing this to us. I feel like
he has violated me personally
by a�acking my school, and it
pisses me off every time I see his
picture.
the security guards
overuse their power. The whole system is corrupt.”
Is Samo
Prepared?
By Jennifer Galamba
Ad Editor
The shooting at Virginia
Tech on April 16, in which a 23
year-old student killed 32 people and himself, has triggered
numerous debates at schools
all over the country about how
to prevent and contain such
events. At Samo, administrators have reviewed plans that
were already in place before
the crisis to make clear what
steps school officials will take
to prevent and control such an
incident.
Because of Samo’s House
system, says Principal Dr.
Hugo Pedroza, support staff
can easily monitor and assist individuals, and note a
change in a student’s behavior. The conduct and psychological history of students that
may be unstable can be monitored, and these students may
be referred to counseling. On
a daily basis, security and the
houses take preemptive measures to ensure violence does
not occur on campus. Students
who are suspected of having a
weapon are searched, and security confiscates any weapons.
In the case that a student
becomes dangerous, administrators and staff will work
cohesively to control and limit
damage. In such an event,
says Pedroza, the campus will
be put on lockdown.
CAMPUS LIFE
Page 6
From Chaos to Charm... Hello Hello, Dolly!
By Zoey Baldwin
play happened because of Dolly’s
meddling nature, so it helped to
have such seasoned performers
in the part.
Seniors Collin Hurst and Nick
Leonard shined in their leading
roles as the uptight “half-a-mil-
Dolly,” “So Long, Dearie,” and
“Put on Your Sunday Clothes.”
Staff Writer
A lot was cut from the original
Broadway show, but ultimately it
When I heard that the first
yielded a light, charming, polished
two performances of Hello, Dolly!
had been cancelled due to lack
product.
of technical preparation (light
The cast clearly enjoyed themcues, set movement, and
selves. Junior Jillian Long,
so on), I became a little
ensemble member, who is new
concerned about the caliber
to theatre, said of the program:
of the play. However, a�er
“I had so much fun with the
si�ing through the surprisplay. It’s just liberating to
know that even if you’re not
ingly short opening night
friends with everyone, there’s
performance on April 21
always someone to help you
-- just under two hours with
out. Even though I didn’t have
intermission-- I realized that
a main part, I still learned so
I had thoroughly enjoyed the
much, and I learned that every
show. Sure, it wasn’t perfect,
but what show is?
part is important.”
The play follows the acSenior Nick Leonard,
who played Hackl, said that
tions of the widowed match- Nick Leonard and Amy Edwards in
the most challenging part of
maker Dolly Levi as she moves Hello, Dolly!
the show was, “pu�ing it all
from Yonkers, New York to
Photo by Maisy Bragg together.” He added ,“We had
New York City, where she
only one semi-run through
sets up a number of couples
and tries to find love herself. Misun- lionaire” Horace Vandergelder without lighting cues or scene
derstandings occur, chaos ensues, and his wide-eyed, youthful chief changes and really had to do it by
a French waiter named Rudolph, clerk Cornelius Hackl, respec- the skin of our teeth on Saturday.
sophomore Eli Linnetz, speaks in tively. Sophomore Amy Edwards And we did… and it ended up as
a funny accent, and everyone ends performed admirably as the pre�y a well-received show.”
He got the gist of the play
up with the right person at the end hat-maker Irene Molloy, and addof the show.
ed her own jazzy touch to her solo exactly right; considering the fact
that the cast and band did not get
The character of Dolly, well- “Ribbons Down My Back.”
performed by junior Louisa Levy
The orchestra was seated to rehearse in Barnum Hall until 3
and senior Cristina Gerla, con- on stage, instead of in the pit, to weeks before opening, the show
nected with the audience, which allow the actors to use the front greatly exceeded my expectagave the show a more intimate of the stage and get closer to the tions. The amount of work that all
feel. Dolly brought a sort of audience.
involved put in was apparent, and
charisma to the show that held it
Highlights included, but were the audience le� the theatre thortogether. All of the action in the not limited to, the numbers “Hello oughly charmed by the play.
This new electronic marquee was installed over Spring Break.
The cost of $19,014.61 came from a marquee funds account and
ASB. Initially, there was going to be an entirely new electronic
marquee. However, since that would have cost $60,000- $80,000,
an insert electronic screen was placed on top of the old frame.
Plastic framing is still to be added to complete the sign, paid
for by a $5,000 parent donation.
Photo by Owen Gorman
Students Delve into the Heart of Prejudice
By Saba Boradeh-Hamedy
A viewing of the music videos
“Like a Boy” by Ciara and “Tip
Drill” by Nelly, sparked serious
debate
about the impact of AfricanSamo played host to the first
Black Student Forum in the library American gender stereotypes.
A photography exhibit was
on Saturday, April 21. Around
40 students, motivated by extra- set up that traced the legacy of
credit or genuine desire to voice struggle and heroism for Afritheir opinions on issues many can-Americans in America from
African-Americans face, a�ended slavery and the Middle Passage
the forum.
to the Civil Rights Movement and
The idea for the event came contemporary black leaders. Of the
from Outreach Specialist Kim- 18 black hero’s presented, students
berly Nao and English teacher were only able to identify two, one
LaSonja Roberts. “We wanted to of whom was Oprah Winfrey.
Perhaps the most intense and
do something to unite those of
color and raise awareness about well received activity was the
current African-American is- mock Middle Passage, in which
sues,” said Nao. Added Roberts, students took a part in a simulated
“We are excited with the interest of the journey slaves took across
of the students who showed up all the Atlantic in the 1800’s.
Junior Brittany Carriger
day on a Saturday and engaged
in discussion about issues that are said that the mock Middle Pascritical to who they are, how they sage activity “forced people to
are seen on this campus, and the experience slavery because when
world at large.”
you experience it you begin to
Students discussed the idea understand.”
Students felt the event was
that blackness is more than skin
deep, which lead to a large discus- very successful and were moved
sion run by the facilitators. Topics by the conversations held.
ranged from the definition of Added senior Portia Brown, “I
blackness to the racial composi- know a lot of people, including
tion of AP and Honors classes.
myself, pre-judged the event, but
once we got
into the disUniversity Driving School
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Copy Editor
50 days le� before the end of school.
That means...
...7 weeks
....1200 hours
....72,000 minutes
....14 days without
school
....6 days of late
start
...17 days until Prom
....3 days until AP tests
...36 school days
...24 days of testing
Compiled by Nora Casey,
Campus Life Editor
The Roots of Racism: A Sojourn for Truth
By Jacquelyn Hoffman
Staff Writer
Twenty-three Samo juniors
and seniors participated in the
annual Sojourn to the Past program from March 29 to April 7.
The 10-day excursion through
the American South featured
speakers and key sites of the Civil
Rights Movement.
The trip provided an opportunity for students to listen,
learn, and form an action plan for
the school community regarding
issues such as tolerance, nonviolence and justice: “Sojourn to
the Past’s goal is to combat this
growing epidemic of indifference
by conveying to each student that
they are part of a new generation
of potential leaders, ambassadors
of tolerance, with a duty to unite
all groups through knowledge,
understanding, and compassion”
(Sojurnproject.org).
The call to action asks students to ponder ways in which
they can aid their school community with their new knowledge
and approach to promoting nonviolence and tolerance, pushing
and empowering students to
become active citizens.
Samo junior and first year
participant Nivia Alvarado said:
“Sojourn was an eye-opening
experience and I learned things
that are ignored in school. I
thought I knew a lot before the
trip, but listening to speakers
such as Minnijean Brown was
enlightening.”
Sojourners traveled
to various locations to
hear Civil Rights veterans speak.
A l va r a d o d i s cusses this year’s plan
to effect change: “We
would like to focus on
the lack of diversity
and minorities in AP classes
at Samo. Also, we would like
to work on erasing derogatory
terms from the common vocabulary at Samo.”
Junior Cosmo Diener said,
“When I got out and walked
on that ground where only
yesterday great change had
occurred, I felt like we were
really living, and now I knew
about all the power we have to
force change.”
Sports — Page 7 The Samohi May 3, 2007
Vikings Show They Can Play With the Big Boys Boys Golf
By Emily Foshag
times hurt the Vikings in the end.
Still, the Vikings abillity to compete
Editor-in-Chief
with a team that beat them 1-11
Timely hi�ing is a key to a year ago indicates that they are
winning ball games, and against knocking on the door of that next
Loyola last Saturday, Samo’s base- level.
Samo was also tested against
ball team just didn’t have it.
Down 3-2 in the sixth inning, the Times’ top-ranked team in
the Vikings loaded the bases with Southern California, Lakewood,
only one out. A pop-up and a on April 21, but again, the Vikes
ground out later, the Vikes found fell short of the win. A�er jumping
out to an early
themselves in
1-0 lead, Samo’s
the same hole.
five defensive
Loyola added
errors proved to
an insurance
be too much to
run in the botovercome, even
tom half of the
throughtheteam
inning to hold
scored two runs
Samo off, 4-2.
in each of the
A�erallowfi�h and sixth ining two runs in
the opening
nings. “The team
inning against
was almost too
the Cubs, senior
pumped up,”
ace Joe Mcsaid head coach
KevinBrockway,
Grew regained
“so we didn’t
his composure
play to our deand struck out
eight in six infensive capabilinings. Senior
ties.”
Johnny Huerta
Though the
SeniorshortstopDavidCastellanos
and sophomore
5-9 loss was disleaps to make a play on April 24
Vincent Lawappointing, the
against Morningside.
boys will have
rence each batother chances to
ted in a run to
Photo by Maisy Bragg
win big games,
tie the score in
the second inning, but not being namely when the playoffs begin
able to get the job done at crucial later this month. “We proved that
Athletes of the Issue
Michael Bromberg
Tennis ‘07
Greg Wilson
Volleyball ‘08
we were capable of playing at that scores from recent Ocean League
level. We have the talent, we just games.
need to be mentally there the whole April 17 – Inglewood 0, Samo 9
time,” said Castellanos.
April 19 – Samo 14, Inglewood 2
Strong performances on the April 24 – Samo 7, Morningside 0
mound have been a huge part of April 26 – Morningside 1, Samo 17
Samo’s ability to compete with May 1 – Samo 2, Beverly Hills 3
the top-tier squads.
“No one tries to
do too much,” said
McGrew, referring
the pitching staff.
“We’re le�ing [opponents] put the ball
in play and relying
on our defense to
make plays.” Said
Brockway of McGrew, “He’s stepped
up and pitched well
in some very tough
ball games.” Balance is also key, as
the Vikings’ three Senior second baseman Johnny Huerta plays
top pitchers, Mc- the ball against Morningside on April 24. The
Grew, senior Devon Vikes went on to win 7-0.
Ramirez and sophoPhoto by Maisy Bragg
more Tyler Skaggs
each have five wins on the season.
Senior Bryan Eyler’s four RBIs
against Morningside last week
In its quest for the Ocean were just a few of his team-leadLeague title, Samo’s baseball team ing 25 RBIs. “He’s been coming
is faring well. The Vikes have won through in clutch situations,” said
six of their seven league games Brockway.A�erMorningsideopted
thus far, and look to continue their to walk senior Diego Valdez, Eyler
winning ways when taking on Bev- hit a double to right center field to
erly Hills this a�ernoon. Below are drive in a run.
Selected by their coaches for their hard work and dedication, these
athletes, among others, can be seen in the Breezeway.
Kaiya Bailey
Track ‘07
Brian Nadel
Swimming ‘10
Favorite Fruit:
Norwegian Coconuts
Favorite Fruit:
Passion Fruit
Favorite Fruit:
Is avocado a fruit?
Favorite Fruit:
Orange
Favorite Color of Gatorade:
Fierce Purple
Favorite Color of Gatorade:
Purple all the way
Favorite Color of Gatorade:
Blue
Favorite Color of Gatorade:
Blue
Biggest Fan:
The 2,000 girls that a�end
Samo
Biggest Fan:
My parents
Biggest Fan:
My Aunt Marsha and Boss
Capone
Biggest Fan:
My sisters
Shoe Size: 13
Personal Philosophy: “I’d
rather have an old soul than a
young face.”
Shoe Size: 12
Personal Philosophy:
“Work hard. Win.”
Only The Strong Survive
By Michael Bromberg
Staff Writer
There is an old age question
in the world of sports: how big is
the heart of any specific athlete?
Well, to clear this dilemma up,
The Samohi has composed a list of
different types of athletes, with
adequate rankings next to them.
Let the arguing begin.
GOLD - Wide Receiver who
Slants across the Middle to catch
the ball right in front of the Middle
Linebacker
First off, let’s just get this out
of the way: The middle linebacker
is the scariest man in sports. Now
imagine knowing you are about
to be hit by the equivalent of a fire
truck, and on top of that still be
able to catch the ball. That is what
these receivers do. Kudos.
SILVER - Boxer who Continues
to Fight in the 9th round without the
use of his right eye
Basically, Boxers are the real
deal. Anyone that is willing to get
in the ring, knowing full well they
have to fight for their life to get
out without a stretcher is an idol
to me. For the gri�iest of boxers
though, those that refuse to give
up, Hats off to you. Your passion
and dedication is great evidence
to how far the human body can
push itself.
BRONZE - Basketball Player
who takes last second three to win
game, rather than passing toman with
wide open layup who could tie game
and send it in to overtime
Here, the athlete is pu�ing
himself in no real physical pain.
But, there is the emotional fear-
Shoe Size: 7.5
Personal Philosophy:
“Mind over ma�er: If I don’t
mind, it don’t ma�er.”
lessness of knowing that if you
miss, you will be called an idiot for
generations to come. The basketball
court is only as big as the six inches
between the ears of each player.
HONORABLE MENTIONBaseball Player who stands in front
of pitch so he can bring the runner
on third home
Taking a 90-mile-per-hour
fastball to the shoulder so your
teammate can score a run, well,
that’s called sacrifice. And sacrifice,
as any athlete knows, is what separates the weak from the strong.
To all the rest of the athletes
out there, don’t feel bad if you
didn’t make the list. This is just
one humble reporter’s opinion.
And, if you feel you have a good
argument for why a certain kind of
athlete should make the list, email
us at [email protected]. ‘Till
then, good day.
Shoe Size: 11
Personal Philosophy:
“Swim straight, swim fast.”
Rebounds
By Sam Cotten
Staff Writer
A�er a depressing finish
before Spring Break, the boys
realized that they had no choice
but to win every subsequent
match leading up to CIF in order
to enter. A tall order, but the boys
were able to fill it. The Vikings
have crushed each of their opponents in every match since
their return from break.
On Monday April 16,
the boys played at home at
the Brentwood Country Club
against North Torrance, who
stood no chance as they only
brought five players (seven are
needed as per CIF regulations).
The Vikings were dominating
throughout, but to add insult
to injury, Torrance lost a player
partway through the match a�er
he threw a seven-iron ten yards
and was suspended from the
game. Needless to say, Torrance
was forced to concede simply
due to a lack of players. Juniors
Nick Lerner and Jon Pritcher
shot 36 and 38 respectively.
The following week on
Monday, April 23 the boys enjoyed a fairly decisive victory
over Culver City at the Vikings’
home course, Brentwood. The
match occurred without major
incident; the lowest scorer was
freshman Chris Anderson who
shot a 37.
Despite epic winds and
generally poor playing conditions, the Vikings persevered
and won the match against
Culver City at Alondra in
Redondo Beach. Low scorers
included Lerner with a 38, and
sophomore Mikey Brunsten,
who shot a personal season low
of 39 strokes.
Samo entered the first
round of CIF in second place
in league, a�er losing three
matches earlier in the season,
quite a comeback from their
previous standings.
The first round match
took place Monday April 30 at
Griffith Park at the Arding Golf
Course. The boys did fairly well;
Lerner shot 74 and Anderson 76.
They will both continue to the
next round of CIF.
The second round of CIF
takes place today at Wilson.
Page 8
SPORTS
Track Looks to Rebound at League Finals
By Carl Nunziato
girls track teams’ regular
season records 4-1 and ends
Staff Writer
Samo’s varsity boys’ three
Samo’s track team
year winning streak, as they
recorded their first
have been undefeated since
Ocean League loss of
entering the Ocean league in
the season April 26
2004. Though the loss was
against Culver City
disappointing, members of
High School. The meet,
the team continue to have
which pi�ed the only
a positive outlook on their
two undefeated teams
season so far, as expressed
in the Ocean League
by senior Max Benjamin:
against each other, was
“The season is going really
the deciding factor for
well. Culver High is tough
the league championcompetition and we hope
to come back strong at the
ship. According to varleague finals and even send
sity girls coach Patrick
a few people to CIF.”
Cady the meet was
Regarding CIF prosamazingly close, coming down to the last
pects, Cady thinks that juevent, the 4 X 400m. The Senior Andrew Pomatti runs the mile against Culver nior Robbie Paris looks good
men beat their season City in the last league meet of the season on April to make the 300m hurdle
record by an unbeliev- 26.
finals if the injury sustained
to his hamstring against
able six seconds, and
the women also beat
Photo by Jesse Grebler-Hull Morningside April 19 heals
in time and that sophomore
their season record,
but neither time was enough to breaking runs. The loss to Culver Jordan Keslow should continue
best Culver City’s school record City makes both the boys and his fantastic year by also making
Volleyball Seeks League Title
By Aaron Eslamboly
Staff Writer
With CIF just around the corner,
the boys volleyball team is playing
like they have already been crowned
the champions. While the team
continues to add wins to their record
and maintaining their undefeated
streak in the Ocean League, head
coach Liane Sato is confident in
trying to defend her team’s CIF title.
Senior captain and starting middle
blocker Ari Feldman added that the
team “looks really good this year.”
Said Feldman, “We’ll get really far
in playoffs.” A�er coasting through
wins against teams such as Culver
City and Beverly Hills, the boys are
just waiting for playoffs to arrive.
“Right now, the level of our competition is low. During these games we
try new things and run new plays so
that during playoffs, our opponents
won’t be able to keep up with us,”
said senior captain and starting se�er
Alex Silver.
While Silver was out with an
injured wrist, the Vikings were still
able to pull through and keep their
undefeated streak . With the help
of junior se�er Nick Franks the
boys took another win against the
Staff Writer
The boys tennis team has been
dynamic a�er its second consecutive loss to long time rival, Beverly
Hills, a team that head coach Wilsten Poon believes “is one of [their]
toughest competitors.” A�er a win
against Culver City and a loss to
Torrance several weeks ago, the
Vikings fought back with six more
consecutive wins. The boys le�
teams such as El Segundo, North
and South Torrance and Culver City
with nothing but the sheer feeling
of defeat. Poon credited these successful matches to the “solid game
plans that we use to defeat these
teams.”
Softball Still On Winning Streak
Inglewood Sentinels. “[Senior] Josh
Tillipman was another player who
contributed our team’s win,” said
Sato. When the time came for Silver to
resume playing against Beverly Hills
and Culver City, however, his playing
was described as phenomenal for a
player coming out of recovery. Said
Feldman, “Alex played pre�y well
a�er his recovery.” As for what li�le
brother sophomore Ma�hew Silver
thinks about his brother’s performance, “Alex helped us put away
the game.”
A�er what was a quarterfinal
showing at the San Diego Tournament of Champions, Sato believes
that her boys are still in the running
for defending CIF champs. With eight
kills from Feldman and six kills from
junior Willie Goetz, the Vikings were
able to pull off a 3-0 sweep against
the Beverly Hills Normans. The
Vikings also defeated Hawthorne in
a 25-6, 25-7 and 25-2 sweep on April
26 where senior Kevin Sche�el had
4 digs and 3 kills.
The boys now look for what lies
in store for them in playoffs. Sato
summed it up: “We’re planning on
an undefeated season and we are
gearing up for the playoffs to defend
our CIF Championship.”
The squad returns to the
tournament
May 5 to face host El
Sports Editor
Segundo (14-5) in the semifinals.
Regarding the tournament,
The Samo girls so�ball team
head coach Debbie Skaggs was
rolled on to its twel�h straight vicvery pleased with the girls’ perfortory, meanwhile improving their
record to 21-2.
mance. “We played
After breezing
great defense, our
through their first six
pitching was excelleague games, scoring a tolent, and we hit the
ball well. To win it all,
tal of 77 runs to their Ocean
we’re going to need
League opponents’ 1, the
to keep our level of
Lady Vikings faced a test
play up.”
in Bishop Montgomery
“ H o p e f u l l y, ”
on April 28 in the opening
she continued, “this
round of the El Segundo
tournament will preTournament.
Freshman Hailey
pare us for CIF, since
Sheridan broke a scorewe are never tested in
league play.”
less tie in the top of the fi�h
Skaggs attriinning with an RBI single,
scoring Yaneth Guzman
butes the team’s sucFreshman Emma Woo (19) hits a line drive against cess to their work ethwho led off the inning
Inglewood on April 26.
with a triple. Junior Dana
ic. “The girls compete
Sigman and freshman
everyday at practice
Photo by Samantha Walters and in games and
Hailey Condon added
run-scoring hits later in
work hard to get to
the inning, and the three runs were 11-1. The Lady Vikings jumped out where they are now.
more than enough support for to an early lead in the first, ge�ing
Samo easily defeated Beverly
senior Hannah Rose-Peters, who an RBI triple from Kaile Nakao and HIlls 10-0 on Tuesday, and looks to
pitched all seven innings giving an RBI double from Peters, and extend their winning streak to 13
up just one run on seven hits, en cruised onto victory.
at Hawthorne later today.
Despite the boys’ winning
streak, the team did encounter a
couple of losses before their streak.
The Beverly Hills Normans defeated
the Vikings in a nail biter that ended
in an 8-10 final score. Poon noted
that the “singles didn’t do as well as
they could have.” In addition to this
loss, the Vikings suffered a 10-8 loss
to Torrance on Tuesday, March 27.
Said Poon, “We were definitely the
stronger team. Going in we devised
a strategy that wasn’t the best. Of
course we learned.”
Recently, Poon has mixed and
matched some of his players to even
out the skill level. In fact, Coach Poon
used the Torrance game as a buffer
for the new plan that he credits to
the six recent wins. The boys re-
deemed themselves a�er blowing Torrance, El Segundo and Torrance
respectively.
out Torrance on
As for these
Thursday, April 26;
wins, senior captheir second match
against them. The
tain Anthony
Vikings defeated
Rollins stated,
Torrance with the
“Our playing
final score at 15-3.
was comfortable
“That new balance
and mellow.”
that we’ve created
Rollins also addwill definitely get
ed that it was
us farther than bethese two qualifore, especially in
ties that allowed
CIF,” said Poon.
such a successThe scores did not
ful streak. The
lie: three of the past
Vikings ended
six wins have been Senior Anthony Rollins hits a the regular seablowouts where forehand against Torrance on son with an 11–6
the Vikings have Thursday April 26.
record and look
won 13-5, 15-3, and
for a successful
Photo by Samantha Walters CIF run.
15-3 against South
Boys Tennis Hopeful for CIF
By Aaron Eslamboly
the finals at
CIF.
Earlier
this week,
the Samo
track team
participated in the
League Finals preliminary competition,
in order to
m o ve o n
to perform
in today’s
League Finals. Winners and
top performers will Junior Ja-Herb Johnson pole vaults against Culver
advance to City on April 26.
compete at
the 2007 CIF
Photo by Jesse Grebler-Hull
preliminaries scheduled on Saturday, May 12 the college the following weekend
at Cerritos City College. Those who to compete in the CIF Southern
qualify for the finals will return to Section Finals.
By Charlie Paris
route to a 3-1 victory.
Later that day, the girls defeated Paramount 4-1 behind
another strong effort from Peters,
who gave up just one run in seven
innings to improve her record to
SWIMMING
The following times are highlights
from the league dual meet at The
Culver City Plunge on April 26
against the Culver City Centaurs.
Boys (unavailable)
Girls Varsity
100 yards Freestyle
Senior Katrina Dargel :59.32
50 yards Freestyle
Dargel 27.15
100 yards Breaststroke
Freshman Hope Cleremont 1:21.87
100 yards Butterfly
Senior Sam Lim 1:05.40
400 yards Freestyle Relay
Dargel, Cleremont, sophomore
Susie Ortega, junior Kaylie Cohen
3:59.39