Ms. Ramirez Strikes Again: Becoming An Author

By Alexis Vargas

As a mother of two sons, a beloved teacher, and owner of Calle Coffee, Ms. Celisa Ramirez is now fulfilling her dream of being an author.

She said that her book is about grief and a certain club, and one enters this worst club in the world.

“When I was 17 years old, the day before my senior year of high school started, my mom unexpectedly passed away,” Ramirez said.

Since her loss, Ramirez has been moved to help those enduring a similar hardship in their life because it is what she feels she needed to do during that time.

“My new goal is to have my book written by the 20th anniversary of my mother’s death,” Ramirez said. “I’ve written part of it, but I still have to have my nana, who is a published author, read it because she’s my peer editor.”

Ramirez said that her students have been her biggest inspiration and a constant motivation to continue working on the project.

Over her years as a teacher, Ramirez said that she loves offering advice to her students who are lacking the confidence to begin their own aspirations.

Ramirez said, “You can be more than one thing. All the parts of you matter, even the parts that you are not very proud of. What happened to me wasn’t anything I wanted to happen, but I’m trying to make something positive from my own traumatic experiences.”

Welcome, Ms. Levine, To Pueblo!

By Alexis Vargas & Emely Villanueva

Pueblo’s English department’s most recent addition, Ms. Lisa Levine, has been enjoying her time as a Warrior thus far, helping to inspire freshmen and sophomores with her love of reading.

Levine’s expertise in various genres of literature can be attributed to her history in the pursuit of higher education.

“I received my bachelor’s degree in comparative literature at University of California, [Berkeley] and a master’s degree at the University of Arizona in creative writing,” she said.

As her passion for writing developed, so did her desire to teach and she began in 2000 as a part-time profession.

“I taught part-time until 2014, and then I started teaching full-time,” Levine said. “In addition to teaching English, I’ve taught reading intervention, all subjects to fourth graders including some creative writing and humanities.”

Living in Sierra Vista, Calif. and New York for job opportunities, moving to Pueblo has been an adjustment for Levine as she describes the connections she has made as “meaningful”.

“[My move to Tucson has been] different,” Levine said. “The people here are amazing! Based on the students I’ve met this school year, I would say my main goal is to generate to students more love of reading and a feeling for what reading can do in their lives.”

Jennifer Bliss: Feeling Right ‘At Home’

By Felicity Aguilar

Last semester, on Oct. 27, Pueblo welcomed a new inclusion teacher, Ms. Jennifer Bliss, who is an inclusion teacher to help other language arts teachers—helping students to improve their reading comprehension skills.

Bliss recently moved to Tucson from New York, where she was also a language arts teacher. Before becoming an educator, Bliss had eclectic careers, including being an auto mechanic; she said that she was even in the culinary field for a while.

“My first impression of Pueblo was how friendly this school is,” Bliss said. “It’s truly a reflection of the school when you see the teachers smiling and coming into work with positive attitude. The staff cares about their students, and I enjoy working with them. I also enjoy seeing how the students want to be successful and try their hardest.”

Bliss attended high school in Brooklyn and graduated in 1999, and she made her way to college in Fredonia, New York. A friend recommended that she move to Tucson, and she has been with TUSD for 14 years.

“As an inclusion teacher, I work with students who need extra support,” Bliss said. “My students are always very respectful and polite.”

She added that she wants to help her co-teachers anyway she can and help students become successful.

Bliss said, “Hopefully this is my last school—as it really feels like home here.”