The Samohi (2023-2024) Cycle 3

The Samohi

Friday, December 15, 2023 II Santa Monica High School II Volume CXII - Issue III

Cover by Audrey Strauss

World leaders combat climate change at 28th annual climate summit

From Nov. 30 to Dec. 12, over a hundred world leaders attended the climate summit in Dubai. Called COP28, the climate summit is a gathering for world leaders to negotiate climate change mitigations.

The Climate Summit started in 1995, almost 30 years ago. Since then, they’ve been held every year other than 2020 due to COVID restrictions. COP stands for “Conference of the Parties”, while the 28 stands for the 28th meeting.

In the 2023 climate summit, world leaders discussed their progress in limiting climate change. Those attending were hoping to limit global warming to only 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is the threshold to what humans can adapt to. However, the planet has already risen 1.2 degrees Celsius. The United States and other countries have begun to cut down on carbon emissions, but the emissions globally have continued to rise. Scientists have

phase out fossil fuels and mostly cut down on carbon emissions in the global power system by the 2030s. As well, they wish to triple the already installed renewable energy, double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030 and more. They also wish to work together to continue the promotion of the implementation of an enhanced transparency framework, foster an inclusive discussion on the future of UNFCCC, advance the implementation of the Glasgow work program, address the gender dimension, and discuss the implementation of climate action in the agricultural and food security.

President Biden did not attend the summit, though he pushed to limit climate change. Senior White House aides say it is due to the Israel and Hamas war, which has consumed him in recent weeks. Although, for the past two years Biden has attended the summit. Last year, he flew to

said that the entire world must cut carbon emissions by 43 percent to avoid immense catastrophic consequences. By attending the climate summit, nations are going to debate numerous things such as how to

Egypt where he promoted the passage of the USA’s significant climate change legislation. The law is called the Inflation Reduction Act, investing $350 million into substantially lowering carbon and other

greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with all stages of production. This law has sent money to communities to help protect and make them more resilient against disasters from climate change, produced over 170 thousand jobs with an estimated 1.5 million jobs along the way, collected over $110 billion in clean energy investments, and protects communities from climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act and another law, named the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, are estimated to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 41 percent by 2030. This is extremely important as production burns toxic materials and gasses, which is one of the reasons why climate change is continuing. Other reasons include generating power by burning coal, cutting down forests, using transportation, producing food, and overconsumption. If these are not cut down, and pass 1.5 degrees Celsius, scientists suspect worse, even deadly, weather. Droughts are expected to become worse and even longer, with stronger hurricanes, even more intense wildfires, and melting ice forcing

coastal regions underwater. Parts of Los Angeles are thought to be underwater by 2050 and the region will be less green due to massive plant deaths and fires. Currently, the world is teetering on no return and it is predicted that within the next 10 years, the global temperature will rise past dangerously high levels, causing irreversible damage. Ingo Gaida, who teaches AP Environmental Science along with other science classes, states that climate change is a dangerous cycle that can only be broken if we do something about it.

“We’re kind of basically destined to be screwed if we don’t do something soon,” Gaida said. “because you can’t stop it, and it’ll last a long time after that before we can go back to pre global warming conditions.”

The Climate Summit is integral for the world to combat the imminent dangers that we are heading towards. The world must work together to turn away from fossil fuels and save the planet, starting with the world leaders.

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Disproportionality discovered in SMMUSD special education

Declan Ney Staff Writer

SMMUSD is working to adopt a plan that addresses the growing problem of disproportionality in special education overidentification. For the most part, Latinx and Hispanic students have been unfairly highlighted in the past as having learning disabilities. Teachers at Samo are also negotiating collaborative classes to ensure a healthier environment within the high school walls. But what do disproportionality, overidentification, and collaborative classes mean?

Disproportionality is “the overrepresentation of a specific race or ethnicity”. It applies to this case because disproportionality can represent a specific race or ethnicity in a specific disability, discipline, or placement category. According to a Santa Monica Daily Press report, the California Department of Education has determined that the school district was significantly disproportionate toward identifying Latinx and Hispanic students, which progressed from the 2019-20 school year to the 2021-22 school year. This is the main cause of the investigation into SMMUSD, and Executive Director of Elementary Schools Dr. Steve Richardson says the district is working to curtail these problems. “As we look to strengthen our program and build coherence around that, we’re not only supporting our Hispanic subgroup, we’re supporting all kids,” Richardson told the Santa Monica Daily Press. “By doing that, we’re also going to relieve some of the tensions put on special [education] when we’re overidentifying kids. It stretches them very thin when we have a risk ratio factor that’s high for any sub-

e Samohi is a monthly newspaper by, for and about Santa Monica High School students. Our goal is to empower the student body through information. We do not represent the views of the administration or sta . We do not endorse advertisements placed in our paper.

group.”

Another big part of special education within SMMUSD is collaborative classes. Collaborative classes are classes with a combined roster of general education students and special education students. They also aim to foster a positive and healthy environment between both parts of the student body at Samo. However, collaborative classes are being negotiated among teachers to make sure the classes meet state law requirements for special education. Teachers at Samo have been working with the district to ensure the goals for these classes remain the same, including English teacher Lily Sheahan, who teaches English 10 as a collaborative class.

“Teaching a collaborative class gives students with learning difficulties an opportunity to learn curriculum at the standard for California education,” Sheahan said. “It’s not limiting and it promotes high expectations for all students. I also think it’s important for students with disabilities to be invited to learn at the same pace, with the same rubric and opportunity for academic success as all other students.”

The investigation also found that Latinx and Hispanic students were three times more likely to be identified in disability categories than students of other races or ethnicities. While this wasn’t the case for the 2022-23 school year, it was a different story from 2019 to 2022. These problems were first brought up in an SMMUSD board meeting on Nov. 16, when the plan mentioned above to address this issue was adopted. The budget for the plan is approximately $346,000 and the money will be used on teacher training, office hours for teachers, intervention training, and

Editor-in-Chief

Hawene Alemayehu

Managing Editor Sydney Roker

News Editors Sienna Bevan

Ryan Kim

Centerspread Editor

Aili Forster

Opinion Editor Nika Nazarizadeh

Sports Editors Cleo Topp

Matilde Martinez-Navarrete

Student Life Editor

Emi Yamashiro-Hergert

A&E Editor Sara Javerbaum

the cost of instructional materials, which are all extremely important things to SMMUSD board member Laurie Lieberman.

“It’s clear that what the plan is doing is really important, and while it’s almost a pilot program, it really has much broader significance,” Lieberman told the Santa Monica Daily Press. “I love that it’s being done this way because I think you’ll work out the kinks, see what works and what doesn’t work.”

Art Editor Audrey Strauss

Photo Editor Taylor Witt

Faculty Advisor Elizabeth Stapleton

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Staff Writers Violeta Buitrago, Addie Burns, Claire Harrison, Max Kehoe, Sia Kresch, Koi Lerner, Manny Lopez, Maggie Marks, Declan Ney, Dalia Puchalt, Louis Rotgin, Liam Sauer, Kamerin Shakir, Olivia Stephansen, Nathan Vasquez

Koi Lerner Staff Writer

COP28 President Sultan al-Jabe (center) and others hold the anual climate summit, hoping to improve climate change policies.

Climate change has severely worsened over time, as the global temperature has been continuously rising over the past century, nearing the 1.5 Celcius limit.

Wikipedia Commons / The Samohi

Wikipedia Commons/ The Samohi

Taylor Witt / The Samohi Niya Harris (`26), Fernando Hernandez (`26), Katy Canas-Cruz (`25) and Koryon Mason (`25) are four of seven students in Ms. Krutzler’s special eduction class at Samo.

OpenAI’s CEO brought back after termination

Liam Sauer Staff Writer

On Nov. 17, the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, was terminated without prior notice and reinstated after two weeks. His rehiring came after over 500 OpenAI employees threatened to leave the company unless Altman’s CEO position was returned. An announcement on the OpenAI website detailed the board’s reason for his removal.

“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” said OpenAI.

In the aftermath of Altman’s rehire, new members were appointed to the board during the major turnover.

An NPR article pointed to alternative sources from inside the company that felt the board’s statement was not genuine, as they said Altman’s termination was a consequence of his trying to rapidly monetize the formerly non-profit company. This raised concerns over the power of ChatGPT and whether or not Altman’s leadership will intensify societal risks related to artificial intelligence.

However, the claims of Altman’s lack of communication and monetary gain had been unobserved by 95 percent of OpenAI’s employees who refused his removal to the company. Altman has been referenced to have this kind of following such as the Looped incident, which some denote his commanding presence.

In previous years, Altman has been active in the Silicon Valley tech scenes. He attended Stanford University from

2003-2005 and left before receiving a degree to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. Altman co-founded the social networking company Looped in 2005. Notably, he was working on a startup accelerator Y-combinator when he was fired from his position as president. The Washington Post reported statements from two anonymous people close to Altman.

“Altman had developed a reputation for favoring personal priorities over official duties and for an absenteeism that rankled his peers and some of the start-ups he was supposed to nurture,” the anonymous sources stated.

Regarding AI in the tech scene, there are two different opposing philosophies. On one side are the effective accelerationism (E/Accs) or people in favor of the acceleration of AI

capabilities. Inversely are the Decels; people wanting to slow down AI’s advancements. As mentioned earlier, Altman has been seen by some to value money over mission. This has intensified criticism of him by Decels, who see the advancement of systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT as dangerous and unregulated. However, E/Accs views the rapid progress of AI to be a large contribution to society.

Noah Pust (‘26) said that while AI comes with its challenges, it overall will have a positive impact as it has multiple benefits that can help a society advance, even if there are some problems along the way.

“With this could come a lack of job needs at a rate we’ve never seen before. And we’ll have to figure out how to adapt to that,” Pust said. “Like all past advancements, the issue isn’t the technology itself, but rather how we react to it.”

However, Govind Raman (’26) is against the use of AI as he said he believes AI is so fraught with danger because the interests of competing parties can go to great lengths to ensure their needs are met.

“I think the main reason AI is bad is because the world is not a perfect place. Free speech is one concern that we have with AI,” Raman said. “We’re already already seeing on social media apps like Twitter, in countries like Saudi Arabia, that speech is being restricted using AI.”

Artificial intelligence is approaching $200 million in investment by 2025. Their future and mission are said to continue to be under high scrutiny and praise. ChatGPT and OpenAI, along with Altman, will maintain a presence in the tech scene for many years to come.

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College housing causes turmoil among students

Stephansen Staff Writer

Students struggle with financial stability, mental health and academic performance as they struggle to pay for their dorms or off-campus housing because of inflation. Due to the lack of safe student housing options, the crisis became a major issue for students in college across the United States, especially UCs such as Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. The main reason for the college housing crisis is the increase in the cost of college, posing a challenge to pay for tuition for families and students alike. Most of the time, while universities offer housing, it is minimal as the demand for affordable housing is higher than they can offer. According to the website College Board, the total federal grant aid is $37.7 billion.

Student financial aid in the United States is funding available to students attending a post-secondary educational institution in the United States. Students receive financial support to cover tuition and, in some cases, housing expenses. According to the website “Credit.com” 3.5 million Americans have a form of federal or private student loan debt. However, this aid may not be enough to cover the housing, making students find other options, such as finding a job to work or asking for student loans. Taking out loans at a young age can cause a financial loophole for students as they graduate college. These loans can cause students to get into debt early, which can take a while to get

out of. Rather than spending the majority of their income on rent and food, students pay their earnings to cover their college rent.

One perspective on the issue is from Nicole Pirooz, (‘24) who said students shouldn’t have to focus paying their debt for college.

“It is a big financial burden for students to solve the issue they need to make housing less expensive,” Pirooz said. “There are too many people and not enough houses, so schools need to expand with building and investing in more housing.”

The rapid increase in enrollment in higher education in recent years has made colleges unable to keep up with the growing student population. Another issue with students living off campus is poor living conditions. According to the LA Times, the issue went across most of America as an estimated 417,000 students lack stable places to sleep. One solution students employ is to sleep in their cars to have a warm place to stay despite the limited space that they have available.

Despite this problem, one solution offered to get rid of student debt is the Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Designed by the Federal Student Aid, the PSLF aims to encourage students to pursue careers in public service by forgiving some of their federal student loans. Colleges are also taking steps to resolve the housing crisis by building more dorms, particularly community colleges, which

received nearly $2.1 billion in funding to provide affordable housing.

Lucas Hekimian (‘24) said colleges should prioritize students more due to students struggling to access housing.

“To combat the housing crisis, colleges need to assist students by either building more housing or not allowing as many students on the campus. Because they are failing to plan ahead, many students are left struggling to have access to the housing they were promised,” Hekimian said.

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Fatal crash leads to road safety improvement efforts

Violeta Buitrago Staff Writer

On Oct. 27 a car crash on 19th street in Idaho resulted in the death of a 69-yearold female cyclist. Two weeks after her death, a non-fatal cyclist crash occurred in the same intersection. The intersection contained a two-way stop sign on Idaho, but not 19th Street.

According to Santa Monica’s Local Roadway Safety Plan, between the years of 2015 and 2019, Santa Monica has experienced 2,334 road collisions with 125 of them being fatal. Due to this incident and other road safety incidents, Santa Monica City Council voted to strengthen its Vision Zero plan to help reduce road-related injuries.

Due to Vision Zero, the intersection has now been turned into a four-way stop sign to prevent any similar injuries in the future. Santa Monica City Council has implemented several road safety pro -

grams such as “Vision Zero” and “Local Roadway Safety Plan” to help ensure those using the roads are in safe conditions.

Vision Zero was implemented in 2016 to make the streets of Santa Monica completely safe by 2026. The main strategies within the program include infrastructure improvements, data that can pinpoint which places need the most work, community engagement to promote the program and other safety methods for residents to implement themselves.

Street safety affects all students as many typically walk, bike or scooter to school or around Santa Monica. Genivive Bazyler (’24) loves to bike around the city and tends to think about their safety while doing so.

“I’m hoping for Santa Monica to add additional bike lanes, especially in more frequented areas. Some streets, like Broadway, have implemented the names

of barrier-like objects in the name of cyclist safety. They’re great when biking, but can be a pain to drive around due to the narrow streets.”

Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) is a required program created in 2022 that identifies the highest priority intersections and corridors for improvement. They also focus on recommended areas of improvement due to consistent crashes. LRSP has identified that 65% of crashes between the years of 2015 and 2019 have involved pedestrians, cyclists or scooter rides. Students like Isabel Hudson-Monforte (’24) live near an unsafe intersection for pedestrians.

“I do feel like crossing the street can be dangerous sometimes, especially on [9th and Wilshire], right by my house, since there is no light, and to cross is a struggle since I almost get hit by a car every time I walk home from school,” Hudson-Monforte said.

Aili Forster / The Samohi

The two way stop signs where the car crashes happened.

The flowers at the bottom mourn the loss of the death and the red flags tell drivers to be more careful.

Olivia

Sam Altman discussing his opinions during TechCrunch at Moscone Convention Center in 2019.

UC Santa Barbara is one of the many colleges struggling in the college housing crisis as they don’t have enough dorms to provide for students.

Flickr / Contributor

Wikimedia Commons / Contributor

Its time to reframe the idea of New Year’s

This is not to say that you shouldn’t create goals for yourself. The New Years can be an ideal time for many to set intentions on things that they have wanted to accomplish. It is vital to go into goals with realistic expectations, expecting obstacles, and being willing to maintain

There is no point in waiting to achieve your goals. If you have a New Year’s Resolution in mind months ahead of January 1, start it as soon as you can. There is no real difference to wait, even if you feel it will provide you with a clean slate. It can even act negatively to wait, as it will further expectations of success, and can throw off your New Year if you aren’t able to achieve your objective. It is a good practice to start working on yourself as soon as possible, as it allows you to see if your goals are actually attainable going into the New Year.

“If you have an idea before the new year and it is not something you just think about in the moment and it is something that you are actually working towards, I think it is a great thing to finally just motivate you to start. It is an excuse to get something off the ground,” Bird said.

the New Year, would offer sacrifices and make promises to the Roman god of beginnings and ends, Janus. Since then, millions have started out each year with promises to themselves that they end up not being able to complete. But why is this?

One of the most important reasons as to why New Year’s

done, it is okay. Making a mishap isn’t worth losing the overall goal. Malin Bird (’24) speaks on how while good in theory, New Year’s resolutions are nonviable for most.

“I think New Year’s resolutions are great ideas, however it is very rare that people follow through with them. I think it is very hopeful and wishful thinking.” Bird said.

College applications are... easy

Violeta Buitrago Staff Writer

From K-12, my teachers, parents, counselors and peers have all worked the idea into my head that college was the end goal. The final destination. All of my work from elementary through high school was with the main purpose of applying to college, right? But, as I now sit as a high school senior writing my college applications, it feels like I am still waiting for the stress and anxiety that was promised for me as I began my application process. In fact, the whole college admissions process has been a breeze. The writing of supplemental questions and personal essays has not been harder than the simple english assignment.

It’s true, when I press the submit button to a college application I do feel a small sense of relief, but it is no amount of relief that I was worked up by outside pressures to be feeling. Yes, the college application process contains lots of writing and time management to be successful, but once you figure out your schedule, it is quite doable.

With the support of my counselors and the other people around me going through the same thing, this process

has felt extremely normal. In my perspective, the writing process has been over-exaggerated by everyone around me. I grew up in anxious anticipation of having to write mounds of essays and other paperwork from the application process, but now that I am here, there is no reason to fret. The pressure from outside voices has made the whole process seem near impossible, but students like Isabella Garcia (’24) have also found that the process has been manageable.

“I would say it’s the same thing [college applications] or less difficult than I expected it to be. Getting through it with my college counselors was fine but for the most part I did it by myself. The writing portion was exactly how I thought it was going to be, when I actually sat down to write them [college applications] I feel like it flowed out easier than I thought it would.” Garcia said.

I was told from previous seniors that it is optimal to start the college process during my junior year, or the summer going into senior year. However, as a senior that started my college applications in September, I have never been stressed about a deadline or had to worry about rushing my work.

The college application process really just goes down to

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time management. If you properly space out your work and don’t wait until the last minute, I have no doubt that the application process will be a breeze.

I can understand the importance of dedication to your college applications as they determine the rest of your academic career, but in reality, it is manageable to dedicate hard work and time without it becoming stressful.

Your Spotify Wrapped doesn’t define you

Sienna Bevan News Editor

To the songs of my childhood, I’m sorry. To the Disney, Hamil ton and Glee soundtracks, Pitch Perfect Riff-offs and Justin Bie ber, it is time for me to let you all go. The tint you leave on my spotify wrapped is a burden that I cannot bear to carry. It is the fingerprint smudge on an otherwise clear, glimmering window. It is not my fault that when shuffling my liked songs, the Barden Bellas happen to slip in there. And I refuse to take responsibility for the amount of minutes the single song “Alexander Hamilton” was played. It must have been on repeat while I was sleeping, I promise.

Spotify Wrapped, which compiles data throughout the year of one’s listening history, is not an accurate representation of one’s true music taste. Though factually accurate, the data may not rep resent how people truly feel about their favorite artists, songs and genres. In other words, Spotify Wrapped may not be how people want to display what their music taste is, or what they want it to actually be. The music people listen to that they are proud to share may be diluted by their guilty pleasures and study music, for ex ample, when actually represented in data.

We put such a great emphasis on Spotify Wrapped, even if only for the singular day it is released, that people care more about how

Piper Forysth (’25) thinks Spotify Wrapped exacerbates the pressures already present in showcasing one’s music taste. “I think people really care about their music, and intentionally or not, people judge others for their music tastes. And if it’s different from their own, they might find it weird,” Forysth said. “It’s something that’s very personal, and people want to be unique and have their own music taste, and they want people to like it.” Forsyth, who claims to have been hacked by Lil Durk, doesn’t think people should be judged off of their spotify wrapped, as an artist she doesn’t even listen to was listed as one of her top artists. “I was hacked, I swear. This isn’t me. Lil Durk is not me,” Forsyth

It shouldn’t matter how others perceive our own music tastes. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what the Spotfiy Wrapped says; it doesn’t define you. We should embrace the fun music, and listen to what we want, when we want. I’m not going to listen to Elliott Smith when I’m driving down the PCH during summer with my friends. Sorry Elliot, but Lin Manuel Miranda is taking

Art by Audrey Strauss

Art by Audrey Strauss

A look into Samo's award-winning Model UN

Max Kehoe Staff Writer

Club members are looking forward to upcoming conferences, including one in Surf City on Feb. 2 to 3 and in Marymount on March 3.

At the Bruin conference, Model UN was happy to have many successes. Kara Best (’24) and Ryan Behzadi (’24) won Outstanding Delegate on UN Women representing Ecuador. Lara Paghubasan (’27) and Franklin Thomas (’27) were given a research award from the UN Development Programme representing India. Finally, Aurora Ahloo (’25) and Jane Robinson (’25) won Best Delegate on the World Health Organization representing Cambodia.

Conferences usually begin with an opening ceremony, then participants go to their respective committees. These are groups focusing on subjects such as Technology Issues and Regional Bodies. The chair will open for beginning speeches and students who want to will give one. After opening speeches, there is a moderated caucus, which covers specific topics within broader realms. Following that, an unmoderated caucus starts, allowing delegates to converse with peers and discuss the issues they’ve researched. Finally, there is a break, closing ceremony and awards. Vice President Sienna Shah (’24) gives insight on the processes of Model UN.

“In Model UN you get to pretend to be a country and

speak on a myriad of issues as if you were a delegate of that country," Shah said. "It's about getting the message out there and raising awareness about problems: that's what we're trying to replicate with Model UN, and that's why I joined.”

Model UN has been around for a long time, but only truly started to flourish in recent years. Shah also mentioned that during COVID, Model UN struggled to fundraise and attend conferences. However, after Bibiana Peterson (’24) became president of the club and Samo History Teacher Heather Knight became the advisor, they changed the game. Model UN has a couple of upcoming conferences in months to come, including a Surf City and USC one. Peterson shares her feelings on being the club’s leader.

“I love it because I’ve gotten to spend time with some of the most funny and intelligent people on this campus," Peterson said. "It’s definitely fulfilling because we’re a group of people all working towards a common goal. To see all of them be so successful makes me really happy."

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Maya Williams advocates for a cleaner future

Dalia Puchalt Staff Writer

Throughout her four-year high school career, Samo student Maya Williams (’24) has emerged as a powerful force for change on the front of environmental activism. Williams has secured leadership roles in numerous climate organizations with differing accomplishments. She hopes to spread the message that the climate emergency is all too present and must be addressed.

Williams’ immersion into the world of sustainability activism began in her freshman year, when she selected the subject for her Freshman Seminar civic action project. As she delved into extensive research, the urgent reality of the present climate situation began to emerge. While recalling her exposure to the issue, Williams described the discoveries that first compelled her to take action.

“The more I looked into the climate issue, the more I realized what a complex and catastrophic issue it really was,” Williams said. “I was terrified, to say the least. Nobody was talking about it.”

It was then that Williams joined the Student Task Force (STF) within the Human Rights Watch Organization, ultimately rising to the role of president. In 2020, the team first pitched the transition to entirely renewable energy to the district, an effort which was initially unsuccessful. Williams and her team worked alongside the district’s sustainability steering committee to develop a student petition soon after, spending countless lunch periods tirelessly collecting over 870 signatures. Despite various

budgeting conflicts, SMMUSD finally made the switch to 100% renewable energy on Mar. 15.

Williams became co-captain of Samo’s Team Marine division at the start of her junior year. A recent significant accomplishment of the club’s was the passing of the climate literacy resolution. The resolution proposed that further climate-based curriculum be incorporated into study plans, as well as increased professional development opportunities for teachers. Williams and the Team Marine Co-Captains Emery Cunningham (’24) and Willa Ross (’24), as well as other club members, successfully presented the climate literacy resolution to the SMMUSD board, where it was passed on Nov. 22.

With the group Youth Climate Strike, Williams collaborated with global advocacy organization Mighty Earth to organize a protest. On Nov. 18, activists flooded the LA Auto Show downtown, speaking out against pollutive auto-production with coordinated chants and colorful signs. The majority of the protests were targeted towards automaker Hyundai, whose supply chain has leeched its way into the atmosphere and is known to have caused many respiratory diseases in neighboring areas. Additionally, the Hyundai-Kia incorporation has been confirmed to employ migrant minors at Alabama production plants in recent years, an illegal and highly unethical process. Ultimately, Williams' protest garnered coverage from numerous news sources including the prominent "Wired Magazine."

Williams’ countless successes on the front of environmental activism—especially at the high school level—are highly indicative of her future success in the field. She plans to double major

in environmental science and public policy in college next fall, continuing to participate in the persisting struggle for climate reform.

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Wrapping up the Samo fall semester

As per usual, the last weeks of the semester before winter break have been and will be packed with activity.

On Saturday, Dec. 2, the City of Santa Monica cut the ribbon on a brand-new bike lane on 17th Street, one of the busiest streets in the city. The event occurred as a culmination of the "Safe Streets for 17th Street and Michigan Avenue" project, which began in Oct. of 2021. As pedestrian traffic increased by 1600% and bicycle traffic by 82% since the opening of the Metro Exposition station, the project aimed to counter the dangers brought on by these new developments. Dec. 2's celebration included a speech by Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis and other city officials as well as a performance by the Samo Viking Marching Band. Student musicians brought pep tunes to the onlookers from behind the bike lane before the ceremony and played the Samo fight song "Vikings Bold" upon the cutting of the ribbon. Marching Band Vice President Shayna Kadish ('25) provided further insight on the band's participation at the event.

"I think it's good to bring awareness to our city about… the different ways we can make biking and transportation safe," Kadish said. "And for the band, getting to represent our school and being present in the community is really important."

Club Day occurred at Samo on Wednesday, Dec. 6, in the Innovation Quad. During lunch, clubs around school were invited to set up a stand on campus during lunch to fundraise for their club's cause. Members sold a variety of products, from food like croissants and Sidecar donuts to non-food items such as socks. Reflect Empathy President Shayl Khatod ('26) considers the event to be a success.

"I enjoyed Club Day and I thought it was a great way for Samo students to help support and learn about different clubs and opportunities around campus," Khatod said. "It also really helped clubs achieve fundraising goals to pursue different projects to better the Samo community."

On Thursday, December 7, student donors, volunteers and UCLA nurses convened in the Discovery quad for the annual UCLA blood drive. Blood donation is a critical medical procedure in treating various medical conditions as the stable and sufficient blood supply for patients can save lives. Through much coordination between Samo's ASB and UCLA, students were able to come together and work towards a successful day for blood donation. Tables were arrayed in and outdoors with snacks and drinks for recovering donors as they got their blood drawn inside. Samo Student Donor Oliver Russel (’24) shared his experience.

“The process of donating was simple, it only took about 30 minutes and it’s an easy way to help out others," Russel said. "People constantly are in need of blood transfusions. If you can give a little extra, you should."

This upcoming week holds multiple significant events for Samo's music program. The annual Orchestra Winter Concert, the first formal concert of the year, will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 12 in Barnum Hall, featuring festive music along with songs from classic composers like Dmitri Shostakovich and Johannes Brahms. Listeners can also expect to experience the tradition of an audience raffle winner conducting the Symphony Orchestra's rendition of "Sleigh Ride." Philharmonic Tuba Player Vanessa Garcia spoke on their excitement for the event.

"We're definitely ready to put on a good concert," Garcia said. "I'm really excited to see the other orchestras performing, to hear what they put together."

Additionally, the Samo Choir program will have its winter "Motus Perpetuus" ("Perpetual Motion") concert on Friday, Dec. 15. This unique concert features ensembles singing from stations all around Barnum Hall, from the stage to the balcony to the aisles. Traditionally, songs will begin immediately after the last, without any gap for applause. The concert will feature a variety of classical pieces, but first-year choir student Zoey Jaffa ('27) is especially looking forward to performing ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" with the Valkyries acapella group.

"It's my first formal choir concert here at Samo and I'm so excited," Jaffa said. "I've been waiting to perform in Barnum for a while and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it goes."

On Nov. 11 and 12, Samo’s Model United Nations club attended a conference at UCLA. With over 2,000 other delegates, Samo emerged with six awards.

Emi Yamashiro-Hergert and Claire Harrison Student Life Editor and Staff Writer

Hannah Benet / Contributor

From left to right: Kara Best ('24), Sienna Shah ('24), Franklin Thomas ('27), Lara Paghubasan ('27), Bibiana Peterson ('24), Jane Robinson ('25), Aurora Ahloo ('25), and Ryan Behzadi ('24) at the Nov. 11 Bruin Model UN conference.

@model_un_samohi on Instagram/ Contributor

Art by Max Kehoe

HOTLB: Samo students’ holiday traditions

As the winter holiday season approaches, families and friends begin to come together in celebration. Many celebrate in different ways, and have their own set of traditions that they follow annually. Samo students too celebrate in a variety of ways – from spending time with family and friends to having special meals – as traditions are a key part of the holidays.

“For Hannkauh I light the menorah for eight days and during this time, we sit on the couch and we sing the blessing. For Christmas, in the morning we open presents under the tree, then we go to my extended family and do a gi exchange,” Knauf said.

“Each year, to celebrate Hanukkah, I have friends and family over. During this time, we make food, such as Latkes, and it is special to me because I get to be with my family,” Dworkin said.

“On Dec. 12 it’s my dad’s birthday, and the day we get our tree. On Christmas we have pozole soup, and go to my aunt’s house,” Guzman said.

A chaotic christmas family tale

Arianna Ballard - (’26)

“My holiday traditions are going to Italy and seeing my family every year. I go skiing with my family and we have this chocolate cake to celebrate Christmas. We also eat a tortellini dish which my grandparents make,” Ballard said.

Decking the halls and draining the wallets

Claire Harrison Staff Writer

Navigating the month of December, from decorations to vacations and gift-giving, can foster a sense of joy and togetherness, but can consequently amplify financial stress. A time of the year intended to bring people together can turn into a very sensitive and divisive time as people struggle to keep up with it’s financial expectations. The pressure to conform to societal norms and create a perfect holiday season causes stressing and overshadows the true meaning of the holidays.

Social pressures to participate in festive activities like ice-skating and secret santa gift exchanges create further expenses that aren’t affordable for many. With a recent Bankrate survey reporting that 54% of Americans expect financial insecurity in the 2023 holiday season, spending this extra money isn’t an option. People are expected to engage in these costly activities which is unachievable for many, ultimately leading to humiliation and guilt.

This can be especially pressing for students. Many students struggle with finding a job and those who do are often kept on a minimum wage paycheck, leaving slim amounts remaining for holiday funds. Students living farther from home experience

extra trouble financing their travels. In a 2023 Credit Karma survey, researchers found that 32% of American students aging from 18-26 with student debt won’t be able to travel home for the holidays on top of their payments. Kamila Soto (’26) shares her experience this winter.

“I’ve only bought two gifts this season and now I have no money, because no one will hire 15 year olds… I have to rely on my parents and I feel bad asking them to buy me gifts for all the people in my life. There’s not much I can do, everything is too expensive. It’s hard being a girl with no source of income,” Soto said.

As it’s become hugely normalized to show affection through monetary items, people are unfairly left feeling guilty when they can’t afford these gifts. However, there are many alternatives to traditional holiday traditions that allow people to share sincere presents while maintaining a budget. Creating DIY decorations and homemade gifts can reduce costs without compromising the festive

spirit. Buying presents from secondhand stores can offer unique items at a fraction of the price of regular retail shopping.

Ultimately, as the holiday season is upon us, it’s important to recognize financial restrictions and the true worth behind presents being its significance sentimentally, not the dollar value. Although buying expensive, luxury items for your loved ones seems tempting, it’s not necessary and shouldn’t be expected. The joy from receiving a genuine heartfelt present that makes someone feel understood and appreciated is unmatched and beats any gift with a high price tag.

more meaning, I think they’d appreciate that more than something that’s expensive and extravagant,” Soto concluded.

“At the end of the day, gifts are from the heart. I know my friends and what they like, so even if I buy something that costs less but holds

Olivia Stephansen & Sia Kresch Staff Writer

Carly Knauf - (’26)

Sia Kresch / The Samohi

Layla Dworkin - (’27)

Olivia Stephansen / The Samohi

Justin Guzman - (’26)

Olivia Stephansen / The Samohi

Matthew Clark (’26)

“I have a big family, so on Christmas, me and my cousins do Secret Santa and on Christmas Eve, we feast,” Clark said.

Sia Kresch / The Samohi

Olivia Stephansen / The Samohi

Chanukkah’s commercial turn in

the U.S.

Liam Sauer Staff Writer

Every December rst, many Jewish students at Samo celebrate the Jewish holiday known as Chanukkah. Since I was a little kid, I’ve heard every friend I know say essentially the same thing: “Jew Christmas.” is remark felt and still feels fairly demeaning. However, as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to recognize the sad truth. We — the Jewish American population — are indeed celebrating “Jew Christmas.” Chanukkah has become ultra-commercialized, as children now receive extravagant gi s and corporations market towards a holiday originally rooted in tradition and gratitude.

e most ironic thing is that Chanukkah, in Hebrew, means “dedication”. e intention behind the holiday is to celebrate our ancestors and their dedication to ghting against forced assimilation. Yet, that same assimilation we fought so hard against, was in its own right adopted to establish the holiday we recognize today.

Chanukkah, like essentially every Jewish holiday, is about a war. As the old refrain goes, “they tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat.” In the case of Chanukkah, this threat was ex-

plicitly existential. During the time of the Syrian-Greek Empire,the Seleucids took over Judea and forced harsh restrictions on the Jewish population. Shabbat (the day of rest), Torah study and prayer were all banned. e

Jewish Temple, formal- ly a place free of idols, had a giant stat- ue of Zeus in it. So, our ancestors revolted. e Maccabee rebel group fought and took back the tem- ple. Judea was again Jew- ish and the temple was rededi- cated to our way of life.

Sadly, the prac- tice of dedication is the antithesis to what is being practiced today in America. As the 20th century brought about a wave of commercialization. Christian kids all over America received glorious gi s every December 25th. Before the 1950’s Jewish children would receive “Gelt” (small coins of money or chocolate), play dreidel (a spinning top that was used to disguise torah study), give tzedakah (charity), sing songs and come

together in what was essentially eight days commemorating a war for our survival. With this chapter of American-Jewish assimilation, we didn’t just replace our more signi cant holidays; Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) with Chanukkah. We replaced the Festival of Lights, a time for remembering our traditions and thanking God for our existence, with a Judaic version of Christmas. Chanukkah was never meant to be about receiving gi s, but receiving a generational love of our culture.

is holiday season, I encourage my Jewish peers to remember the reason we light the menorah for the eight nights of Chanukkah. When the temple was rededicated, we only had enough oil to light the menorah for one night. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight nights. is illumination, in the darkest of times, is what we need at this very moment. While we will undeniably rejoice in consumerism, let us also remember what this holiday is really about: our community, our existence and above all, our continued life and celebration of our Judaism.

Unfreeze your brain: solve the winter crossword!

Cleo

Topp

Sports

Editor

Across:

1. Sit by the...

2. Popular winter date activity

3. Bob ___

4. Light the . . .

5. . . with Boughs of Holly

6. Might be found hanging frozen from one’s roof

7. Winter ___ spot

8. Sven is a . . .

9. What a naughty child might receive

10. A nice cup of . . .

11. Cutting ___ in the opening scene of “Frozen”

12. A term for someone so maybe

13. Might come spiked

14. ___ the snowball

15. Under the tree

16. Might be made by children in anticipation of Santa 17. Christmas Eve day-long procedure for dinner meat

18. California Snow Boots

19. Newspaper might be used as an alternative to it

Down:

1. “___ holidays!”

2. “Frozen” setting / town

3. “You’ve gotten so ___!”

-- common family-gathering phrase

4. ey might sit in the garage most of the year

5. e tree might by mid-January

6. Common Christmas dessert

7. A lacking season in California

8. Ski-trip disaster

9. Synonym for 7-across

10. Integral to 4-across

11. Ornaments for the . . .

12. Present decal & big 2023 trend among Gen-Z

13. 2018 Christmas movie starring Vanessa Hudgens

Santa Monica ICE Winter Calendar

Ice Skating (- Jan.15):

Sunday- ursday: 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Friday & Saturday: 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.

$22 general admission

Santa Monica Ice ‘Net ix Family Nights’ :

Dec. 8: 5:30 p.m.

Dec.12: 5:30 p.m. Dec.15: 5:30 p.m.

Dec.19: 5:30 p.m. & 7 p.m.

Dec.22: 5:30 p.m. & 7

Santa Monica Ice ‘Wednesdays on Ice’ : ‘¡Y soy Rebelde!’ : Dec. 20

‘SaMo Night’ : Dec.27

‘BeyHive Ball’ : Jan. 3

K-POP Party: Jan.10

14. “My true love sent to me, ve ___”

15. Character with a carrot nose

16. Christmas-season roasted nuts

17. Cheerful unsolicited visitors

All Art by Audrey Strauss &

Santa Monica Ice ‘Ring in the New Year’ :

Dec. 31 : 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Dalia Puchalt

Arts and Entertainment

Saltburn: crossing the line, or blurring it?

Max Kehoe Staff Writer

“Saltburn” is horrifically glamorous and disturbingly enigmatic. Director Emerald Fennel took an untraditional approach to a psychological thriller by embedding it with elegant cinematography and magnificent sets. When Oxford student Oliver (played by Barry Keoghan) attempts to befriend the popular and affluent Felix (Jacob Elordi), one thing leads to another and Felix invites him to spend the summer at his family’s mansion. Located in Saltburn: Oliver’s stay at the villa blurs the line between obsession and love, terror

“Saltburn” is the type of movie that even if the plot was awful (it wasn’t), would still win fans based on looks alone. The cast was unsurprisingly attractive and the soundtrack impeccable, but what blew the visual aspect out of the park was the set. Similar to Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette”, to create the illusion of madness that the movie held, they rented the mansion out for the summer to film it. Although it wasn’t exactly Versailles, the Drayton House

has the classic elegance of old European architecture that is forever alluring to the eye. The wealthy imagery is almost feeding into the innate want for materialistic over-compensation.

Many mixed reviews are emerging saying that “Saltburn” is just too grotesque and edgy. However, Fennel’s mature and novel perspective on psychological thrillers is new, exciting and pushes all the right boundaries. Looking at the film’s recently-released counterpart “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, one could argue the violent and horrific nature of the children-murdering society is inappropriate compared to “Saltburn”. All of “Saltburn”’s more intense scenes are (for the majority of the time) psychological. While some might

debate that this psychological thriller goes too far, as director Fennel says, “This film is truly for the sickos.” Fennel combats criticism in an interview with Ella Kemp from Letterbox.

“Maybe I’m being facetious, but I don’t think there’s anything in this film that’s that sick, especially when I’ve been used to seeing women’s bodies treated abominably in film and television,” Fennel remarks.

In turn, there is an essence of the film that is not meant to be fully comprehendible. Oliver’s mind is utterly lascivious, full

of sociopathic tenden cies and endless inter twined lies.

Oliver is only the primary example of pushing the limit. While Oliver is by far the most intense portrayal of long ing, other characters dance around their own obsessions as well. Venetia (Allison Oli ver), Felix’s sister, is determined to preserve her beauty no matter the cost, even if food is no longer an option. Felix’s mother adores beauty and has a “phobia” of ugliness. She is tenacious in keeping everything around her beautiful to indulge in her deeply-rooted narcissism. What makes Ol lie so frightening is not only his infatuation with Felix but also his ability to manipulate the people around him using their own fix ations. Perhaps the scariest part of the film, however, is that– to an extent–it’s relatable. Fennel’s work forces people to accept the lengths to which uncontrollable urges can leap, and how animalistic humans can be.

“It’s all personal, isn’t it? No matter how much you want to get away from yourself, you never really can,” Fennel said.

Art by Sara Javerbaum

thesamohinews@gmail.com

Samo artists empowered by entrepreneurship

Taylor Witt

Photo Editor

The curriculum for Samo’s photography classes has seen drastic changes this year, as what was previously Photo 2 and 3 has been combined into one class: Advanced Photography. Besides the merging of the classes, the curriculum for Advanced Photography also changed.

In previous years, photography students had the freedom to explore and create the photos they desired. The class typically culminates in an exhibit at Roberts Art Gallery near the end of the

school year. However, this year, students were prompted to create their own photography businesses in small groups. By taking headshots and portraits of clients, the turned profit will entirely go towards funding for the photography program. Instagram accounts, websites, zines and portfolios were created to market businesses to the public and attract customers. Students had full freedom to decide everything, from how they want to photograph their subjects to the pricing per hour of bookings.

In another effort to fund the arts program, on Dec. 7, the Roberts Art Gallery held a voluntary art exhibition for students to display and sell their work. The gallery was managed and run by student Flynn Latta (’24) with help from art teacher, Amy Bouse. The showcase served as an opportunity for advanced art students to display their work while also profiting from selling their work. Students received 90 percent of the earnings while the other 10 went to funding for the art department. Applications for the exhibit were open to students not only in AP Art but all entry level and advanced visual arts classes. Latta explains what inspired him to organize the event.

“We were setting up for the Day of the Dead show like two months ago and we were like wow this gallery space is pretty good, we want to use it for something more than it’s used for because in previous years there’s only been like two or three shows a year.” Latta said.

For those with a passion for creativity or those just trying to

make a profit, getting exposure is a very important factor to being successful in selling art. The exhibit served as a mock introduction to the art world, as putting yourself out there is the first and hardest step.

Historically, art departments lack the funds to provide much of the necessary equipment for students to use at their disposal. Thanks to faculty and students, the money needed for materials and resources in visual arts classes is being met through new and creative fundraising strategies.

thesamohinews@gmail.com

Fortnite comeback takes gaming world by storm

Manny Lopez

Five years after Fortnite came out, it seemed that the game was losing both player interest and its status as a video game staple. The original map of Fortnite was first introduced in 2018 when the Battle Royale mode was introduced, and new maps, skins and weapons have been added since in attempt to hook players back in. Before the original creator of the game and creative director for Epic Games, Donald Mustard, decided to step down from his role, his

final effort was to bring back the original map for just one month. In the month players were able to relive the very first season, countless students restarted their PCs and got back to playing Fortnite.

Fortnite is a 100-player battle royale, where each player chooses a landing spot on the map and must defeat the lobby of players, eliminating anybody in their way to earn the “Victory Royale.’’ The game also features a season pass system, called the “Battle Pass’”, which is earned through buying the in-game currency and unlocks certain skins, emotes, pickaxes, gliders and more.

Though the intense marketing campaign and celebrity involvement may have brought in some fans, the most important draw for past players was the nostalgia this season brought. Fortnite’s latest season, “Chapter 4: Season OG’’ reintroduced many fan favorites, including Tilted Towars and Risky Reels. From reuniting with old gaming groups to remembering how life was the very first time someone

played the game, this season was beyond special. Historically, this season of Fortnite has been the most successful, and Mohamad Jahromi (’27) knows why.

“The fact that they brought back everything from the original map was a factor in which made the season so special,” Jahromi said. “I connected with friends I haven’t played with in so long and that just made this season so much more special than the others.”

This most recent Fortnite season was it’s most successful one yet, with over 44 million players logged into servers and countless others waiting in ques, according to a study by BBC news. WIth hour-long queues and millions posting about Fortnite online, millions were reliving the original Fortnite experience. Friend groups who haven’t spoken in ages reunited to enjoy the new season, and this final triumph was an incredible experience for all who were able to hop back on to play this month.

Art by Audrey Strauss and Aili Forster

thesamohinews@gmail.com

Chiabella James / Saltburn

Advanced ceramics student Maxine Rogers (‘25) presents her nature-inspired piece, made in early 2023 during a coil-building unit.

Advanced photo student Brooklyn Duncans (’24) photographed by Mason Lopata (’24) for a portraiture assignment on a professional stage.

Mason Lopata / Contributor

Taylor Witt / The Samohi

What does the future hold for PAC-12 football?

Nathan Vasquez Staff Writer

is summer, UCLA and USC announced they would move from the Paci c-12 conference, or the Pac-12, to the Big Ten conference in 2024. Media deals were heavily involved because the conference struggled to get a TV deal, unlike the Big Ten conference that recently agreed on a seven-year TV deal with FOX, CBS and NBC for seven billion dollars. is move was the start of the collapse of the Pac12 conference, which leaves many college football fans upset because many would say the conference is the strongest it has been in years. “Man, you know, as a kid who grew up watching Pac-12 ball, it sort of hits home a little bit,” Jayden Montanez (’24) said. “You know… I would say that this was their most competitive year that I’ve ever watched, just a bunch of teams all competing, so it was a nice farewell.”

Quickly a er the two schools announced their future exit in 2024, eight of the ten remaining schools announced that they would also be joining a di erent conference next year. e University of Washington and the University of Oregon, the top two schools in the Pac12 this season, are following UCLA and USC by joining the Big Ten conference in 2024. e Big 12 conference will also add four Pac12 schools in 2024 with the Utah Utes, the Colorado Bu aloes, the Arizona Wildcats, and the Arizona State Sun Devils. Stanford and Cal Berkeley o cially le the Pac-12 with their move to the Atlantic Coast Conference (the ACC), so Oregon State and Washington State are currently the only schools le in the Pac-12, or what others now call the “Pac-2”.

Although both Oregon State and Washington State will participate in a two-team conference, they have reached a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference for the 2024 season. e only concern for those schools is that the Mountain West is a bottom ve conference instead of a power ve conference. e bottom ve are the ve lower-level conferences, as opposed to the power ve, which are the top ve conferences. Oregon State and Washington State will thus compete at a lower level than they are used to.

For the rst and last time in conference history, the PAC-12 football championship included a matchup between two schools ranked in the top ve by the College Football Playo Committee: Washington and Oregon. Both teams were not only playing for the nal Pac-12 championship, but were also playing for a spot in the College Football Playo s. Washington escaped the game with a win a er Oregon nearly pulled o a comeback a er trailing the Huskies by 17 points.

“Washington and Oregon is a growing rivalry in the paci c northwest and with the move to the Big Ten, I think it’s the start of a heated battle between the two schools,” eo Dowling (’24) said. With this win, Washington clinched a spot in the playo s as the number two seed, where they will match up against the University of Texas. UT is the number four seed in the Sugar Bowl to hopefully end their conference’s history on a high note.

With that being said, here is how I think each school in the Pac-12 will perform next year with the conference changes. UCLA, coming o a 7-5 record this year, has a very talented defense along with a promising quarterback in Ethan Garbers. Next year Head Coach Chip Kelly must prove that he can remain the head coach of UCLA a er not reaching their expectations this past season. Also, they recently lost their defensive coordinator D’Anton

Lynn, which is a huge loss due to his improvement in their defense in one year. e Bruins have a lot to prove in a defensive Big Ten conference that can hurt them due to their struggling o ense last year. USC, also coming o a 7-5 record this year, did not reach their expectations. e Trojans have made signi cant changes in their sta , with the ring of former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and bringing in former UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. ey also brought in North Dakota State Head Coach Matt Entz to help out with their struggling defense. USC will be losing star quarterback Caleb Williams and their star receivers Brenden Rice and Tahj Washington, which is a huge loss due to how successful their o ense has been these past two years with them. Next year, their defense will be the main question of the team since Head Coach Lincoln Riley has a history of having one of the top o ensive teams during his 7-year coaching career.

e Washington Huskies, the reigning Pac-12 champions, are coming o their best season yet and are expected to win the national championship this year. Next year they will lose their star quarterback Micheal Penix Jr. and their star receiver Rome Odunze, with both of them being a huge part of the success of their o ense this year. It will be hard to replace them when they move to the Big Ten. Although they lost the Pac-12 Championship, the Oregon Ducks’ future is looking bright under second-year Head Coach Dan Lanning. Although they will be losing their quarterback Bo Nix, the Ducks just picked up a commitment from former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who led the Sooners to a 10-2 record and is a proven quarterback in college football. In his rst two seasons as a head coach, Dan Lanning changed the culture of the team and his resume has made it clear that the Ducks will continue to dominate in the future.

e Utah Utes, who won the Pac-12 championship last year, faced many obstacles throughout the season with injuries. ey lost their starting quarterback Cam Rising when he tore his ACL in the Rose Bowl game against Penn State in January. e Utes will be a team to look out for once Rising returns from his injury next season, especially with Head Coach Kyle Whittingham who proved this past year that he can turn nothing into something by coaching the Utes to an 8-4 record.

is year, the Arizona Wildcats looked like one of the most underrated and improved teams in college football. ey went 9-3, with those losses being against Mississippi State, USC, and Washington. What makes their record look even more impressive is that all of those losses were by no more than seven points. With redshirt freshman Noah Fi ta and sophomore receiver Tetairoa McMillan returning next year, the Wildcats are going to be a fun team to watch with their explosive o ense.

e Oregon State Beavers had another solid year going 8-4 but are now in search of a replacement for quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who recently entered the transfer portal.Even so, they are scheduled to play weaker competition against the Mountain West conference compared to this past season being in the Pac-12. e Beavers would need to go undefeated next season to make a case for the college football playo s that are being expanded from a 4-team bracket to a 12-team bracket. is gives them hope because the Beavers are at a disadvantage in strength of schedule and the teams that schools play matter, especially with the Florida State Seminoles not making the playo s a er they went undefeated in the ACC and won their conference championship, which was way harder than what Oregon

State has the opportunity to do.

Another team that will be at a disadvantage in terms of strength of schedule are the Washington State Cougars, who will also schedule their games with the Mountain West conference. e Cougars had a strong start to the season going 4-0, but struggled the rest of the season and nished with a disappointing 5-7 record. Similar to Oregon State, the Cougars will be losing their quarterback Cam Ward, who recently entered the transfer portal. Ward was a huge part of their o ense and it will be hard to replace him considering his impact on the team.

is year all the hype was around the Colorado Bu aloes, who had NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, also known as “Coach Prime,” as head coach. e Bu aloes shocked the world in their season opener beating the TCU Horned Frogs 45-42 in a shootout between both o enses. What made this win so shocking to people was that TCU came into the season as the college football playo runner-up team a er losing to Georgia in a blowout in the National championship last season. Although the Bu aloes had an impressive rst win, they nished their season with an overall record of 4-8, which made them ineligible for a bowl game. Although they did not reach the expectations that the media hyped them up with, Colorado could look to bounce back from last season with their two most impactful players returning next season: Travis Hunter, who played both cornerback and wide receiver this season, and quarterback Shedeur Sanders. e biggest concern the team has to x next season is their o ensive line, which allowed over y sacks this past season. ey most likely will recruit players in the transfer portal to improve that concern. is season there were many explosive o enses in the Pac-12, and the California Golden Bears were de nitely one of them. e team nished with a 6-6 record, which makes them bowl eligible, but the team still needs to improve on defense when they move to the ACC next year. One key loss for Cal going into next season is their o ensive coordinator Jake Spavital, who will take the same job at Baylor next season. If Cal can handle these situations well, they could be a solid team in the ACC next season with returning starting quarterback Jayden Ott.

e Arizona State Sun Devils had their rst season under rstyear Head Coach Kenny Dillingham, and the young team de nitely showed potential throughout the season. ey nished with a 3-9 record, so they have a lot to prove next season in the Big 12. One position battle to watch for ASU in the spring is the quarterback position, because the Sun Devils just picked up quarterback Sam Leavitt in the transfer portal, who was previously at Michigan State and will now compete with their current starting quarterback Jaden Rashada.

e team that has the most to work on next are the Stanford Cardinals, who had a 3-9 record this past season. With the Cardinals moving to the ACC conference, they will need to recruit players in the transfer portal to improve the depth of their roster for next season. One positive for the Cardinals is wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, who had 1,000 receiving yards this past season and will be coming back for one more year until he becomes eligible for the NFL dra in 2025.

Although the Pac-12 hasn’t o cially come to an end, fans are sure to miss miss the Friday night football games, or the “Pac-12 A er Dark.”

TO READ AN EXTENDED VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE, VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

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Cross country star Phoebe Benun makes history

Ryan Kim News Editor

Phoebe Benun (’25), the top runner on the Girls’ Varsity Cross Country team, broke multiple Samo records this season. On Nov. 2, she became Bay League Champion for the second consecutive year. She later went on to place 20th of over 170 racers in the Division I CIF State Championship and 11th out of 135 racers in the Foot Locker Women’s Championship.

A er playing soccer at Samo during her freshman year, Benun decided to join the track and eld team thanks to encouragement from friends and family. A er the great experience she had on the track, Benun stayed with the team over the summer and joined cross country in the fall, which is now her favorite sport.

“I was reluctant because I wanted to focus on soccer, but I eventually decided to try it for one season,” Benun said. “I soon decided to continue

on to the cross country season and I realized that I enjoyed it even more than track. I am now focusing solely on running!”

Benun’s inspiration comes from her mom, who has been running since being on her own track and cross country teams in high school.

“She was one of the rst people to teach me about the joy of running and is one of the main reasons that I began running in the rst place,” said Benun.

Last year, Benun ran Samo girls’ third-fastest three-mile time at 18:04 during the Cool Breeze meet despite it only being her rst year on the team. is year, Phoebe has continuously broken her records, and her fastest time is currently 16:45 for three miles that she ran during the 2023 CIF-SS Finals.

“I put in a lot of work this summer to prepare for the cross-country season and it really paid o ,” Benun said. “It’s been a tough season with a lot of highs and lows, but I’ve learned so much

since I started racing and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.”

One of her favorite runs this year was the Manhattan Invitational during the varsity girls’ and boys’ trip to New York, where she placed 6th out of 100 racers.

“I do not enjoy running in the heat and this race was cold, muddy, and in the middle of a rainstorm,” Benun said. “I would consider these peak running conditions and I am excited to race on the East Coast someday again.”

Benun plans to continue running in college and wants to try marathons, going above and beyond to push herself further to continue racing.

“I would advise others to look for something that they are passionate about in life and stick with it,” Benun said. “ ere will be di cult times but it is a di erent kind of joy to persevere through the struggle and look back on what you have accomplished.”

Phoebe Benun (’25) leads the way at Bay League Finals and was crowned champion for the second year in a row.

David Hunzicker / Contributor

Game-changing athletics for SMMUSD middle schoolers

Olivia Stephansen Staff Writer

Samo o ers a bunch of opportunities for students to play sports, with there being 25 teams available to play on. Until recently, there haven’t been a lot of opportunities for kids to play at a middle school level. JAMS (John Adams Middle School), LMS (Lincoln Middle School), and SMASH (Santa Monica Alternative School House) have recognized the lack of sports available to their students and have started providing more options for them. Middle school sports create more opportunities for students to participate in district-sponsored competitive athletic programs for Santa Monica schools.

e schools now o er ag football, girls’ volleyball and cross country in the fall. e winter sports are boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball and E-sports, which is competitive video gaming that involves teams going against each other in tournaments or match-ups. e spring sports being o ered now are soccer, volleyball and track & eld. Each sport will hold a limited number of spots, making it so that students will need to try out for the teams. LMS athletes will compose the LMS teams, while students from JAMS and SMASH will make up the JAMS team. Bianca Ballard (’28), an LMS student and athlete on the girls’

Lincoln Middle School’s cross country team warms up for practice. On Oct. 11, both John Adams Middle School and Lincoln Middle School competed in a league meet against schools from other districts. In this meet, the Division 1 boys’ team from Lincoln placed fourth in league, with one boy even ending up third overall in the league.

volleyball team, shares her thoughts and excitement for sports o ered in middle schools.

“I think it’s fun,” Ballard said. “We [now] know how it feels and get prepared for high school sports.”

ere are many bene cial aspects for students to be able to participate in sports. One of the major ones is lowering stress levels and anxiety, which many students deal with. It also gives kids a strong sense of community where they can meet friends and learn lifelong skills like time management and leadership qualities. Physically, it improves cardiovascular tness, bone health and reduces the risk of cancer & diabetes. Game-wise it helps athletes improve and get good at the game at a younger age, so once they reach high school they have the basics down.

Pete Barraza, Samo’s JV girls’ and varsity boys’ volleyball coach, discusses the importance of o ering these sports.

“It teaches students the game,” Barraza said. “Most importantly though, it is an appreciation for the game, it is an appreciation to compete, it is an appreciation to play with others, it is an appreciation for the coaches, it is an appreciation for having the privilege to play the sport, enjoy the sport and compete. With great sportsmanship, sometimes it’s not even about winning and losing, it’s about learning and appreciating.”

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Marching band earns highest placement in Samo history

Dalia Puchalt Staff Writer

group’s exponential improvement. He is immensely proud of his students and immediately commented on the outstanding work ethic present during practice.

bene work cat-

A er a productive semester, the Samo Vikings’ marching band has nally concluded their season on a high. Marching band, as both an artistic and athletic medium, is infamously unique in its combination of the musical, the physical and the visual. Requiring countless hours, dedication and manpower, training is always a rigorous process. e group reaped the bene ts of their hard work when they broke a school record at the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association Field Show Championships on Nov. 18. e band was rewarded with a score of 91.1 that Saturday, obliterating their previous all-time record of 90.5 and taking second place among the 12 best 5A category groups in the Southern California region. Typically, scores are derived from a range of categories: auxiliary, musical effect, percussion scores and visual e ect are all considered when judging competitions. is particular performance was the climax of a strong season in which Band Director Kevin McKeown had borne witness to the

“ is is probably the most consistent group I’ve had when it comes to rehearsals,” McKeown said. “ ey put in the work every week and they improved every week—that’s the rst time in my career I can say that.”

ere is no denying the commitment level needed in order to sustain the group. In a typical week, band members meet each day at 7:20 in the morning, with an additional four-hour rehearsal on ursday. On Friday nights, when the band isn’t doing the hal ime show at a home game, they’re practicing as well.

Joining them on the eld with their array of vividly colored ags and banners, the color guard largely contributes to the auxiliary component of the performance’s score, complementing the music with artistic animation. Co-Captain Rayah Todorov (’25) was proud of her team’s performance this season as well, noting that they have undergone a lot of improvement.

“It’s become a lot easier to see how the show has developed throughout the season. e most important thing is that we continue to stress the importance of our performances to one another beforehand,” Todorov said.

e marching band’s performance this year was outstanding, it gained political recognition. On Nov. 28, Santa Monica City Council member Lana Negrete publicly commended the band on their recent success personally, announcing that they had “had a historical season” and that they were “an integral part of American culture.”

As with any other sport, the marching band fosters a tight-knit community. Band members frequently share lengthy bus rides and attend events together, providing them ample time to bond. Assistant Drum Major Sadie Pearlamn (’25) re ected on one of her favorite moments from the season: the post-performance huddle at championships.

“ e sta always talks about the season, and everyone discusses what went well,” Pearlman said. “Right a erwards, there’s this poem that’s recited, and a lot of people cry, and we have photos. It’s pretty memorable.”

The Samo surf team represents Samo at a handful of surfing competitions every school year. Led by senior captain Alex Meyer (’24), the team is currently participating in the Kick Off Classic, their first tournament of the season. The dates of each individual competition are often not confirmed until the night prior as they depend on the quality of waves. This means that the tournament will be ongoing indefinitely as the Kick Off Classic awaits ideal conditions. So far, surfer Arden Hittner (’25) has made

it to the final round of the women’s longboarding competition, cementing a fifth-place position in preparation for the final round. In women’s shortboards, Jade Furukawa (’24) earned first place in heat one of the quarterfinals but fell just short in the semifinals. Samo surfers who advanced to round two of the men’s shortboarding competition are Meyer, Graham Slater (’24), Oliver Levine (’26), Gabe Lopez (’26), Akiva Heller (’27) and Phoenix Vinar (’25). Surfers Theo Carlson (’27), Akiva Heller (’27) and Oliver Levine (’26) all placed first in their respective heat of the second round of the men’s shortboards competition, meaning they will all advance to the next round. Surfers representing the Samo team are looking to take home the win in the remainder of the contests which have yet to have been held. Captain Meyer talks about how cooperation amongst the team will be important in improving upon their already stellar form.

“Our teamwork has gotten a lot better, but I think it could continue to improve for the head-to-head contest, just working together and instead of surfing individually, surfing as a team,” Meyer said.

Following the conclusion of the Kickoff Classic, the team plans on volunteering in as many charitable events as they can. Through the non-profit organization Surf Bus Foundation and partnerships with Black Surfers Collective, Bmoved Foundation and Stoked, the Samo surf team strives to make a positive impact. For the rest of the tournament and the year ahead, Meyer and his crew are ready to build upon their past and mark a new future for the Samo surf team.

“We’d love to do our best and we are always shooting for first, but it’s important to just improve upon last year,”

Perhaps the band’s success during championships can be accredited to their exemplary turnout that Saturday evening. For the rst time in the entire season, each and every band member was in attendance, reinforcing the idea that a true team e ort always produces the best results. e Samo Vikings’ marching band will reunite for their encore performance on Jan. 23, 2024 at the Samo Bands’ Winter Concert. ey hope to see you there!

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Samo surf team successfully rides into rst competition

@samohi.surfteam

Meyer said.

Regardless of skill level and experience, everyone is allowed to participate on the Samo surf team, however, not everybody is selected to participate in competitions. Despite this, that doesn’t take away from having a great experience. Gregor Polinovsky (’25), a new member of the Samo surf team isn’t competing in the Kickoff Classic but has still enjoyed his time with the group.

“I like that we can surf every single day. It’s a fun opportunity. This year is my first year on the team. Everyone’s super nice, they all teach me how to surf, so that’s awesome and it’s a lot of fun,” said Gregor Polinovsky.

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Louis Rotgin Staff Writer

Ethan Clark (’24) plays trombone, duetting with Silas Tropea Lester (pictured left) for a performance that moved the audience.

Samo Marching Band / Contributor

Silas Tropea Lester (’26) plays saxophone at the SCSBOA Field Show Championship on Nov. 18 for an encapsulated crowd.

in region.

Samo Marching Band / Contributor

Braulio Martinez/Contributor

Julia Faber (’25), Sophie Lefevre (’27) and Paisley Pacifici (’27) getting out of the water after surfing at the Kickoff Classic competition at Bruce’s Beach on Nov. 28 to celebrate results including Arden Hittner’s (’25) advance to finals.

/ Contributor

Akiva Heller (‘27) surfs in the Kickoff Classic on Dec. 8, riding a wave in the second round of competitions to gain points in his performance which helped him move onto round three.

Alex Meyer / Contributor

Girls’ waterpolo learns from setbacks

Emi Yamashiro-Hergert Student Life Editor

This season of Varsity Girls’ Water Polo began on Thursday, Nov. 30 with their game against Westlake High School. Samo’s team is striving to continually improve game-togame. With zero of four non-league games won so far as of Dec. 13, the team hopes to develop more throughout the season, which will end in late January. So far, players have been participating in scrimmages and friendlies, and will move on to play in league games starting on Jan. 11 with a match against Palos Verdes. Head Coach Matthew Flanders provides insight on team morale as the season begins.

“We never like to lose, but we know that we are a developing team that is still growing, so we try to learn from setbacks,” Flanders said.

A standout player for girls’ water polo this year is Serena Wu (’25) for her speed, defense skill and improved

Max Kehoe Staff Writer

shot from last season. As she is a top scorer for the team, Flanders and Team Captains Sarah Linowes (’24) and Gigi Slavonia (’24) are excited to see Wu’s confidence grow as an offensive player.

Going into this season, Samo’s team is experiencing success in practices, according to Linowes. Players are focusing on polishing fundamentals, including practicing strong defense to allow for improvement on offense strategies. Flanders highlighted the room for growth in strategy and technique that the team possesses, as well as some successful tactics the team has been trying including the Six/Five Play — a defensive move requiring an opposing player to divide their attention between defenders. Overall, team members look forward to enjoying new victories in their upcoming games.

“We are really focused this year,” Linowes said. “Each practice and game we are getting better and better.”

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Girls’ soccer opens season on an undefeated 7-0 streak Boys’ soccer starts

Boys’ Soccer has returned for the 23-24 winter season, and the varsity team is off to a successful start. So far, they’ve won their first three games, scoring 4-1 against Beverly Hills on Dec. 1, 5-0 against La Puente on Dec. 4, and 3-2 at Selsian on Dec. 6. They’ve lost one game against Crossroads 2-1. Riding off of their recent success, Asa Colwell (’25) is optimistic about the upcoming season.

“Last season was very unfortunate considering that we lost in the CIF semifinals, but I’m excited for this season,” Colwell said. “We have a great squad and have done very well so far during this pre-season.”

The coaching staff remains the same this season; Head Coach Chris Sandoval advises the team with the help of Assistant Coaches Chris Garcia and Chris Diaz. In the 22-23 season, the team had a 63% success rate with

Samo’s Varsity Girls’ Soccer team had its first scrimmage on Nov. 14 against Marymount High School, winning 2-0. Coach Alyssa Pazzi gives her thoughts on the start of the season.

“Before the game, we were really focused and determined, and the girls came out and applied that same focus and determination and got our first win,” Coach Pazzi said. “This is a good baseline moving forward. We’ll be facing more challenges throughout the season, but overall, this is a really great start.”

This was just the beginning, and Samo has gone on to win every single one of their pre-season matches. They beat Bishop Montgomery High School 8-0 on Nov. 27, West High School 2-1 on Nov. 29, El Segundo High School 3-10

on Dec. 4, and Torrance High School 2-1 on Dec. 6. They played the first half of the South Torrance Tournament on Dec. 9, winning their games against North High School and San Pedro High School 4-3 in penalties and 2-1, respectively. Finally, they came out victorious in a 2-0 game against South High School. Co-Captain Cassie Bibby (’24) comments on the winning streak.

“I think we’ve done a really, really good job this season of keeping clean sheets and also scoring, which is what you need to win a game,” Bibby said. “It’s just been really fun this season because I’m playing with everybody I grew up with, and I think that helps with the results as well.”

Samo also had relatively good stats last year. Overall, they had twelve wins, seven ties and three losses. In their league games, they had

four wins, three ties, and three losses. This got them a wildcard to the CIF Championship, where they made it to the second round. They won 2-1 against La Serna in the first round but lost to Etiwanda with a score of 4-1 a week later. Coach Pazzi recalls last year’s championship run and explains how the team will apply it this season.

“I’m hoping the girls take the momentum from that loss and seek redemption this year when we get to those final playoff games,” Pazzi said. “We’re undefeated right now in our preseason, so I want them to continue that mindset throughout this entire preseason and build on it into our actual season… We can take those feelings and all the talent we have this year and apply them to this season to redeem ourselves and get that win.”

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14 wins, 8 losses and 1 tie.

Ranking 45th within the Southern Section and third within the Bay League, the varsity team scored a total of 39 goals all season.

When the time came for the CIF Soccer Regionals, the team suffered a disheartening loss of 1-3 in the semifinals to San Pasqual. Boys’ Varsity Soccer hopes to make up for last season’s performance and make it to championships.

With all three captains graduating last season, they have been succeeded by Captains Dylan Galperin (’24), Jesse Howard (’24), Manu Castagna (’24) and Atreyu Lucas (’24).

“This year our team is a lot more organized, our chemistry is stronger, we are all fighting passionately in our games and we are all eager to win a [CIF] ring,” Lucas said. “Overall I would say our team is looking really good, and I’m excited for the upcoming season!”

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Samo wrestlers place at pre-season away tournaments

Samo wrestling kicked off its season with Boys’ Varsity having their first tournament on Nov. 18 against South Torrance High School. The team placed four wrestlers: Cameron Gorbani (’24), Kenji Ineno (’25), Diego Guerra (’26) placed 7th and Raden Madley (’25) took 3rd. Girls’ Varsity had their first meet against Pacifica and Oxnard High School on Nov. 18, where Arata Sakamoto (’26) placed second and Girls’ Captain Alicia Lewis (’24) placed fourth.

Last season, Former Girls’ Team Captain Taira Sakamoto (’23) placed third in the CIF State Championships, setting a high bar for future years. Head Coach Jason Mun comments on how this achievement reflects the Samo wrestling team.

“I think her placing kind of reaffirmed what we’re doing and that what we’re teaching does work,” Mun said. After a long summer away from the mats and a promising start to the season, the wrestling team is excited to get back in the game. They have not stopped working, many attending camps and participating in extra tournaments. A challenge that the wrestling team continues to face is the lack of girls on the team. Captain Lewis shares her positive outlook for this challenge.

“As a team, we work day-by-day getting better on the mat drilling to lifting,” Lewis said. “We need to continue to bond as a team and grow [the] girls’ wrestling [program].”

Varsity Wrestling’s next home tournament will be on Jan. 11, 2024, against Mira Costa High School.

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Taylor Witt Photo Editor

Dalia Puchalt Staff Writer

Violeta Buitrago / The Samohi

Ryan Cao (’24) [left] and Kyle Kolhoff (’24) [right] play out of the back in their scrimmage vs. Animo High School. Samo and Animo tied 2-2.

Max Kehoe / The Samohi Briana Bautista (’24) [right] sends a pass past Samantha Posell (’24) [left] in their scrimmage versus Marymount High School. Although Samo’s 2-0 win that day doesn’t count towards their record, the girls have still gone undefeated 7-0 in the pre-season

Oscar De La Torre / Contributor

Cameron Davidson (’24) [left] and Kenji Ineno (’25) [right] celebrate placing 7th at a competition against South Torrence on Nov. 18.

Andrea Morgan-Chen / Contributor

Cathy Chen (’25) [left] throws a shot towards goal in Samo’s home game against Westlake High School.

Girls’ basketball looks to improve under new coach

Olivia Stephansen Staff Writer

Varsity girls’ basketball is putting in the work to try and have another strong season this year, preparing for important league games through practices and other non-league games. Last year was a powerful season for the varsity team as they nished with a

7-3

record and were second in the Bay League.

On Nov. 20, Samo girls’ basketball kicked o the season with their rst home game against St. Mary’s Academy. is game brought energy and passion from both Samo’s o ense and defense. However, a er a strong ght Samo lost 39-62. e next home game is Friday Dec. 15 at 6:30 pm against Venice High, and Samo is looking for a win to turn things around.

e seniors for this season are Lily Garcia (’24), Bibiana Peterson (’24) and Elizaveta Snisarenko(’24). Along with the seniors, the team has many other star players. One player to look for, Kalea Oshidari (’26), shares her goals for the season.

“With a fairly young team our goal is to learn how to work with each other and prepare for league in January,” Oshidari said. “Personally, I want to grow as a leader and help guide us to that point.”

Last year, the Samo girl’s varsity team made it to the second round of CIF playo s, winning their initial game against the Crescenta Valley Falcons before losing to the Hart Indians in Newhall in a 44-62 loss. is year, they hope to make it there and further in CIF and to secure a high spot in the Bay League once again.

Along with continued spirit, the team has faced some changes. Last year’s Coach Douglas Kim has le the team, but continues to teach social studies, and has been replaced with new Head Coach Lance Radford, who teaches math at Samo. Coach Radford along with the entire team look towards a fresh and exciting new season.

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Boys’ basketball o to a promising start in preseason

Manny Lopez Staff Writer

Last year, the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team’s season extended into the 2nd round of playo s. e Vikings faced Calvary Chapel High School in the rst round, advancing with a one-point lead. eir next opponent, Hesperia High School, won the battle and ended Samo’s playo run. is season, the team looks to make a statement in league play and make it to the playo s again and beyond. Captain Luke Hecht (’24) shares his goals and expectations for the upcoming season.

“I believe we have a chance to be very successful this season,” L. Hecht said. “A big part of that is because our whole team returned except one starter. Our chemistry and maturity has [also] improved since last year. Our goal this season is to win not only the Bay League, but also the CIF championship and make a run at state.”

Boys’ basketball only lost two seniors last year, Joshua Hecht (’22) and Ty Vudmaska

(’22). J. Hecht was a staple point of last year’s key o ense accompanied by L. Hecht, Holden Henderson (’24) and Jayden Xu (’24). is year the returning juniors and seniors

will be essential scores in this year’s basketball team.

Head Coach James Hecht has his head high for the future season a er receiving his 500th career win as a coach on Saturday, Nov. 11 – the milestone demonstrates his vast knowledge of the game and foreshadows a successful ‘23- ‘24 season. Coach James Hecht shares his expectations for this upcoming season.

“We are focused on trying to get better each day and prepare for each opponent,” Coach Hecht said. “I think this team has tremendous potential and I look forward to seeing what their future holds. We returned a number of our core guys from last year, and we are looking to lean on those guys for their experience.”

e Vikings have had a great start to their season. ey are currently 6-3 and have beat both teams they played at home. eir 2-0 at home record took victories over Los Angeles high school, and Dorsey high school. Home games will resume January 2024.

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To the endzone: Football celebrates nal round of CIF

Declan Ney Staff Writer

e term “Black Friday” now has a new meaning at Samo. On Nov. 24, the Vikings varsity football team fell short in the CIF Southern Championship game against the Rio Hondo Prep Kares, 27-29, in an agonizing yet anticli-

mactic fashion. While the game matched the energy of Samo’s last home playo game, their thrilling overtime victory against Santa Ana High School on Nov. 3, as the nal minutes became a chaotic rollercoaster of emotions for the Vikings faithful in attendance.

which was immediately capitalized on by a touchdown and a two-point conversion to put Rio Hondo up 1421. Brown shares his thoughts on this play a er the game.

“We played our hearts out tonight but unfortunately, there were many mistakes,” Brown said. “ e interception was a tough play and in hindsight, I’d rather have thrown the ball out of bounds or made a play somewhere else.”

e Vikings started the game with a long o ensive drive ending in a one-yard touchdown run from running back Caden McCallum (’24). However, the high would take a di erent turn when Samo mu ed a punt after Rio Hondo’s rst drive, leading to a rushing touchdown from junior Nate Curtis. e matchup continued to be a back- andforth a air as the teams trad- ed touchdowns. e connection between Vikings quarterback Wyatt Brown (’26) and wide receiver Gri n Seals (’24) never wavered as the duo worked their way down the eld for a touchdown to the latter. Rio Hondo would respond in kind with a rushing touchdown from junior running back Diego Householder but the Kares missed the two-point conversion. From there, both defenses held rm the remainder of the Hondo’s secondary would draw rst blood to start the second half with an intercep- tion by sophomore linebacker Rain Pollock,

tears streaming down the faces of players and students alike.

“It was a good play by the defense,” Brown said. “I wish I could have that play back but we gotta move forward and give credit to Rio Hondo’s defense.”

From there, the fun of the game began. Vikings wide receiver Charles Cravings (’24) sparked another long drive for Samo with a 35-yard catch and run on 4th and 2 and McCallum nished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21. Rio Hondo would once again return the favor in the form of another long drive ending in a rushing touchdown from Householder and another two-point conversion to put them up 21-29 while setting up the nal drive for Samo. e Vikings went on another methodical drive and Cravings caught a fading touchdown at the buzzer to send the stadium into a delirious frenzy. But on the two-point conversion attempt, Brown’s pass was batted down. e stadium fell into utter silence with

Despite the heartbreak and devastation of the championship game, the 2023-24 season of Samo Vikings varsity football le little to lament. e team made many memories from all of the astonishing upsets and thrilling battles over the past three months and this iteration has shown that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the future, especially with Brown at the helm.

“ e pressure’s on me to do my job and help win the game and I’m gonna do that,” Brown said. “We know that no other team can

pete with us if we do our job.”

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com-

Samo girls’ varsity players Inkara Bekbenbetova (’26) and Priya Mevasse (’26) regroup after getting scored on and in preparation for a free throw to try and make a comeback against St. Mary’s in the first official home game of the season.

Olivia Stephansen / The Samohi

Olivia Stephansen / The Samohi

Manny Lopez / The Samohi

Manny Lopez / The Samohi quarterback for half. Rio tough

Manny Lopez / The Samohi

Caden McCallum (’24) runs through a gap as his teammates clear the line of defenders. The audience roared along the sidelines, cheering him towards the end zone in the CIF Southern Championship game against Rio Hondo Preparatory High.

Manny Lopez / The Samohi

Sofia Moreno Morales (’25) dodges a defender to make a pass towards the basket in an attempt to score on Monday, Nov. 20 in a home game against St. Mary’s, bringing the game to an even closer match.

Onieli Thruston(’26) dribbles past a defender towards the basket to take a shot against Dorsey High in a home game won by 50 points for Samo, making the other team panic.

Anton Berge-Wells (’24) dunks a ball to secure another point in game against Dorsey High on Dec. 7 for a 71-21 win as the stands celebrate.

Paco Vandenbrook (’24) looks up at the Samo Viking as he walks out onto the field for the last game of his high school career, the stands and team fill with spirit for the CIF Southern Championship game.

Manny Lopez / The Samohi