The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow
Participating in an icebreaker activity, TSA members deliver randomly selected objects around the room to board members to score points. Students were divided into teams of four and raced to be the first to bring various items to board members scattered throughout the room. “It was a fun activity that let me meet new people that I wouldn't have otherwise,” senior Armando Aguilar said. “I'm glad that each meeting starts with something physically engaging before we get to actual tech content.”

CLUB PREVIEW: A LOOK INTO THE WEEK OF OCT. 6

Calahan Davis, Staff Writer
October 6, 2025
TSA prepares members for state competitions, Amnesty International plans a jeopardy game and Crochet Club will begin to teach members basic skills.
Students attending last year's ‘Homecoming Wrapped’ dance to current trending music. The 2026 theme is “Venetian Nights.” “We want to create new experiences,” Student Body Vice President Ava Kamman said. “We have a really fun backdrop idea that I'm excited for people to do. It's interactive and it just lets people get creative. Hopefully by the end of the night, it'll create one kind of big art piece that people can take pictures with. I think it's going to be really, really cool.” Photo Credit: Oliver Rondez

Student Council to Host ‘Venetian Nights’ Homecoming

Celia Evangelista, Co-Activities Director
October 5, 2025
Tickets will be available from Sept. 29 through Oct. 10, or until they sell out.
Writing heartfelt messages, juniors Angel White and Aurora Parks make teacher appreciation cards. Members of Key Club were granted service hours for participating in the activity. “We were given supplies like markers and pencils to decorate our cards,” White said. “It was a fun way of being creative and working on something to show our support for our teachers.”

CLUB PREVIEW: A LOOK INTO THE WEEK OF SEPT. 29

Calahan Davis, Staff Writer
September 29, 2025
Key Club prepares for RTC, NHS plans to debate hypotheticals and Psych Club learns about color therapy.
Displaying information about colleges and future planning, the NextGrad digital board in the Upper C building draws students' attention. Junior Khyle Colloma previously used the display to explore college options and plan his next steps. “It’s nice to have everything right here to help me figure out what my next step should be,” Colloma said. “I really like having the materials and resources to be able to decide.”

NextGrad’s digital display brings college resources to campus

Kobe Delos Reyes, Staff Writer
September 29, 2025
A new digital screen in Upper C is part of a district-wide partnership with NextGrad to support college and career readiness.
Ready to start class, Music 121 teacher Michael Woxland reviews the course’s daily agenda. Woxland believes his degree in music history has made him a perfect candidate for teaching this class. “It marries my two favorite things: Music and History,” Woxland said. “I was excited to find out that NSU offered a Dual Enrollment option for this particular subject. I was happy to bring another elective to campus that could help students get college credit.”

Course Catalog Expands for 2026

John Pinili, Staff Writer
September 26, 2025
Dual enrollment Music 121 and several enterprise courses now offered.
Serving as a news anchor for the morning announcements, sophomore Avalon Triplett reads the script for the day’s episode. Video Production students recorded the announcements which were shown during third and fourth periods. “I feel proud of myself as everyone can see my work,” Triplett said. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment as it allows me to utilize my creative side that benefits the school.”

New Bell Schedule Implemented to Allow for Morning Announcements

DJ Madamba, Staff Writer
September 25, 2025
Administration added extra minutes to periods three and four to give teachers more time to show the morning announcements.
As students enter Journalism Foundations in Matthew LaPorte's classroom, they put their phones in the phone caddy. The phone caddy is placed in the front of the classroom on the whiteboard. “I feel like it’s unnecessary to completely ban self phones from school, but I feel like there are better regulations for having them on your person,” junior Jaidyn Eddington said.

School enforces phone ban in classrooms early

Gianna Barreras, Staff Writer
September 24, 2025
CCSD will now require schools to follow updated phone regulations beginning in the fall of 2026.
During PSC 101, senior Ava Nave focuses on completing her exam. The exam, previously given at the end of first semester, had now been scheduled for the first week of September. “All my worries were gone as soon as I opened the Google Form and looked at the first question,” Nave said. “The exam was extremely easy. I would even go as far as to say it was common sense.”

Civics Exam Administered to Seniors During New Testing Window

Janica Zamora, Staff Writer
September 23, 2025
On Sept. 4 and 5, seniors took the civics exam, which is modeled after the U.S. citizenship test, in their Political Science and American Government classes.
During lunch, freshman Austin Nowak buys a snack from the vending machine. Since the re-adoption of the CCSD guidelines, the vending machines have been restocked with healthier food options. “[The guidelines don’t] really affect me but it could affect different people,” Nowak said. “It’s all about opinions.”

Nutrition Guidelines policy changes up food sales

Leo Amend, Staff Writer
September 23, 2025
These guidelines have limited what clubs are allowed to sell for fundraising, as well as what can be sold in the vending machines and student store.
Leading the meeting for the annual senior trip, Student Council Adviser Michael Woxland goes into depth about the requirements for students to be able to attend. As a part of the Senior Class Board, Woxland has been helping to prepare the trip for seniors, set for early second semester. “Planning the senior trip is always a big undertaking,” Woxland said. “Though, it’s always a lot of fun to celebrate the senior class and their four years of hard work. I'm excited that it’s a little bit earlier this year. We’re doing it differently to hopefully make it as affordable and accessible to everybody in the class.”

Class of 2026 Meets to Discuss Senior Trip

Achilles Caranto, Standards and Practices Editor
September 22, 2025
An informational meeting was held to discuss the annual senior trip to Disneyland.
Representing the Technology Student Association, club president Makoa Apao presents information about TSA. This is the first time Apao has appeared as part of the club board at Coyote Congress, but he has represented the club before in other school events. “We’re planning on getting started on our competitions and working on different ways we can get funding for those competitions.”

StuCo Kicks Off September With a New Coyote Congress Meeting

Rheyland Simon, Staff Writer
September 15, 2025
StuCo hosted Coyote Congress on Sept. 2, where school administrators and club representatives gave club updates and presentations.
Responding to a question on stage, senior Preston Schwartz tells club members why he would make a suitable candidate for a board member. National Honor Society voted on their board members for the 2026 school year.

Club Preview: A look into the week of Sept. 2

Zelina Panissidi, News Editor
September 2, 2025
Competitive Gaming prepares for upcoming tournaments, NHS meets with new inductees, and Book Club chooses their monthly read for September.
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