January 23, 2007

Is Beckham Worth It ?
Condom Couture
Page 2
Page 4
Boys Basketball: 17-3
Page 8
On the Internet:
www.samohi.smmusd.org/thesamohi
Circulation: 3,600
COLUMN ONE:
Bootsie Remembered
By Gabrielle Hernandez
Staff Writer
A memorial event was held
Saturday, Jan. 13, at Virginia Ave.
Park in honor of Miguel Angel
Martin, who was shot and killed
on Dec. 27, 2006.
Martin, an Olympic High
School graduate, was shot in the
back by a drive-by shooter while
walking with friends on Pico
Blvd., across from Virginia Ave.
Park. The shooter reportedly
“began to yell gang related
comments,” before speeding
off. Martin was transported to
the UCLA Westwood Medical
Center, where he died shortly
therea�er.
At the memorial, friends
and family members shared
loving words and stories about
Martin, known as “Bootsie.”
Various art displays around the
park commemorated Martin,
and music could be heard from
a mile away during the live
performances of DJs Ernie G
and C-Kut, as well as Matre
and Pico Youth Family Centers
(PYFC). Organized by Jose
Antonio “Che” Guzman in
accordance with the Virginia
Avenue Park Teen and PYFC,
the gathering managed to raise
over 700 dollars to either buy a
tree honoring Martin or create a
scholarship fund in his name.
There have been various
disputes about Martin’s alleged
gang affiliations. Police Chief
Tim Jackman was quoted in
The Lookout referring to Martin
as a “low-level gang member.”
However, as far as half-sister
Marlyn Martin knows, “he wasn’t
into that stuff. He probably had
friends who were [in gangs,] but
from what I know he wasn’t .”
Within the community
Martin was loved and respected.
“He volunteered at the Virginia
Ave. Project, and was involved
in PYFC,” said Marlyn. Guzman,
head organizer of the memorial,
stated: “[Martin] was that kind of
friend that no ma�er what was
going on would put a smile on
your face, or even be�er, make
you laugh...He was the most
loving and caring character you
ever would want to meet.”
Winter Wonderland
This January, Los Angeles is
breaking weather records:
Snow fell on Jan. 17, 2007 in Malibu
for the first time since Dec. 1987.
Jan. 14, 2007 was the coldest Jan.
14 ever in Santa Monica, reaching 33 º
and breaking the 35º record in 1962.
Vol. XCVI No. 8 Jan. 23 , 2007
Class Rivals Graffiti Campus
By Aaron Eslamboly, Staff Writer
and Erin Nadel, Sports Editor
Administration is currently
investigating graffiti found at
Samo on Jan. 16 and 18.
Students spray-painted
“2007” and “07” on several
campus lawns, and juniors responded with “2008” themed
graffiti the day a�er on several
Samo buildings, including the
Administration Building and
Barnum Hall. The la�er, one of
the most expensive buildings on
campus, was renovated in 2004
for over five million dollars.
Although Administration
and gardeners were able to cut
the lawn graffiti away, some
grass and plant areas will take a
week or two to grow out.
Administration showed
concern for building vandalisms,
and called the Santa Monica Police
Department on Jan. 18. “It’s an
unproductive way in which to celebrate your year,” said O-House
Principal José Iniguez.
Principal Hugo Pedroza believes the graffiti was a vulgar and
unnecessary act of class pride, and
is “disheartened by all of it.”
Iniguez agreed: “[The vandalisms] are all the same. They all
still violate the law.” According
to Iniguez, the vandals may have
violated (1) a California Education
Code stating that it is against the
law to deface school property,
and (2) a portion of the California
Penal Code stating that violators
will face jail time if the restitution
required for repair is over a certain
amount. As punishment, violators
will reimburse Samo for the dam-
age, do community service and
serve suspension.
Senior Tiimo Schulze, an
experienced sketch artist, feels
“disappointed and angered
with ’08 because there [are] better ways to show their pride.”
Junior Ben Persky, who takes
a lot of pride in his year, said:
“I’m disgusted, especially with
Barnum. I really hope we as a
whole realize there are be�er
ways to show our school pride
other than this.” Junior Mitchell
Rathner disagreed, “It’s a good
thing to show class pride. We
should take pride in our year.”
Schulze summed up, “I just
think that ‘07 and ‘08 need to chill
out.” Iniguez explained that Administration is investigating the
violators, and stated, “There’s no
perfect crime.”
Owen Gorman
Governance Distributes Equity Funds
By Emily Foshag
Editor-In-Chief
Samo’s Site Governance
Council determined on Jan. 16
how to distribute the 80,000
dollars in Equity funding allo�ed
to the school. The Equity Fund
is distributed annually among
all schools in the Santa Monica
Malibu Unified School District
(SMMUSD) to provide academic
support, intervention, and/or
remediation in the district’s effort
to close the achievement gap.
Schools must submit a proposal
for approval by the Education
Foundation regarding how the
money will be spent by the end
of January.
Seven programs at Samo will
receive funding this year a�er
demonstrating plans to comply
with the district’s objectives.
Advancement Via Individual
Determination (AVID) received
$6971.40infunds,which,according
to AVID Coordinator Gilda De La
Cruz, will be spent on tutoring
during the Spring semester for its
aspiring first-generation college
students. “These tutors are really
valuable to our program,” said
De La Cruz.
S-House English teacher
Joshua Arnold’s new SAT Prep
class was allotted $1833.50,
and $33,000 will be spent on
technology for the library. Other
programs receiving funding
include: Xinachtli ($5,318), House
Professional Development/
Intervention ($21,000), a tutoring
program ($7,637.60) and a reading
program ($4,142). Racial Harmony
was the lone program denied
funding on the basis that it does
not provide academic support.
Published Biweekly
New State Budget
Increases K-12 Funding
By Chelsea Rinnig
Opinion Editor
The K-12 California State
Budget for the 2006-07 fiscal
year was passed to include
another 200 million dollars
for all California schools by
the California School Boards
Association in 2006. Such an
increase in funding is targeted
at an increase in the number of
counselors on campus to aide
students between seventh and
twel�h grades to fulfill state
requirements.
Starting next year, Samo
will hire a new counselor to
work with students who are
struggling and at risk of not
graduating with the rest of
their class. Specific conditions
that may prevent a student
from graduating would be the
incompletion of class credits or
failure of the High School Exit
Exam. This counselor would
be responsible for meeting
privately with such at-risk
students and their parents or
guardians as an intervention
and appraisal of the student’s
current academic situation.
In addition, Samo currently
offers help to select sophomores
through available counselors,
and the parent-student-advisor
meetings will be a requirement
for all sophomores beginning
next year. Counselors will detail
the consequences of not passing
the exam and offer programs,
courses, and other options
available for the students to get
back on track. Principal Hugo
Pedroza explained that the goal
is to spend more time on those
struggling: “It is important that
we leverage all the resources
available to us…in order to
help each and every one of our
students succeed.”
Samo Qualifies to Apply for Distinguished School Award
By Jacquelyn Hoffman
goals outlined by the State
Superintendent of Public
Staff Writer
Instruction, Jack O’Connell, and
the State Board of Education. The
Samo has recently applied for
program identifies and honors
a Distinguished School Award,
many of the state’s exemplary and
due, in large part, to increased
inspiring public schools with the
test scores.
California Distinguished School
Va r i o u s S a m o s t a f f ,
Award (www.cde.ca/gov).
including H-House Principal
Approximately five
Ruth Esseln, Principal Hugo
By Carl Nunziato, Staff Writers
percent of California’s
Pedroza, Activities Director
and Matt Weber, Outreach Coordinator
public schools are
Kathy Marsh, H-House
selected each year,
Teacher Leader Renee
• otal Iraqi civilian deaths in 2006 amounted to 34,000, according to the United
with no fewer than
Semi, drafted and
Nations. The number of cumulative civilian deaths is widely debated, with estimates
40 counties typically
submi�ed a narrative
ranging from 50,000 to over 700,000 (AP).
represented. The
application which
Distinguished
• he Chinese Government successfully tested an anti-satellite weapon on Jan. 11, the most
represented
School honor
significant move towards the weaponization of space since the 1980’s (The New York Times).
Samo beyond
lasts for four
test scores;
• he 110th US Congress convened on Jan. 4, the first to include Muslim and Buddhist congressmen and
years.
the wri�en
a female, Italian-American Speaker of the House, Nanci Pelosi (D-California) (Center for American Progress).
application highlighted Samo’s
accomplishments. Esseln believes
that the application articulates
Samo’s scholastic achievements
more than statistical data. She said,
“It only begins to demonstrate the
amazing things this school and the
staff here do to teach, support, and
encourage students.”
Established in 1985, the
California School Recognition
Program emphasizes the main
World News Top Five
T
T
T
T
• he American Cancer Society has announced that the United States experienced the largest recorded drop in
cancer deaths in 2003, the most recent year from which cancer statistics are available (cancer.org).
T
• he Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock, a measure of how close the world is to nuclear Armageddon,
to “five minutes to midnight,” citig the threat of a second nuclear age and possible unexpected consequences from climate change.
The record for the Doomsday clock was two minutes to midnight, when the United States and the Soviet Union tested their first
hydrogen bombs (thebulletin.org).
OPINION
Page 2
Point/Counterpoint: Is Beckham Really Out of This World?
A Smart Investment
By Bennett Rankin
Staff Writer
Despite the fact that Los
Angeles has arguably one of the
most prominent franchises in
Major League Soccer (MLS), the
Galaxy, nobody in Los Angeles
seemed to pay mind to our local
soccer heroes until David Beckham announced his $250 million
move from Real Madrid to Los
Angeles.
While it is depressing that it
takes the celebrity image of David
Beckham to bring any American
a�ention to the world’s most popular sport, the upsides to Becks’
multi-million migration cannot
be ignored. While David Beckham
will not single-handedly save the
MLS or propel the Galaxy to the
heights of international stardom,
he will provide a much needed
media boost for America’s soccer
league. The team received more
media a�ention in the days following Beckham’s announced move
than it had in any year in which
it won a trophy in the league. He
may be known more for his handsome face and Spice Girl wife than
his ability at taking free kicks, any
a�ention is positive for the MLS
A $250 Million Waste
By Chelsea Rinnig
and the Galaxy.
The tactic of bringing ageing big name soccer stars to the
states to a�empt to spur interest
in soccer has been tried before
and failed. However there is a
vast difference between bringing
the likes of George Best or Johann
Cruyff to Los Angeles to play and
bringing Brand Beckham to play.
Best and Cruyff were two of the
greatest soccer players who ever
lived, far be�er than Beckham was
in his heyday. Any soccer fan in
Europe in the 70’s would sell his
grandma to have Cruyff play for
his team, but the same fanaticism
was hardly shared in the states because, quite simply, no one knew
who he was. However, Beckham
is a cultural icon, and this type of
built-in marketing cannot be underestimated for the Galaxy.
The Galaxy won’t be competing in the FIFA Club World Cup
finals next year and the MLS won’t
gain immediate international
respect because David Beckham
moved to Los Angeles. However,
Beckham’s notoriety gives Major
League Soccer much needed
baby steps toward making these
currently far-fetched dreams a
reality.
Opinion Editor
Everyone has been buzzing
lately about David Beckham’s
move to America’s Major League
Soccer (MLS) to join the Los Angeles Galaxy in June. However,
beneath the shock factor of his
valued $250 million contract lies
the truth: this transfer is actually
more of a risk than the public
realizes.
The fact is, most Americans
only appreciate three sports:
basketball, baseball, and football. One big name is not going
to change the entire industry of
soccer, as we have seen in the
past with foreign stars like Pele,
Franz Beckenbauer, and George
Best. During the 1970’s, all of
these players were be�er than
Beckham and the same hype
spread throughout the U.S. regarding the future of the North
American Soccer League (NASL).
Unfortunately, this did not do
much in terms of reviving soccer
in America, and the company
folded shortly a�er in 1985. This
shows that a big name can only
go so far.
Who’s to say the same thing
will not happen with the MLS?
Beckham will appeal more to
youth and female audiences at
first, but that will not a�ract
significantly larger sales of game
tickets or merchandise, which
constitute $25 million of the contract’s financial potential. Beckham is in his thirties,and he’s not
ge�ing any younger. Competing
with players in their twenties, he
might have difficulty keeping up.
And although he may be a talented and good looking athlete,
Beckham cannot hold his own as
a public speaker and might bore
fans with quotes like, “I want
my son to be christened, but I
don’t know into what religion
yet” (www.expertfootball.com).
America is bound to soon lose
interest in a star soon to be past
his prime. This shows the superficiality of the United States,
paying millions for athletes and
focusing its a�ention on soon to
be has-beens. The MLS is not
ge�ing a truly talented soccer
player, but a profitablee piece
of merchandise Now that Real
Madrid has alienated the soccer
star, Beckham truly is in a whole
other Galaxy, and definitely out
of his league.
Cheating: Not Helpful, Not Productive, Not Something to be Proud Of
By Michael Bromberg
Staff Writer
Cheating: We see it, we ignore it, and we continue to let it
happen. Cheating in school has
become such an ingrained part
of our academic experience, we
don’t even notice it anymore. Says
senior Ryan Kalantari, “students
have no sense of shame or wrongdoing when they cheat. It is accepted as something we must all
do in order to get by. This lack of
guilt, according to AP Economics
teacher Zach Cuda, “stems from
the fact that it has become more
socially acceptable to cheat in all
aspects of life, not just school.”
Also, if people cheat now, they’ll
be forced to cheat later on because
they will have never learned
the proper study habits that are
required to excel in school. We
cannot send students off to college
with this sort of mentality.
Politicians, the supposed role
models of society, have been reported cheating so o�en recently,
it doesn’t even faze students anymore. We figure, if politicians have
no remorse for their dishonest
actions, why should we? With the
increasing intensity and rigor of
academic classes, coupled with excessive amounts of extracurricular
activities, some students rationalize that their cheating is the only
Call Slips Are Our Saviors
by Sarah DeRemer
thing they can do to get
by. They figure, it’s not
hurting anyone, so
why should it matter? But cheaters
do hurt others,
mainly by taking advantage
of those who
actually do
have some integrity.
Ultimately,
all cheating is a
cop-out and an
easy excuse for students who don’t want
to take responsibility
for their laziness. Students
who cheat have lost a valuable sense of honor,
and are depriving
themselves of genuine learning. When
one is too busy
copying other
people’s papers
to absorb any information, they
have nothing to
offer a classroom
discussion, or
anyone else.
Samo may be
sending off more and
more students to topnotch universities, but it
is allowing its students to go
off to college without a proper
sense of ethics. Parents should
make it a priority to emphasize
that cheating, in all aspects of life,
is wrong. While students may not
appreciate it now, learning proper
study habits will pay off in the
long run. Cheaters o�en pride
themselves on their sneakiness,
but cheating requires nothing
more than a wandering eye and
a passive friend. It’s nothing to
be proud of, and if you had some
decency, it would not be something that you would want to
broadcast to the world. Contrary
to what you may think, you did
not discover Sparknotes all by
yourself.
system will suffer tuition increases
of about 7 percent, while California State University (CSU) fees
could rise up to 10 percent. It also
cuts 7 million dollars in academic
preparation funding for CSU.
UC and CSU schools are state
schools and an education in these
schools should be available for
any Californian with a qualifying
GPA. Raising college fees makes
the pursuit of higher education all
the more difficult. Furthermore,
the state contradicts all that it’s
leaders have said about making
education a priority.
Other parts of Schwarzenegger’s budget did give some money
to K-12 institutions and various
programs at the university level,
but this does not make up for the
extra burden placed on thousands
of families. Financial aid exists but
it does not help everybody. For
many le� to pay on their own,
these increases will not be easy
to absorb.
Current students in the UC
System are upset: “It just seems
like when the budget’s in a bad
year, it’s convenient to increase
fees,said Bill Shiebler, president
of the University of California Student Association, and a student at
UC Santa Barbara” (cbs5.com).
The state of California has
a lot of important decisions to
make in the years to come. Currently, we have a remarkable,
affordable state college system
that contains over 30 accredited
schools. However, the colleges
are only as good as what they do
for their citizens. With the final
budget to be presented this summer, California needs to avoid
making budget cuts that pass the
costs on to its citizens.
We Need Affordable College Educations
By Analee Abbott
Managing Editor
People are always stressing the
importance of education. High
school administrators, teachers
and counselors alike encourage
people to graduate from high
school and to pursue higher education. Yearly, college costs rise,
making it harder and harder for
deserving students to a�end. A few
weeks ago, California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger made
college even more costly when he
increased tuition at public California colleges and universities.
California needs to stop taking
money from its youngest, most
vulnerable citizens.
According to CBS News, next
year, under Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget, undergraduates in
the University of California (UC)
Opinion—Page 3 The Samohi January 23, 2007
Reduced, Reused, Recycled Clothing Solutions
By Molly Strauss
News Editor
A passing period.
You’re walking towards
the English Building, wearing that rust-colored Urban
Outfi�ers top you bought
yesterday. Feeling great.
Until... you see a glint of
orange in the crowd. Could
it be? You notice another.
And another. Yes—all
3,500 Samo students are
wearing that same shirt.
Though nightmarish, the above scenario is
teenage reality. We buy
clothing from the same
stores, which stock close
to identical merchandise.
But there’s an easy way
to avoid blending into the
crowd—and the benefits
are more far-reaching than
fashion. Recycling clothes,
whether you’re shopping
at flea markets or raiding
Auntie Amy’s closet, ensures unique outfits while
decreasing your negative
impact on the planet.
The basic principle
is simple: all natural resources are limited, from
fossil fuels to water to cotton. Every time you buy
a brand-spanking-new
pair of jeans, someone,
somewhere had to make
it. Every step of production requires a sacrifice:
machines that sew the
pockets into jeans pollute local water sources,
and trucks that transport
the finished product to
businesses pollute the air.
These realities are facts of
an industrial lifestyle.
Each of us can step
out of the cycle. Think
about the millions of jeans
produced over the years:
skinny, Audrey Hepburninspired pairs; flares worn
in the 70’s; Sevens made
three years ago. Since
these items already exist,
the damage has already
been done. Why not reuse
them and avoid the effects
of buying a new pair?
The options are limitless. Thri� stores and Salvation Armies abound all
over Santa Monica and Los
Angeles, which stock items
barely worn by previous
owners. There’s no shame
walking into second-hand
shops, as “vintage” is actually in style. Crossroads
and Buffalo Exchange buy
used items; they’ll pay you
to take junk off your hands.
If you’re up for an adventure, the Rose Bowl Swap
Meet is home to belts and
blazers that will have your
friends drooling. Sadly,
they won’t be able to buy
the same ones.
Trading clothes with
family is another way to
recycle. If you think about
it, some of your most
treasured outfits probably
belonged to your father or
sister first. Why not dig
through their closets and
find pieces you love that
they’re willing to share?
If you beg enough, Dad or
Sis may give you that Phish
sweatshirt you’ve been
wearing every day.
Some readers may
have balked at the prospect of sharing socks with
their Great Uncle Albert,
whose feet leave li�le to the
imagination. I’m not suggesting that necessities like
underwear be swapped
among best buds.. And no
one’s forcing you to buy a
sweat-stained wife beater
from Good Will. Simply
consider: a pair of jeans can
be washed. A pair of jeans
is actually better when
worn in. And a pair of jeans
just might jumpstart your
recycling obsession.
MyTurn: Israel Must Barack Obama Will Save Us All
Stand Up to the World
By Marissa Silverman
Feature Editor
By Michael Yadegaran
Junior
It is scary to read about and
listen to world leaders of developed and industrialized nations
who deny that there was ever
a Holocaust. The denial of this
horrific event is part of a deeprooted, ignorant, and highly
propagandized hatred towards
the Jewish people and our homeland of “Eretz Israel.”
The Jewish people have
created a community that has
been persecuted and enslaved
throughout its existence. Our
backs broke under Pharaoh’s
whip in Egypt; we were expelled from Europe during the
crusades, and devastated under
Roman Rule. Six million people
were slaughtered in Hitler’s
“Final Solution,” his perverse
ethnic cleansing agenda during
The Holocaust. Fast-forward to
the 21st Century where these
same Jews are being persecuted,
sons and daughters of Holocaust
survivors. These new wars
against the Jewish people were
nicknamed “The Intifadas,” In
this age of technology and enlightenment, somehow we are
yet again infected with one of
the world’s worst diseases and
longest-lasting epidemics: AntiSemitism.
Israel is a nation that was
developed a�er The Holocaust
as a safe haven for the Jewish
people. We have proven our
ability to exist and fought for
independence time and again:
in the Six Day War, 1948’s War of
Independence, The Yom Kippur
War, and up to this day there in
the struggles against our right
to survive and exist. We have
fought off our adversaries, and
Israel, the miniscule nation of
nearly 7 million, has remained
the Jewish homeland. Is it too
much for Israel to live a year
without Anti-Semitic and Anti-
Israeli bigotry and propaganda?
Is it too much for Israel to live
one year as the land of milk and
honey, rather than the land of
blood and tears?
We Jews have been blamed
for the world’s misfortunes
centuries before, and one of the
earliest myths is that we caused
Europe’s Black Plague since less
Jews died because of the cleanliness of the laws of Kashrut. “The
Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a
fraudulent document which has
spread Anti-Semitism throughout the Middle East and Arab
world is one of the largest assets
to the growth of Anti-Semitism.
Myths of “Blood Libels,” events
in which Jews would kidnap gentiles and use their blood to prepare Matzo are accepted as fact
all across the Arab world. Even
more disturbing, TV specials
have been broadcasted on AlManar, (based in Lebanon, run
by Hezbollah) which deepens
the hatred of Jews by portraying
them as evil villains who selfishly
a�empt to claim the world as
their own (PBS.com).
Inform yourselves and research “Holocaust Denial Conference,” an event that took place
in Tehran a mere month ago
which questions the validity of
The Holocaust. The rate of AntiSemitic violence has doubled
in Europe from that of the 90’s
(PBS.com). Even closer to home,
last year at the Jewish Federation
of Sea�le, a man barged in and
shot one woman to death and
wounded five others.
Anti-Semitism spews from
the mouths of extremist communities across the world, regardless of race, religion, or creed.
When I read that a Swastika
was painted on a teacher’s door
here at Samo, I was devastated.
To think that more than 6 million were killed by one man’s
words in 1938...could it happen
again?
If there is any hope of Democrats gaining control or influence
in Washington, they must stand
uniform and prepare to work
together, because the GOP seems
to understand a key concept
Democrats do not: unity. The polls
show too o�en that Democrats
stand divided when it comes time
for elections, or be�er yet, do not
vote at all. Who is smart enough,
strategic enough, and charismatic
enough to win the hearts and votes
of the American people? Senator
Barack Obama is such a person
and could change history.
Some may argue that Washington has not had such a promising candidate since former
president Bill Clinton—humble
beginnings, religious values, and
a moderate voice to win the le�
and most importantly, charm the
right.
The Kenyan-American, Hawaiian born, Ivy-schooled family
man Barack Obama has made
a name for himself—an activist
working to improve low income
neighborhoods in Chicago, the
first African American president of
the Harvard Law Review, a Senator
of Illinois, and now, a presidential
candidate for the 2008 election.
Previous Democratic candidates have not been particularly
accessible to the population at
large. Many Americans, for example, could not identify with
candidate John Kerry, but Obama
seems to cover all bases. His father,
Barack Obama Sr., was born and
raised in Kenya, herding goats
with his father and his mother in
small-town Kansas. It is his history that makes Obama a most
promising candidate. A�er all,
African American voters account
for roughly 20 percent of the
Democratic vote, and as history
shows, it’s ge�ing the people to
come out to the polls that’s the
real challenge.
His star quality has made him
a threat to Cheney and his fellow
Republicans, and it is perhaps for
this reason that the media was
quick to a�ack Obama when he
recently admi�ed to having used
cocaine. While some political
analysts speculate that this new
piece of information will hinder
Obama’s potential success, this
type of openness and sincerity
only adds to Obama’s appeal. It’s
about time that Americans have
a president who can recognize
his mistakes and look forward to
a brighter future. As Obama told
the Washington Post, “I think that,
at this stage, my life is an open
book…voters can make a judgment as to whether dumb things
that I did when I was a teenager
are relevant to the work that I’ve
done since that time.”
It is Obama’s fundamental
principles upon which he has
based his previous work as a humanitarian, a civil rights a�orney,
and an advocate of the American
people that could restore this
nation’s presidency to its intended
purpose of honor and service.
Have an Opinion?
Submit a MyTurn or
Letter to the Editor to
samohiopinion@gmail.
com.
Submissions are due Feb. 5.
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
Outreach Coordinator.........Matt Weber
Editor-at-Large...................Nick Barlow
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
Condom Couture at UCLA
By Sophia Young
Copy Editor
The general a�itude toward condoms
is either one of disgust
or of nervous amusement. Brazilian artist
Adriana Bertini attempts to dispel these
current associations,
giving new meaning to
the phrase “wearing”
a condom. On display
from now until March
11 at UCLA’s Fowler
Museum is Bertini’s
exhibit, entitled “Dress
Up Against AIDS.” The
exhibit features 14 elaborate dresses designed
and made by Bertini.
Each piece is made
from condoms rejected
for quality assurance,
some consisting of over
4,000 condoms and taking over a year’s worth
of labor to create.
Walking into the
exhibit, chances are
you will be so bewitched by the beauty of Bertini’s work that you will forget
they are made from condoms.
Dresses are inspired by cul-
tural influences such as those
of Brazil and Africa, as well as
designers like Coco Chanel,
Balenciaga, and Christian Dior.
To achieve the dresses’ remarkable appeal, Bertini employed a
variety of techniques, including
dying, collaging, and draping.
The exhibit ties into AIDS
Awareness Day, and is meant
to encourage HIV prevention in addition to
removing the stigma often associated with condoms. Marla C. Berns,
director of the Fowler
Museum said, “As an
artist and an activist,
Bertini is trying to tell
us that condoms are
the most important vehicle we have to protect
against the transmission
of HIV/AIDS. By using
the condoms so luxuriously and playfully in
her work, she is also telling us that condoms not
only protect against disease, but facilitate pleasure.” Bertini herself has
witnessed many struggle
in the ba�le against HIV
and AIDS and hopes that
this exhibit will have
an impact in the fight
against AIDS. Said Bertini, “I don’t want to see
people dying of AIDS. It’s
so sad to lose someone we love,
victims of discrimination and
prejudice. I think my work can
help [open up] this discussion.”
can Cinematheque, created in
1981, is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to preserving the art
of film. The efforts of the American Cinematheque allow our
generation to experience classic
film on the big screen. Without
the Aero we would never be able
to see David Lean’s masterpiece,
Lawrence of Arabia in glorious
70mm. How else could we have
a 12 hour long horror movie
festival in honor of Halloween?
The Aero plans on continuing
this proud tradition of bringing
quality film to Santa Monica in
2007.
In order to ring in the New
Year on a powerful note, the
Aero Theater began a film festi-
val focused on the monumental
Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa on Jan. 18, with the detective thriller, Stray Dog. The film
festival concludes on Jan.31 with
Kurosawa’s final film, Dreams.
The powerhouse double
feature of Kurosawa’s multiperspective murder mystery
Rashomon and his unique adaptation of William Shakespeare’s
Macbeth, Throne of Blood, was
shown on Friday Jan 19. Don’t
be too worried if you missed
them though, Kurosawa’s masterpiece The Seven Samurai is being shown on Sunday Jan. 28 for
those of you who can’t stomach
the prospect of si�ing through
Norbit.
Landmark Theater Still Going Strong
By Bennett Rankin
Staff Writer
On Friday night when you
are complaining about how there
are no good movies coming out,
about how good films died out
years ago, pay a visit to the Max
Palevsky Aero to get a healthy
dose of the good old days.
Located at 1328 Montana
Avenue, the Aero Theater, constructed in 1940, has long served
as a temple to classic films. Despite a brief period when its
future was uncertain, the famous Santa Monica landmark
reemerged in 2005 rejuvenated
and as a member of the American Cinematheque. The Ameri-
Page 4
Middle Eastern Delights:
The Axis of Flavor, Falafel
and More
By Evan Perkins, Staff Writer
With so much bad news coming from the Middle East nowadays, it’s easy to forget that this area is the cradle of human
civilization and has had thousands of years to develop delicious, yet suprisingly affordable food. Here are a few restuarants around town that let you experience the flavors of that
region without paying too much of your hard earned money.
Sunnin
(1779 Westwood Blvd. West
Los Angeles)
**** out of ****
With Arab, Turkish, and French
influences all contributing to
the Lebanese culture, Lebanon
is an an interesting stew of a
country. And what does this
mean for you and me? Why,
great food of course! Sunnin is a Lebanese cafe with exotic (and
tasty) food at prices even I could afford! The beef kebab stood
out, being juicy and savory. The frothy Lebanese coffee, stronger
than anything at Starbucks, was also a treat.
Zankou Chicken
(Sepulveda and Santa Monica,
West Los Angeles)
**** out of ****
Armenia, caught between the
Middle East and Russia, has
not only proved to be a resilient country that can withstand
centuries of oppresion, but also
master cookers of chicken! The Zankou Chicken chain is famous
for their savory and crispily delicious chicken, but they also make
a mean falafel and swharma. The prices are also dirt cheap, with
20 bucks more than able to feed a whole family. Make sure to get
the garlic sauce, which can be addictive.
Falafel King
(3rd Street Promenade, between
Arizona and Santa Monica)
*** out of ****
In a food court with dime a dozen
McDonalds and Subway, Falafel
King comes to the rescue! With decent falafel (fried chickpea balls),
and fixings to go with them, Falafel
King is good food at a good price, if not quite as amazing as
Zankou. But you can’t beat the location.
Absurdist Comedy: America’s New Love
By Jackie Berkman
Opinion Editor
Everybody has that one
friend who has the potential to
be an amazing absurdist comedian. Whenever we ask him of
her what he or she is thinking,
they surprise us— and even
dazzle us— with their u�erly
random, totally bizarre, yet completely profound insights. These
insights tend to lie in the realm
of “absurdist” comedy, though
lately it doesn’t seem so absurd.
With such random ranters as Jack
Handey, John Hodgeman, Larry
David and Dane Cook hi�ing
up the comedy scene with their
hilarious performances and writings, one thing has become clear:
America loves wi�y people who
think outside the box. Whether
the comedy itself makes any
sense is rather irrelevant, since
we seem to put less emphasis on
the actual logic of such random
insights as we do for the appreciation of pure, uninhibited creativity itself.
“If trees could scream,
would we be so cavalier about
cu�ing them down? We might,
if they screamed all the time, for
no reason,” wrote Jack Handey,
an insight that was later delivered on Saturday Night Live
(SNL) on Oct. 12, 1991. Handey,
who many falsely assumed was
not a real person but rather a
“pseudo name” for the person
who’s “Deep Thoughts” were
broadcasted on SNL, is actually
quite real and lives with his wife,
Marta, in New York City. He
makes his living as an “American
humorist”— which, in his case,
means publishing random volumes of his irrelevant, but widely
appreciated insights.
Humorist John Hodgeman
works in a similar field. His recently critically acclaimed book
The Areas of My Expertise is—
quite literally— about the areas
in which Hodgeman simply feels
like elaborating on, throwing
all real and valid claims out the
window in favor of something
far more interesting—an overactive imagination. For Hodgeman,
the areas that serve as his alleged
“expertise” fields include the history of furry lobsters, “ma�ers
historical, ma�ers literary, and
ma�ers cryptozooligcal.” Needless to say, the book is a bestseller
and with a four out of five star
customer rating on Amazon.com,
not many are complaining either.
In addition, Larry David,
creator of the hit show Seinfeld,
has kept fans laughing for years
with his absurdist comedy series
Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show’s
comedy thrives in the awkward
situations David finds himself
in when he is unable to keep
his ridiculous ideas to himself.
And anyone who has seen Dane
Cook’s Vicious Circle would agree
that this funny guy has quite a
similar problem.
In this world of political correctness and spell check, humorists such as these are willing to
throw all forms of credibility and
validity out the window, defying
normalcy and trading in common sense for absurdity instead.
The result? America has fallen in
love.
SPECIAL REPORT: AMERICA IN IRAQ
New Developments in Iraq Iraq Survey: What does Samo Think?
By Carl Nunziato
Staff Writer
Since the November elections
that ousted the Republican controlled Congress, President George
W. Bush has made an effort to reassure the public about our chances
for success in Iraq by re-examining
our handling of the war. Several
major changes in the administration and its policies have taken
place over the last two months, and
The Samohi has compiled a list of
the changes and their significance.
11/8/2006 - Donald Rumsfeld
Resigns
Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld was the mastermind behind the Iraq war plan.
Rumsfeld was instrumental
in the planning for the war,
and, a�er election exit polls revealed that 57% of Americans
were displeased with the way
the war was handled, has been
heavily criticized by political
pundits for underestimating
the difficulty of occupying a nation. Former CIA chief Robert
Gates has now replaced Rumsfeld, and has provided what
President Bush calls a “fresh
perspective” (Reuters).
12/6/2006 - The Iraq Study
Group Releases its Report
One of the Bush administration’s
other post-election actions was
to form the Iraq Study Group,
a bipartisan panel designed to
reexamine our Iraq policy and
make recommendations. The
bipartisan commission, headed
by former Secretary of State
James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton (D-Indiana), went on to classify the
situation in Iraq as “grave and
deteriorating” and called for a
“change in the primary mission
of U.S. forces in Iraq that will
allow the United States to move
forces out responsibly” (CNN).
1/10/2007 - President Bush Proposes a Troop Surge
During an address to the
American people on Jan. 10,
President Bush reiterated the
importance of succeeding in
Iraq and proposed stationing
an additional 21,500 troops in
Baghdad and other hostile areas. Though this is not the first
“surge” since the invasion of
Iraq in 2003, President Bush’s
plan has been met with heavy
criticism from members of both
the Republican and Democratic
parties. Senator Chuck Hagel
(R-Nebraska) has stated that if
the troop surge were to occur, it
would be the “most dangerous
foreign policy blunder in this
country since Vietnam” (Latimes.com).
IRAQ
The Samohi surveyed 225 students grades 9-12 to find out their opinions on and associations with the current situation in Iraq, and America’s involvement in it.
Were you supportive of the war in Iraq at the beginning of the conflict (March 2003)?
Yes..........................................................18%
No...........................................................82%
Are you supportive of the conflict now?
Yes..........................................................11%
No...........................................................89%
If not,
As fast
As soon
Once we
how do you think the United States should exit Iraq?
as possible .........................................50%
as the Iraqi government can defend itself............29%
end the insurgency and stabilize the country.........21%
Do you agree with President Bush’s plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq temporarily?
Yes..........................................................10%
No...........................................................90%
Do you know someone who is fighting/has fought in Iraq?
Yes..........................................................38%
No...........................................................62%
Do you know someone who has been killed or injured in Iraq?
Yes, Killed..................................................10%
Yes, Injured.................................................10%
No...........................................................80%
Samo Sibling Stationed in Iraq
Meet Russell Hayes. The 22 year-old from Austin Texas, joined the Army two years ago. He is currently serving his first tour of duty in Iraq, as a Physician’s Assistant. Hayes’ half-sister, The Samohi’s Danielle Worthy,
recently e-mailed him with a few questions. He responded, from Iraq:
What is a normal day for you?
There really is no such thing
here, because the minute you
start a routine, something occurs to completely throw you
off. You learn to adapt really
well to any situation and sooner or later, but usually sooner,
you start to reevaluate yourself
and the life you led before you
joined. And that is the way you
start to think: your life now ver-
What are some memorable experiences you’ve had?
The first time I got to see an
emergency victim rushed in,
I was not expecting it to be so
ghastly, or myself to be so affected by the carnage. A soldier,
having been the victim of a roadside bombing, no longer had his
le� leg and his face was covered
in burns. He had lost consciousness and was immediately
taken away. Later I found out
that he hadn’t made it. But there
have also been good experiences. Every now and then, we receive packages from people we
don’t even know, giving us their
support. There was a couple in
Broomall, Pennsylvania, Marie
and Bob Turnley. They would
send 2 packages a month. Huge
boxes of Triscuits, chips, sweets,
cheese dips, q-tips, etc: things
we take for granted every day
back home. It gives you a sense
of homesickness, but at the sane
time it affirms that what you’re
doing, you’re doing for a reason; to help the ones you love,
as well as the ones you haven’t
yet met.
What is your view on the war?
Do you agree with what is going on?
I believe in what we’re doing.
That is not to say that I believe
in President Bush or the government, but I believe in the people
who are living, serving, fighting, and dying here. Back home,
the media paints a picture of
death and a losing ba�le, but if
you walk outside of base, you
are bombarded by the achievements we’ve made. There are
the schools, hospitals, and businesses that we put back in order.
Kids will follow you in the street.
They will sing or dance or do
anything to get your a�ention
and make you smile. The level
of integrity in the people I work
with is so high that it’s hard not
to believe in them. One Iraqi
man and his family always invite us in for dinner. They bring
us sandwiches, so� drinks, caffeinated beverages, candy bars,
you name it. When we were
leaving for R&R we found out
he had just lost his job. Eight
other guys and I got together
and gave him a li�le over $100
each, about $900 American dollars, which is about equivalent
to $50,000 there. How can you
not agree with that?
Cooper Boss
Freshman
Sonya Allahyar
Sophomore
Adrian Desimone
Junior
Sultana Megalos
Senior
“The war in Iraq is all about
money. The myth that they had
weapons of mass destruction
was George W. Bush’s weapon
of mass destruction. All the government wants is their oil.”
”This war has brought nothing
except an insecure feeling of
safety and profit for certain major corporations. No one wants
to be there. Everyone should just
come home to their families.”
“As much as Bush has screwed
up this war, we need to stick it
out and not do it in a half-ass
fashion. Though the addition of
21, 500 troops is ruining many
families, it could be a solution.”
”There is no valid reason for
us to be in Iraq right now. Our
soldiers are dying for nothing
and anyone who supports this
meaningless war is severely
misinformed.”
Why did you join the army?
Ever since my sister died in a car
crash when I was sixteen, I have
known my calling was to help
people by becoming a doctor.
Universities are pre�y expensive, and the army was the best
way for me to accomplish my
dream. I signed up for the army
reserves and started going to
school at the University of Texas
in Austin. I was called to service
6 months ago.
What was the first difference
you observed when you arrived
in Iraq?
You may not understand this,
but it smells a�er it rains. It
smells bad, kind of like wet dust,
which probably doesn’t make
any sense, but in the desert, it’s
dry dust, wet dust, or mud!
IRAQ
CAMPUS
VOICES:
Compiled by Kevin Katz, Vincent Lai, and Carl Nunziato, Staff Writers
sus your life before you joined.
You really can’t compare the
two.
Photos by Jesse Grebler-Hull
CAMPUS LIFE
Page 6
What? - The Best Overheard Quotes
SAGE Spreading Cheer BySay
Zoe Young
By Anthony Ramirez
Staff Writer
If you asked any Students
for the Advancement of Global
Entrepernuership (SAGE) team
member what SAGE is all about,
they might reply, “ It’s the best
program on campus,” like senior
Brian Martinez. More formally,
SAGE is an on-campus group
promoting entrepreneurship.
They are in charge
of the Vikes Inn
and Vikes Cafe.
Over the past
few years,
the SAGE
team has
been
reco g nized
internationally.
During
winter break,
the SAGE team
went to Los Angeles to deliver gi�s to
ill children. “It was an emotional
day,” said senior Sofia Akki.
A�er seeing all the smiles, the
team wants to continue making a
difference. They are planning to
keep spreading cheer throughout
our community.
Martinez has worked with
The Kidney Foundation to organize an event at a specific hospital
where the team can visit. The
team is going to bring puppies
of all kinds for the children to
play with. The project is geared
to inspire children and assure
them that their stay at the hospital is only temporary. “I am
very excited about how things
are progressing with this whole
project. I am looking forward to the
day when we go visit the children
and see the smiles and the joy,”
said Martinez.
The Junior Entrepreneurs are
also about to make Virgina Avenue Park a business classroom.
The team is going to run free
a�er school classes on entrepreneurship for the community. The
projects aim is to educate kids and
keep them off the
street. “I think
it’s a good opportunity for
kids to get
a great aspect on
h o w
t h e
business
field is
run,” said
senior Arely
Aguilar.
The SAGE
team has projects
planned for their
own studies too. The business
plan project will consist of five
students who will present their
10 page report on how to run a
business to veteran investors at
UCLA. Usually such a presentation would be made by a college
graduate, but our team consists of
17 and 18-year-olds. “It would be a
big deal [if they win] not only for
our peers, but for the whole community,” said senior Bobby Martin.
The SAGE team has dedicated a
great deal of time to their presentation so that everything will run
smoothly. “The students are great
leaders and know a lot about the
business field,” Martin said.
Staff Writer
“Oh God, The Bell Jar: I just wanted
to kill that Esther b****.”
People say the most ridiculous
things.
“If the planets are named
Over the course
a�er the God than
of my three and a
who named the
“I really had
half years at this
planets?”
school, I have
“They were so small and so cute
to focus on someoverheard
“Yeah, I and so illegal. So of course I
thing, Like, I actually definitely bought three.”
some bizarre
sayings. I have
had to work. Do you know put ‘valheard life alterue’ is my “How do you not know where
how that feels?”
value.”
your organs are?’
ing revelations
“D***,
from one fresh“No, man”
that
“What the hell is
man to another and
Björk talking
random tidbits have
“They were
white boy
driven me crazy for months beabout?”
cause I have no idea what they’re is bleeding from
so small and so cute
talking about. For your reading his head.”
Bennett
pleasure, I have compiled a selecand so illegal. So of R a n k i n ,
Nora Casey,
tion of these quotes as heard by “Penn State?…
myself and our staff.
a
nd Nick
isn’t that in North
course I bought
Barlow
conCarolina?”
“He thinks we’re not motivated
tributed
to
this
three.”
about this class, but we’re just not “Did people have sex for
article.
motivated about anything.”
fun back then?”
The Best Things in Life Cost Money
By Saba Boradeh-Hamedy
Clean Up: With a mice reports
in locker rooms and even in Drake
Pool, funds may be
In the past, funding
used to make Samo
for schools has been mincleaner.
imal. However, when
The money is to
The Samohi surveyed about 150 students on how they
The Safety and Repair think school funds should be used.
be split throughout
Measure (BB) passed in
the school district,
21.5 % said maintaining school facilities
the November elections,
which makes many
7% said on new textbooks
the Santa Monica Malibu
of Pedroza’s wants
11.5% said on the Performing Arts/Music Deprtment
Unified School District
“impossible,” because
22.8% said on school athletics
(SMMUSD) obtained
“$268 million is not a
19.5% said on teacher salary
$268 million from the
lot as far as construc17.7% said on technology
city. According to Printion goes.” Pedroza
cipal Hugo Pedroza, the Compiled by Jeremy Tramer, Special Report Editor
adds BB money will
money may be used to do
not be used immedithe following:
servers crashing and computers ately because “it is an ongoing
Build and Restore: Pedroza in need, Pedroza says “We haven’t process. I want everyone to have a
explains “Safety is our main prior- kept up well with technology prominant part in deciding what’s
ity.” Because many buildings on and new things would be�er our best for our schools.”
campus are old, students are at situation.”
Copy Editor
greater risk.
Upgrade Technology: With
What You Want:
Parents Put to Work
By Natalie Yadegar
Staff Writer
Sundance Dances at Samo
By Sam Cotten
Staff Writer
Sundance Channel, a cable television
network dedicated
to showing independent and short
films, is coming to
Samo this spring to
hold the first ever
Sundance Shortfilm
Challenge. The contest will be in collaboration with the
existing Samo AV
department’s annual
Samo Film Festival.
Samo ROP Digital Video
teacher Bill
Wishart
met with
Sundance’s
Vice Presi-
dent of Development Steve Evans
to arrange the Challenge, which is
open to any current high school
student who is a resident of California.
The Sundance Film Festival
was founded by Robert Redford
and named for his favorite role as
The Sundance Kid in the 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance
Kid. It is an internationally renowned festival that independent
filmmakers come from around the
world to submit shorts, documentaries and films. Young filmmakers
who enter the Shortfilm Challenge
will have a similar opportunity
to submit and have their short
films evaluated by a prestigious
panel of judges. They even have a
chance at having their film aired
on the Sundance Channel as part
of Time Warner’s On Demand
programming.
Films must be shorter than
Freshman One: “I really had to
focus on something. I actually
had to work. Do you know how
that feels?”
Freshman Two:
“No, man.”
10 minutes in length
and fall into one of
the following categories: Drama, Comedy,
Documentary, Music Video or Experimental. Films will
be judged according to four equally
weighted criteria:
Creativity, Directing,
Writing and Production Skills.
Additional rules
and entry forms are
posted on Samo’s
website.
Anyone wishing to submit a film
must do so
by April 17
and should
see Bill
Wishart in
H123.
dren through literature, to understand the approaches we take
with literature at Samo, and to
create a community.”
Many students agree with
this new approach, and find
that “it will motivate students
to read, and they’ll have a better understanding of the book,”
according to sophomore Alli
Poland. However, freshman Rahim Hashim says “I don’t think it
will work because we each have
different interests and I wouldn’t
be talking to my mom about it.”
Nevertheless, if the club proves
to be a success, it might become
a new Samo tradition.
The clubs of around 20 parents, start on Wednesday, Jan. 31
at 7 p.m. for ninth grade parents,
and on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.
for tenth grade parents.
The Samo library is launching
new “core text” parent-reading
clubs where parents can read their
child’s class’ books. Two clubs,
one for ninth grade parents, and
the other for tenth grade parents
take place in the Samo library once
a month.
Ninth grade parents who join
the club will be reading the same
material as their child: House On
Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros,
and Lord Of The Flies, by William
Golding. Tenth grade parents will
be reading Macho, by Victor Villasenor, and Macbeth, by William
Shakespeare.
The club’s goal is to help ninth
and tenth graders with reading
comprehension, and to encourage communication between
University Driving School
parents and
(310) 559-9056
their children.
Drivers Education, Enrollment, and Training
Samo liSix hours of drivers training includes:
brary media
teacher, Dana Free pick up, drop off, and private lessons
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Bartbell said,
“This club is 10680 W. Pico Blvd. #288 L.A., C.A.
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Boys Soccer Dominating League
Sports— Page 7 The Samohi January 23, 2007
the Vikes gave up a goal and didn’t
score for the rest of the period. “We
Two days later, the Viking where they le� off, as Jozkowics created chances but just couldn’t
By Emily Foshag
defense successfully protected a 1- won the ball in the le� midfield put them away,” said Gatell of the
Editor- In- Chief
0 lead on the road a�er junior Luis and crossed it to the right side to a team’s early struggles. The second
Zavala found the back of the net waiting Martinez. Martinez beat a half proved to be a different story
From the opening moments just 12 minutes into the game. “Our pair of defenders and found Zavala, as Magaña and Rivas scored
of Ocean League play, Samo’s boys defense has been a community. who gave Samo a 4-0 lead. A Beverly within the first 10 minutes to put
soccer team has established its Everyone is playing well together,” own-goal led to the final 5-0 margin. the game away. Said Castellanos,
dominance, looking to prove that said captain junior Artur Jozkowics. “By using the width of the field, we “We are finally coming together
and playing as a
last year’s second
team.”
place finish in
Because
league is truly a
of the Vikes’
thing of the past.
offensive display
Now nearly two
during the past
weeks into league
two games, it is
competition,
easy to overlook
the Vikings find
the
play
of
themselves atop
goalkeeper senior
the Ocean League
Dor
Keyvani,
with a 4-0 record.
who has allowed
W h e n
just one goal
Culver
City
in four Ocean
head
coach
League contests.
David Sanchez
Keyvani, named
complimented Junior Luis Zavala (10) looks to shoot against Culver City on Jan. 19. The Vikings won 4-1.
thestartinggoalie
the
Vikings’
pressure in an
Photo by Maisy Bragg a�er junior Alex
Kovacs
went
email to Head
With the defense coming were able to spread Beverly out and down with appendicitis in early
of Soccer Frank Gatell shortly a�er
Samo’s 4-1 victory over the Centaurs together to hold opponents scoreless, a�ack from the flanks,” said Gatell. January, “has really stepped up to
on Friday, he was only remarking it was only a ma�er of time before Strong play from captain senior the challenge,” said Gatell.
Keyvani will be called upon
on something that Morningside, the offense got itself into the mix. David Castellanos and Zavala in
Inglewood and Beverly Hills had Against Beverly Hills on Jan. 17, the midfield allowed the Vikings to once again when Samo hosts
that time came. Jozkowics put the continue a�acking throughout the Hawthorne tomorrow a�ernoon.
already experienced.
The Vikings, currently ranked 4th
Morningside got the first taste Vikes on the board early when he game.
As Sanchez later noted, Samo in CIF Division IV, look to apply
of the Vikings’ pressure on Jan. 10 converted a penalty kick and then
when sophomore Juan Magaña perfectly placed a free kick from 19 found similar success when hosting the same offensive and defensive
scored to give Samo the first-half yards out to give Samo a 2-0 lead. Culver City Friday. Martinez gave pressure that has brought them
lead. The Viking defense didn’t Before the end of the half, senior Samo the lead in just the third tremendous success against Ocean
minute a�er converting a free kick League opponents thus far. Kickoff
budge for the remainder of the game Victor Rivas added another goal.
The boys began the second half from Jozkowics, but, in a rare lapse, is at 3 p.m.
as Samo held on for the 1-0 victory.
Athletes of the Issue
Selected by their coaches for their hard work and dedication, these
athletes, among others, can be seen in the Breezeway.
Jazzy Green ‘07
Dor Keyvani ‘07
Favorite TV show: House
Favorite TV show: That
70’s Show
Favorite TV show: America’s Next Top Model
SAMO is diverse
SAMO is school
Favorite food: Mac &
Cheese
Favorite food: hot cheetos
Wrestling
SAMO is big
Favorite food: eggplant
Song most played on iPod:
“Yonder Mt. String Band”
If you had a theme song,
what would it be?
Rocky Theme Song
Soccer
Song most played on iPod:
“Bang”
If you had a theme song,
what would it be?
“Wonder why they call you B---”
Julia Lieberman ‘08 Ellesse Brandis ‘09
Soccer
Song most played on iPod:
highschool musical songs
If you had a theme song,
what would it be?
“Unwri�en”
Basketball
Favorite TV show: 24
SAMO is special
Favorite food: chicken
Song most played on iPod:
“Pac’s Life”
If you had a theme song,
what would it be?
“Chicken Noodle Soup”
Compiled by Charlie Paris, Maisy Bragg and Erin Nadel; Photos by Jesse Grebler-Hull
Greenies Ready to
Face Rival
Lady Greenies now hold a
3-0 record in League
By Tina Naderi
Staff Writer
The Lady Greenies’ held a 3-0
league record as of Jan. 22 and will
play their archrivals, the El Segundo
Eagles, today on the road. “The girls
had a good Winter Break and greatly improved on their game,” said
head coach Ma�hew McDonough.
Senior Katrina Dargel agrees saying,
“With more than four hours of practice everyday over break, I’m sure
we’re more than ready.”
The first victory was an away
game versus Culver City on Jan.
11 which ended in blowout with a
score of 11-3. “We didn’t come out
Senior Katrina Dargel looks
to the goal for a shot against
Milken on Jan. 17.
Photo by Jesse Grebler-Hull
as strong as we could have, but by
the end we played very well” said
senior Helen Yu. The team played
perfect defense, but turned 10 balls
over, which McDonough was disappointed about.
Their next game was at home
versus Milken on Jan. 16. It ended
with the strong win of 20-3. “We
came out hard and we kept that energy throughout the entire game,”
commented junior Lea Burkenroad.
On Jan. 18 the Greenies faced
Beverly Hills High School and won
the game 18-5. Highest scores included Dargel (five) and junior Kaylie Cohen (four). The Greenies had
only two turn overs in this game.
Captain senior Sam Lim said, “I
thought we played very well and
had an excellent communication established with all of the team members.” Wish the Lady Greenies luck
today, because as Dargel says, “the
winner of this game (Samo versus
El Segundo) will almost certainly be
league champions.”
Girls Basketball Breezing Through League Competition
By Erin Nadel
Sports Editor
For
the
Samo
girls
basketball team, a tough
non-league schedule is now
paying off. After facing four
of the LA Times Top-20 teams
and last year ’s Division I State
Runner-Up Berkeley High
School in the weeks leading
up to league play, the Lady
Vikings have breezed through
Ocean League competition
thus far, winning their first
four games by an average
margin of 19 points.
Said sophomore Jennie
Harding of the team’s nonleague schedule, “It helps us
handle pressure better because
we are used to playing more
athletic players. We are now
playing at a higher level.”
The Lady Vikings, now
with a 12-7 overall record,
opened Ocean League play
on Jan. 10 with a 58-41 win
over Morningside on the
road. Behind strong defensive
pressure, the girls jumped
out to a big first quarter lead
and held on for the victory.
Sophomore Ellesse Brandis
finished with a team-high 13
points.
Following a win over
Inglewood at home on Jan.
12 in an extremely physical
contest, the girls continued
their strong play by holding
Beverly Hills to just 34 points
in a victory on Jan. 17. The
Lady Vikings found success
despite the fact that both the
Sentinels and the Normans
have
historically
posed
problems for them.
Last Friday at Culver
City, Samo overcame a slow
start to lead by three at
halftime. Key fourth quarter
three-pointers from senior
Allie Southam and junior
Katy Keating helped the girls
stretch the lead to 16 points
by the time the final buzzer
sounded. Keating led Samo
scoring with 20 points.
The Lady Vikings will
travel to play Hawthorne
tomorrow before beginning
the second half of league
play on Friday when they
host Morningside at 6 p.m. in
Samo’s North Gym.
SPORTS
Page 8
The Sorority of Samo: Lady Shebas Boys Basketball Hold
Impressive 17-3 Record
Continue Their Winning Ways
By Michael Bromberg
Staff Writer
The Lady Shebas continued their excellent play and
stretched their winning streak to
seven games with a 5-0 stomping of Culver City on Jan. 19,
improving their league record to
a perfect 4-0. The latest league
victory came just days after a
hard-fought 2-0 overtime victory at home over Beverly Hills
on Jan. 17. Sophomore Allison
Gourvitz broke the scoreless
tie in the first over time, and
senior Daniela DaCosta added
another — an eighteen-yard
shot that floated over the goalies head — to seal the win for
the Shebas.
The win came on the heels
of a 1-0 victory at home against
Marlborough, who at the time
was ranked first in Division V.
While it wasn’t an easy game,
with the goal coming after a
throw-in by sophomore Monica
Mirch was knocked in by the
Mustang goalie, the Shebas are
finding ways to win, which as
any sports fan can attest to, is
always the most important thing
a team can do.
The Lady Shebas also traveled to Morningside on Jan.
10, where they delivered an
8-0 smashing in their league
opener.
Over winter break, the girls
side summoned a 1-0 win against
El Segundo, with the lone goal
coming on a stunning penalty
kick by junior Jessica Rangel.
Because of their success, the
Shebas at 15-1-3 are currently
ranked fourth overall in Division
III, which is the highest ranking
any Samo girls soccer team has
ever had. In addition, the Santa
Monica girls soccer program was
named as one of the Top 50 teams
in the USA, in a Jan. 18 poll. Says
head coach Serafin Rodriguez,
“If we keep up our high ranking, our first few games of CIF
will be against easy opponents,
allowing us some preparation
for the harder foes.”
Currently, captain senior
Sam Greene leads the team with
20 points on seven goals and 6
assists (two points for a goal,
one point for an assist), with
Gourvitz a close second with
16 points, also with seven goals
along with two assists.
Ultimately, this is shaping
up to be a remarkable season for
the Lady Shebas. When asked
why this team is so good, Dacosta, after a thoughtful pause
states, “The players on this team
are best friends on and off the
field. We have a chemistry that
is unmatched.” She adds, “We
want a championship.” Well, if
their playing so far is an indication of anything, this is definitely
a reachable goal.
Leading Scorers
[As of Jan. 22]
Name
G
Samantha Greene 7
Allison Gourvitz
7
Monica Mirch
3
Daniela DaCosta
5
Michela Fitten
3
Kristen Kearsley 1
Jessica Rangel
2
Julia Liberman
2
A Points
6
20
2
16
7
13
0
10
2
8
4
6
0
4
0
4
Cheer Places
Wrestling Taking Down Competition
3rd at Regionals By Erin Nadel
By Emily Foshag
Editor-In- Chief
Samo’s cheer squad finished third in the United Spirit
Association’s (USA) Regional
competition Sunday in Fountain
Valley. The girls’ strong performance ensured them a spot in
the USA National competition,
which will take place towards
the la�er part of March.
“We performed really well,”
said co-captain senior Samantha
Gordon. “It was just another
good experience to have as we
continue to prepare for UCA
Nationals.”
The cheer squad will travel
to Orlando, Florida to compete
in the United Cheer Association’s
(UCA) National competition
Feb. 9 – 13. The squad earned a
trip to the prestigious competition a�er a first place finish at
Regionals in early December.
During the competition, make
sure to tune into ESPN to catch
a glimpse of your cheerleaders
on television!
Sports Editor
team as
a whole
managed
The wresto take
tling team travseventh.
eled to the 48
The Viteam Mann Classic Tournament
k i n g s
on Dec. 22. Caplost to
the home
tain senior Yusaf
t e a m ,
Syed came in
North
second in the
160 weight class
Captain senior Yusaf Syed pins an Torrance
a
by an injury opponent from North Torrance on Jan. b y
mere five
default, sopho- 19.
more Sami Syed
Photo by Jesse Grebler-Hull p o i n t s ,
which is
and senior Chris
Magana came in fi�h in the 125 “a big accomplishment, because
and 140 weight classes respec- we have never beaten them,” said
tively, and captain senior Lev Yusaf Syed.
The girls also had a TournaDarkhovsky came in seventh in
the 135 weight class.
ment on Jan. 5 in Napa Valley.
The following weekend on Captain senior Jazzy Green won
Dec. 29, the team competed in the the Vintage Tournament with a
81 team North Torrance Tourna- perfect 12-0 record and three first
ment of Champions. Yusaf Syed period pin downs. Green was
took first in the 152 weight class, not scored on in four matches,
Sami Syed came in fi�h in the and took the final match with a
125 weight class once again, and 7-0 win.
Magana finished sixth in the 140
On Jan. 19 the Vikings wresweight class. Although only eight tled against North Torrance and
Vikings out of 14 were present, the lost 46-30.
Goalies: Not Just A Last Resort
By Michael Bromberg and
Aaron Eslamboly
Staff Writers
The goalie: otherwise known
as the one on your team that you
look to when the rest your defensive line have been beaten down
the field or the one player who
is a last resort. But according to
these Samo goalies, they’re much
more than just a last resort. From
soccer to water polo, these players
are true athletes.
Water polo captain seniors Sam Lim and Jennifer
Farzam lead the Lady Greenies
in what they call the defensive
aspect of the game. “It’s a last
resort on the defensive side, but
that’s not all it is, the goalie is also
a big part of the offense,” says Farzam. Farzam also added, “Being
the goalie is also a big part of the
team. At first it’s tough because
you can barely tread and get your
head out of the water, but in the
end all the hard work pays off.”
When asked to describe what it’s
like to be a goalie, Lim responded,
“Goalies are the voice of the team.
Part of our job is being able to
communicate when no one else
can. We control the pace of the
game.”
Like in water polo, goalies
are an crucial part of the team in
soccer. Says senior Dor Keyvani,
“as goalie, I try to be the general
of the team. I can see the whole
field and do my best to command
my troops the best I can.” Junior
teammate Alex Kovacs believes,
“We goalies are never le� out, no
ma�er what.” But, as Keyvani
squad then tied the score late in the
fourth quarter, and had a chance to
Sports Editor
win the game with the score tied
The boys basketball team at 46 with seven seconds to go in
notched another league win on the game. However, they were unJan. 19 against Culver City by able to convert and the game went
pu�ing together a strong second into overtime. The Samo team took
half.
A�er
care of busige�ing off to
ness in the
yet another
over
time
slow start, in
period, outwhich severscoring the
al Vikings got
Normans
into early foul
7-0, and the
trouble, the
game ended
Samo squad
53-46.
outscored the
“[JuCentaurs by
nior] Ed Wil16 in the final
lis provided
two periods
a great spark
en route to
for us,” adda 66-52 win,
ed Hecht,
improving to
“scoring
3-1 in league
18
points
play.
coming off
The Vithe bench.”
kings were Senior Ari Feldman (left) drives to the Senior Ari
able to get hoop against Culver City on Jan. 19. F e l d m a n
back on their
also contribfeet
a�er
Photo by Jesse Grebler-Hull uted with 11
I n g l e wo o d
points and
snapped
10 rebounds.
their 14 game winning streak on
The Vikings did a good job
Jan. 12, when the team got off to not worrying about the stardom of
a slow start and were unable to Beverly Hills point guard Romeo
recover, losing by a final score Miller, as they stayed focused and
of 67-49. “The effort and execu- played their game. “As coaches we
tion simply wasn’t there,” com- didn’t make that big a deal about
mented head coach James Hecht. him, in terms of who he is [off the
“We didn’t shoot the ball well as court],” commented Hecht.
a team,” he continued, “and we
The Vikings also took on
didn’t exhibit any patience on the Bishop Montgomery Jan. 20 in a
offensive side.” The squad shot rematch of the El Segundo Hoops
a mere 25 percent, going 14/55 Classic championship game — in
from the field, and threw up 23 which the Samo squad won easily
3-point-a�empts.
64-51 in December of 2006. This
But, the Vikings were able time however, the Knights got
to put the set back behind them their revenge, handing the Vikings
when they traveled to Beverly their third loss of the season,
Hills to play “Li’l Romeo” and the 55-38.
Normans on Jan 17. A�er starting
Despite the loss, the Vikings
the game down 19-4, the boys still hold an impressive 17-3 reba�led back and cut the lead to cord, and were ranked 20th by the
two at 23-21 before half time. The LA Times as of Jan. 14.
By Charlie Paris
Samo 53, Beverly Hills 46, OT (Jan. 17)
PLAYER
Bryan Louff
Willie Goetz
Taylor Walker
Cam. Ransome
Ari Feldman
Edward Willis
Leo Arnold Jr.
Jamen Fearon
FGM-A
4-6
1-1
0-2
0-1
4-8
3-4
1-4
3-6
TEAM TOTALS 16-32
FT M-A
0-6
1-2
0-0
0-0
3-4
6-8
4-6
1-1
Pts.
8
3
0
0
11
18
6
7
15-27
53
Reb(O-T)
0-6
1-1
0-0
1-0
1-9
4-5
0-3
0-3
7
A
3
1
2
1
1
0
3
0
P
2
2
2
1
1
1
2
1
11
12
FG%: 50. 3 pt 2-6: (Willis 2-2, Louff 0-2, Feldman 0-1, Fearon
0-1). Steals 6: (Louff 4, Walker, Arnold). Blocks 6: (Feldman 5,
Ransome). Turnovers, 19: (Louff 5, Arnold 5, Feldman 3, Goetz 2,
Walker, Ransome, Willis, Fearon).
describes, being a goalie does
have its pitfalls. “I can block four
shots, but if I let one in, everyone
jumps on me. Like any other
sport, the offense always gets all
the credit. The defense never gets
the cheerleaders.”
So, one may ask, why would
one want to be goalie? With added
pressures and a physical separation from the team, motivation
can be hard to find, especially
considering the physical disadvantages of our Samo goalies.
The goalies here at Samo are on
the shallow end of the gene pool
when it comes to height (with
the tallest starting girl goalie
standing at 5’3’’). “And it doesn’t
stop us,” said Lim who stands at
a mere 5’1”.
The Lady Sheeba’s goalie junior Allie Bronstein thinks being
goalie is special because “[she] get
s to be different from everyone
else, while still being a part of the
team. It’s great.” So, if you want
to enjoy the benefits of being on
a team, while still exercising your
right to be different, try a goalie’s
shirt on for size. As for missing
out on the field? All goalies agreed
that, “It’s all about the satisfaction
of shu�ing someone out.”