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The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Finishing up a stitch, freshman Lana Salvic works on her quilt block. Students in Fibers I were each given personalized quilt pieces based on their skill level to ensure the project was completed on time. “The challenge was making unique quilt blocks for 32 to 24 students per class,” Fibers teacher Jennifer Gonzalez said. “I had to decide which student could handle which type of stitching for them to be the most successful, so it was very labor intensive. It took me five or six hours to prep for this project.”
Fibers I Students Quilting for Community
Representing the class through art
Adrienne Vera-Perez, Editor-in-Chief • April 23, 2026
In Fibers I, students practiced Sashiko stitching to create two communal quilts.
With skilled musicality and grace, junior Chenquing Lu performs an international Latin dance performance at Coyote Coachella. As the performance started, the crowd's view shifted from uncertainty to excitement. “I could tell from their reactions that they were initially confused,” Lu said. “But as the dance moves began, their reactions became positive and warm.”
Coyote Coachella Gives Students A Stage To Shine
Students Celebrate Performances Filled with Creativity, Music, Community
Jaden Espinueva, Assistant News/Features Editor • April 22, 2026
Annual Event Returned With A Time Filled With Music, Performances, And Energy.
 Enjoying the icebreaker, Filipino Club board members Nolleen Ramos and Marleena Tibayan laugh hysterically at a Valentine’s Day themed icebreaker. “We board members wanted to make it Valentine’s Day themed, so we had the members serenade one another,” Ramos said. “This connected to bringing joy and happiness to the meeting because it was a very silly and unserious moment that everyone found funny.”
Club Preview: A Look Into The Week of Apr. 20
Filipino Club, Psychology Club and SkillsUSA meet this week
DJ Madamba, Staff Writer • April 20, 2026
Filipino Club will be reviewing board election information, Psychology Club will be educating members about mental illness and therapy and SkillsUSA waves farewells to their seniors during an end of year party.
The class of 2027 StuCo has been planning for prom since September. Around 500 people are expected to attend the event. “You know, it's crazy how smoothly everything for prom has worked out this year. I'm actually nervous because it's going so smoothly,” junior StuCo adviser Pier Shoates said. “I keep thinking, I hope this isn't the calm before the storm. We really haven’t had to cut back on anything. I think we got this venue for cheaper than what they had last year, and it’s a beautiful space, so it’s already mostly decorated. They don’t even have to do any major decorating, just probably add the year or something. It’s unbelievable how smoothly things are running.”
‘Under the Hollywood Stars’ prom to be hosted at IPEC Las Vegas
Prom tickets will be sold until April 24
Victoria Lebedyeva, Writer • April 8, 2026
The prom theme was announced during the Coyote Olympics assembly on March 13. Student Council (StuCo) announced the 2026 Prom theme to be ‘Under the Hollywood Stars’ during the Coyote Olympics assembly.
Writing down ideas, junior Cassandra Evangelista created a list of future fundraising ideas for the club. “The overall goal was to get ideas for fundraising from members of NHS which allows inclusivity,” Evangelista said. “The fundraising ideas allowed me to share with the club what can be done for the future.”
Club Preview: A Look Into The Week of Mar. 23
BSU, Cyberpatriot and NHS meet this week
DJ Madamba, Staff Writer • March 23, 2026
BSU will be discussing important information regarding future events, Cyberpatriot will be engaged in mini competitions and NHS will discuss upcoming volunteering opportunities.
Reviewing skills with a student, senior Don Balmaceda goes over steps with junior Hannah An. An opportunity to attend a UNLV school of Medicine field trip was offered to senior and sophomore nursing students. “I would assume that most of the students are going to have an interest in the medical field and want to pursue medical school,” Community Partnership Ryan Zaro said. “Hopefully this will open their eyes to see what they can do within the School of Medicine.”
Nursing Students Visit UNLV School of Medicine
Students will tour the medical school and learn about healthcare careers
Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer • March 13, 2026
The spring field trip will give students a firsthand look at the path to the medical field.
Lining up together, the Chess Club competitors hold their trophies. During the season, the team faced many challenging opponents, but still achieved victory through hard work. “To prepare for the division games, our team would meet after school to practice and decide who would be playing on which boards,” Chess Club adviser Chloe Hickman said. “We were placed in a pretty tough division this year, with West Tech and Coronado, who both placed in the Final Five in previous years.”
Chess Team Wins Third Place in CCSD Championships
Team advances through playoffs to finish third in district competition
Kevin Zhao, Staff Writer • March 12, 2026

The varsity chess team competed in the CCSD district league championship, finishing third overall after an intense five-round playoff against...

Planning the FCCLA meeting, adviser Levi Harbeson and club board members discuss among themselves. Harbeson mentioned key points regarding the member’s upcoming state leadership conference and individual member projects. “State Leadership Conferences is the main focus of FCCLA, particularly including community involvement, promoting SWCTA in the community, and the competitions,” Harbeson said.
FCCLA embarks on State Leadership Conference
Members return after two months of event preparation
Karmen Cao, Staff Writer • March 10, 2026
Students compete in competitive STAR events, attend leadership workshops, and vote for the upcoming FCCLA state delegates.
As transition period occurs, students make their way to their last class of the day. Classes end at 1:25 p.m. but are set to now end at 2:55 p.m. for the upcoming school year. "After hearing that the time change will be and hour and a half I have changed my view." junior Hellen Beyene said.  "This will have a major impact on students with after school activities as it means that other activities will begin extremely late."
CCSD Releases New Start Times for 2026-2027 School Year
Updated start time changes to come for the next school year
DJ Madamba, Staff Writer • March 10, 2026
Incentives tied to increased student health benefits leads to skepticism.
Delegating directions to club members, Drama Club technician Shaela Manubag guides Drama Club members to their assigned role to meet the rehearsal expectations. “My job is running around testing out the microphone system and working with all the light equipment,” Manubag said. “It helps out with the mics and for actors to sound more clear by leading into the audio cues and knowing what is going on.”
Club Preview: A Look Into The Week of Mar. 9
Art Club, Drama Club and HOSA meet this week
DJ Madamba, Staff Writer • March 9, 2026

Art Club, Second and Fourth Thursdays Adviser: Jennifer Gonzalez Room: F101 To encourage creativity, Art Club members will use unique...

Holding one of their biweekly meetings, OnPeriod’s Executive Board listens to student feedback about the club. They decided to establish and create their feminine hygiene drive because they wanted to increase club visibility, engagement, and overall participation. “We definitely want to continue it next year.” President Mila Polisano said. “[We have hopes] of going international … all super passionate about this topic and we love OnPeriod.”
OnPeriod holds the first Feminine Hygiene Drive
Collaborating with local organizations with the goal of ending period poverty.
John Pinili, Staff Writer • March 5, 2026
The donation drive will be collecting pads, tampons, panty liners and women’s underwear to distribute to women’s shelters throughout Las Vegas.
Introducing students to professional culinary techniques, chef John Nicolai guides a class through a lesson in his classroom. He emphasized creativity and engagement while working directly with students. “I love cooking and creating and all that good stuff,” Nicolai said. “I like being able to interact with students.”
New Nursing, Culinary Teacher Join Staff for Second Semester
Fresh industry experience and hands-on teaching approaches bring real-world skills to SWCTA students
Kobe Delos Reyes, Staff Writer • March 4, 2026
New instructors bring fresh industry experience and a different teaching approach to program areas.
Scanning students in for attendance, Spanish teacher Ana Thomann uses the school provided scanner. The scanner is an extra way to ensure attendance is accurate for the day. “It's a school policy for the students to wear their ID, so it's one way of encouraging students to wear them,” Thomann said. “It [also]  backs up my attendance. If I scan them, I can double check later. It's state law that we keep good attendance. I think it’s just another thing I can use to make sure [attendance is] accurate.”
Mid-Year Check on New Attendance Policies
Absentee Rates Lowered After Only Half the Year
Celia Evangelista, Co-Activities Director • March 2, 2026
Schoolwide absentee rate continues to decrease.
Sophomore Aryanna Robanza cuts out a poster while preparing for the event. StuCo spent the past few days organizing decorations and supplies for the Sadie’s event. “Students can expect a great time with their friends,” StuCo Senior Class President Sienna Suarez said. “They can expect some really good food from all the clubs that are selling and enjoy a great movie that everybody loves.”
Student Council Relaunches Sadie’s Tradition With Movie Night
Sadie’s revived after four years
Jon Escala, Staff Writer • February 19, 2026
Student Council will screen Tangled in the gym to compensate for the spring semester's event gap.
Setting out water bottles for members, NHS treasurer Kristine Villacrucis helps prepare snacks for the meeting. At NHS meetings, members are usually greeted with drinks and food and are later given the opportunity to earn service hours. “Our main goal is to make an impact on the community in any way we can.” NHS President Michael Haley said. “We want to inspire all our members to be an active part of the community moving forward.”
CLUB PREVIEW: A look into the week of Feb. 16
Psychology Club, OnPeriod and National Honor Society meet this week
John Pinili, Staff Writer • February 17, 2026
Psychology Club discusses love, OnPeriod increases student awareness on the menstrual cycle and NHS works toward welcoming new members.
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