Rolling High

                                             Rolling High

The roller hockey team is at work once again this year. Conquering the second and consecutive banner for the program, these Raiders will push farther than ever before, making playoffs once again, these Raiders will do it all to take it all, no matter what it takes. Lead by seniors like Luis Gomez and Jorge Guillen, the squad is more well-rounded than ever before, with the bonus point that the ladies in the team are having dream seasons. Goes to show the power when both genders come together as Raiders.

In essence of not being a big sport at Southwest like soccer, these Raiders have a lot to show this year, being one of the start-up programs, but saying that last year's banner was not good enough is a lie, it was big for the school, more than  anything other sports have accomplished in a long time. Expecting much is not option for these Raiders, because they want it all, the highest they can go. Hey why not go for a third banner in a row? Like senior Jorge Guillen says, "we cant settle for even the slightest margin of victory, we want to show everyone who we are, what we're here for and what we'll do, they must not think we can let anything pass us by without taking it." In all assurance the hockey team has kept their promise, close to an undefeated record, who knows what will happen next? Like Luis Gomez says, "just be ready for it all."

Field Of Dreams (soccer)

                        Field Of Dreams

This years Men's soccer team is aiming higher than ever before, with the motivation of last years loss in the CIF semifinals against St. Augustine, who would eventually claim the title, our Raiders are looking for their piece of glory.With a start of 9-1 in league play, these Raiders have more then the momentum to go farther than any team has gone in school history.

 Last years squad seemed to be revolved around a few all-star players, but as senior defender Jose Duran said, "these year we have a more flexible and well-rounded team, we're going all the way, we have to."

Up to now their promises have been secured with the advantage of being in first place in league and being two games away from claiming the fourth men's soccer banner in a row, and over 7 in total over the last decade at Southwest High. Close competitors like Chula Vista are aiming to knock down our Raiders in the last phase games, but like player, Luis Nunez said,"they don't know what's come after them, we're stronger than before, maybe the best team we've ever had in school history, I promise, everyone is in for a surprise, we're going the distance, beyond our CIF hopes."

                                                          (from last year's great CIF run)
                                               
This determination and ambition showed by these Raiders, can't go in blank notice to the school, the great support the home crowd has showed has been outstanding, the cheers and cries for the home team have guided the spirit of the soccer squad. But the fight doesn't end here, with two games left to claim the banner and another ticket to CIF playoffs, the team is working harder than ever, the players are giving there 120 percent at practices and in the last stretch of the season, like Coach Gio Medina tells the school, "these boys are ready to make every game count, we're making history not only for the school but letting everyone know who are the Southwest Raiders are, champions."

Women's Varsity Soccer vs Castle Park

                    Women's Varsity Soccer vs Castle Park

Mr. Tompkins' AP US History class demonstrates 19th amendment debate of the 1920's

Water Polo 

  By. Grecia Montes

Hey lady raiders if you want to get super active , represent Southwest High , learn something new, get a varsity letter which look super good on your transcript , and your available during this winter season join girls water polo .Probably most of you may be asking yourself what is water polo .Absolutely it is an aquatic sport , a really fun aquatic sport.

   Water polo as a team begun as a demonstration of strength and swimming skills in late 19^th century around England and Scotland. It may not be that known but remember  only those sport in the Olympics may be consider real sports.  Water polo was among the first team sports introduced at the modern Olympic Games in 1900. The  rules of water polo where first invented by William Wilson , whom  was a Scottish aquatics pioneer .

   Now that you know the history and the advantages if you play you may be asking yourself how do you play.  Water polo or also known as water ball is a team sport . The team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. As you play the game you have to know  some techniques  first of all to swim, most important treading water mostly known as egg bitter which is the movement of kicking. Throughout the game the players have to pass the ball while being defended by opponents and they have to pass the ball around in order to achieve their goal scoring on the goalie. At the end of the game the team with the most goals win. The game is divided into 4 quarters each with the length of 7 minutes .

   Now you know all about this sport if you’re interested please report to room 411 talk to coach Carson. Practices already started . Please we need more lady raiders remember even though you may not know how to play practice makes perfection so hurry up and get cleared.

   By. Grecia Montes

Songs With Meaning? - Titanium
by Estevan Fernandez

I'm pretty sure you have, at least once, heard the song Titanium by David Guetta, but have you seen the video? It starts by showing a kid who is trying to make sense of his devastated life, with no help, parents, or friends to turn to. He is presented as an outcast, a "weirdo", and is feared by people for being different. It can be most simply described as just "fiction with good special effects", but what I saw was more than just entertainment. As described in the news channel in the video, a "supernatural occurrence at public school" is what happened. The innocent kid destroyed the inner installations of a school, outcome caused by an outburst of rage due to exclusion and loneliness. The producers make it seem as if it was an extremely rare event only possible in fiction movies, sadly, it has happened in real life too.

We all look for acceptance in one way or another, maybe because it makes us feel important or because it builds up our self-esteem, but when you have no one to turn to, no one to talk to, no one to share your problems with, you learn to deprive your feelings and notice that everything that is left are memories of rejection and unpleasant experiences. Living in conditions like these often leads to depression, outbursts of rage, or even suicide. Such is the case of the "Columbine Massacre" in April 20th, 1999, where Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two students tired of mistreatment, killed twelve other students, one teacher, and themselves, causing a total of fifteen deaths.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) "suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year." Yale's School of Medicine researches have shown that victims of bullying are between "2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims." Considering that for every suicide, there are at least 100 suicide attempts and that 14% of high school students have, at least once in their lives, thought of committing suicide.
The message of the song is positive and encouraging. Talking about finding your inner strength and triumph over the adversary. Unluckily, not everyone who is bullied is as strong as "titanium". But it's not because they're not strong that people should stop bullying, it is because it’s simply the right thing to do. It is unethical to make people feel less with themselves. It might make you feel better with yourself, but what about the bullied? Most of the times it is impossible to know what a person goes trough at home, some try to get out of home to escape a danger, but when at school, all they find is a replacement. Create consciousness of your own acts and care for the lives of those in danger. They have feelings too.

Raider Open House 

by Carlos Gomez

At some schools open house is just a night of familiarizing yourself with the school and the expectations for the development of the year, but that's not the Raider Way! How are we different? You may ask yourself. Well that's not difficult to show. This year under the incomparable leadership of our principal, Mr. Romero, the grand opening of our new building and a whole new set of standards that raises hope for a better academic and athletic year were all illustrated at the Open House for the 2012-2013 academic year. From class to class students rushed to explore every corner of the campus so that parents could be informed about what is expected from their sons/daughters this year so that they could serve as a tool in the learning process of their students. As Mr. Leaf has frequently said, "there ain't no frigate like a book, to take our lands away", reflecting his high expectations for his AP English Literature class. As parents learned from teachers, there are high expectations for every single student on campus and so a parent-teacher collaboration will be an evident advantage for the student body. As Mr. Jeffries would say, "ain't that the truth." This year was the grand opening of our new 1100 building which was approved by voters who favored Prop 0, which added funds for schools to use in expansion for the "benefit of the students". This high-tech building hosts English, Math and video tech classes as well as the new ASB office. The official opening took place with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Mr. Romero, SUHSD administrators and community guests; the moment brought about a feeling of joy and high hope for all the Raider community, because knowing that we have the potential in being the best school of the district, we can't fall short in our efforts for a fantastic year. The night went along with musical performances by the Wayfarers, cheer leading performances, and some amazing food provided by the school. Speaking in the popular word of the night "this was definitely a day to remember" not only for the students and parents but for the staff and community. We have to remember that being a Raider is not a option at SOH, because who we are (RAIDERS!) makes a difference. This was made clear during this years Open House.