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The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Working on a poster, Freshman Class Secretary Bailey Tift creates a design for Friendsgiving. She outlined the letters on the poster in pencil before painting them. “I was doing the poster because it was my assigned job,” Tift said. “I really like making posters because I get to paint them and have a lot of creative freedom.”
‘Friendsgiving’ Continues For Another Year
All Clubs On Campus Encouraged To Send Members
Celia Evangelista, Staff Writer • November 20, 2024
Student Council Is Holding ‘Friendsgiving’ on Thursday, November 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the ballroom for invitees only.
Standing up in front of the class, President Gurnoor Gill and Secretary Haris Gibirilia prepare to present a slideshow to introduce the club. Around twenty students were present at the meeting. “I joined this club because I've always liked human rights,” sophomore Atronos Solomon said. “I am really interested in the overall concept of spreading awareness about all of the disparities in the world today such as the way minorities get treated.”
Amnesty International Club Hosts First Official Meeting
Introducing students to their cause
Johnny Tao, Staff Writer • November 19, 2024
New club is looking to recruit more students who are interested in learning about human rights and advocacy.
Creating a fake wound, senior Roxana Huve uses various supplies to make the injury as realistic as possible. Members participated in hands-on activities to gain in-depth understanding of the focus of the meeting. “I was applying a glue stick onto Emily’s arm and adding toilet paper onto it to create a realistic wound,” Huve said. “It was a fun activity and we got to learn about wounds and how they’re inflicted.”
Photo Credit: Allee Lin
Club Preview: A look into the week of Nov. 18
Criminology & Forensics Club, Dungeons & Dragons Club, and Book Club meet this week
Kylie Dacquel, Standards and Practices Editor • November 19, 2024
Criminology & Forensics Club covers criminal stereotyping, Dungeons & Dragons Club continues gameplay and Book Club discusses their book of the month.
Painting their pumpkins during FCCLA’s annual pumpkin painting meeting, juniors Aki Javier and Rizzael Maniego work alongside each other. The members were able to choose their own designs when decorating their pumpkins. “I wanted to win the best pumpkin [award],” Maniego said. “I tried painting Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and I feel that it turned out pretty good despite the short amount of time we were given.”
Club Preview: A look into the week of Nov. 12
FCCLA, NHS, and Crochet Club meet this week
Kylie Dacquel, Standards and Practices Editor • November 12, 2024
FCCLA works on their STAR projects, NHS hosts a joint meeting with Key Club, and Crochet Club continues working on their baby mittens.
 Posing for a photo at last year’s  Fall Rally South, Key Club members captured their excitement while at Six Flags Magic Mountain. This year, they are prepared to go once again and strengthen the bonds within the club. “The very first time I went, the first ride we went on we decided to go on it as our starter because it didn’t look that scary,” President Ella Abilar said. “It ended up being like the most terrifying ride in the park, it was really scary and freaked us out. Since then, it’s been a tradition to make that the first ride we go on every single time we go.”
Key Club to embark on day trip to Six Flags
Twenty members attend annual Fall Rally South
Hayden Hunt, Staff Writer • November 8, 2024
This upcoming Saturday, Key Club participates in FRS (Fall Rally South) alongside other divisions within the country.
Inspecting the car’s underside, junior Drake Malcolm tries to pry out a brake component. While collaborating with another student, Malcolm attempted to direct his classmate to where the component is. “It’s pretty simple,” Malcolm said. “Of course, taking the rotor off is pretty simple. If it’s a drum brake system, it’s a little bit more complicated; you have to take apart a bunch of hydraulic systems, and other stuff, but overall brake jobs are relatively easy.”
Sophomore Automotive Students Practice Brake Jobs
Students learn about life-saving safety mechanisms
Jon Escala, Staff Writer • November 7, 2024
To promote safety, students are exposed to the maintenance of brake components to keep them functional.
Looking up at the screen, sophomores Joy Park and Angel Yerdaw watch the daily announcements. The first episode of the student mystery series was introduced this week. “I think it’s a cool addition to the daily announcements,” Park said. “I usually don’t pay attention to the announcements, but with the new things added I’ve been more engaged in a way to watch it.”
Interactive Segments Added to Daily Announcements
Introducing student ideas to the show
Angel White, Staff Writer • November 5, 2024
With larger class sizes, Video Production has been able to revamp morning announcements, adding segments created by students.
To showcase her growing collection of Sonny Angels, senior Julea Hofilena arranges her Sonny Angels to be displayed. She made the club to bring together fellow Sonny Angel and Smiski lovers. “My motivation to start the club was my love for collecting Sonny Angels,” Hofilena said. “I started collecting Sonny Angels in July of 2023, and ever since then, my collection has grown to 24."
New Club Founded For Sonny Angel And Smiski Lovers
The club welcomes anyone who collects the popular figurines.
Celia Evangelista, Staff Writer • November 4, 2024
The meetings will be held every first Friday of the month in room E106 from 2-3 p.m.
School Operations Closed for Election Day
School Operations Closed for Election Day
Classes will resume Nov. 6
Philipos Alebachew, Editor in Chief • November 4, 2024
There is no school on Nov. 5.
“The HOSA blood drive is to help save lives in our SWCTA community,” senior Jason Ang said. “And it’s to help people that maybe don’t have a  lot of blood they need to survive.”
HOSA Organizes First Blood Drive of the School Year
Helping save lives with student donations
Rheyland Simon, Staff Writer • November 1, 2024

In partnership with Vitalant, HOSA will be hosting the first of their biannual blood drives tomorrow. The process will last around sixty minutes...

Collaborating alongside each other, sophomores Valery Hernandez and Taelor Williams create a sauce for Spam musubi, which will be featured in this week Coyote Cafe. Last week's cuisine was Vietnamese and North-American, which contained a choice between a bánh mì or reuben sandwich with its corresponding sides. “It’s a great experience,” Williams said. “I feel like I am [benefiting greatly] from this because it reflects what it is like to be working in the back of the house inside of a restaurant.”
Culinary Reintroduces Coyote Cafe
The cafe makes a return after one year
Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer • October 31, 2024
After a temporary closing, the Coyote Cafe returns, introducing a new teacher-student lunch format with different cuisines for lunches.
Listening to upcoming NHS events, senior Nathaniel Scherschel looks forward to participating with friends. NHS board members announced their breast cancer walk event, as well as donation opportunities. “I enjoy participating in club events with my friends,” Scherschel said. “I find that being with my friends helps me have motivation to serve my community and it’s a great way to have fun with them outside of school.”
Club Preview: A Look Into The Week Of Oct. 28
Psychology Club, NHS, AASA meet this week
Kailie Sicolo, News Editor • October 29, 2024
Psychology Club hosts guest speaker, NHS decorates cookies, and AASA informs members on Indonesia.
Social worker Marcella Garcia and SEIF Maura Staten work together to build a jigsaw puzzle with a student. They both engaged in conversation with the student fostering a calm and supportive environment.  “We don't want to add too much pressure,” Garcia said. “[Students]  already have a full schedule and things that [they] have to do, and so we want to make sure that principals patio doesn't add to the pressure of having to get things done. We really do want to try to keep it as unstructured as possible in a safe way.
Social Workers Introduce Principal’s Patio for Students
New area to unwind
Jaden Espinueva, Staff Writer • October 24, 2024
To create a relaxed space for students, social workers Jocelyn Kim and Marcella Garcia establish Principal’s Patio.
Listening to board members announce upcoming events, senior Harris Gibirila expresses excitement with his brother. Gibirla looked forward to HOSA’s Parent’s Night Out event. “Volunteering at an event that gives kids with down syndrome an opportunity for some freedom sounded really interesting to me,” Gibrila said. “As a volunteer, we would be watching them so they have some form of supervision from a person their age.”
Club Preview: A Look Into The Week Of Oct. 21
HOSA, Dungeons and Dragons, and Speech and Debate meet this week
Kailie Sicolo, News Editor • October 22, 2024
HOSA prepares members for their upcoming blood drive and SLC events, Dungeons and Dragons begins playing, and Speech and Debate celebrates members’ wins at the October tournament.
 Announcing future school events with interest, junior Selena Lay Hamilton is hosting the meeting for the audience. She hadn’t done this before, so she was trying her best and was very energetic. “I was very nervous,” Hamilton said. “But overall, I was excited and had a good time hosting.”
Coyote Congress Announces Upcoming Events
Seeing What They Have In Store & More
Rheyland Simon October 22, 2024
The Coyote Congress meeting on October 1st announced new and upcoming events coming to Southwest, introduced clubs to newcomers, and more.
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