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The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Preparing for the upcoming national competition, the Arte Al Mare team continues to refine their restaurant concept after months of collaboration and growth. Through the challenges of the project, senior Quinn Loughton discovered more about himself. “This competition really allowed me to achieve my personal goal of developing my skills I hoped to use in the project,” Loughton said. “From my interior design skills, to my organizational skills, I was able to put these into practice in a scenario that greatly mimicked real-life. This proved invaluable to my future career as I can look back at this competition and see where I started compared to where I hope to be.

ProStart Team Takes First Place in Managerial Category at Competition

Jaden Espinueva, Staff Writer
May 5, 2025
The team is now preparing to compete in the ProStart National Management Competition, which will take place in Baltimore, Maryland from May 1-5.
News consumption is shifting away from traditional articles and toward short-form digital content. Many young people cited convenience and accessibility as key reasons for this shift.

Journalism’s New Home is the For You Page

Philipos Alebachew, Editor in Chief
May 5, 2025
As journalism adapts to shrinking attention spans, newer generations are turning to influencers and short clips instead of vetted reporting to stay informed.
Although significant progress has been made towards facilitating equal pay for both men and women, institutional flaws still perpetuate an economic divide between the two sexes.

Gender Pay Gap Narrows in 2025

Adrienne Vera-Perez, Assistant Editor-in-Chief
May 2, 2025
Women now make an average of 84 cents for every dollar that a man makes, representing a significant increase in women’s wages in the past 20 years.
Legislation should be passed on American principles, and our freedom to be fully soaked in the shower.

SATIRE: I Demand My Water Rights

Ava Torres, Features Editor
May 2, 2025
Water pressure is an issue that America should be placing on the top of the priority list.

A SWCTA tradition: Coyote Coachella

Yara Ahmed, Shadow Files Reporter
May 2, 2025
Coyote Coachella was another hit for the SWCTA community.

‘Mozart: Piano Variations, Vol. 2’ is a Brilliant Interpretation

Hunter Rhee, Multimedia Editor
May 2, 2025
“Mozart: Piano Variations Vol. 2” is an incredible listen, filled with the joys of Mozart’s character and style in this clever interpretation by Giuseppe Bruno.
"Sunrise on the Reaping" presented an already familiar narrative through an emotionally turbulent and fresh angle. Grade: B+

I Loved ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Like All-Fire

Adrienne Vera-Perez, Assistant Editor-in-Chief
May 2, 2025
Despite my initial doubts, “Sunrise on the Reaping” has proved itself to be one of the most valuable and hard-hitting installments in the beloved universe.
“Karma” takes its viewers on a riveting journey of twists and turns that leave them in shock.  Rating: A- 
Photo Credit: © 2025 © Netflix

Delve Into the Unfortunate Events of ‘Karma’

Kylie Dacquel, Standards and Practices Editor
May 2, 2025
Karma stands as an unrelenting force against the characters at its hands.
 Navigate through the challenges of what it takes to be a master coffee brewist in “Good Coffee, Great Coffee.”  Grade: A- 
 (Photo Credit: TapBlaze)

Bring the Gift of Caffeine in “Good Coffee, Great Coffee”

Shayna Migalang, Opinion Editor
May 1, 2025
“Good Coffee, Great Coffee” is a smooth blend of challenging gameplay and heartwarming story.
“ The long-awaited continuance of the “ENA” series redefines storytelling in the form of a surrealist masterpiece.
Rating: A+
 Photo Credit: IGDB

Delve into a Feverish Escapade in ‘ENA: Dream BBQ’

Venice Jingco, A&E Editor
April 30, 2025
ENA: Dream BBQ is a psychedelic rollercoaster of goosebumps and party tricks, with twists and turns featuring nonsensical madness you’d only ever find in a fever dream.
Growing up, I always struggled with selecting the skin tone of my character in video games.

The Search for My Skin

Shayna Migalang, Opinion Editor
April 30, 2025
A deepdive into how character customization screens in video games give me an identity crisis each and every time I play.
Inspecting the kart, sophomores Makoa Apao and Christian Reyes make some slight adjustments to the build. The project has been led by senior Connor Wiggins. “I really like the original framework of [the kart],” sophomore Makoa Apao said. “I feel like when they originally designed it, the kart was really well built, and I really appreciate the craftsmanship on it. [Through our work], we've implemented keyhole systems to restrict access to it. We've also implemented LEDs as an underglow.”

Engineering II Students Successfully Repair Electric Kart

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
April 30, 2025
Engineering II students teamed up to use the skills they learned in class for passion projects of their own.