The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow
Amelia Castellanos

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer

Hi my name is Amelia Castellanos and this is my second year as a member of the Southwest sShadow. I enjoy writing news stories and in my free time I like to draw.
All content by Amelia Castellanos
History of Thanksgiving by Amelia Castellanos

The History of Thanksgiving

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
November 26, 2024
Discover how Thanksgiving became a holiday.
Preparing to scare people at the Trunk or Treat haunted house, senior Breeana Rodriguez dresses up as an acrobat. She was inside the haunted house throughout the whole event. “Hearing people scream is hilarious,” Rodriguez said. “I made sure to make my look as realistic as possible to scare people.”

An Hour In … Trunk or Treat

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
November 5, 2024
People celebrate Halloween at the Trunk or Treat event.
Gentle parents attempt to uplift children without pressure, but this ultimately crushes them.

‘It’s Okay’ Isn’t Enough

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
October 17, 2024

There’s a popular belief in today’s parenting world that gentle parenting—characterized by calm conversations and comforting pats on the back—is the best way to raise emotionally healthy children....

Preparing her notes for her speech, junior Mikayla Manaligod tackles her topic. She focused on refining her points before the class presentation.“We started with watching a video from last years speech and had us grade the speeches based on a few categories like nonverbal, hand gestures, posture, and tone,” Manaligod said. “Right now were just finishing our speeches up.”

An Hour in … Communications 101

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
October 11, 2024
Students in Communications 101 work on their speeches.
The rapid spread of wildfires has had life-threatening effects on California, as well as regions surrounding it. In 2020, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) reported that four million acres were burned across California. “Wildfires will literally come through and burn a large majority of what they come into contact with,” Environmental Science teacher Martha Horner said. “They’ll burn down the trees, the biomes, the houses…People need to be extremely aware of where they live. We are right next door to a region that has the appropriate type of biomass and living plants that are ripe for forest fires to occur in.”

California Wildfires Fueled by Increased Gas Emissions Cause for Concern

Zelina Panissidi and Amelia Castellanos
September 30, 2024
Communities evacuate as flames threaten homes and forests.
Parm’s homey interior and amazing service is sure to make you feel right at home.

Find Comfort In Parm’s Italian Cuisine

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
September 20, 2024
Discover a hidden gem and enjoy a variety of Italian food with family and friends.
Given the chance to redeem their medallion, students must complete a form to start the remediation process. “I filled out the form a while back in hope that I would get my medallion back since I lost it during sophomore year,” senior Daniela Hernandez said. “But she hasn’t gotten back to me, so I’ve lost a bit of hope.”

Given the chance to redeem their medallion, students must complete a form to start the remediation process. “I filled out the form a while back in hope that I would get my medallion back since I lost...

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.
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.

DRAW MY SHADOW: GABRIELA DIVITO

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
February 5, 2024
Sophomore Gabriela Divito shares her passion for ice skating.
After everyone is finished scooping, sophomore Don Balmaceda starts cleaning up their area and materials. Cleaning the area makes sure that everything is well placed and sanitized. “I like doing dishes because here I have classmates to help me out,” Balmaceda said. “I don’t have that at home so everything feels organized here.”

AN HOUR IN…FOODS I

Joy Ryan and Amelia Castellanos
January 8, 2024
Making use of the kitchen, students scoop cookie dough for SkillsUSA fundraiser.
This sign hangs above the coin donation jars. The jars will be stored in the front office in A building. “If it doesn’t go well, or if people don’t participate it’s going to be disappointing because of everything that we’re making,” student council member Tyler Moran said. “If people don’t participate and help fundraise, our prom may not be as good as they expect.”

[Photo] Class of 2026 Stuco Hosts Penny Wars Fundraiser

Zelina Panissidi, Staff Writer
January 8, 2024

This sign hangs above the coin donation jars. The jars will be stored in the front office in A building. “If it doesn’t go well, or if people don’t participate it’s going to be disappointing because...

With “We Are Here Art & Design Showcase” approaching, freshman Morgan Wireman compiles her artwork. Her interests are displayed through the theme of her artwork and colorful pallet. “I think it’s really cool since I like to show my art off to people,” Wireman said. “I like really colorful and bright things so I decided to do candy because there are a bunch of different colors.”

Students to showcase work in art show

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
December 5, 2023
Second annual art show theme, "We are Here" hopes to improve on attendance and participation.
Starting to prepare the garden, sophomore Adrienne Vera-Perez helps to collect soil samples. The club has been gathering samples to determine when to plant certain crops in the garden. “We take a bunch of soil to test the pH and if it would be good for growing in Mrs. Horner's classroom,” Vera-Perez said. “We realized that it wouldn’t be the best time to plant stuff in the garden right now. That’s going to be something we do later in the year, probably after winter break.”

Nevada Department of Education donates to new school garden

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
November 30, 2023
Club members begin to work on a gardening project.
In order for students to get to class on time, many chose to walk through the landscaping. Students like sophomore Marley Farinas are glad that there will finally be more sidewalk to walk on. “Walking on the dirt ruins my shoes,” Farinas said. “So it’s good that they're expanding them for more walking space.”

Campus interior, exterior changes in the making

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
October 16, 2023
Staff have started adding new things to show school spirit by putting the school logo to gym pads.
Student Council members are putting the finishing touches on decorations for the homecoming dance. They have been preparing for this occasion and thinking of ways to surprise the guests. “For this year's homecoming, we’ve been a lot more creative with decorations, advertisements, and overall just trying to make it fun and unforgettable for students,” student council member Ysabella Felix said. “We were also able to incorporate the theme a lot more into our planning, so I hope that adds to everyone’s experience.”

Peter Pan themed homecoming tickets selling quickly

Hunter Rhee and Amelia Castellanos
October 10, 2023
Homecoming plans to be unforgettable this year.
Being new to the school and its policies, freshman Cameron Kefale signs out of the class to use the restroom. He has found these rules to be helpful with shaping school safety. “I think that the bathroom policies are actually pretty good,” Kefale said. “Let's say someone does something bad while they are gone, this rule helps them [staff] know who was in the bathroom at that time.”

Updated District-wide Bathroom Procedures, Technology Set in Place

Amelia Castellanos, Staff Writer
September 21, 2023
Staff has recently added regulations regarding bathroom usage for students.