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Alvaro Gallego Hungry For Wrestling State Title

// January 6th, 2012 // 2 Comments » // Athletics, Champions, In The News, Recognition, Wrestling

Alvaro Gallego tries to pin oppenent

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.

Dr. Andrew Lettes Awarded

// September 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Academics, Biotechnology, In The News, Teacher Awards

Congratulations goes to Dr. Andrew Lettes, biotechnology teacher at Pueblo, for being awarded the Arizona Innovation Heroes Award by the Science Foundation Arizona.

The award recognizes those who are leading in the fields of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship or have instituted innovative practices or curricula to advance student success and enhance student interest in STEM. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education)

Dr. Lettes with Pueblo CTE Department

Students, colleagues and distinguished guests joined us for the celebration and had very positive statements about our biotechnology program.

On behalf of all the Pueblo Family, we congratulate Dr. Lettes.

More Photos:

Leave your comments below.

In Memory Of Michelle Duran

// March 2nd, 2010 // 70 Comments » // In The News, School News

Pueblo suffered a loss over the weekend with the death of Michelle Duran, a Junior, in a traffic accident on I-19. The entire Pueblo Family extends our sincere condolences to all of Michelle’s family & friends.

Michelle Duran

Funeral Arrangements:

Thursday, March 4
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Martinez Funeral Home
2580 S. 6^th Ave.

Friday, March 5
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Martinez Funeral Home

Friday, March 5
11:30 a.m. (immediately after Services)
South Lawn Cemetery
5401 S. Park Ave.

If you would like to help the family monetarily for funeral arrangements, please contact Cristal at (520) 409-2056.

Michelle with family

Michelle’s current teachers shared the following comments:

Just wanted to share that last Tuesday Michelle had just finished matting a self-portrait that she had created. She was very pleased with her work. The plan was for her to think about a title for her work over the weekend and that I would be displaying it in my classroom window today.

I had the pleasure and honor of knowing Michelle for the past 3 years. She will be deeply missed. – Lisa Aguilera (Art)

Self Portrait Of Michelle Duran

I’m going to miss you a lot in my 2nd period. God bless you. – Mike Barraza (Social Studies)

I met Michelle last spring when Ms. Wilson, her sophomore English teacher, recommended that Michelle take AP English Language her junior year. The vast majority of the students who take this course prepare for it by taking pre-AP English as sophomores. Michelle was in a regular English class last year; however, her teacher recognized in Michelle an intelligence and an ability to work hard—harder than most high school students are willing to work—and recommended Michelle for AP.

When I spoke with Michelle last spring, I explained what we would be studying and how this course would be different from other English courses she had taken in the past. I told her that she would be reading and writing college-level essays and that she would have homework most every night. I also told her that she could trust her English teacher’s judgment in recommending her because her teacher also taught that pre-AP class and so was aware of the knowledge and skills students need to be successful in AP English. I told her these things so that she could make the right decision—which she did.

Students who do not take pre-AP often struggle in AP English. This struggle is good because it prepares them for college. Some of these students find that the struggle is too much for them and they drop the course or fail. Michelle struggled, but she did not drop the course, nor did she fail. In fact, she was doing well. Hers was a story of success. She trusted her teacher’s judgment and her own talent and work ethic and character. She had the courage to challenge herself and the resolve to succeed in that challenge.

Michelle had talent as a writer. I also know she had talent as an artist. It is hard for me to accept—it is heartbreaking and so terribly unfair—that she won’t continue to develop those talents and other talents and interests and enjoy the full life she deserved.

I will never forget Michelle and will use her good example in my efforts to inspire other students to challenge themselves and to persist in their struggle to make the most of their lives. My heart goes out to the Duran family and to all who knew and loved Michelle. – Steve Reitz (English)

Michelle was one of my students last year, a sophomore in my 1^st period English class. Even though she was one of many kids who worked hard and cared about how she did as a student, Michelle was one who stood out as having an incredible amount of potential. She was one of Pueblo’s success stories. I placed hope in Michelle, because to me she represented what all kids here at Pueblo are capable of accomplishing. Michelle inspired me and motivated me; losing her is heartbreaking.

Every time I saw Michelle, I asked her about her classes this year. I usually saw her leaving Mr. Reitz’s AP English class, the class I wanted so badly for her to be successful in, the class I knew she had been afraid to take. When she responded, she would always smile and give me a hug, and let me know that she was making it. She was hanging in there, improving, and beginning to experience some of the success I know she wanted. In Michelle, I felt validation, because she represented all the things I believed in as a teacher—that hard work makes success possible, that school is about learning more than grades, that when we believe in students we can help them believe in themselves.

When I first heard of Michelle’s death, I thought about how incredibly unfair life can be. Michelle had so many doors open to her—not because of chance or luck, but because of her own hard work and dedication. To see all those doors slammed shut is painful and difficult to accept, but all I can do is realize that I can use Michelle’s memory to remind me of the potential inside all my students. I am so sad that I won’t get to see her realize all the hope I placed in her, but Michelle has reminded me that it is because of kids like her that I do what I do. Even though she is gone, her memory can help remind me of that for many years to come. – Sarah Wilson (English)

Please leave your comments for Michelle’s family to read.