Prom check list

Prom night, prom night is coming!
by Joy Roxas

Prom is almost here! It's one of the biggest events that each and every senior looks forward to before graduation. We all know every single person, girl or guy, want to make sure that they have the perfect outfit and date to stand out in the crowd. It's the night to cut loose and celebrate the end of your high school years, dancing like there's no tomorrow. Many believe that having a date is absolutely necessary to having the "perfect" prom night. Yet the fact is, you still can have your "perfect" prom night going by yourself or even with a group of friends.

For those that are confused of what to do for the time before prom, here are a few ideas you and your date or group of friends can do:

-Eat before Prom: You don't want to show up to prom with an empty stomach. So to fill your stomachs and have energy for the night to come, go visit a nice, affordable restaurant of your choice such as the Cheesecake Factory, one located in the downtown area and another at the Otay Ranch Shopping Center. You may also like BJ's restaurant down on H st located at the Chula Vista Mall. If neither is to your liking and since gas is getting expensive, you may also want to try local places around Coronado, like the Burger Lounge on Orange Ave in Coronado or the other various restaurants located on the Coronado Island.

-Take Pictures: Remember to take pictures with all of your friends and also your date because this is once in a lifetime chance. But if you're going with that "perfect date", then think about taking a picture from one of the professionals, but get the cheapest one unless you are planning to give copies to your family and friends.

So with that said, ARE YOU READY? If not, then it isn't too late to get your prom tickets in the ASB. Singles, $55 with ASB card and $65 without, but if you're planning to bring that special someone then the prices for Couples are $105 with ASB card and $110 without. Prom will be located at the Loews Hotel Coronado at 4000 Coronado Bay Road, San Diego, Ca 92118. So what are you waiting for? So show your moves and have the night of your life with your friends and that special someone. See you there!

Do Raiders use facebook to counter-productively?

XOXO, Gossip Girl
by Vianney Casas

“I think it's kinda dumb. Like OK, I get that people like to gossip but to make pages about who's hot and who's not is pretty pathetic in my opinion. But it won't just go away but they could at least respect other people and just post positive things.” -Albert Fernandez

“I think it makes people look really shallow like, just focusing on beauty .” - Kimberly Cruz

“I think our peers need a hobby. I think they're only doing it because they or their friends are part of the group of people only getting compliments. That they're being accomplices because they have nothing better to do. But you're better off asking someone else about their opinions. I, personally, don't waste time talking about it since that's what they want.” -Paradise Martinez

“Well, I believe it's something that should be completely ended since sure it can put certain people in the spotlight but it also hurts people who have low self esteem, if we want to have a good and safe school environment we can not put up with this. This can also be considered as bullying and bullying is a crime. School is like our second home and we must have a safe environment in the place in which we develop every day.” -Fernando Parra

“I was one the people in the picture thingies, but honestly it's judgmental. Sure, it compliments but it doesn't give a chance to the bunch of people who aren't mentioned. All of these people who are both beautiful on the inside and outside. It leaves people outside and makes them feel bad, it shouldn't exist.” -Max Garcia

“Well, I believe they are a waste of time and they just make people care to much of their appearance and of what others think about them. People should just stop trying to put others in categories. If they want to talk about people, they should say it to their face.” -Anonymous

Remember my last article, Raiders? The one where I talked about this gigantic problem that had happened not so long due to some Raiders creating a Facebook page where they talked about pretty much everyone in our school. You’d think that after all that happened because of that Raiders would stop creating gossip pages. Not true. It seems that we don’t learn Raiders. To make you understand what I mean let me list here all the pages that had been created about Raiders at SOH:

• Southwest Hottiez




• Southwest Blair




• Soh Bonitas




• Soh Best




• Soh Socials




• Soh Raiders




• Southwest High




• Southwest Royalty

Do not get me wrong, Raiders, these websites aren’t “mean”. They don’t talk bad about people. All the opposite, each website contains albums as “Pretty Ladies”, “Hoties”, “Best friends” and “Cute couples” to mention just a few. I’ll leave your own opinion to you but may I just ask a question here? Are they doing something nice? Obviously, if you were in one of those “Pretty Ladies” albums you would answer yes, but what about the rest of us? How do you think the left out Raiders feel? That they’re ugly? Not worth it? I believe these pages should stop, and I sure am not the only one since recently a page called “SOH Resist” was created to basically give an end to all of this gossip pages. Here’s what they said: “All you guys got to stop making gossip pages. Saying who's pretty and beautiful and sexy, I mean everyone is special in their own way and every single student deserves to be mention. Most of the people on there yeah they're nice and pretty. I know some of them and they really are some genuine people, but for others who aren't apart of those pages you people bring them down. It's not good for our school. School to most students is like their second home. They socialize, learn, eat, and we have a good time. Come on just having those pages it's really embarrassing to know that our school has one. I'm kind of ashamed to even say that we do. All this nonsense needs to stop, because I seriously think that Southwest High School is way better than that, we shouldn't be this low to have a gossip page on Facebook, come on people!"
So Raiders, if you think someone’s pretty or cute say it to their face, make them smile and make their day! There’s no need to go and post it on a facebook page. Also like I’ve always said: “What matters the most in a person is the inside, fall in love with a person’s heart not their physical appearance”.

Goodbye, Ms. Meza

Farewell to a Raider
By Jethro Jay Narciso

Bon Voyage!

That's French for “safe journey”! Why exactly are we saying this? Well, if you haven't heard, Room 404 has undergone a slight change, a change of teachers that is! The ROP Culinary Arts teacher, Ms. Meza, has had a sudden change in plans this semester. Instead of finishing off this semester, Ms. Meza has made a tough decision to move to Texas to be with her husband. She notes that she had been asked to move to Texas numerous times before, but each and every time the question was asked, she would always choose to remain as a Raider.

Although Ms. Meza longed to be with her husband, she states that one of the reasons for staying is the students. With her short stay of two and a half years at Southwest, she has come to see that Raiders are some of the best kids she has ever seen. She grew up in the South Bay, attending Hilltop High, where she says it wasn't always the best. That’s why she was amazed when she came to Southwest to teach. They break the high school stereotypes of bullies and whatnot. All the students got along, they make the best of friends, they are respectful, are just a few points on the long list of why Southwest has the best kids.

A month before her departure, Ms. Meza introduced Ms. Birchfield to the class. They ran the class together so that the transition would be as smooth as possible. However for three weeks, Ms. Meza dominantly ran the class, while Ms. Birchfield would sit in the back taking notes. On the fourth week, the two teachers switched up their spots.

On the last day before her departure, Ms. Meza gave her farewell speech, where she stated, “I don’t think I’ll ever find myself teaching again because I’ll never find kids as great as you guys ever again.” She goes on to say how much of a joy we have been to her. She tearfully said, “I love you all as my younger siblings. I’m glad to have been your older sister.”

Southwest High would like to give Ms. Meza a big thank you for all that she has done for us. She may have been specifically a Culinary Arts teacher, but she has taught us not just about food, but about life. Whether it was her being a teacher, a friend, or even an older sister, she has truly shown what being a Raider is all about. Remember, Ms. Meza: “Once a Raider, always a Raider!”