16 de Septiembre Assembly

Raiders celebrate Mexican Independence Day

By Elma Gonzalez and Martin Zazueta

On September 16, 1810 a priest named Miguel Hidalgo called together a mass in the town of Dolores for the purpose of fighting a war against the oppressive Spanish Vice-Royalty. This call to action had set off a planned uprising that had been organized months before, but was forced to start early. In short it was on this day that the War for Independence [from Spain] began.

For those who may not know or are unsure between the different Mexican holidays let me clarify; September 16 is Independence day, the U.S. equivalent would be the Fourth of July. Also do not get confused between the Independence war and the Revolutionary war which was 100 years later in the 1910's and 20's, (the struggle in which folk heroes like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata took part in) that struggle was basically a civil war against a tyrant.

But most importantly, probably the greatest source of confusion is the Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) celebration. This has nothing to do with either the Independence or Revolutionary Wars, in was a battle against the French in the 1862 in the town of Puebla.

And every year Mexicans from all over gather and celebrate with pride their Independence Day and SOH we had a special way of celebrating it.

On Wednesday September 16, SOH MEChistas arrived to school at 6am to prepare for the '16 de septiembre' assembly. After weeks of planning, everything was ready to deliver a great assembly.

With a huge turnout, the assembly took place during second period. Although it was difficult to control the crowd the first few minutes, overall the student body showed their respect for the Mexican celebration. It began with the pledge of allegiance to both the American and Mexican flags; then it move

d on to a short video on the historic significance of September 16th. For the rest of the assembly, the crowd engaged in several fun activities consisting of: trivia, jumping rope, and dancing. The Mariachi gave the first performance with Mr. Rodriguez, who dedicated the song to Marcos Ramirez, as the leading vocalist. Then they performed with the Folklorico. Julio Barajas, a former Raider, made a surprise performance that was extremely well received by the student body. When the Nutrition Bell rang, the students left the gym wanting more.

In the end, most students agree this assembly was one of the best MEChA assemblies. "It just had much more activities than past years," explains Enrique Gonzalez (Junior), "The only thing I didn't like was the sound, it seemed like the mic wasn't working very well." Fortunately, this minor problem did not degrade the quality of the assembly as a whole. Overall, the assembly reflected the numerous hours of hard work put in by MEChA students and advisers.

Southwest Raiders Vs San Marcos Knights

SOH football: down but not out
By Bob Chan

It was a chilly night in downtown Nestor where our raiders fought against the Knights in another devastating loss. The crowd was full and even San Marcos had a good amount of people there. Both cheerleading teams had worked together to put on a show. The game started out with the Knights scoring on their first possession and later in the first they scored again but Lamar Weston made a touchdown pass to Maris Boldridge which made it 14-7 and senior David Leon had made an interception with a minute left in the 1st quarter. After that it went downhill from there and the Knights scored 4 more touchdown and missed an extra point in the 2nd quarter. The final score was 41-7. The JV team also played earlier and had suffered another loss, this time a shutout,34-0.

Women's Golf

Lady Raider leads golf team

By Omar Arce

Many people at school believe that golf is not a team sport, perhaps because golf practices and games never take place inside the school. Golf like any other sport requires ambition, deidication, and a spark of talent.

Raiders Digest had the opportunity to talk to Elma Gonzalez this year's women's golf captain.

RD: Why did you decide to play golf?
EG: When I was in middle school my PE teacher got me into it.

RD: How much do you like golf?
EG: I know that when I'm old and retired, all I'll want to do is play golf. That's how much I like golf.

RD: How did you become captain and what does it mean to you?
EM: Well, when I first joined there weren't many players on the team, so I automatically became the captain. But now there are about 9 players. I think I was chosen as the captain because I have the most experience. Being captain means a lot to me. This is one of the few leadership positions I hold at school and I'm just glad it's something I enjoy so much.

RD:What is the most difficult thing about golf?
EG:Many people think that its just hitting a ball with a club, but there is an appropriate posture, and you have to focus at looking at the ball when you hit it. So you really have to concentrate.

RD: How many players do you have this year?
EG: We have about 9 players, more than we need which is good.

RD: How much do you practice?
EG: We practice 3 times a week for an hour and a half.

RD: Do you have a good chance at getting a banner this year?
EG: We do have a good chance. We have a lot of people with experience.

RD: What would you say to people that do not recognize golf's credibility?

EG: Golf is a very difficult sport. It requires everything other sports require, and I think people should realize that.

As the year advances, Elma will contnue to lead the team in their quest to win matches, a banner and a reputation for the Women's Golf team at SOH. Raider's digest will continue to cover the golf team.

President's Speech

President Obama addresses students
By Bob Chan


On September 8, 2009, President Barrack Obama attempted to speak directly to the nation's students. Schoolchildren from coast to coast watched on classroom TVs and computer screens. However, some did not hear the message at all, either because their parents pulled them from class or their schools refused to carry the speech over complaints from conservative groups and others that it smacked of political indoctrination.
In his speech, which aired on C-SPAN and the White House Web site, the President used examples from his own life to urge students to study hard. He told them to stop chasing dreams of being athletes or reality TV stars

The Department of Education was also criticized for proposed lesson plans distributed to accompany the speech, including a section — later changed — that asked students to write about how they could help the President.

"The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try," Obama stated.

SEA on the move at SOH

SOH teachers march for justice
By Elma Gonzalez


Almost half an hour before the first bell rings, Mr. Loper and Mr. Jourdain, along with many other teachers head out to the front of the school. With fliers in one hand and signs in the other, they begin their quest of communicating the current struggles faced by all teachers of the Sweetwater Union High School District to parents and anyone willing to listen. This routine started last week on Tuesday, September 8 and will continue "until the new contract is put together," assures Mr. Loper.

SUHSD teachers have been waiting for a new contract since June 30, 2008, when the old contract expired. After more than 440 days without a contract, the SEA organized educators around the district and decided to take the matter into their own hands and attempt to get other members of the community involved in the issue. This is why you have probably seen teachers outside handing fliers to your mom. Although they are in front of the school, 'holding signs' and 'marching', it does not mean they are on strike. However, because there has been very little progress with the contract they may soon be. When asked if it was likely that they would go on strike, Mr. Loper simply answered, "I don't know."

But why is this taking so long? Well, the reasons remain the same. Teachers insist class sizes shouldn't be modified, while the district is firm in its decision to change them from 28:1 to 30:1. Educators argue that having larger classes decreases the amount of 1:1 time a teacher has with each student, which lessens the quality of education given to the students. "Students need to realize this affects them directly," affirms Mr. Higgins. Still, the main reason teachers are marching outside the school is because they are displeased with the moves the district has made this year. According to the rules of collective bargaining the old contract must be enforced until the two teams sign on a new agreement. However, " [the district] is not respecting the contract", informs Mr. Higgins. Among many other things, the old contract declares the student:teacher ratio to be 28:1; yet this year the district has imposed a 30:1 ratio. According to the SEA this change ultimately harms students. Ms. Stretcher the AP US History teacher has faced many problems this year due to the increase in class sizes. Because she has more than 40 students, who take almost all the space in the classroom, she wasn't left any choice but to dispose of her own desk.

Teachers often stay long after the last bell to help students with homework and provide extra help to those who need it. However, it is because of the difficult situation they are facing that they have decided to no longer work these extra hours, and simply "work to the rule" (meaning they will only work their contractual hours.) On September 8 at 2:51, several teachers grabbed their keys and headed home leaving many students without the extra assistance they needed, but hoping that doing this will 'ultimately be beneficial to the students in the long run.' For many teachers like Ms. Stretcher the students are the number one priority; "I've been teaching for a long time -before there were contracts- and for me the most important thing is the students; we can't forget why we teach."

Hopefully, both parties will soon come to an agreement so that teachers can continue helping students thrive.

There is always a next time

Raiders' second game shows promise

by Omar Arce

After their defeat against San Diego High on their first game, the Raiders faced the Mountain Empire Red Hawks from Pine Valley on their second game of the season and their first home match.The evening started with impressive fireworks that illuminated the stadium. Although the attendance was not as plentiful as expected, the Pep Club, the band, and the cheerleaders all played their part in supporting the team.
The game was tough. With the 17 players that missed the first game due to grade ineligibility, 12 of them in the field and 5 of them in the bench, the Raiders had a decent first half. The offensive line did not allow the QB to have any space to throw, ending in sacks and incomplete passes. With a deficit of 6 points, starting QB Lamar Weston was benched by Mark Sandoval at the end of the 3rd quarter. The offensive line gave more cover to Sandoval allowing him to have more time and space to throw the ball deeper. The Red Hawks increased their lead to 22-0. At the end of the third quarter a 50 yard interception by senior LB Juan Padilla gave the Raiders a hope. The score was 22-7 now. Coming to the fore, the Raiders scored their second touchdown of the night with a great catch and run by WR Maris Boldridge. In addition to a 2 point conversion the score was 22-15. The Raider defense could not stop the running game of the Red Hawks in the fourth quarter, and so the game ended with the final score of 22-15.
With the loss, Southwest moves to 0-2 on the season. Next, SOH hosts San Marcos, to face the Knights in a non-league bout on Friday, September 18. Just another opportunity for the Raiders to give their fans the victory they deserve.

R.I.P. Chueco

Marcos Ramirez: missed but never forgotten
by Elma Gonzalez and Omar Arce

Every day twelve teenagers between the ages of 16-19 die from motor vehicle accidents. On Sunday morning, August 30, 2009, these statistics hit close to home when a former SOH Raider lost his life in a car accident. Known by his friends and family as "Chueco", Marcos Ramirez had just graduated from SOH last school year; he was barely eighteen years old. Marcos was coming back from a night out at Tijuana at about 4am, when he asked some friends to give him a ride home. As the the car drove through Camino de la Plaza, it engaged in an improvised street race with another car. According to Sgt. Delimitrios, the cars sped up and just as they approached Dairy Mart Rd. both cars - a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota- lost control resulting in one vehicle smashing against a pole and the other rolling over to the side of the road. Although the cause of the crash is yet unclear, the fatal repercussions are all too apparent.

Last Monday, August 31, more than 200 students and alumni came together to honor Chueco's memory in a walk to Camino de la Plaza. Wearing white t-shirts, holding flowers, and carrying posters, the crowd walked for 20 minutes and once they reached their destination, an altar consisting of flowers, candles, and pictures of "Chueco" was created. Mrs. Ramirez engaged everyone in a heart warming speech in which she affirmed she "saw Marcos in the face of everyone that attended," and was very grateful for the support and solidarity given by everyone present; but most importantly she took that time to advise everyone present to "learn from this misfortune", to understand that there is only one life and it is up to us to protect it. His dad talked about Marcos' virtues, " He was a great son, he had such an easy going attitude. He never got in trouble. And he always had a great smile on." After such an accurate description of Marcos, tears started to roll out of everyone's eyes. Following these two speeches, Aldo Ramirez addressed his brother Marcos by saying, "I know you are in a better place now." The ceremony ended with one final cheer for Marcos Ramirez, " Chueco! Chueco! Chueco!"

Francisco Soto-Garcia, another alumnus of the class of 2009, was one of the persons who saw him last. "We crossed the border together after the party. He asked me If I wanted a ride. I said no thanks." He never thought that would be that last time he would see his friend Marcos -only fifteen minutes before his death.

We as teenagers sometimes do not think about the consequences of our actions, and it is only with such fatal events that we open our eyes.

Every single person who knew Marcos Ramirez could tell you that he was a great soccer player, a great friend, and that he had many good things coming his way, but the problem with life is that you never know when it will be over; for Marcos it might have been over too soon, but his death was not in vain. Raiders have developed a deep awareness of automotive safety. We now know the consequences of not taking this task seriously. As his mom said, his memory would remain a part of all those who loved him.