The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow
Animation II students are delving into 3D animation by creating a 3D donut and coffee cup in the animation software, Blender. For this assignment, they will follow tutorials to guide them through the process. “I am enjoying following a specific guide on how to use Blender,” sophomore Simon Tolentino said. “I feel like I am learning the necessary steps to 3D animation and I am truly enjoying it.” Photo Credit: Farhad Yazdani

Animation II Students begin learning about 3D Designing

Farhad Yazdani
May 17, 2021
Animation II sophomores begin making 3D donuts and coffee cups in Blender.
Due to vaccinations not being a requirement, students have the option of either taking it or opting out. The vaccinations available consist of Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax, and more. “I’m going to be taking the vaccine sometime next week and I can't wait to get it,” sophomore Hai Tong said. “After getting vaccinated I will feel more safe and confident in publicplaces.”Photo Credit: NIAID

COVID-19 vaccines now available for anyone 16 or older

Farhad Yazdani
April 22, 2021
With COVID-19 vaccinations being available for anyone 16 or older, students are deciding if they want to be immunized.
Board games are one of the main introductions to game design and are an important skill to learn for Digital Game II students. For this unit, students will be designing their own board game. “I love the thought of freely designing things and board games are so simple to design making it really enjoyable,” sophomore Rayan Al Jahouri. “I feel like the further we get into the lesson the more fun and easy things are coming to me.” Photo Credit: Aksel Fristrup

Digital Game II students learn the fundamentals of board game design

Farhad Yazdani
April 8, 2021
Game Design II students learn the history of board games and the techniques it takes to design them
“Pumped BMX Flow” takes a whole new spin on bicycle motocross games. This app challenges players to achieve high scores and go through crazy obstacles. Rating: B- Photo Credit:Yeah! Us Games

Learn a brand new wave of mobile dirt bike racing games in ‘Pumped BMX Flow’

Farhad Yazdani
March 26, 2021
Bringing BMX mobile gaming to a whole new level.
Building the bridges to a covid-free world

Building the bridges to a covid-free world

Ahmed Ahmed, Kristin Bernasor, Hannah Paine, Farhad Yazdani, Kayla Thomas, and Rhamil Taguba
March 19, 2021
The pandemic has adversely affected our country in a myriad of ways. Here, we go beyond the stats and numbers and zoom in on how each of us were impacted.
Students and teachers prepare to go back to school following spring break. Although many technical details seem to be out of place, CCSD is trying their best to help students and parents understand the new schedule. “I am excited to be able to return to in person learning,” sophomore Hai Tong said. “I didn’t hate online school but returning to see my friends and to a social environment will be great.” Photo credit: Southwest Career and Technical Academy

Students have mixed opinions about returning to in-person learning

Farhad Yazdani
March 15, 2021
Students and teachers have varying opinions on returning back to school.
L2 Texas BBQ is a brand new BBQ restaurant in Las Vegas and is serving up great food. Rating: A- Photo Credit: Farhad Yazdani

Experience a classic dinner experience at L2 Texas BBQ

Farhad Yazdani
March 4, 2021
Try some fantastic BBQ at L2 Texas BBQ which servers up all you're favorite meats.
HOSA students pose for their annual group photo for the yearbook on February 19, 2020. Members are currently selecting their areas to compete in. “I enjoyed it in person a lot during my freshman year and can’t wait to compete again this April.”

HOSA members start choosing areas for competition

Farhad Yazdani
February 23, 2021
HOSA students prepare for SLC in April.
In order to learn more about what it takes to make a video game, students are watching video lessons from Rockstar Studios and the work they put in creating RDR2. After the video lesson, students will be taking an assessment to end the unit. “A great video game has to be graphically driven,” sophomore Hai Tong said. “If the game doesn’t have amazing graphics nowadays, it can’t be considered a top game no matter how good the story/controls are."Gamer" by ulricaloeb is licensed under CC BY 2.0 .

Game design sophomores start an intricate unit on what makes a great video game

Farhad Yazdani
February 16, 2021
Students are breaking down the parts of a successful game to understand story design.
Learning the unique process of making an 8-bit animation, sophomore Hai Tong works diligently to perfect his space fighter animation. Navigating 8-bit animations has been difficult for many students due to the rigorous steps, but with practice and help from Animation II teacher Jeffrey Ball, students are completing their characters in a timely manner. “I am really enjoying creating new elements for this animation. Everything is coming together as I expected,” Tong said. Photo Credit: Hai Tong

Animation II students create 8-bit characters

Farhad Yazdani
February 11, 2021
Students are learning the ins and outs of original animation. 
Most Anticipated Video Games of 2021

Most Anticipated Video Games of 2021

Farhad Yazdani
February 4, 2021
2021 has the potential to be a phenomenal year for gaming with a bunch of great releases coming our way.
DRAW MY SHADOW: Liban Tuni

DRAW MY SHADOW: Liban Tuni

Farhad Yazdani
January 15, 2021
Sophomore Liban Tuni explains his path to learning the stock market and becoming successful at it.
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