Skip to Main Content
The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events in America and took place in Las Vegas for the first time in the newly built Allegiant Stadium. It became the most-watched Super Bowl in history with approximately 123 million people tuned in across multiple platforms. “With F1 and all of that, I actually think that that was probably the worst time to have the Super Bowl just considering that if you’ve seen what F1 has done,” senior and Allegiant Stadium Worker Kylee Parker said. “It has destroyed the Strip and construction is so bad, and considering that the stadium is pretty Strip adjacent, it definitely was bad timing.”

Las Vegas Wasn’t Prepared for the Super Bowl

Ava Torres, Staff Writer
March 19, 2024
Critics are pleased with the Superbowl in Las Vegas, but plenty of locals were not.
SCHOOL OPERATIONS CLOSED FOR SPRING BREAK

SCHOOL OPERATIONS CLOSED FOR SPRING BREAK

Ayma Malik, Editor in Chief
March 8, 2024
Have a great spring break, coyotes!
As pharmacy seniors engaged in learning through Aztec online, they are almost completed with the program. Completing each unit is essential for finishing their online program by the end of March. “We have been working through Aztec this entire school year,” senior Leyna Nguyen said. “The workload isn’t much, but it's more about managing my time well and staying on-track to complete everything by the end of March before we start testing.”

Pharmacy Students Prepare for Aztec Software Exam

Ava Julian, Staff Writer
March 8, 2024
Pharmacy students study to prepare for the pharmacy Aztec final exam.
Last year at the Black Student Union (BSU) annual basketball tournament, players Aaron Burton and Tyler Stanton competed for the ball. BSU encourages students to practice for the upcoming event. “I’ve been practicing a lot in order to win this year,” Burton said. “I’m excited to see who I will be playing against for this year's tournament.”

BSU Prepares for Basketball Tournament

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
March 7, 2024
Games start on March 26.
Gathering for their board meeting, the CCSD Board of Trustees discusses the future of the school district’s leadership following Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara’s resignation. Jara has served in CCSD as the superintendent since 2018. “We have four new trustees that were appointed to the board that were non-voting members,” Computer Science teacher Dana Cuni said. “Most trustees are voted in by a public who may not know what's best for education, but these four professionals know the process. They've been in education, they have PhDs, and they know what we need, so I'm hoping they do their work to find the research, to hear what parents want, what students want, what teachers want, and use a hiring process to find a person who's a better fit than Jara was.” Screenshot from CCSD School Board Meeting

Jara’s Legacy: Impact on CCSD

Former Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara left a dent in the history of CCSD.
After an approximately seven-hour drive to Reno, Nevada, Speech and Debate students anticipated to compete. The sudden news was revealed on March 1 in the afternoon. “The next plan of action is to have a snow day,” senior Ellie Lakatos said. “We are probably going to enjoy the weather a bit. However, as for the tournament I know that the Debate kids are disappointed as it will have to be rescheduled for another day or online. The debate students worked really hard and I hope they will have a chance to show all they know.”

BREAKING NEWS: Debate Portion of Speech, Debate State Competition Postponed

Yaritzza Montenegro, Copy Editor
March 2, 2024
Students competing in speech participated on March 1.
Always preparing for their tournaments, Speech and Debate members Victor Pedzik and Ethan Bull learn about what will happen at their competition. Speech and Debate has had a successful season. “As I went on in my past two tournaments, I’ve been very prepared,”  Pedzik said. “I’ve been memorizing, but I’m still working on it.”

Speech and Debate prepares for state championship

Hayden Hunt, Staff writer
February 29, 2024
In the days leading up to the tournament on March 2-3, the Speech and Debate team is working hard in order to be ready.
SCHOOL OPERATIONS CLOSED FOR PRESIDENT'S DAY

SCHOOL OPERATIONS CLOSED FOR PRESIDENT’S DAY

Ayma Malik, Editor in Chief
February 16, 2024
Classes will resume Feb. 20.
Using the new sign out system, junior Venice Jingco types in her student ID number to indicate that she has left for the restroom. Upon signing out, students have six minutes to use the bathroom and return to class to sign back in. “For now, we're just kind of testing it with about 20 or 30 teachers throughout the school to kind of see how the flow works,” Assistant Principal Cameron Roehm said. “When we eventually implement the system school-wide, we will know how it works, and it will help it [the program] run smoother at our school.”

School Implements Classroom Sign Out System

Zelina Panissidi, Staff Writer
February 15, 2024
The system is currently being tested and used as a bathroom pass.
At the AASA’s recent club meeting, members engaged in many activities to introduce each other. Sophomore Devin Uclaray attended the club's meeting for the first time. “This is such a promising club, we made origami and introduced each other,” Uclaray said. “I will definitely be going to the next meeting to see what other fun activities we do.”

AASA starts meeting officially

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
February 13, 2024
Meetings are from 1:45 to 3:00.
Placing the final decoration down onto the table, senior Kai Parker finishes her tablescape. Last year, Hospitality students had the opportunity to employ practical skills that they would use in the industry, but due to the usage of substitutes to teach the class, that option was taken away from them this year. “I didn’t even know that they were getting rid of the program, I thought that they were phasing it out,” senior Kai Parker said. “I do think that it’s a good thing, though. The course load, it didn’t feel like it was at a high school level, it felt like it was at a middle school level. Culinary by itself was great, but Hospitality alongside it just wasn’t that good.”

HOSPITALITY PROGRAM ELIMINATED FROM COURSE OFFERINGS

Adrienne Vera-Perez, Staff Writer
February 12, 2024
Hospitality classes removed in 2024-2025 school year among other course catalog changes.
Squinting in the sun, sophomore Hunter Rhee shields his eyes from the bright UV rays. July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded in Las Vegas. “The summer is the time when people travel, and if the heat’s here they’re not going to enjoy their time,” sophomore Leonardo Chavez said. “It’s been getting really bad to the point where you get scared to sit down on leather.”

Las Vegas’ Extreme Weather Raises Economic Concerns

Ava Torres, Staff Writer
February 9, 2024
The economic future of Las Vegas is uncertain.