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The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

When in the presence of friends, put away your phone and engage yourself in the conversation.

The use and abuse of social media: a pow-wow

Summer Thomad
November 23, 2015
While some argue that people's obsessions with their phones is all bad, I believe that it is all about finding a balance.
Politics, Schmolitics

Politics, Schmolitics

Vinh Tran
November 16, 2015
America's youth are too busy gabbing about how fabulous Paris Fashion Week was instead of the political issues in regards to the presidential debate and rising prices of necessities. Do the issues America faces even matter anymore?
Fifteen of my favorite feelings

Fifteen of my favorite feelings

Summer Thomad
November 12, 2015
When life feels like too much, there are always certain pleasures that can initiate positive feelings in me.
The innovation of video games

The innovation of video games

Migi Contreras
November 10, 2015
A rise in video game obsession has led to increased health and financial problems among gamers.
Illustration: Khloe Faria

Excessive police force in schools: inexcusable

Summer Thomad
October 31, 2015
Insubordinate students are not criminals; at what point will law enforcement stop treating them as such?
Despite the stigma surrounding it, there is nothing beautiful about mental illness. 
Photo Illustration: Summer Thomad

The ugly romanticism of mental illness

Summer Thomad
October 24, 2015
The romanticism of mental illnesses has become prominent in media in recent years.
As one of his first orders of business as President, Donald Trump commences construction for the wall placed on the Mexican/U.S. border.

Photo Illustration by Gabi Fernandez

Trump’s America: Day One

Summer Thomad
October 10, 2015
If Donald Trump were elected President of the U.S., the America we know today would be drastically different—starting with his first day in office.
Although certainty and doubt seem to be two different concepts, the two must meet in the middle for a healthy balance.
Photo Credit: Althea Gevero

Finding certainty in doubt, and vice versa

Summer Thomad
October 8, 2015
When it comes to the relationship between certainty and doubt, finding a healthy balance is key.
Would you forgive a father who was embarrassed of his own son? Your path for enlightenment is now darkened by a shadow of a man you once looked up to. 
Photo Credit: Gabi Fernandez

Does the death of thousands justify corporate profits?

Vinh Tran
October 6, 2015
Tobacco companies hold the planet in their greedy hands. They infect the population with a cloud of fallacies, death, and anguish.
Homemade clock or bomb? The teachers and administrators at MacArthur High School supposedly could not tell the difference in the case of Ahmed Mohamed. Personally, I think they knew better.
Photo Credit: Summer Thomad

Tick Tock goes the—bomb?

Summer Thomad
October 2, 2015
Ever since the 14 year old's homemade clock was mistaken for a bomb, Ahmed Mohamed has received international attention; but was the student's experiment ever truly thought to be a bomb?
It was a short one liner but what she said had a huge impact. Nicki Minaj did not go out of her way to start a “feud” between pop stars. She was just one of the many artists fighting for equality within Hollywood.
Photo Credit: Iris Zervalakos

Systematic Racism, What’s Good?

Summer Thomad
September 14, 2015
The Minaj-Cyrus debacle is shedding light onto a much bigger issue than simple celebrity drama.
Those who idealize see the world through an alternate, romanticized lens, almost as if they have another pair of eyes.
Photo Credit: Summer Thomad

Through my ideal eyes

Summer Thomad
September 10, 2015
The act of idealization contains many ups and downs; It is a complex behavior that is experienced by different people in different ways.