Math – Pueblo High School

Viviana Fimbres Makes It To Pueblo—Finally!

By Leslie Burgos

Ms. Viviana Fimbres helping some of her math students.

This school year, Pueblo High School is elated to have Ms. Viviana Fimbres join the faculty as a new geometry teacher for mostly sophomores, juniors and seniors.

It’s been a long journey for Fimbres to finally get here…

As a teenager, Fimbres wanted to attend Pueblo like most of her friends and her siblings, but Fimbres was not able to attend PHS because her parents had preferred her to go to a new charter school. After graduating from the University of Arizona, she taught at University High School for four years.

Then…Fimbres transferred to Pueblo—FINALLY making it to PHS.

“Coming to Pueblo was a dream come true—a little late but better than never,” she said.

Thus far this semester, Fimbres said that she has already experienced many positive moments.

“As I was walking into the school in the morning, I was carrying papers in one hand and a coffee container in the other hand—and a student was kind enough to open the door for me,” she said. “Our [Pueblo] students are very generous and kind, and they respect their teachers.”

Fimbres said that she loves Pueblo because of the school’s culture.

“This place [Pueblo] makes me feel comfortable, and I know I can talk my native language here and not be judged for it,” she said.

“Sometimes students have bad moments—like when one left class early and was asked to return, and he slammed a locker really hard,” Fimbres said. “But by the next day, we had both forgotten about the incident. However, most students say good morning to me if they see me in the hallways, and I love that friendliness here.”

Fimbres describes her students as “hard working” and added that all of them have the potential to earn A’s and B’s.

“I’ve been here long enough to wish for a few changes in the bell schedule,” Fimbres said. “I wish that every day classes were dismissed at the same time and that passing periods were a few minutes longer. From the complaints I’ve been hearing from students, our school should offer better lunch menus.”

Fimbres said that she has set her standards high, but she knows that her students are all capable of passing her class with very high grades.

To help these students achieve these high grades she plans to continue getting to know the students and the different ways they learn.

“I believe I can only take my profession day by day as long as I always remember that every student has a different pace of learning,” Fimbres said.

Diego Ramirez—Back For More!

by Jacquelyn Gutierrez

Pueblo Alumni, Mr. Diego Ramirez from the Class of 2012, has returned to his alma mater as a math RTI teacher after graduating from the University of Arizona.

“I came back to Pueblo because I feel it will always be my school,” said Ramirez. “Everyone has been welcoming.”

After high school, Ramirez was an AVID tutor at Cholla High School for nearly five years. Then, he taught algebra at Desert View for a summer before teaching summer school at Pueblo last summer.

“I chose teaching because I wanted to help students realize their potential,” Ramirez added. “I want my kids to be as successful as they could be.”

Ramirez’ inspiration sprouted from the outstanding math teachers that he had in high school.

“Mr. [Roman] Badalov was my biggest inspiration to become a math teacher,” Ramirez said. “I also had a lot of cool math teachers at Pueblo over my four years.”

Not only does Ramirez want to be a classroom teacher, but he also plans on being a principal in the near future. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Arizona—in educational leadership. However, he wants to be remembered as the “cool math teacher”.

Watch out, Dr. Romero!

Warrior Student Becomes Warrior Teacher

by Brianna Ozuna

Mr. Gerardo López, Pueblo Alumni from the Class of 2005, has now returned to become an Algebra 1 teacher. This will be Lopez’s first year here at Pueblo.

López was a former teacher’s aide in the Sunnyside School District, but he added this position pushed him to pursue a teaching career.

“It was during this time that I truly realized that I liked math and liked helping students just as much. So, I made the decision to become a teacher.”

Thus far, López said that he has enjoyed his experiences here at Pueblo by making connections with students and building relationships with them while teaching and motivating them to push themselves.

“I see some of the students going through the same struggles as I did when I was a teenager,” he said. “We can make connections, and so I’m kind of motivating them to do better in life.”

As a new teacher, López confessed that he has many strengths and a few weaknesses.

“One of my greatest strengths is being patient, which is one of the reasons why teaching has been so easy for me. However, one of my weaknesses is taking work home with me—not getting grading done at Pueblo.”

López said that he is “very happy” that he is initiating his full-time teaching career at Pueblo, and he is looking forward to adapting to a new lifestyle—a new school with great new students.

Eighth Graders Get An Early Start On Math At Pueblo

By Felicity Aguilar and Yisela Molina

8th Graders Taking Math At Pueblo High School 2016

For the second consecutive year, Pueblo Magnet High School has offered a program to teach Honors Algebra to over a dozen eighth graders from Hollinger K-8 and McCorkle Middle School.

These students attend this class four days each week and are taught by Pueblo math teacher Mr. Billy Campbell during first period.

Campbell said, “This class [algebra] will help these middle school students get a head start, so when they come back to Pueblo as freshmen, they will be one step ahead and will be able to take geometry a year earlier than most students.”

In order to get to Pueblo, these students walk, take the bus or get dropped off by family members. When class is over, Mrs. Laura Gallego (Pueblo’s Magnet Recuiter), Mr. Adalberto Rodriguez (Pueblo’s Media Specialist), Albert Ochoa (Pueblo’s Custodian) & others escort them back to school in time for their next class.

8th Graders Taking Math At Pueblo High School With Billy Campbell — 8th Graders in Math Teacher Mr. Billy Campbell’s class

“Mr. Campbell is a very creative teacher,” said Joseph Vega, an eighth grade McCorkle student. “He’s full of energy and enthusiasm, and he uses many methods to teach us. His class is really fun.”

Diana Quiroz, a student from Hollinger, said, “Mr. Campbell keeps us motivated to want to learn, he tells us stories to keep us interested!”

The idea of this program was a joint effort between Pueblo and Hollinger. In the future, Pueblo hopes to expand this program to include other middle schools.

Pueblo’s principal Dr. Augustine Romero said, “I wholeheartedly support the idea that Pueblo should have more collaboration with middle schools across the city—and perhaps expand to other subjects other than math.”

Mr. Campbell: Being His Best

By Aliah Luna

$Math Heroes By Raytheon Logo$ Pueblo math teacher Mr. Charles William (“Billy”) Campbell was honored for being the recipient of the “MathMovesU Math Hero” award. He received the official news that he was just one of 25 math teachers in thirteen states to be honored for this award.

Nominated by co-teacher Ms. Shanti Foster last semester, Campbell learned early last summer that he would be competing in the finals. Campbell was asked a series of questions on an application and his responses determined him to be a finalist.

On August 31, Campbell was informed that he was one of the 25 recipients of the math award.

Charles Billy Campbell Math Teacher Pueblo Awarded — Mr. Charles William “Billy” Campbell

“I feel a greater sense of accomplishment for being honored for what I do every day,” Campbell said. “It’s a pretty big thing, you know? Being recognized for the hard work you do is always nice—and we [teachers] feel as good as students who are nominated for an award. It’s like somebody saying, ‘Good job’.”

Campbell said that he wholeheartedly loves his job and is always striving to teach math to Pueblo students to the best of his ability. He added that no matter what he does, there is always a way to be better.

“Whatever I do, I want to do it well,” Campbell said. “Whether it’s teaching, playing video games, being and playing with my son, I want to do it the best I possibly can be.”

Campbell said that after receiving this award, he felt a sense of knowing that he is doing something right. He also expressed gratitude to his students for allowing him to teach them and that they continue to motivate him to always be his best.

“I feel there are a lot of people to thank, but most importantly, I’d like to say, ‘Thank you’ to all of my students,” he said. “They allow me to work hard with the best educators. I have worked with a lot of great teachers throughout the years, especially here at Pueblo. I am so fortunate to work with and belong to the most awesome math department!”

Campbell received $2,500 for his award, and that same amount was matched and awarded to Pueblo.

Congratulations Mr. Campbell! We are proud of you!