The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow
Johnny Tao

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer

Hello! I am Johnny and this is my first year on the Southwest Shadow team. I enjoy writing and making videos. In my free time, I play video games.

All content by Johnny Tao
As part of the yearly tradition, Philipos Alebachew, Maximillan Aller, and Ava Nave came together to light their candles. This practice is done at every induction ceremony to officially welcome the students into the organization. “The candle ceremony signifies that when students are together, they bring a lot of light [to society],” NHS adviser Laura Penrod said. “Yet individually, they all bring their own unique light to the space.”

NHS Induction Ceremony Set To Occur March 7

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
March 4, 2025
The NHS induction ceremony will welcome the newly selected members for the 2026 school year.
Looking at the position on the board, freshmen Christian Sumaway and Robert Romero thinks about their next move. Both students are regular attendees of chess club. “Being able to go to chess club right after school and playing for an hour or two is always a good use of my time,” Romero said. “Everyone at chess club is very high level so it makes me feel inspired to try and reach them.”

An Hour In … Chess Club

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
February 26, 2025
Students in chess club competed against each other in friendly matches and learned new strategies to improve at the game.
Dribbling the basketball away from the defender, sophomore guard Alyssa Atkins-Dowd looks for an open teammate to pass to. The game was between the Desert Oasis Diamondbacks and the Faith Lutheran Crusaders. “My family supports me playing basketball,” Atkins-Dowd said. “My dad is a basketball coach, and he, my mom, and my oldest sister, Nadia, always show up to my games. In every game that I have, there's at least one family member there supporting me from the bleachers, which I’m very grateful for.” (Credit: @dbacks_wbb)

Shooting For Her Dreams: Meet Alyssa Atkins-Dowd

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
February 24, 2025
Through her love and dedication to the game of basketball, Alyssa Atkins-Dowd hopes to one day become a professional player for the WNBA.
“Not really. I feel like I didn’t prepare as much as I should have, such as certain topics like English or reading even though we had practice during class," junior Ceejay Canto said. "I should have taken time out of my day to get some books and to practice more testing strategies."

Q&A: Are you ready for the ACT?

Johnny Tao and Jon Escala
February 22, 2025
Find out how Southwest juniors feel about the upcoming ACT test.
The titles valedictorian and salutatorian are awarded to the two brightest students in a graduating class. Yet, the difference between the way that they’re treated is substantial.

Salutatorian: The Prestigious Title For Being Just Short of Greatness

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
February 20, 2025
The honors of valedictorian and salutatorian have been used for over a century, but one of these titles does not hold as much significance as it may appear.
The debate on whether VAR is really benefiting soccer has been up for debate ever since its release. It’s unclear what the future of sport will be like as more advanced technology continues to be developed.

A Fan’s Perspective: VAR Is Not Helping Soccer

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
January 10, 2025
The addition of VAR to some of the highest levels of soccer seems to have created more controversy than expected.
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

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
November 19, 2024

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...

Helping the team practice for their next match, club adviser Jose Gomez thinks about his next move on the board. The team will be playing Sierra Vista HS for their next game on Tuesday, October 22. “There are lots of kids at other schools that are at a high level, but so do we,” Gomez said. “It just comes down to how long you have played the game for. I think practicing on the daily, even for just thirty minutes, helps a lot in terms of gameplay.”

Chess Team Back On the Board After Five Years

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
October 12, 2024
Players of the SWCTA Chess Team will compete against students from other schools.
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.
Playing on their newly purchased Ping Pong table, PE coaches Anne Kalenowicz and Michele Schmitt rally back and forth. Other pieces of equipment were also ordered to encourage students to exercise. “These are activities that they can continue throughout life,“ Schmitt said. “Our job as a teacher is to introduce them to all these different games so that they have options going forward in terms of working out and such.”

Girl’s PE Switching to Daily Exercises Instead Of the Mile

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
September 27, 2024
Female students will now focus on daily body conditioning activities alongside their usual sport, as opposed to running the mile every two weeks.
With the help of his teammates, sophomore Cameron Kefale weighs out the precise amount of sodium bicarbonate needed for the lab. Students had to work together in groups to execute the procedures. “Personally, I loved working with my teammates when it comes to labs like this,” Kefale said. “The mass of all the different substances had to be spot on because otherwise, the result might come out different.”

An Hour In … Chemistry H

Johnny Tao, Staff Writer
September 25, 2024
Chemistry H students completed all the lab stations and wrote down their observations.