Ms. Mandy McTavish: Welcome To Pueblo!

daniela-moreno-el-guerrero-pueblo-2016

By Daniela Moreno

Ms. Mandy McTavish, our new Career and College Readiness Coordinator, can’t wait to help our Warrior student body get on the right path towards college and success.

mandy-mctavish-pueblo-college-career-readiness-coordinatorMcTavish has been counseling for eight years and reveals that she is very passionate about her job and dedicating her career to helping students.

McTavish said, “I’ve always loved helping students figure out how to solve their problems.”

Having grown up in an underprivileged home herself, she knows how difficult these goals might seem for some of us.

“When you [students] do have a goal and make a plan, it’s easy to be guided,” said McTavish.

Already, McTavish professes her love for Pueblo because our diversity and hopes to guide each student towards a better future.

She has advice for our students: “Find your passion, find out what you love, and I’ll help you get there.”

Recently, on Wednesday, September 14, McTavish helped to coordinate and host the 2016 College Fall Tour held in the South Gym, inviting all Pueblo seniors to talk to more than a dozen organizations (college, universities and a few military branches) regarding their post-high school careers. She also organized the “Tri-Universities” presentation on September  20 in which Arizona’s three universities spoke to seniors as well as offering them brochures and information about their colleges.

“I know that a  lot of our seniors are scared about going out in the real world, but the earlier that our seniors know where they’re going, the more they can enjoy the rest of their high school days,” McTavish said.

She added, “Every senior is capable of greatness in their futures.”

TRIO Helps Students With Collegiate Futures

Xamantha Williams El Guerrero Pueblo 2015

By Xamantha Williams

Among all of the great resources this school has to offer, one of the greatest is Mr. Carlos Gonzales, Jr., who is Pueblo’s Trio Educational Talent Search Program Coordinator.

Trio Carlos Gonzales Pueblo
TRiO Program Coordinator Carlos Gonzales (right) with Iram Arce.

Gonzales is here on campus as a college advisor for Trio students three days out of the school week; he can be found either in the College and Career Center or in the library. TRIO is not an acronym and actually stands for the word “Three”, which represents the three parts of the TRIO program: Upward Bound, Education and Student Support Services. Gonzales said that he specializes in the second program.

Gonzales said, “I definitely like to get to know my students starting from their freshman year up until their senior year because I feel it takes a long time to develop a real relationship with a student.”

He focuses on preparing students for applying for colleges, looking for scholarships, and helping students to choose the best college for them.

One of the many students who appreciate Gonzales is sophomore Iram Arce, who said, “Mr. Gonzales keeps me motivated no matter how challenging things may seem. So far, he has helped me open more doors to my future. I’m so lucky to have such an amazing person who does such an amazing job in this program.”

College Night Nearing For Class Of 2016 Seniors

Kenya Acosta El Guerrero Pueblo
By Kenya Acosta

The excitement is brewing as the 42nd Annual Tucson College Night to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 29, is just two weeks away, and this event promises to open doors for several thousand seniors across the Tucson metro area.

More than 200 colleges and universities will be presenting and showcasing their unique college opportunities as well as their information. Among the list of schools attending this year are Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, Northern Arizona University and Cornell College.

Last year, an estimated 100 seniors from Pueblo High School attended this event. Erik Gutierrez who took part of the event last year, said, “This event was very helpful, and I was able to learn a lot of different things from different colleges.”

A scholarship raffle will entice students to participate in this event which will be taking place at the Tucson Convention Center Exhibition Hall from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

All seniors are encouraged to attend and discover the many options they have available to them. Indeed, College Night will be a night of adventure for all seniors as they take a peek into their futures.

Say ‘Cheese’! Warriors Enjoy Benefits of Photography Class

By Holly Pogue

Iram Arce interviews Annalisa Verdugo

Pueblo offers many electives to its more than 1,500 students, and one of the most integral branches of the communication magnet program is photography, which provides students beginning and advanced classes.

Sophomore Jacqueline Guerrero wholeheartedly believes that students should enroll in photography classes in the future because of the many benefits the program offers; she attests to how beginning photography has helped her in numerous ways.

“This class truly has prepared me to be more professional and to interact with others,” Guerrero said. “I’ve really learned how to express myself better.”

She said that she enjoys how teacher Ms. Emma Tarazon gives her and her peers opportunities to go out of the classroom and take pictures—not just randomly but specifically for Tarazon’s assignments.

“Sometimes she [Ms. Tarazon] wants very precise pictures,” Guerrero said. “Everything we do is for a purpose. We are being prepared to be advanced photo students, and I intend to stick to this program hopefully all four years of high school.”

Felicity Aguilar interviewing Ms. Tarazon

Students use the Macs frequently—learning an array of photography editing skills, including restoring old photographs and learning how to remove unwanted objects in pictures to make them more aesthetic.

Guerrero said that she has also enjoyed learning how to use different cameras, including film cameras and learning how to develop pictures “the old-school” way.

“I really encourage other students to enroll in this program because photography will help them to become better people,” Guerrero affirmed. “You’ll learn how to view the world in a different way and be more positive, which is always a good thing.”

Another student, Analise Verdugo, who transferred to Pueblo from Cienega High School last semester, said that she is glad that she enrolled in photography because she is not only having fun but also learning a lot of strategies about photography.

Verdugo said, “I really enjoy the days when we students are allowed to go outside—to take a break from being cooped up inside of a classroom—and learning new techniques about photography, including lighting and shadows. And, who doesn’t like taking pictures? This is such a great class!”

Despite having some mixed classes of beginning and advanced photography students, teacher Ms. Emma Tarazon has observed improvements with her first-year students.

She said, “Despite the agonizing challenges of teaching two totally different groups of students at once, I’ve had to somehow make it work like a lot of electives teachers at Pueblo.” She paused and added, “It’s not fair for the advanced students to be with beginning students, although there are opportunities for job-shadowing, which is a valid way to teach beginning students and reinforce what my experienced photography students already know.”

One student, sophomore Kimberly Teran, said that she enjoys her beginning photography so much that she is considering a career as a photographer.

“Ms. Tarazon has truly been helpful and has taught me so much in a short period of time regarding photography,” Teran said. “This is one of the very few classes I’ve had at Pueblo that has been both fun and academically rewarding.”

Three Pueblo Students Participate In The Summer Institute Of Medical Ignorance

From Left to Right: Destiny Mankel, Judith Carranza & Cecilia Machado

Just this past summer, Pueblo had three students accepted into the Summer Institute of Medical Ignorance.  Destiny Mankel, Judith Carranza and Cecilia Machado of the class of 2015 participated in this yearly summer program.

This institute takes place at the UA College Of Medicine in Tucson. Each student was placed with a medical doctor who does research and each of them had a chance to do their own research and present to peers, doctors and medical students.

Only 25 students are accepted from the entire state of Arizona and Pueblo got three in!  We are very proud of these 3 Lady Warriors!

Audrey Diaz Named To FEA Honor Society

Audrey Diaz, sophomore at Pueblo Magnet High School, has been named to the Future Educators Association’s 2012-13 Honor Society . She is the first Pueblo student to be named to the this national organization’s Honor Society.

Audrey Diaz named to Future Educators Association Honor Society.

Audrey is in the Education Professions class and participates in work-based learning at Hollinger Elementary School.  For more information see the F.E.A. website.

Congratulations to Audrey on this award and for representing Pueblo at the national level.