The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow
Jaden Espinueva

Jaden Espinueva, Staff Writer

This is my first time on staff and I am excited to be part of the team.

All content by Jaden Espinueva
Managing the volleyball team, junior Liam Day takes his time carefully planning out each practice to give his team their best chances for success. Planning out practices ensured that the team was prepared the best they could to ensure optimal performance on the court. “Being able to notice the mistakes the team makes helps me be able to really focus on what they need to work on,” Day said. “If they shank a couple of balls, we’ll focus on passing. Or if they're not calling out during plays, we’ll work on communication. It’s all about figuring out what went wrong and using practice to fix it so we get better each day.”

Managing the volleyball team, junior Liam Day takes his time carefully planning out each practice to give his team their best chances for success. Planning out practices ensured that the team was prepared...

Working together, senior Bannon McCleve helps junior Emmy Hedges with writing a letter to senior citizens in nursing homes. These letters provided an opportunity to brighten the lives of those who may feel isolated or lonely. “With the goal of spreading love and positivity to those who may not often have the chance to visit family,” McCleve said. “Our aim was to bring some kindness and joy to their lives, letting them know they are remembered and appreciated.” Photo Credit: Achol Akot

Club Preview: A look into the week of Dec. 9

Jaden Espinueva, Staff Writer
December 10, 2024
Volleyball Club discusses future plans, HOSA hosts a guest speaker, and Dungeons and Dragons Club runs a Christmas themed campaign.
Demonstrating discipline and elegance, junior Ashton Yim warms up before starting his daily wushu practice. Warming up prepared Yim’s body before his real training began. “You have to think about it as a transitioning phase,” Yim said. “Before warming up, our joints, muscles, and mind are cold which can lead to injuries. Warming up helps the athletes to get prepared for big ranged movements. For my sport, this is especially necessary. Warming up would prevent me from dislocating, tearing, or fracturing bones, muscles, and joints. One small mistake and it could cost you your career. No muscle or joint can adjust into a heavily dynamic movement after you’ve sat down for seven hours of schooling.”

Wushu Martial Artist: Meet Ashton Yim

Jaden Espinueva, Staff Writer
November 11, 2024
Junior Ashton Yim explains his experience growing up doing Wushu martial arts.
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

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.
Demonstrating the correct piping technique to his class, Chef Michael Hadobas goes into intricate detail about piping roses. Mastery of this technique made it easier for the students later on in the unit. “Knowing exactly how to hold the piping bag is important because just a couple of degrees off can totally change how the finished product looks,” junior Addison Marsh said. “From Chef, I also learned how to move the nail around so that you weren't making more work for yourself and just letting the nail do the work for you.”

Baking & Pastry Students Explore Cake Decorating Techniques

Johnny Tao and Jaden Espinueva
October 3, 2024
With the guidance of Chef Hadobas, the students learned all the skills included in the Cake Decorating unit.