SSA Assembly

Cross the line
by Vianney Casas

“You can’t hate someone when you know their story”.

Makes you think right? SOH’s Safe School Ambassadors motto definitely made sophomores think on Wednesday, February 16th's assembly. SOH sophomores were scheduled to go to L.A’s Museum of Tolerance on that Thursday, so an assembly organized by Mr. Rodriguez and his SSA crew took place during sixth period to give us sophomores some background information and let us know what the rules where going to be for the trip. By looking at sophomores' reaction during that assembly I can tell the assembly turned out to be nothing like we had expected.

The assembly started off with some basic information of the Holocaust. Anyone who’s had Mr. Rodriguez know how serious, important, and professional his lectures are, so you can imagine how that went. The majority of the sophomores were paying attention to each and every word, when suddenly a poem popped up on the screen. Seconds later students were standing up and reading each of the poem’s lines with pride. After that the assembly gave an emotional turn, when Mr. Rodriguez started comparing the Holocaust to life today at school., which caused it to be, in the end, one of the most emotional events in Southwest High School.

For the next minutes, Mr. Rodriguez showed us a video of a group of students, who were not accepted, shooting the school. The video contained the phone call a teacher had actually made to the 911, which I’m sure gave every sophomore goosebumps. You could tell by the silence in the Gym that the video was really getting to the sophomores. That wasn’t the worst part though, after the video was shown, SSA members stood up and shared with the sophomores their experiences and their hardships they had or were going through. Some of the SSA members got a little emotional which made sophomores feel even worse .

Last but not least, an emotional activity took place. The activity consisted of crossing the line if a statement said by Mr. Rodriguez applied to you. At first the activity started off with easy and fun statements such as “Cross the line if you like hip-hop” or “Cross the line if you consider yourself a good dancer”. Students happily crossed the line until the statements started getting a little hard and heart-breaking such as “Cross the line if someone you loved died violently”, “Cross the line if you were raised by one parent”, “Cross the line if you’ve been to economic problems you were embarrassed of”,”Cross the line if you’ve been humiliated or talked about”, “Cross the line if you’ve ever started a rumor”, or “Cross the line if drugs and alcohol have ever affected your family”. Then there was the worst statement: “Cross the line if someone who’s told you they love you has hurt you”. That killed people. If you looked around you would most likely see is sophomores crying or with their faces as sad as they could get. This were serious statements, statements that broke our hearts into pieces, statements that were bringing memories we thought we had forgotten to our minds once again. The atmosphere was sad, you could feel it in the air. Then when the statement “Cross the line if you need a hug right now” got to sophomore’s ears you would see everyone hugging each other.

It was amazing to see how many sophomores crossed the line after each statement. Unbelievably, more than half crossed it; there wasn’t any time when you wouldn’t see sophomores walking towards that line. The message here: You are not alone, Raiders. We’re in our teenage years; it is easy to feel like our whole world is falling down and that no one else is going through the same thing. Believe it or not, you are not the only one. All those sophomores crossing that line are enough to believe you aren’t.

CAHSEE

Is there a CAHSEE in your future?
by Yassel Jimenez

Upcoming Sophomores, are you ready for the CAHSEE? You guys are still Freshman, and the CAHSEE is not until next year but, it's never too early to get ready for the California High School Exit Exam. The more information you have the better score you get.

What is the CAHSEE? CAHSEE is an exam required by the state of California. Students must pass both parts of the CASHEE to earn their high school diploma.

Who takes the CAHSEE? You first take the CAHSEE in 10th grade, but don't worry, if you don't pass it the first time, you have two opportunities to pass.

Why is the CAHSEE important? Clearly CAHSEE is important because it is one of the graduation requirements; if you don't pass the CAHSEE, you don't graduate.

There are two parts of the CAHSEE: ELA and Math. Each test takes about 4 school hours. The ELA part of the test includes multiple choice questions that cover vocabulary, comprehension, and analysis of information and literary text. It also includes a writing task where you have to showknowledge of writing strategies, applications, and the conventions of English (grammar, spelling, and punctuation.) The math part of the test includes 5th, 6th, and 7th grade math and some algebra. It includes arithmetic, decimals, fractions, and percents.

Students can prepare for the CAHSEE by being in school every day and participating in class. They can also talk to their counselors about study guides. Or you can visit" http:// www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/resources.asp
Take full advantange of the tutoring your school offers.

Bio-Med offers alternatives

Try Biomedical Class!
by Yassel Jimenez

If you’re interested in science and the human body, the biomedical science class could be the class you’re looking for. You will study life processes to help you gain understanding of health and the methods of diagnosis, analysing, and treating diseases. This class covers everything that has to do with the human body, with the addition of molecular biology.

Biomedical science is not only interesting but also fun. It’s not a regular science class in which you get to play around with more material and equipment. Besides being fun and interesting, the teacher, Mr. Illes, makes the class easy by giving simple explanation to hard terms and helping out every single student. This is one of the classes that you do things without getting bored .
So, if you’re interested in science and the human body, or just need a class, consider biomedical as one of you’re choices. You will have fun while learning, and who knows, maybe in a few year, you might become a doctor or a nurse.

Former Raider serves his country

Raider Alumnus receives Navy's 2nd Highest Award
by Jasmine Straw


A few weeks ago, former Raider, Chief Petty Officer Joe Molina (Class of '97), was awarded the Silver and Bronze stars for his actions during his 2009 deployment in Afghanistan. He was awarded the Silver Star for his and his platoon’s efforts in a two-day firefight that ended in 56 enemy dead and no deaths in his platoon. Two days later his platoon rescued a U.S. Army detachment that was under attack and had already suffered three casualties. Molina’s platoon saved this group while, again, suffering no deaths within their platoon and 22 deaths of the enemy.

Molina, a chief special warfare operator of the Sea Air Land force, insists that he is no hero. “It’s about the team. It’s not about the individual,” he says. He only agreed to do interviews for his “brothers” - fellow SEALs and other military personnel. Throughout his interview he continued to deny that he is a hero, his actions were only a display of this training. His group as a whole during the 6 months they were deployed engaged in 300 hours of combat and accounted for 181 enemy casualties. Although he denies he is a hero, he will be thought of as a hero to the ones he had saved, their families, and the United States Navy.


Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/feb/17/navy-seal-iimperial-beach-wins-silver-and-bronze-s/

Teen Angst

Raiders handle relationships
by Sierra Holter

Relationships come to an end possibly, the reasons are numerous. They all have in common that one member of the relationship is dissatisfied and pulls back. Maybe he/she has tried for some time to adjust the relationship according to his/her wishes. If this fails, he/she usually quits emotionally long before the actual break up. That is often the reason why the “dumpee” has the impression that the “dumper” is cold hearted—he/she left mentally months ago. So naturally, there comes a time in a teenage relationship where the couple must ask themselves,"Do I want to go steady, or do I want to see what else is out there?". Take into account that there is no painless way to end a relationship.It simply doesn’t exist. No magical words which take the pain away. It will hurt them and it may also hurt you. There is nothing you can do about this. You can only avoid some common mistakes and make it a little easier for them.

The first step to breaking up with someone is being sure of yourself and the decision you are making. You have to be 100% sure about what you want,this will make breaking up and moving on so much easier.

So here are some questions you should ask yourself when considering breaking up:

• Does the relationship allow you to evolve according to your wishes?
• Does the relationship fulfill your needs?
• Is it possible to have goals together and achieve them?
• Does your partner accept you as you are?
• Can you resolve conflicts together?
• Are you feeling good in your relationship?
• Is the communication with your partner good?

If your answer to these question is in the majority “no” then it is probably time to move on. You're ready to break up,but you've never done it before so here are some easy steps to ending your relationship.

1. Keep a few days distance: This will help you gain some emotional distance from your partner and will make moving on easier for you. On the other hand, your partner will sense something is about to happen and will hopefully prepare themselves.

2. Try to be sure about your decision: Chances are that you were thinking about breaking up for a long time. You have come to the conclusion that you don’t fit together, have different plans after High school or were unable to resolve or get to the bottom of your conflicts. Maybe you have simply realized that you do not love your partner. Either way you must be completely sure about your decision. This is probably the most important thing to do, because if you are unsure about what you want it will only make things harder on both of you. So, are you sure you want to break up? If you are,continue to step 3.

3. Do it in person:Always talk to your partner in person. Never use email, text messages or a letter. I know this is tempting because it’s much easier for you, but you owe your partner that you look them in the eye when you break up. Not that it would make it easier for them, but it would allow your partner to respect your decision and take you seriously.

4. Know what and how to say it – be prepared: You have to know what you're going to say in advanced, this is far from simple because you have to expect how the other person is going to react to your news.There can be various reactions. Depending on the personality of your partner, there can be denial, crying, begging, aggressiveness, even abuse. Try to stay calm whatever happens, never let this end in a fight.

Here are some tips:

• Always be understanding, no matter how your partner reacts
• Say that you are sorry that things have not worked out
• Be prepared for questions
• Try to avoid intimate body contact
• Be confident. If you have not been dominant in your relationship, be it now

5. Always be clear that it’s absolutely over: There should be no doubt that the relationship is over.

NEVER Say:

• “maybe sometimes we could get together again”
• “A part of me still loves you”
• “I never loved anybody as I loved you”
• “OK, give me some time to think it over”
• “we can still be friends”

You will feel the urge to ease the pain by saying something he/she wants to hear, but this is wrong for two reasons: you are giving false hope and delaying the healing process for both of you.

6. Help them with no contact: Don't call,text,message,nothing for a long while. Don't even ask how they are feeling. I know this probably the hardest step in all of this but it also the most rewarding. After a break up the other person is in shock, they will not remember what was said during your conversation,let alone your reasons for ending it. Most of the time the one who breaks up has to learn as well that it is definitely over. By following the no-contact rule you help yourself and your ex-partner.

Breaking is never easy and, it is never painless. It is emotionally exhausting and mentally draining but once you break up you can heal,and become one step closer to happiness and a fulfilling love life.

Remember, if there's any doubt that it is really over it will cause more harm than good. Not only will it keep you from pursuing more gratifying relationships, it will also mess with your self-esteem and confidence. Once you've made up your mind act upon your decision and make sure you end it in a firm way. These steps will make the task of breaking up a bit easier on both parties.

SOH soccer continues its winning tradition.

Lady Raiders bring home the banner
by Stephanie Mesa

The SOH Lady Raiders varsity soccer team finished a great league season by bringing home the league banner. These ladies were led by captains Lizette Jimenez, Rosalinda Contreras, and Alexis Moreno. Although these ladies never expected they were going to get this far in the league, they successfully made it to the final game against Mar Vista. "We know Mar Vista is good, but we weren't scared of them; they're all rivals and we wanted to beat them" says captain Lizette Jimenez. Unfourtunately, hours before the game the goalie they had been counting with the whole season, Jessica Hernandez, couldn't play because of her health, and the girls had to face Mar Vista with another goalie, "that was one of the hardest moments of the season," says Jimenez. One of the starting players, Gaby Paez also said "I was super nervous before our game, but I was confident that this team could win the banner."

The first half of the game began, and the ladies were warmed up and ready to play the game that would determine who would be league champs, Southwest or Mar Vista. At the beginning, the girls tried their hardest to score, and approximately 27 minutes into the game captain, Lizette Jimenez, scored the first and winning goal, according to Jimenez: "scoring that goal was the most amazing feeling ever, I can't believe that MY goal got us the banner." When the second half ended, the score was 1-0 in favor of Southwest. It was official, the league champs banner now belonged to Southwest. The girls were full of happiness, joy and most of all pride "I felt so excited, I just couldn't believe that we actually won the banner."

These ladies never imagined that they would make it that far, but they did. "I never imagined we would make it this far, but we deserve the banner with every drop of sweat, every kick, and every hard practice" All that is left to say now, is that this team makes raiders proud to be part of Southwest, and most importantly it makes these ladies feel proud of each other. "I can't begin to explain how proud I am of this team and how far it was come."

Congratulations SOH Lady Raiders varsity soccer on winning the league banner, you guys deserve it! As captain, Lizette Jimenez stated:
"This year's team has been by far the best one. All of you you ladies played with heart and soul and I couldn't be more proud of each and every one of you. There wasn't a day that you girls didnt put a smile on my face."

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.