The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow
Posing with her Hello Kitty collection, sophomore Joyce Harveston shows off her newest addition. Her collection has grown throughout the past decade and houses well over 300 trinkets. “I just spent a lot of Holiday money on the Care Bear Hello Kitties,” Harveston said. “Care Bears and Hello Kitty did a collaboration, and they are like $200 online.”

Hello Kitty Lover: Meet Joyce Harveston

Natalia Klonowski, Staff Writer
April 9, 2025
Harveston explains her passion for Hello Kitty Collectibles.
Managing the volleyball team, junior Liam Day takes his time carefully planning out each practice to give his team their best chances for success. Planning out practices ensured that the team was prepared the best they could to ensure optimal performance on the court. “Being able to notice the mistakes the team makes helps me be able to really focus on what they need to work on,” Day said. “If they shank a couple of balls, we’ll focus on passing. Or if they're not calling out during plays, we’ll work on communication. It’s all about figuring out what went wrong and using practice to fix it so we get better each day.”

Behind the Whistle: Meet Liam Day

Jaden Espinueva, Staff Writer
April 2, 2025
Junior Liam Andre Day illustrates what it's like to be a volleyball manager
Ramirez grins as she poses with a completed project. She often works for several hours everyday on her projects since getting into the hobby by accident. “I’ve been crocheting for about two years.” Junior Kasandra Ramirez said, “My little sister wanted to get into crocheting, but I ended up doing it instead.”

Crochet enthusiast and upcoming entrepreneur: Meet Kasandra Ramirez

Hayden Hunt, Staff Writer
March 26, 2025
Kasandra Ramirez continues her crocheting journey with dreams of entrepreneurship
Once lost in the nervous buzz of competition, now a calm and focused presence on stage. “Do it for fun, even if you're not going to win,” sophomore October Rosales said. “Some kids go to these competitions constantly, just be there, play, and enjoy the game.”

Competitive Gamer: Meet October Rosales

Isabella Sandoval, Staff Writer
March 11, 2025

From Local Tournaments To Regional Showdowns, Ronzeles Brings Their A-Game. What started as endless races on virtual tracks became a journey of unexpected opportunities and competitive thrills, from...

Preparing to squat during a competition, sophomore Larry Fulgencio readies to lift a record-breaking squat. He got first place in weight class and age division. “This was one of my most challenging yet rewarding moments I have been lucky enough to accomplish,” Fulgencio said. “It will always be in my memories.”

Unbelievable Powerlifter: Meet Larry Fulgencio

Celia Evangelista, Staff Writer
March 4, 2025
Sophomore Larry Fulgencio shares his journey as a teen powerlifter.
Dribbling the basketball away from the defender, sophomore guard Alyssa Atkins-Dowd looks for an open teammate to pass to. The game was between the Desert Oasis Diamondbacks and the Faith Lutheran Crusaders. “My family supports me playing basketball,” Atkins-Dowd said. “My dad is a basketball coach, and he, my mom, and my oldest sister, Nadia, always show up to my games. In every game that I have, there's at least one family member there supporting me from the bleachers, which I’m very grateful for.” (Credit: @dbacks_wbb)

Shooting For Her Dreams: Meet Alyssa Atkins-Dowd

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
February 24, 2025
Through her love and dedication to the game of basketball, Alyssa Atkins-Dowd hopes to one day become a professional player for the WNBA.
Posing with his student, Michael Hadobas and Razelle Antipuesto branch out their plates they submitted for their contest. The two had competed in the competition “Flavors For Life,” where high schools compete against each other to make a dish from a mystery basket of ingredients. “It was very fun,” Hadobas said. “I felt quite proud to win!”

Sugar, Spice, Everything Nice: Meet Chef Michael Hadobas

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
February 21, 2025
Michael Hadobas shares his journey in the culinary field
Writing calculus equations on the board, junior Michael Haley easily swifts by the questions with ease. “At the beginning of this year, I was doubting if I could do it,” Haley said. “It was mainly because of this physics class I was taking, I felt like I wasn’t understanding it, and then I wasn’t doing too well on some of the tests. But then I quickly picked it back up and started having momentum again.”

The Number One: Meet Michael Haley

Kevin Zhao, Staff Writer
February 11, 2025

3650 days, 10 years—Most would have quit or have been burnt out by now, but not junior Michael Haley. In the face of doubt, thousands of sleepless nights, and stress, he rises again and again to face...

Elijah Cruz drums for the Lohan School of Shaolin. The rest of the team lion danced to match his beat. “It’s cool to see so many lion dancers move when I hit the drum and at the speed I want them to move,” sophomore Elijah Ray Cruz said.

Heart of A Drummer: Meet Elijah Cruz

Rheyland Simon, Writer
February 5, 2025
Ever since he was nine years old, sophomore Elijah Cruz has been beating drums as loud as a lion’s heart.
Friends Forever: Meet Angelina Nguyen

Friends Forever: Meet Angelina Nguyen

February 3, 2025
Angelina and her friend Irene have been friends since third grade.
Sneaker King: Meet Andrew Aviles

Sneaker King: Meet Andrew Aviles

January 30, 2025
Sneaker collecting and reselling has became the ultimate past time for freshman Andrew Aviles
On the day of his performance, junior Ryan Cruz prepares himself and tries to calm his nerves for the event. For Cruz, lion dancing is an expressive outlet that brings emotion to any spectators that check out his performances. “It’s really fun for me, honestly,” Cruz said. “I like jumping around, or running around. I really like [pretending to] bite people as the lion. It means a lot to me that I’m able to make people smile, whether it is making them think that I brought them good fortune, or doing those random things to kids to cheer them up because they’re really scared.”

Head of the Lion: Meet Ryan Cruz

Jon Escala, Staff Writer
January 30, 2025

Most who have experienced the tradition of lion dancing might be content staying a spectator for fear of feeling embarrassed to wear a huge costume while dancing. But for junior Ryan Cruz, he remains fearless...

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