• Thank you for a great year. We will return with regularly scheduled postings on September 1. Have a safe and fun summer Coyotes!
The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Philipos Alebachew

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer

Hello, I'm Philip and I'll be a staff writer this year. This is my first year doing this, and I can't wait to see what I can add to this team. I hope we have a great year! :)

All content by Philipos Alebachew
Painting a Prom poster, junior Sahib Rattan draws the landscape around Rapunzel’s castle. About 500 people are expected to attend Prom. “Everyone has really been looking forward to Prom,” Rattan said. “It’s a huge event so we’ve been working really hard for months to plan this.”

‘At Last We See The Light’ Prom to be held at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country Club

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
April 20, 2023
Tickets are being sold all this month at the school banking office, starting at $50.
Celebrating another successful Coyote Olympics, sophomore Student Council president Brianna Scherschel embraces her fellow Student Council peers.

Coyote Olympics Day 4: Dominican Republic Takes Home the Gold

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
April 3, 2023

Friday was the fourth and final day of the Coyote Olympics. The following are the top 3 teams. Dominican Republic China Vietnam The top teams played various minigames like balloon popping...

Leaning in for a drop shot, junior Jaidyn Reed attempts to send the birdie to the other side and gain a point for his team.

Coyote Olympics Day 3: Vietnam Narrowly holds the lead after third day

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
March 30, 2023
The top three are very close in points, so it is still anyone's game.
Leaping up into the air, senior Vassily Tan spikes the ball over the defender, gaining his team the point.

Coyote Olympics Day 2: Vietnam pulls ahead to lead after second day

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
March 29, 2023
The games continued with volleyball.
Announcing the plans for the Coyote Olympic event, sophomore class president Brianna Scherschel speaks to the team captains at their meeting on March 22. The meeting went over fees, procedures, and overall information to help prepare students for their upcoming games. “This gives them the necessary information needed for the event and what we expect to see from them,” Schershel said. “This helps our event run much smoother as we know for a fact that the teams are given the information.”

[Photo] Athletes Prepare to Compete in Annual Coyote Olympic Events

March 28, 2023

Announcing the plans for the Coyote Olympic event, sophomore class president Brianna Scherschel speaks to the team captains at their meeting on March 22. The meeting went over fees, procedures, and overall...

An Hour In ... Interior Design II

An Hour In … Interior Design II

Philipos Alebachew
March 6, 2023
Making use of room-building kits, Interior Design II students produce unique rooms.
Trying to create a peaceful atmosphere for her room, Ruth Desta pastes together the tiny details for the bookshelf she created. After a slight mishap with a piece of furniture, Desta’s group is now set to finish in a few class periods. “I wasn’t expecting the process to go as well as it has been,” Desta said. “When we first built the walls, we alternated holding it which saved us a lot of time. I’m really proud of me and my partner, and this has been fun.”

[Photo]

Trying to create a peaceful atmosphere for her room, Ruth Desta pastes together the tiny details for the bookshelf she created. After a slight mishap with a piece of furniture, Desta’s group is now set...

Placing down segments for a dresser, sophomore Chris Nikolic (left) and his partner continue to construct the room they’ve been designing for a week. Each pair of students was given a similar kit, but tasked to create unique rooms. “I struggled with the measurements,” Nkolic said. “The room kit is made using centimeters instead of inches, and there aren’t many centimeter rulers in the classroom.”

[Photo]

Placing down segments for a dresser, sophomore Chris Nikolic (left) and his partner continue to construct the room they’ve been designing for a week. Each pair of students was given a similar kit, but...

Being careful to not to make a mess, sophomore Amani Rahman glues together a window she built for her room model. Rahman’s group had already finished by the end of that class period, believing they expressed their idea successfully.. “Our model has a kind of cottagecore aesthetic,” Rahman said. “A lot of the kits were just bedrooms, but there was only one kit with couches, so I wanted to choose the different one. I’m proud of what we created and it all came together really well.”

[Photo]

Being careful to not to make a mess, sophomore Amani Rahman glues together a window she built for her room model. Rahman’s group had already finished by the end of that class period, believing they expressed...

Capturing the essence of a teenage boy’s room, sophomore Sydney Guerrero and her partner attach decor to the walls of the room. A common problem expressed among many of the groups was figuring out how to effectively use the glue and follow the instruction manual. “Our room has spaceships, stars, basketball, and other decorations you might see in a teenage boy’s room,” Guerrero said. “Working on this with a partner has been frustrating, especially the gluing, but I still love them.”

[Photo]

Capturing the essence of a teenage boy’s room, sophomore Sydney Guerrero and her partner attach decor to the walls of the room. A common problem expressed among many of the groups was figuring out how...

Using electrical engineering techniques, sophomore Phoebe Schreiber enhances her model by wiring LEDs’ to tiny lamps. Schreiber and her partner chose to create a room that is a mixture of a living room, bedroom, and bathroom.”I used the wiring from a battery box to connect the positive white and gray wires with the negative black and red wires so that they light up,” Schreiber said. “The model we chose was one of the biggest ones, and we’re just trying our best to follow the picture.”

[Photo]

Using electrical engineering techniques, sophomore Phoebe Schreiber enhances her model by wiring LEDs’ to tiny lamps. Schreiber and her partner chose to create a room that is a mixture of a living room,...

Carefully looking over state standards and criteria, newly appointed English 10 H and 11 teacher Pier Shoates creates lesson plans. Since the start of the second semester, Shoates has made the move from support staff to teaching. “I have a way better understanding of how students are now,” Shoates said. “I can see it from both the staff perspective and the student perspective.”

[Photo] New ‘Teacher Pathway’ Program for Future CCSD Employees Hopes to add to pipeline

February 21, 2023

Carefully looking over state standards and criteria, newly appointed English 10 H and 11 teacher Pier Shoates creates lesson plans. Since the start of the second semester, Shoates has made the move from...

Deliberating with his fellow BSU members, sophomore Demetrios West confirms the outline for the poster before continuing to write. Since mid-January, BSU members have been working on posters that were hung in all the hallways. “It was fun, but it was stressful because we were limited on time,” sophomore Rediate Hunde said.

BSU Hosts ‘Princess and the Frog’ Movie Night in the Gym

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
February 8, 2023
This event was chosen to be held in February to coincide with Black History Month.
“God of War Ragnarök” is a beautiful game with a compelling story and historic references. Rating: A+ Art Credit: IGDB Press Kits

Battle the mightiest Aesir Gods in ‘God of War Ragnarök’

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
January 18, 2023
God Of War (2018)’s much-anticipated sequel has finally been released with updated graphics, mechanics, and a whole new journey to embark on
To raise money for Key Club, junior Jonathan Lin gets pied in the face. Continuing with the pie-oriented event trend, sophomore president Brianna Scherschel, along with the rest of Student Council, is planning a similar pie-themed event. “We got the idea and started planning before Key Club,” Scherschel said. “We had a good laugh when we found out we both were doing a pie event.”

Upcoming ‘Pie-a-Teacher-Palooza’ to be held in the gym

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
January 13, 2023
Students bid to pie teachers in the face
Competing in the Esports Mountain Region league playoffs, the Southwest Squids celebrate their hard-earned win. Practicing since September, their hard work pays off. “What sets us apart from the other school teams is that we have a lot more power and a lot more strength as players,” junior Carl Reiner said. “I’m noticing that whenever we play the best teams the region has to offer, I’m just kind of disappointed. I felt like we would have a much bigger competition but it turns out we’re beating them with no more than eighty percent of our power.”

[Photo] First place, undefeated: Meet the Southwest Squids

December 12, 2022

Competing in the Esports Mountain Region league playoffs, the Southwest Squids celebrate their hard-earned win. Practicing since September, their hard work pays off. “What sets us apart from the other...

Holding up her tennis racket, sophomore Ihsan Seman finishes out a great tennis season. She made many new friendships while still donning her hijab proudly. “I came to play every single day,” Seman said. “I wasn’t forced to do this. I’m dedicated to this sport, and I want to be there.”

Committed Tennis Player: Meet Ihsan Seman

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
November 22, 2022
She tells her story of embracing her culture while still playing a sport she loves.
Students in Bryce Wadas Dual Credit math class study polynomial and rational functions for their upcoming test.

[Photo] National Report shows GRADE SCHOOLERS EXPERIENCED LARGE DROPS IN TEST SCORES

November 28, 2022

Students in Bryce Wada's Dual Credit math class study polynomial and rational functions for their upcoming test.

Designing her cavalera, freshman Lilian Avila is creating an outline for her project. She worked on it for two weeks.

Spanish Students Design Cavalera to Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos

Philipos Alebachew
November 2, 2022
Day of the Dead is similar to Halloween, but it's from Mexico.
Going through his email, Cameron Roehm sorts through facility maintenance requests from teachers. He prepared for a meeting with a student after going through his email. ”As an administrator, you can have an impact and on more students,” Roehm said. “Though it is more indirect because youre not with the students day to day.”

NEW ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL JOINS ADMINISTRATION

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
October 20, 2022
Roehm shares his plans on campus as assistant principal
After being announced as the new VP of Fundraising, junior Colin Chamberlain participates in the Penny for Your Thoughts icebreaker. FCCLA plans on attending the upcoming symposium. “I can’t wait to show people what’s in store with FCCLA this year,” FCCLA President Karim Abd-Elmalek said. “We plan to display our projects and spread the word about our upcoming events.”

CLUB LEADERS TO MEET FOR FIRST SYMPOSIUM

Philipos Alebachew
September 19, 2022
SWCTA to hold first ever meeting with CTSO officers to communicate future plans.