Go to the Library!

Experience other worlds
By Vianney Casas


Experiencing Romeo and Juliet's romance by their side can be possible. Living surrounded by the Cullens, or doing magic tricks next to Harry Potter can happen. How? The answer has always been there, Raiders. No time machine needed, no magic spells either. You just need your school I.D. and willingness to read.

Here at SOH, we have an awesome library containing worlds waiting to be discovered by you. Why should you read the books at our library? The right questions is: Why shouldn't you? Don't you get bored or tired of the same things, same people, same places every single day? Well, here's the opportunity to travel without a passport or a plain ticket. You choose your destination; you choose what you want to live.


Our library contains all kinds of books: fiction, non-fiction, romance, horror, health, fashion, fantasy, manga, sports - just to name a few. Whether you want to live a high school drama, fall in love, experience the greatest adventure, witness a murder, or even go into the past. It's all there in our library.


Just get your I.D. card and prepare yourself mentally that there will be no turning back. Once you get in the library, you'll never want to get out. And for a second you might hear the books talking to you, asking you to take them with you. Once you have decided to do so, you've gotten yourself in the most amazing thing. Because once you have the book, you got a world you've never been to before right in your hands. Enjoy it.






"There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry -
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll -
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul -"
-Emily Dickinson

Sancastles at the beach

IB Hosts Annual Sandcastles Event
By Vianney Casas

Where were you two weeks ago? Where you partying? Chilling at home? Or were you at the beach admiring the beautiful jaw-dropping sand castles? If you weren’t able to go, you must’ve felt like you were the only person left in the planet, and that’s because almost EVERY person in San Diego, and in all parts of the country went. They have been going for years; it has become a famous tradition and a must on their summer list. So what was this year’s Sand Castles like? Let me break it down for you.

The sun woke up early, just as the people got ready their beach balls, cameras, bikinis, beach towels, and got ready for a day full of fun. Unfortunately, some were not able to reach the beach since the line was so long they couldn’t even try getting to it. So what was the secret of those who could actually get to the beach? “Just get there as early as you can if you don’t want any stress” would be their advice. When they got there, they’ve must have felt regret for even showing up. The beach was packed with people from all over the country. Wherever they looked they would find people, which would make them think the event was called “People” instead of “Sand Castles”. If that wasn’t enough, the streets which were filled with stands selling food, jewelry and doing body art were also packed with cars and people. It was also very hot, too hot probably and the tension and stress from all the kids missing, made it seem hotter. “Why did I come here again?” people must have asked themselves. But once they made their way through all the people, and got to what they’d been there for in the first place it was all right. Seeing people making sand castles and admiring the different classifications such as sea creatures and famous monuments suddenly made them forget about all the moms crying for their kids, all the people bumping into them wherever they walked, and the burning hot weather. Suddenly the air got filled with music and all their eyes could see were people playing volleyball, laughing and taking pictures with friends and families, getting a tan or observing the amazing creations made of sand. Sounds like the perfect summer day doesn’t it?

1st Pep Assembly

Rowdy Raiders Make Some Noise

By: Stephanie Mesa

Who rocks the house? The Raiders rock the house! On Friday, August 6^th, the first pep assembly took place in the football field. Being the first assembly of the school year, different class and raider pride shirts were seen around campus.

The assembly took place during second period and began with a welcome speech by our ASB president, Azael Rodriquez, followed by our principal, Dr. Armstrong. Next, the ladies cheered loud for Luis “El Aventurero” as he gave his unforgettable performance with the mariachi. Then, Southwest High’s Band and Color Guard led by Mrs. Clark played various tunes for the audience. During the ASB activity, a hilarious relay race, the class of 2011 took victory. Last, all the classes faced each other for the spirit yell. Competition was tight between the sophomores and seniors, but seniors ended up taking victory again. Finally, the whole school got together to sing the Alma Matter with pride!

With all the fun activities and great performances, you will assume that the assembly turned out to be a total success. Or did it? Unfortunately, some raiders took advantage of the fact that the assembly was outdoors on the football field and decided to act inappropriately. Mr. Wahib, the new assistant principal, warned everyone that that there was a fight, which we won't tolerate at our school. The ASB also had a hard time trying to get everyone settled down, after working very hard for weeks to get this assembly to be perfect. The spirit yell was when mostly everything got out of control; the seniors were jumping on chairs and on other people’s shoulders even after they told them multiple times to stop. This bizarre behavior had some people scared of going up with their class during the spirit yell and show pride.

Always remember, Raiders, assemblies are privileges. Do we really think our staff and ASB will keep having these assemblies for us if we can’t act appropriately? Probably not. The next assembly is the Fall Sports Assembly on September 17. This time, let’s show the administration that we’re thankful for having assemblies and let's behave appropriately.

Gay Marriage Court ruling

Prop 8 Overturned

By: Norma Ortiz

Have you heard of prop 8? This was an bill passed out on 2008 which stated that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." For years there have been questions to whether or not gay-marriage should exist, that was answered on August 4, 2010. A federal judge in San Francisco overturned California's ban of gay-marriage believing that it violates the human right to equal protection. It is believed that this struggle will end with the Supreme Court, who will have to officially decide whether this ruling is constitutional or not.

When making this very important and somewhat chaotic decision, Judge Walker explained that what the voters decided should be taken into consideration but he also explained how this isn’t official just yet. What the judge wrote was, "voters' determinations must find at least some support in evidence. This is especially so when those determinations enact into law classifications of persons." He was basically saying that this decision is an important one that will impact not a few but thousands of people across the state so it is necessary to provide evidence that this decision is the right one.

The eventual outcome of this ruling remains to be seen, as further court challenges await this controversial ruling.

2010 Comic Con

Action Heroes Come to San Diego

By: Stephanie Mesa

The annual Comic Con took place in the San Diego Convention Center from July 22nd to July 25th. Comic Con happens every year in San Diego and it attracts people and stars from all over the world. Many get to see on TV or hear on the radio what's going on during the event, but nothing compares to actually going and experiencing it. Even though Comic Con was the news of the week during many classes, many Raiders still wonder what exactly is Comic Con?

Comic Con is a big convention where many artists expose their art, many directors promote their upcoming movies, and many other things! When you're at Comic Con, you get to see many different kinds of art and buy all kinds of things: from comic books, to movies, funny hats, etc. Maybe if you're lucky, you might just happen to see a famous person walking around such as one of our raiders, Kyle Macabasco, who was lucky to get last-minute ticketsand got to meet Shawn Merriman, linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. Another Raider who had the opportunity to attend was Jonathan Millan who met Ray Toro, guitarist for the rock band 'My Chemical Romance'. Being a big art fan Jonathan also said: "I got to meet one of my favorite painters, Alex Pardee!" Among other people walking around Comic Con this year were the famous Mythbusters and director, Guillermo del Toro.

One of the stand-out events of this year was preview night, where the crowd cheered for Angelina Jolie while she was talking about her new movie, Salt. Other people at preview night were the cast of Resident Evil. One of the funniest events that happens every year is the Zombie Walk. In the Zombie Walk everyone dresses and paints their face like a zombie and they walk around the Convention Center.

Many people say they don't want to go to Comic Con because it's expensive and they don't want to waste money on something they might not like. So, if you want to see what Comic Con is all about but not waste money, you could sign up to volunteer next year! You can help out during the event, and get a glance of what is going on. You can sign up on the Comic Con website. No matter what you do during Comic Con, you are always guaranteed to have a good time. Let's hope that Comic Con returns to San Diego next year!

Think before you play

By: Sierra Holter

You CAN'T get pregnant if you have sex standing up.

You CAN'T get pregnant if you're on your period.

You CAN'T get pregnant if you do jumping jacks after you have sex.

Only cheating girls and guys get STDs.

Two condoms are better than one.

ALL these statements are false. 2,800 teens every day are get pregnant and one in every four sexually active teen will get an STD. We're told that "No sex, is safe sex", the reality is that many teens are having sex and have the right to know how to protect themselves. Although abstinence is the only 100% way to not get pregnant or an STD, condoms and birth control are alternatives. Latex condoms are designed to prevent against STDs and pregnancy while, non-latex are designed to protect more against pregnancy; either way, they both protect your health. Some teens think that sex isn't a big deal, but with the amount of teenagers becoming pregnant and contracting STDs, it is a big deal and we should all be educated. Don't let yourself become a statistic respect yourself and protect yourself. Remember it's your sex life, and, ultimately, your future.

The rise in teen pregnancy this last year has shown obvious neglect of contraceptive use at our school. You couldn't walk down the halls and not see at least one pregnant teen. I know two teen moms and they both have said that taking care of a kid and going to school are two of the hardest things to balance. "High school is hard enough, and once you add a baby it becomes ten times harder," says Brenda Martinez, a 16 year-old mom. The fact is that teen moms are less likely to go back to school once their child is born. With the economy as bad as it is right now, everyone needs a high school diploma to make ends meet.

With that said, if you are in a relationship in which you are having sex, make sure you're using protection every time. There is no such thing as safe sex, there is only safer sex and everyone can benefit from that. Don't believe the hype - not EVERYONE is doing it - and as said before abstinence is the only 100%, risk free way to prevent pregnancy and the spread of STDs. Think before you play.