The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow
Mason Rafferty

Mason Rafferty, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

Hi, I’m Mason. I love Sabrina Carpenter, and drinking that’s that me espresso. I’m working late because I’m an editor.

All content by Mason Rafferty
Jhone Ebert has officially been elected by the CCSD Board of Trustees. Ebert has been a prominent figure in CCSD for over 30 years, and is now serving as the first official female superintendent. Photo Credit: CCSD Newsroom

CCSD Elects Jhone Ebert as New Superintendent

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
April 8, 2025
Read on the new superintendent elect, and her visions and plans for the future of CCSD.
The culture of toxic masculinity teaches young men that they need to have the stereotypical behaviors of men to be seen and portrayed as a “real man.” This leads to mental issues that can start from a young age and last a lifetime.

What We Don’t Need is a Masculinomenon

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
March 12, 2025
Toxic Masculinity: a blindsided modern day problem used against men, by men.
Posing with his student, Michael Hadobas and Razelle Antipuesto branch out their plates they submitted for their contest. The two had competed in the competition “Flavors For Life,” where high schools compete against each other to make a dish from a mystery basket of ingredients. “It was very fun,” Hadobas said. “I felt quite proud to win!”

Sugar, Spice, Everything Nice: Meet Chef Michael Hadobas

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
February 21, 2025
Michael Hadobas shares his journey in the culinary field
TikTok’s lack of legal victories has led to its potential upcoming ban in the United States. The app's fate is in the hands of the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Enacts Social Media Ban

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
January 8, 2025

TikTok’s lack of legal victories has led to its potential upcoming ban in the United States. The app's fate is in the hands of the Supreme Court.

PODCAST: All Things Christmas

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
December 19, 2024
Christmas break is coming soon. Listen to how Southwest Shadow staff is celebrating all things Christmas.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: TAMI NAVARRO

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: TAMI NAVARRO

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
December 9, 2024
Here's a look at 2016 graduate Tami Navarro's life after high school.
“Respectfully, I forgot the Grammys existed, but I believe that Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter got that in the bag. They have some big moments behind them.” senior Anagell Johnson said. “I personally haven’t listened to Brat, but I know of it, like everything is lime green on Instagram and there’s even a dress to impress update just for it, if I had to choose between them it would probably be Charli XCX.”

Q&A : Who Do You Think is Winning Best Album of the Year

Angel White and Mason Rafferty
November 14, 2024
Find out who Southwest thinks is going to win Grammys 2025 Best Album of the Year
Collaborating alongside each other, sophomores Valery Hernandez and Taelor Williams create a sauce for Spam musubi, which will be featured in this week Coyote Cafe. Last week's cuisine was Vietnamese and North-American, which contained a choice between a bánh mì or reuben sandwich with its corresponding sides. “It’s a great experience,” Williams said. “I feel like I am [benefiting greatly] from this because it reflects what it is like to be working in the back of the house inside of a restaurant.”

Culinary Reintroduces Coyote Cafe

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
October 31, 2024
After a temporary closing, the Coyote Cafe returns, introducing a new teacher-student lunch format with different cuisines for lunches.
Influencers are always the ones implementing new trends. In the past, social media trends mainly consisted of dangerous challenges that viewers conducted to impress others, but now the need to impress lies in unrealistic beauty standards and consumerism.

Behind the Screens: How Influencers are Damaging Society

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
October 28, 2024
The pressure of staying relevant online leads to real-world issues for both influencers and their followers.
After signing up to volunteer to make posters, senior Janna Bouffard sketches out a design which will later be painted and hung in the hallway to promote Movie Night. Student Council began selling tickets for $5 starting September 17th and will stop on September 27th in the cafeteria. “I’m glad I got the opportunity to help,” Bouffard said. “They should get more recognition on the posters because they often tend to be overlooked in the hallways.”

Student Council To Screen ‘High School Musical’ for Annual Movie Night

Mason Rafferty and Angel White
September 25, 2024
Student Council shares the process to selecting the homecoming movie and theme.
Assistant Principal Cameron Roehm stands outside the cafeteria entrance handing out green temporary IDs to the students who forgot their IDs. This policy revamp was created due to last year's temporary ID weakening security measures causing it to be inefficient. “In the past, we did not see much success with the sticker IDs,” Roehm said. “With the new policy, [administration] is starting to notice a decrease in the sales of temporary IDs.”

New Temporary IDs Introduced as a Result of CCSD’s Updated Lanyard Policy

Mason Rafferty, Staff Writer
September 9, 2024
SWCTA introduces new lanyard policy and urges students to bring their lanyard daily.