Cyber Cafe To Host Tutoring Services


Avae Velasquez El Guerrero Pueblo

By Avae Velasquez

The newly renovated Cyber Café will be the location of tutoring services that began on Oct. 1. The café is located in Room 173.

The Cyber Café will be open for tutoring every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and occasionally Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

-> Click here to download all Tutoring Opportunities offered at Pueblo.

Pueblo Cyber Cafe Tutoring Mr Lopez
Mr. Steve Lopez tutors a student in math

Dr. Maria Bicknell, Pueblo’s marketing teacher and CTE coordinator, said, “Every subject will be tutored because our teachers are so talented.”

Bicknell said that the teachers volunteering for tutoring include, Mr. Steve Lopez, Ms. Rhesa Olsen, Ms. Rhonda Alexander and Ms. Pamela Shapiro. Bicknell said that she, too, will be a tutor, and she and the other teachers will be helping students with a variety of subjects.

Bicknell coordinated the efforts for all of this tutoring to be possible—by applying for the $10,000 Heritage Grant from the Tucson Federal Credit Union. This grant money will be used to pay teachers for their tutoring services.

Warrior Meets Congressman Grijalva

By Xamantha Williams

Senior Shaira Perez with Congressman Raul Grijalva

Our very own Shaira Perez (Class of 2016), a senior at Pueblo Magnet High School, had the opportunity to be among 50 Tucson area administrations, staff members, teachers and students to attend a meeting held at the YWCA Francis McClelland Community Center to hear U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva discuss the importance of Arizona schools receiving equal access to education.

College and Career Coordinator, Mr. Ruben Romero, was contacted and invited along with another student to attend the meeting by former Pueblo student Ms. Cassandra Becerra, who now works as office assistant for Grijalva.

Ruben Romero with Congressman Raul Grijalva

“I chose Shaira [Perez] to come to the meeting with me because she’s ranked number one in her senior class right now,” Romero said. “I like what Congressman Grijalva had to say. He really wants to see a lot of improvements in our schools, including the equality of education across Tucson.”

During their time together, Perez and Romero had the opportunity to converse about education and its challenges for the future.

“I was glad to hear that Grijalva is trying to do something for us students and our quality of education,” Perez said. “I’m honored that I got to go to this meeting because I was introduced as an achieving student and felt that the issues were very important.”

Warriors Build ‘Castles’, Learn Team Work

By America Cardenas

Card Building Activity

More than one thousand Pueblo students participated in this year’s Card Castle Building Leadership activity on Friday, Aug. 14, during all seven periods, in an effort to increase team work, bring about self-awareness and learn campus responsibility.

Ms. Marie Little, auto teacher, brought this activity to Pueblo from previous trainings at various other schools. A year ago, she asked her CTE (Career and Technical Education) colleagues to take it on as a group lesson in order to reach more students.

“Mr. Mario Reyes [an intervention specialist at Pueblo] and I did this same project at Howenstine High Magnet School with the entire campus as part of a community-building activity, and it was wildly successful,” Little said. “It made a lot of sense to bring it to Pueblo.”

Mr. Pete Pederson, who teaches graphic arts and yearbook, delivered the debriefing at the end of each period, which provided our students a deeply meaning of the day’s activities.

Junior Alejandro Carrazco said, “After Mr. Pederson debriefed us, I fully understand the learning objective of the activity. We were here to learn and understand that we can overcome our obstacles. We weren’t able to talk, but we learned through other means to communicate.” He paused and said, “We learned that there are alternative ways to talk to one another.”

All students of CTE teachers and Ms. Kari Warner [student council advisor/science teacher] participated in this event.

Pueblo MEChA Honors 43 Mexican Victims

By Sabrina Parra and Anais Salais

Display of support for 43 Missing from Ayotzinapa

On Thursday, Nov. 20, Pueblo Magnet High School’s very own MEChA Club demonstrated their support and respect to the 43 students who vanished on Sept. 26 in Guerrero, Mexico.

The 43 students were on their way to protest the lack of funding in their school when they were stopped by policemen and were said to be taken. Their whereabouts are still unknown, and the investigation on these students has been on going ever since.

Pueblo’s MEChA students decided to participate and take a stand in these demonstrations to inform the Pueblo community of the situation happening in Mexico.

Damaris Ponce, a member of MEChA, said, “A lot of people didn’t know about what was happening in Mexico and we wanted them to know that we cared and to show Mexico that we are supporting their cause.”

Yajaira Ceballos, MEChA. Co-chair said, “It hurts me to see what they’re going through, someone shouldn’t be punished for wanting to make a difference. We want them to see that we care and that we want to help them make a difference.”

The displays included 43 ribbons, posters hung on teachers’ doors, and 43 chairs laid out in the patio with the pictures of the students.

43 Chairs for the missing from Ayotzinapa

“The pictures and displays were a way to humanize the students and to show that this could have happened to anybody fighting for their rights,” said teacher and MEChA. Co-counselor Jessica Mejia.

Demonstrations were not just held at Pueblo but globally, including support from countries such as Argentina. The demonstrations were purposely held on Nov. 20 because it is the same day of the Mexican Revolution. (The Mexican Revolution brought the overthrow of dictator José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori after 35 years of rule. In 1920 General Álvaro Obregón became the new president.)

“This event has been a lot like starting a new revolution for Mexico and putting pressure on the Mexican government to change and take back their country,” said Mejia.

Although MEChA and other protesters around the world brought attention to this situation in Mexico, the support towards this cause and the search for the students does not end here.

Display of support for 43 Missing from Ayotzinapa

“This is a continuing issue and the people protesting are not going to rest until the 43 students are found and their family receives some closure,” said teacher and MEChA Co-counselor Mr. Jesus Orduño.

MEChA encourages the Pueblo community to follow along with the story in Mexico and to continue showing their support for the families.

“MEChA is about seeking social justice and we have a lot more in store for this year. We meet every Friday, and our door is always open to new members,” said Orduño.

Display of support for 43 Missing from Ayotzinapa

Pueblo Students Chosen For Ivy League Experience

Cecilia Machado, Jose Toro & Ashley Parra

Three Pueblo Magnet High School Class of 2015 Juniors have been accepted into the Arizona Ivy League Project, a two-year program that develops students’ leadership and academic skills, takes them on a tour of the East Coast and prepares them to apply for and attend Ivy League institutions.

Ashley Parra, Jose Toro and Cecilia Machado were chosen from a field of 50 applicants and are the only students from Tucson accepted this year. They will attend leadership classes in Phoenix during their first year in the program and will visit eight Ivy League campuses during the trip to the East Coast in the spring. In their senior year, they will attend classes that help them apply to the universities.

All three students are excited about the trip. For Parra and Machado, it will be their first time on an airplane and their first time leaving Arizona.

“I’m most excited about seeing the campuses, the variety there,” Parra said. “I’m excited about meeting the admissions officers. It’s like a golden ticket.”

The Arizona Ivy League Project is open to sophomores and juniors who come from an economically disadvantaged background and have at least a 3.75 grade average. The application process includes providing teacher recommendations, writing three essays and undergoing an interview with an admissions panel.

The students said hard work and focus have been essential to reaching their goals, and that hasn’t always been easy. Managing their time can be a challenge.

“I have to study. I don’t get to be that teenager, but I’m making myself a better opportunity,” Machado said.

Toro has had similar experiences. “It’s kind of a struggle to keep up our grades, studying for hours upon hours at night,” he said.

All three Ivy League Project winners said teachers at Pueblo have helped and inspired them. “Coming into high school is intimidating,” Toro said. “My teachers motivated me to do my best, even when I didn’t think I could.”

The Pueblo students will be holding fundraisers to cover the cost of the East Coast trip, where they will tour eight campuses and meet with admissions and other personnel. They can also accept tax-credit donations. See our tax credit webpages to learn more about making a donation.

About the winners:

Jose Toro
Career plans: Doctor of chiropractic
Dream school: Harvard because of its reputation, but open to all
Quote: “In the interview, they asked who our role models are. I said the Pope.”

Ashley Parra
Career plans: Veterinarian (heavy on research)
Dream school: Looking for one that fits her
Quote: “My dad is really proud. I’m a first-generation college student.”

Cecilia Machado
Career plans: Pediatrician
Dream school: Looking at Yale or Georgetown
Quote: “Everyone wants to go along on the trip. They want to go in my suitcase.”

Courtesy of TUSD1.org

Stella Pope Duarte Makes Her Annual Visit To Pueblo

Stella Pope Duarte makes her annual visit to Pueblo

Stella Pope Duarte, author of Let Their Spirits Dance spoke at Pueblo High School on November 21st to the Senior Latino literature classes. Most writers charge a fee to talk about their novels but Pope Duarte does this because she enjoys speaking to young adults, but especially Pueblo High School students. 

She spoke to the seniors about her novels but specifically Let Their Spirits Dance since the seniors are currently reading it. She discussed the themes, the conflicts and the characterization in the novel and the process she went through in writing it.

Stella Pope Duarte writes,  “The students were FABULOUS! I absolutely loved presenting to them. They also pin-pointed some very important issues in the novel.  It is indeed an honor to write stories from our own heritage, stories of heart, soul, blood, and spirit.”