Pueblo Magnet High School

Bill De La Rosa Awarded Gates Millennium Scholarship

// May 2nd, 2012 // No Comments » // Academics, In The News, National Honor Society, Recognition, Scholarships, Student Awards, Student Recognition

Bill De La Rosa (Left) with Brandon Sanchez at NHS Induction Ceremony

Bill de la Rosa, class of 2012 Senior, is one of 1,000 talented students nationwide to receive the Gates Millennium scholarship in 2012. The scholarship provides full funding through graduate school.

“I see this like a once in a life time opportunity, knowing that I will be secure financially for the next four to eight years of college,” says de la Rosa. “The generosity of Bill and Melinda Gates is a gift from God to me that I will benefit from and be responsible for. I know that God has great plans for me and I will make sure to prepare myself to serve others through the degrees I will receive from my education.”

De la Rosa’s notification letter stated that his “accomplishment is especially notable in context of the more than 24,000 students who applied, making this year’s the largest and most competitive group of candidates in the program’s history.”

De la Rosa has been accepted to Bowdoin College, a nationally renowned college of liberal arts and sciences in Maine. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he plans to attend Harvard Law School, with the goal of using his law degree to assist families unable pay for legal representation.

Since his freshman year, de la Rosa has been one of the top five students in his class. He is currently valedictorian, with a 4.12 GPA. He’s achieved his academic success in spite of family hardship, providing care for his father and siblings during his father’s illness.

Pueblo High counselor Teresa Toro says that de la Rosa “has made being smart a ‘cool’ status on our campus. He is very popular among his peers and is highly regarded by his teachers. He is constantly talking to students about the need for them to do their best and be their best.”

Toro states, “I am beyond proud for Bill and his accomplishments. He is a true example that no matter what life throws at you that you cannot make excuses for not succeeding. He has such high standards, walks the talk, and is still so down to earth and loved and respected by all of his peers and faculty. I have such high regard for him that I asked him to be the peer mentor for my son, who is a current freshman at Pueblo Magnet High School. He is truly deserving of this most generous award by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”

To complete the circle of giving, De la Rosa’s goals include establishing his own foundation to provide scholarships to future students.

More information about the scholarship is available at gmsp.org.

Courtesy of www.tusd1.org.

Title-Hungry Warriors Feed Off Sotos’ Drive To Improve

// April 2nd, 2012 // No Comments » // Athletics, In The News, Pueblo High School

Lauro & Raul Soto

The personalities of brothers Lauro and Raul Soto couldn’t be more different. Lauro is quiet and reserved. Raul loves to talk and joke around.

One thing they do share, however, is their love of volleyball.

Their dedication to the game is a big reason why Pueblo is 8-3 and sitting in the top five of the Division I power rankings. The Warriors opened the season on a seven-game winning streak, giving the entire team hope that they could make a run at a state championship this year.

“It’s a good goal for them,” said Dan Chan, who has been Pueblo’s coach since 1997. “Any time a team has a goal like that to shoot for, it jells the group.”

As the team continues to push toward its goal, Lauro, a senior captain and outside hitter who leads his team in kills, knows he has to set the pace for his team.

Raul, a sophomore libero, takes a more verbal approach. He’s the one who keeps everyone loose during games.

Here are three ways the Soto brothers have taken their games to the next level.

Family time

Before Lauro was pushing Raul to work harder and get better, it was Lauro being pushed by the oldest Soto brother, Armando. He graduated from Pueblo in 2009.

Lauro got his first taste of Pueblo volleyball by watching Armando play. Practicing with his older brother gave Lauro the foundation he needed and some ideas about how to guide Raul when the time came.

Now any family gathering can turn into a game when the Soto brothers are around. Throw in their cousin Fidencio Armenta, who also played at Pueblo and graduated in 2008, and the competition level can get sky-high.

“We like to keep things competitive,” said Lauro, who had a 17-kill performance against Palo Verde and a double-double (12 kills and 10 digs) against Sahuaro. “Sometimes when we play with our family, we’ll start talking smack to each other. Raul talks more than I do but I try to get him back.”

Vertical gains

During the offseason Lauro wanted to work on his vertical leap. After looking on the Internet, he found Jumpsoles, a platform that weighs nearly 5 pounds and attaches to the shoe. It is used in training to focus on the calf muscles in order to add inches to an athlete’s vertical.

The Soto brothers added the Jumpsole workouts to their offseason regimen and saw results.

“Before I could barely touch the rim,” Lauro said of a 10-foot basketball hoop. “But now I can grab it and hang on it. And it’s helped with my power too. I feel like my striking has gotten better because I have more power in my legs.”

YouTubing the basics

When they’re not working out or practicing, the Sotos are watching videos on how to improve their game on the site that can teach a person just about anything: YouTube. Whether it’s videos about how to improve their techniques or different strategies, Lauro and Raul have found YouTube to be a helpful tool.

“We’ll look up videos on the basics and some of the more advanced things too,” said Raul, the team leader in digs. “We get a lot of good workout ideas and tips on how to improve our games just by watching YouTube.”

Read more. (azstarnet.com)

Alvaro Gallego Hungry For Wrestling State Title

// January 6th, 2012 // 3 Comments » // Athletics, Champions, In The News, Recognition, Wrestling

Alvaro Gallego tries to pin oppenent

Courtesy of Arizona Daily Star

If Alvaro Gallego could eat anything, he’d probably stop by McDonald’s or Burger King, grab a couple of cheeseburgers and a bag of french fries and enjoy a hearty meal with his friends.

But, that’s not happening anytime soon.

For now, it’s oatmeal in the morning, a few pieces of chicken for lunch and vegetables for dinner. Oh yeah, he also has a few cups of water with his meals.

“I really miss the fast food,” Gallego said, laughing. “And to make it worse, my friends always eat it right in front of me.”

Gallego, a senior at Pueblo, will get his burgers and fries soon enough.

First, there’s a state championship to win.

As a junior, Gallego went 35-4 and finished second at 103 pounds in the Division II state meet. This year, he’s chasing a state title at 106 pounds and closely monitoring his diet to stay in his weight class.

He’s already 29-0 this season and has won championships at the William Bell Invitational and the Phoenix Moon Valley Invitational.

“Right now, I haven’t lost yet and I’m just trying to get better each match,” Gallego said. “An undefeated season and a state championship would be the perfect way to go out.”

Here’s a closer look at Gallego’s road to becoming one of the top wrestlers in the state.

Youth

Memories: Gallego first stepped onto a wrestling mat as a fourth-grader and finished second in state his first full year. He was hoping for a first-place finish as a fifth-grader but instead had a disappointing season and he quit wrestling after the season.

Quotable: “I really liked the sport. But, I started losing in fifth grade and didn’t do well at state and didn’t want to do it anymore. I felt like I had dedicated myself to wrestling and it ended horribly. I was mad and had the mentality that I didn’t want to do it anymore.”

Big finish: Gallego took seventh at state his fifth-grade year before walking away from the sport.

Middle school

Memories: Still upset with his finish in fifth grade, Gallego didn’t wrestle or play any sports in middle school. Instead, the fun-spirited Gallego hung out with his friends and focused on doing well in school.

Quotable: “I thought I was too cool for sports. I wanted to be the cool guy, so I just did nothing.”

Big finish: Gallego was in touch with Pueblo coach Steve Lopez by the end of his eighth-grade year and knew he was ready to get back on the wrestling mat as a freshman in high school and wrestle for Lopez and the Warriors.

High School

Memories: Gallego wrestled junior varsity his freshman season because he “was only 70 pounds and wasn’t allowed on varsity yet.” He got his weight up to 86 pounds as a sophomore, his first year on varsity, and eventually 103 as a junior, when he broke out with his 35-4 season.

Quotable: “They just told me to keep eating and I’d get there sooner or later. They had me lifting weights and working out and I gained about 10 pounds each year. It seemed like I would eat whatever I wanted and still wouldn’t gain any weight. Now, that I’m there, I have to control it.”

Big finish: As the No. 2 seed at 103 pounds, Gallego took out Nogales’ Juan Dorame in the semifinals, before dropping a 9-7 decision to Moon Valley’s Mikah Trejo in the finals.

Senior year

Memories: Gallego was named the wrestler of the tournament at the William Bell Invitational one day after his grandmother, Olga Rosales, passed away. Gallego wrote her name on his headgear during the final day of competition and dedicated the tournament win to her.

Quotable: “It’s been a great year so far, but it’s all about state. My mom has never seen me wrestle in person. She only watches the videos and still gets nervous even though she knows I win. So, I really, really want her to come to state this year and hopefully she can watch me win a state championship.”

Big finish: That’s still to be determined. This year’s Division II state meet in Prescott Valley is set for Feb. 10-11. Gallego, ranked No. 1 in the state at 106 pounds by Azwrestler.com, will likely be the favorite in his weight class.

Warriors Volunteer For National Public Lands Day

// September 29th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Community Events, Community Service, In The News, Pueblo Pride, School News, Student Recognition, Volunteers

Pueblo Fire Service students woke up bright and early on  Saturday morning, September 24th for National Public Lands Day.  At 6:30 a.m., these  volunteers were ready to work.  We praise their efforts and dedication to the City of Tucson with their participation in restoring the beauty and vitality of our public lands.

On the top of A-Mountain. Can you see Pueblo in the background?

Student volunteers that helped clean A-Mountain were: Carlos Meraz, Blanca Valenzuela, Hector Ortega, Angel Tellez, Luis Mendivil & Juan Aguilar. (From Left To Right)

Thank you for representing Pueblo!  You too can get involved!

Mariachi Aztlan Wins 2011 Tammie Award

// September 6th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // Community Events, Entertainment, In The News, Mariachi Aztlan, Pueblo High School, Pueblo Pride, Recognition, Student Awards, Winners

We are very proud to announce that our very own Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo High School won the 2011 TAMMIES Award (Tucson Area Music) for the best Mariachi Group in the city.

This award is voted on by the Tucson community and was presented to the group at the 18th Annual Tucson Area Music Awards ceremony held on August 31 at the Rialto Theater.

2011-2012 Mariachi Aztlan Group

Congratulations to all Mariachi Aztlán members for their hard work and dedication that resulted in them earning this award!

U of A Students Visit American History Chicano Perspectives Classes

// November 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Academics, Class Projects, Educational, In The News, University of Arizona

Twenty University of Arizona students from a class entitled “Race, Ethnicity, and the American Dream” visited the American History—Chicano Perspectives classes and did a number of activities with Pueblo students around racism and white privilege.

Group activity that focused on racism & white privilege.

Afterward the students all discussed the potential impact of the ban of ethnic studies classes, which is supposed to go into effect on December 31.

Small groups discussed upcoming ban of ethnic studies classes.

Thank you to these U of A students for taking the time to visit our campus.