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

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Gray Barranco

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer

Hey, I'm Gray and I'm a senior. This is my third and final year in the Southwest Shadow staff and I can't wait to see what it brings me this year. :)

All content by Gray Barranco
The series’ addicting colors and lessons have kept viewers watching for over fourteen years, and it doesn’t seem to have any decline coming soon. Photo Credit: Hasbro Studios

‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’ was Peak Children’s Television

There are very few shows out there that make an effort to teach its viewers lifelong lessons in the way this show does.
Trick the Dog formulates a heartwarming tracklist.Grade: APhoto Credit: Trick the Dogy

Indulge in Real Love with ‘Sweet to Me’

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
April 10, 2024
Trick the Dog releases his first full EP to Spotify.
Ways to Support Local Artists

Ways to Support Local Artists

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
March 20, 2024
Read about some simple ways you can show your support to local artists.
Wishy makes an attempt at creating a name for themselves as new artists in the industry.Grade: B-Photo Credit: Wishy

‘Paradise’ is Just Another Indie Rock EP

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
February 21, 2024
Wishy’s latest alternative and indie rock release sounds just like the rest of the genre.
Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: December 2023

Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: December 2023

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
December 8, 2023
Try out some new artists this month.
With four seconds left in his 40-second speech, senior Josh Burgos makes his final statements to confirm his place inside of Communications teacher Henry Evans’ Popeyes apocalypse bunker. Before presenting their speeches, students had challenged each other to earn extra points. “Honestly, I was pretty confident going into it because in order to get our extra 'ums' and 'uhs', we had to do an arm wrestling challenge and you already know I [beat] everyone in that challenge,” Burgos said. “It helps us build our speech skills without using any filler words. I need to get more consistent with it and nail it down and keep that same level of performance that I’ve gotten myself to.”

An Hour In … Com 101

Gray Barranco and Arcade Encarnacion
December 5, 2023
As a challenge, COM 101 students are asked to give a short speech without using any filler words.
SIX ARTISTS YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO: NOVEMBER 2023

SIX ARTISTS YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO: NOVEMBER 2023

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
November 15, 2023
Listen to some new artists this month.
Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: October 2023

Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: October 2023

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
October 12, 2023
Get into the October vibes with these fresh artists.
Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: September 2023

Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: September 2023

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
September 7, 2023
Check out these small artists this September.
‘The Year Between’ follows the story of a college student recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Rating: CPhoto Credit: Full Spectrum Features

‘The Year Between’ Sends an Unclear Message

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
April 26, 2023
“The Year Between” gives a confusing representation of mental illness.
Cat Clyde represents heartfelt human experiences in her most recent album.Rating: B-Photo Credit: Cat Clyde Music

‘Down Rounder’ is a typical love themed album

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
April 24, 2023
Attempting to explain the marvels of life, Cat Clyde falls short in her exploration of unique themes.
Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: April 2023

Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: April 2023

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
April 19, 2023
Find new artists to listen to this month.
Working with passion and interest on his first project, DiPaulo-Gross has found his future career. “Do what you're passionate about and make what you do for fun a job,” DiPaulo-Gross said. “So you don't have to do something that you don't like as your job.” Photo Credit: David DiPaulo-Gross

Successful Roblox Game Developer: Meet David DiPaulo-Gross

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
March 2, 2023
Senior David DiPaulo-Gross discovers passion within creating games.
Infographic: How To Use ChatGPT As A Tool For School

Infographic: How To Use ChatGPT As A Tool For School

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
January 31, 2023
With the introduction of the new technology, ChatGPT can be used as a helpful instrument within education.
Standing beside his personal “Dig Dug” cabinet, freshman Nicholas Arone is working towards adding more machines to his collection. He has had an interest in arcade games since five years old. “My dream cabinet is a six player ‘X-Men’ or a dedicated ‘Ghosts and Goblins’ cabinet,” Arone said. “But my favorite game from the old school era is ‘DigDug.’”

Dedicated Arcade Game Renovator: Meet Nicholas Arone

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
January 10, 2023
Freshman Nicholas Arone has spent the past four years working on repairing his own arcade cabinets.
Laughing at a joke, Engineering teacher Rizalito Nicolas brings his students to the lab. Nicolas has been preparing to introduce the four-year program to incoming students. "It's a good program, because it teaches you many skills about the technology world. However, I can only take in about 40 freshmen every year for engineering," Nicolas said.

Program Area Leaders, Students Set to Welcome Prospective Coyotes

Gray Barranco and Rhamil Taguba
November 15, 2022
The event will have representatives from each of the program areas to welcome the community and answer questions.
Hosting new Splatoon 3 matches each week, ESports members set up their Nintendo Switches on September 13.

CLUB PREVIEW: A LOOK INTO THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 31

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
November 1, 2022
ESports competes against other Splatoon 3 players, Culture Club delves into Italian culture, and Filipino Club hosts introductions and fun games.
After finishing the club's icebreaker, Key Club members pose for a photo for the club's historian on September 14.

CLUB PREVIEW: A LOOK INTO THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 24

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
October 20, 2022
FCCLA/FIDM holds a pumpkin painting contest, Key Club prepares for RTC, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Club begins their teaching.
Podcast: 'When We Were Young Music' Festival Preview

Podcast: ‘When We Were Young Music’ Festival Preview

Gray Barranco and Ayma Malik
October 14, 2022
Ayma and Gray weigh in on this upcoming emo music experience.
Grimm Lynn’s new album adds no new value to the R&B music sceneRating: D-Photo Credit: Lovers Club Record

‘Sweet Heat’ Leaves Listeners Cold

Gray Barranco, Staff Writer
October 10, 2022
Grimm Lynn’s new EP does not raise street cred for the small artist.

Technology and Entertainment, It’s All A Mind Game

Wake up. Grab your phone. Scroll through social media for long periods of time. A typical routine for Generation Z. One of Generation Z’s defining features is the connection between social media and...

PODCAST: Living Without a Job

PODCAST: Living Without a Job

Gray Barranco and Kathryn Peterson
May 11, 2022
In this episode, listen as we talk about our opinions on high school jobs.
‘Tall Girl 2’ is a let down that makes an attempt to be genuine. Rating: C-Photo Credit: Netflix

High school movies are all the same, ‘Tall Girl 2’ is no different

Gray Barranco
April 26, 2022
‘Tall Girl 2’ adds no value to the romance and drama movie scene and did not need to be made.
Half•Alive shows an alternative interpretation of raw emotions through their new music.Rating:A-Photo Credit: RCA Records

Taking a Ride Through Life with ‘Give Me Your Shoulders’

Gray Barranco
April 1, 2022
With the release of the first part of their album “Give Me Your Shoulders,” Half•Alive walks through life and its possibilities.
An Hour In... P.E.

An Hour In… P.E.

Gray Barranco
March 4, 2022
Beginning a new sport, students are placed in to teams while learning the ins and outs of basketball.
PODCAST: Normal People Scare Me

PODCAST: Normal People Scare Me

Arcadia Encarnacion and Gray Barranco
February 21, 2022
Labels often lead to stereotypes, we talk about how emos don’t always follow the cliché.
After‌ ‌dedicating‌ ‌much‌ ‌of‌ ‌his‌ ‌time‌ ‌to‌ ‌running,‌ ‌senior‌ ‌Danyom‌ ‌Yosief‌ ‌gets‌ ‌to‌ ‌show‌ ‌off‌ ‌his‌ ‌
talent‌ ‌during‌ ‌competition.‌ ‌Training‌ ‌rigorously,‌ ‌Yosief‌ ‌competed ‌to‌ ‌win.‌ ‌“There’s‌ ‌more‌ ‌out‌ ‌there‌ ‌to‌ ‌
look‌ ‌out‌ ‌for‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌feel‌ ‌like‌ ‌my‌ ‌job‌ ‌as‌ ‌an‌ ‌athlete‌ ‌is‌ ‌not‌ ‌accomplished‌ ‌yet,''‌ ‌Yosief‌ ‌said.‌ ‌“I‌ ‌know‌ ‌
there’s‌ ‌more‌ ‌out‌ ‌there‌ ‌for‌ ‌me‌ ‌and‌ ‌there’s‌ ‌probably‌ ‌even‌ ‌better‌ ‌people‌ ‌than‌ ‌me‌ ‌out‌ ‌there‌ ‌so‌ ‌I‌ ‌
can’t‌ ‌stop‌ ‌working‌ ‌hard‌ ‌even‌ ‌after‌ ‌I‌ ‌reach‌ ‌my‌ ‌goals.”‌ ‌Photo‌ ‌Credit:‌ ‌‌Jevon‌ ‌Dyer‌

Devoted Runner: Meet Danyom Yosief

Gray Barranco
February 14, 2022
Senior Danyom Yosief finds passion and relief in racing competitively in cross-country.
Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: January 2022 Edition

Six Artists You Should Be Listening To: January 2022 Edition

Gray Barranco
January 21, 2022
In need of new music? Check out these artists.
An Hour In… Photography I

An Hour In… Photography I

Gray Barranco
December 16, 2021
While practicing different photography techniques in Photography I, students work on forced perspective.
While playing in one of her tournaments, math teacher Tawanna Ervin prepares herself to hit the cue ball to make a shot. “I think I'm more logical than some people and definitely see the angles on the table, even though I always can't get the ball to go in that direction,” Ervin said. Photo Credit: Tawanna Ervin

Ambitious Pool Player: Meet Tawanna Ervin

Gray Barranco
November 16, 2021
After a rigorous day of teaching quadratic formulas and factoring, Tawanna Ervin spends her afternoon playing competitive pool.
Infographic: Twitch Leaks

Infographic: Twitch Leaks

Gray Barranco
October 28, 2021
Find out more about how to keep your information secure online.
Teaching a lesson, History teacher Vincent Thur ensures that his students genuinely understand what he is trying to teach. Thur tries to give students a proper workload and make a friendly environment for the students to feel supported. “I think about pushing them hard but also being kind, empathetic, and supportive,” Thur said. Photo Credit: Gray Barranco

Teaching, Training Program Welcomes a New Teacher

Gray Barranco
October 4, 2021
History teacher Vincent Thur is now the program leader for Teaching and Training.