Who needs Valentine's Day?

Can You be Single and happy?
By Sierra Holter


Having a significant other may seem like the most important thing during Valentine's Day, but I assure you that it is not. You can be single and still be happy on February 14th. Just because you don't have a special somebody to share the day with, doesn't mean you're "forever alone". There are many ways to stay positive during this time but before we get to those here are some "don't"s for the day.

First off, don't sulk, pout, or complain that you're single. For one thing, your single friends will just look at you and say, "Dude, we're single too so it's okay" or they'll complain with you. That obviously won't solve anything and it will put a damper on the whole day. Next thing, don't ask every girl/guy you see to be your valentine, just because you are single doesn't give you the right to blantly put yourself out there and say "HEY WORLD I'M SINGLE BE MY VALENTINE BECAUSE I'M LONELY!!!!" No, don't do that. If anything, asking random people to be your Valentine will just cause you more hurt because they won't want to be your boyfriend or girlfriend when the day ends. Lastly, don't throw yourself a pity party and dwell on your failed past relationships. You may have an ex boyfriend or girlfriend that is now happy with a new girl or boy. It's okay, don't worry about it you can have a great day without them.

So, it's Valentines day and you're single - what are you going to do to stay positive? Well, you can start by smiling. It's scientifically proven that if you smile, your day will automatically seem a whole lot better. Plus, you never know, maybe that future special somebody is falling in love with your smile right now. Next thing, shake off negative vibes. You may be walking around school seeing all the couples kissing, hugging, and holding hands. You may be thinking to yourself "why am I still alone?", shake those vibes off. Those thoughts will only keep you down and will make your day horrible. Most importantly, be satisfied with yourself. No one is perfect, no relationship is perfect, so why make yourself more depressed by thinking everyone has it so much better than you do? Honestly, I know it's hard being single during this day but you should know that you - yes, you - are a great person! You don't need another person to tell you that you are fabulous to know it! So, look yourself in the mirror today, and every other day, and say, "hey beautiful, you are an amazing person inside and out and I don't need someone else to tell me how wonderful I am because I already know it!" Stay classy and beautiful.

Anorexia and bulimia

Don't freak, just eat
by Sierra Holter


Hundreds of girls everywhere feel tortured every day when they look in the mirror. Some go to drastic measures to make sure they don't gain an extra pound or even to feel like they've gained an ounce. Anorexia and Bulimia are serious and deadly habits that kill 50,000 women in the U.S.

Many anorexics say they acquired this habit when they started puberty, when the female body actually gains weight to handle all the changes taking place. Others say they've had that fear instilled in them after someone made a rude remark about their weight as a child. There are also women who see it as just a simple way to lose a few pesky pounds. Truth is anorexia and Bulimia are the real deal, they soon become an addiction and the young women spiral out of control.

Teenagers who do not have to battle this inner monster are educated about it in middle school health class. The only thing they usually get out of it is "Blah, blah, blah eat healthy. Blah, blah, blah don't starve yourself. Blah, blah, blah". Do they really listen to the severity of the problem? No. So one might ask how does a seemingly beautiful, young, vibrant young woman become so obsessed with her looks she's willing to risk her health to "look better"? Well, there's a myriad of reasons some ranging from childhood obesity to childhood starvation. Many have been reported saying "I just wanted to look like the models in those magazines". This is an unrealistic goal for many teenagers and an unrealistic way to feel comfortable with your body. The reason is different for all bulimics and anorexics. Regardless of what the main factor may be, once an eating disorder takes control, the individual has an insatiable hunger to regain control of their life.
It's hard to believe that this silent killer takes hold of 10% of all high school girls. Sometimes the warning signs are hard to see so here are 5 red flags you should look out for when suspecting anorexia or bulimia:
1. Skipping meals
2. Obsession with calories, fat grams, and nutrition
3. Fixation with body image.
4. Compulsive exercising
5. Harshly critical or appearance.
Don't let a loved be affected by this disease. If you suspect anyone of dealing with this monster help them get treatment as soon as possible. No one wants to see someone they love wither away into nothing.

Appreciate everyone on Valentine's Day

Raiders Celebrate Valentine’s Day
By Vianney Casas

Let’s be honest here: What comes to mind as soon as you hear Valentine’s Day? Answer: Chocolates, heart shaped balloons, roses, cards, hugs, kisses, I love you’s, couples, couples and couples. Last year at Southwest High, Valentine’s day was all about couples. It pretty much went like this: 80% couples, 20% friendships. You would see girls holding balloons and rose bouquets with gigantic smiles on their faces. Now honestly, who actually thought that was their “friends” who gave those gifts to them? It was not them but their boyfriends.

What is Valentine’s Day translated to Spanish? “Dia del Amor y la Amistad”. Day of love and friendship. People (Raiders included) take the love part too seriously. Yes, I have proof: “Who wants to be my Valentine?” is the most asked question people write on Facebook status’ during February. Lately, there has been a thousand likes on phrases such as “Dia de San Solterin” (Day of the single), and another asking February to bring them something good. What does that translate to? “Please, February, give me a boyfriend/girlfriend to get gifts from on Valentine’s Day". I have friends, classmates, and even relatives, who complain about not having a boyfriend/girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. “Why should you?” is my question. Valentine’s day does not only consist on having someone to kiss, or hold hands with. Yes it is about love, so what about your friends, your family, and your pets?! They all love you and you love them as well, so why can’t you celebrate that kind of love? Is it that they have a different version of Valentine’s Day? No need to bother thinking of an answer though. I asked people what they thought about Valentine’s day and here’s what they told me:

“It’s stupid , probably was created by candy stores to win more money”-Alexia Chavira

“Proud”- Amairani Salazar

“If you're single then it sucks, if you're taken it’s nice”-Abraham Lopez

“People lost the real meaning of Valentine's Day... Now all people want is kisses and sexual stuff, it’s no longer about love or celebration of being together”-Hector Armendariz

“It’s the cutest holiday overall! If you have a boyfriend”-Cindy Centella

“ Well, I think Valentine's Day is actually a really cute day for couples and even for singles whether it's enjoying love from a partner or maybe just some chocolate candy with friends”-Albert Fernandez

“It’s like one of my favorite holidays, but honestly because of the candies. I don’t really celebrate it because 1) I’m single and 2) nobody wants to celebrate it with me. So overall it’s all about the chocolates, but I think it’s the perfect time to express your feelings to that special person. It could be your friend, your pet, your mom; love is not only about that person you kiss or hug. It’s about that person that makes your days happy, that person that makes you smile, and that’s the love that matters, that’s the love we should celebrate”-Mayte Casas

“Well honestly, I think it’s a made up holiday, I think that if people really wanna celebrate their friendship and love for one another they should do it every moment of every day there is no need for a holiday to express your love for someone else.”-Andrea Osuna

“Well, personally I think Valentine's day represents not only love but friendship and to show how much you care for your friends, family, and lovers.”-Oscar Vargas

“To me it’s a day to spend it with people you love.”-Berthita Villegas

“I don’t know, it’s whatever”-Arley Aguilar

There you go, Raiders. We have some people in the “Valentine’s day is just about having a relationship” category, and some on the “Love and Friendship” category. I’m not here to criticize anyone’s point of view, but let me just say that Valentine’s Day should indeed be one of the best holidays! Love is what keeps us going. Love is the air we breath, the sun we see, the stars we wish upon at night. It is everything. Whether it’s family love, friend love, or boyfriend/girlfriend love, love is the best feeling in the world. When love breaks our heart, there is the love of a friend to put it back together again. When love clouds our skies, there is the love of a mother to bring back the sun. When love ends, there is another love to start it again. What would the world be without love? Just what would SOH be without love? There would go our future, our education. So, Raiders, do not ever think that on Valentine’s Day you lack of love for not having someone to kiss. Get out to lunch and see all your friends waiting for you. Go home and see your mom preparing you the best meal. There is love, and the best love you could get. So this Valentine’s Day let us celebrate the most amazing feeling in the world, let us scream how much we love our mothers, our fathers, our dogs, our brothers and sisters, our friends, and our teachers, and let us celebrate one of the best holidays of the year because remember:

"A life filled with love must have some thorns; but a life empty of love will have no roses."-Anonymous.

Tuition costs on the increase.

Is College still affordable?

by Stephanie Meza

With the budget cuts that have been going on, paying for college is becoming more expensive than ever. The highly-stressing college applications are finally over, but many seniors are anxious to know what they’re going to do for the rest of their lives. But are budget cuts really preventing students from getting a higher education? I did a survey with 15 different seniors of different backgrounds to calculate statistics, and these are the results.

•Out of these 15 seniors, 14 want to attend a 4-year university after high school and 1 is considering joining the Military.

•10 of them think financial aid will not be enough to pay for their college expenses, while 5 of them think they can get by with the help of financial aid.

•11 of them would consider going to community college if they can’t afford a 4-year university, and 4 of them are confident that they can afford college.

•Finally, 8 out of 15, more than half, see money as an obstacle that can prevent them from getting a higher education.

These results were an eye-opener on how the economy is affecting the way students look at higher education. Many hard working Raiders are planning to go to a community college before going to a 4-year university in order to save money. Even though community college is often incorrectly looked down upon, you can actually take many general education classes if you want to save money for a 4-year university. Some consider joining the military since 2 years in it pays for your tuition.

However, the most devastating fact was on how more than half of these students actually thought money was an obstacle that prevents them. Obstacles aren’t there to stop people; they are there to filter out those who don’t really want something. There are many ways you can pay for college: financial aid, scholarships, student loans, grants, etc. Money should never be an obstacle. Never let anything or anyone keep you from doing what you have worked so hard for. So whatever it is you decide to do, raiders, make sure to not look at money as an obstacle.

SOH Men's Soccer Rules!

Ole ole ole ole !
by Stephanie Meza

There's one thing about the varsity soccer team at Southwest High: Throughout the years they've created themselves a good reputation and earned everyone's respect for always bringing a new League Champ's banner into our gym. Every time they have a game, the players wear their jerseys with pride, because to them "being part of the varsity team is an honor!" proclaimed Victor Andrade, who is part of the team for the second year. Andrade adds: "It's just something much greater than being part of it, because the people there become your family"

Currently, the varsity soccer team is tied in first place with Castle Park High School in the league. They're five games away from knowing if they'll receive a banner this year. However, the team remains optimistic and has faith that they'll be successful in these upcoming games. As for the team, they're practicing hard every day. After all, being a soccer player isn't easy, it requires skills, speed, endurance, but most importantly it takes dedication and commitment of wanting to improve and be the best team of the league. "My experience has just been awesome, I have met and played next to really good soccer players along these 2 years and I have the honor of being part of the team who won a banner for SOH." says Victor.

If the team wins League champs, they'll move on to CIF where they will compete against other champ schools, and hopefully will bring a white banner to our gym as well.
Good luck SOH Varsity soccer, make us proud once again!


"Playing soccer with your feet is one thing, but playing with your heart is another. It takes an athlete to play soccer, but an artist to be a soccer player. Anyone who thinks sunshine is happiness has never played soccer in the rain. Soccer players aren't made of their technique,but made by there passion!
Never let the odds keep you from pursuing what you know in your heart you were meant to do!"

Facebook Chaos

Think before you speak

By Vianney Casas

“You are nothing until you are talked about.” The same 8 horrid words appeared in a new gossip page about Southwest High School created about 5 days ago.

Who isn’t familiar with Facebook? Besides being used to communicate with friends all around the world, it is also known for being used as a bullying tool and as a place where you’ll find out the newest gossip about relationships, friendships and pretty much anyone’s life. However, it was never imagined that Facebook would ever be used by a Raider to talk bad about dozens of students in SOH. Never in my two years in Southwest High had something as detestable as this happened, and it didn’t just strike me, it struck many Raiders who were confused, dissapointed, and angry.

It all started this past weekend. For weeks, Facebook pages about SOH had been created. Pages about the prettiest girls at school, the cutest guys, best couples and best friends, but none of these pages was like the one created on Saturday. Everything was all right, everyone was OK with the new pages, they did not hurt anyone at all, but everything went downhill when a page named “Soh blab” was created anonymously. “You are no one until you’re talked about” it said on its biography. The page had albums with nice categories such as “The real pretty girls”, (“Soh bonitas” had a category with “pretty girls”, and this Soh blab supposedly had the real ones) “handsome guys”, but it also had horrible categories including “ugly people”, “backstabbers”, and others I won’t mention for the use of language. Besides those two categories (pretty girls and handsome boys) the page bascially talked trash about tons of people and about rumors that had been popular here at SOH. When I say tons of people in SOH I mean it talked about people from 9th to 12th grade. Suddenly the page started adding people, people it had talked about. This caused a big uproar among Raiders. People got their feelings hurt, why wouldn’t they? The page was describing them with such hideous words that it would be hard to imagine someone not feeling like they had been punched in the stomach when seeing their picture and under it a paragraph.

The Monday following that weekend was even worse. Everyone at school was talking about it. You would walk into a class and find groups of students talking about it. Between classes you would hear people walking and talking about it. While in lunch, people shared their opinions about the new Facebook page, about “Soh blab”. Suspicion and accusations among students couldn’t be missing of course. Raiders looked at eachother in suspicion and asked each other about who could possibly be this person who was hiding behind a computer screen and writing about them. Obviously, false accusations were made. People were falsely accused and without knowing, pointed fingers (and I say this because of my own experience) and blamed anyone who crossed their mind. “Who do you think it was?” was the most heard question that day, as students tried to think for an answer and what they would do if they ever found out.

On Tuesday, the turmoil had declined a little, but the page wasn’t forgotten. People were still talking about it and wondering who was that heartless person. Fortunately it all ended today. The page was erased. It caught people by surprise since the person running the page seemed not to care what anyone else thought and that everyone was trying to find out who he/she was. I asked people if they knew something about this and the possible reason, and somenone told me someone had told the principal about this page. Now that the principal was involved, everyone’s conclusion was that the creator of “Soh blab” got scared and deleted the page not wanting any problems. If he/she didn’t want any problems, why did he/she create the page in the first place is a question I and I’m sure many other Raiders have in their minds. The page might have been deleted, but this isn’t and will never be completely over. People’s feelings are still hurt, the identity of this person is still trying to be discovered, and this experience, believe me, will never be forgotten no matter if you weren’t talked about. The only thing we can all hope is that whoever did this is brought out to light, although no punishment given, or apology can erase what he/she did to many Raiders. Some may have shown no care for the words of this person, however this doesn’t mean that deep down the heart was lightly punched.

That’s why Raiders my best advice has always been “Think before you act/speak” Think beforehand about the consequences. Im sure this person didn’t and look at what he/she caused. No one has the right to talk about anyone. No one has the right to pretend they can get into someone’s mind. Everyone has their own opinion, their own story, and no one has the right to alter it or tell it their way. Raiders speak for yourselves, never talk about anyone else because it will come back to you when you least expect it.

New Year Means New Opportunities

Raider's New Year

By Vianney Casas

I know it’s a little late, however that will not stop me from reminding you Raiders that is a “new year” a fresh start. You got behind last semester? You failed a class? I’m not saying 2011 will erase that from your transcript, because it won’t. This is a new semester, a semester that should not be a victim of what you did on the first. You can start all over and prove to your teachers and most importantly to yourself that you can be better than who you’d been in the past.

This goes especially for you sophomores and juniors. Remember that for your college applications in senior year, colleges and universities will be carefully looking at your grades during sophomore and junior year! You cannot afford to lag behind and take school for granted. You may have fallen behind during first semester, everyone makes mistakes once in a while, but this is your chance to start a new page. Take it as a second chance. Who doesn’t like a second chance? The world is always filled with “what if”s, but right now a second chance to improve our grades and our chances of having the future we always dreamed of is given to us.

I know, you walk around and see the same people passing by you in the halls. You go to class and sit in front of the same teacher. You open the locker you opened months ago. Not much has changed this 2011 socially in school, however its up to you wether this becomes boring or fun. Make some new friends, find new hobbies, smile to new people, and of course “out with the old and in with the new”.

So Raiders may this 2011 not be the best by itself but with your help. Let's all make this year an unforgetable dream, especially you seniors graduating this 2011. Take advantage of the awesome school you have, the friends by your side, the teahcers and your homework because believe me, all this will pay off in your future. Lastly, remember, Raiders, that every cause has an effect, and every action of yours will have a consequence, other than that enjoy this year as much as you can!