AC Drama Continues At Pueblo

by Isari Martinez & Xylenn Nevarez

Pueblo’s Engineer Robert Fuentes checks the status of AC Unit.

As Pueblo marches well into the second quarter, and November is upon us, the weather is at last cooling off. It seems that for many, summer lasted longer than usual this year. Unfortunately, for many students and teachers, it felt like “summer” inside the classroom as well for much of the first quarter.

During summer break, the air conditioning systems are shut down to save money. However, when several teachers returned to this new school year, they discovered that their classrooms were hot; and they stayed hot sometimes for weeks well into late September.

Marketing teacher Dr. Maria Bicknell, located in the Tech Building, is one of those teachers sweltering in extremely uncomfortable conditions.

“I tried to be positive in this hot classroom, but it was hard to manage at times,” Bicknell said. “There were some days I felt sick when I left Pueblo at the end of the day—like I was going to throw up.”

Bicknell’s neighbor and another Tech Building teacher, English and journalism teacher for the past 28 years at Pueblo, Mr. Rana Medhi, said, “Our administrators and district engineers need to ensure that we teachers and our students are comfortable on the first day of school. There’s no excuse for hot classrooms year after year. Students cannot learn in 92-degree classrooms, and old teachers can’t tolerate the heat anymore.” He paused and added, “It seems to me that we educators should feel confident about returning to a new school year with everything working and having comfortable teaching environments.”

Medhi added that he was fortunate that he had to teach elsewhere for just two weeks; some teachers weren’t so lucky…

Mr. Valentino Martin, Pueblo’s auto shop teacher—and his students—suffered in the heat since from the beginning of the school year. He and his classroom had to be relocated to the Special Projects Room, which was very inconvenient for his curriculum, although students still learned about auto shop safety and other issues until students were finally able to return to T-9 when the air conditioning was repaired.

Then, on Aug. 23, the A/C stopped working again, and Martin and his students were relocated again.

Another Tech Building teacher, photography teacher Ms. Emma Tarazon-Oetting, also had to be relocated to other locations while air conditioning unit was repaired.

Other non-Tech Building classrooms were also excessively hot during the first quarter across campus, and several teachers had to be relocated until the air conditioning was repaired.

Assistant Principal David Montaño said that before students and teachers returned for the new school, all of the air conditioning units were working, but a major thunderstorm just before school started disrupted several of the A/C units.

“Based on the age of some of these A/C units, repairs are bound to be needed,” Montaño said.

However, summer did end at last, which alleviated teachers and students in classrooms that still had inadequate air conditioning.

Many other environments suffered as well. Even though the weight room may boast air, the room is cooled only by a swamp cooler and big fans.

Just the opposite occurred in many classrooms as fall began in late September—classrooms experiencing frigid temperatures.

Junior Sarahi Perez said, “There are some days when the AVID classroom was downright Arctic, and so was [science teacher] Ms. Amaro’s classroom. The AVID classroom is either freezing or hot—it’s never normal in there. It seems that it’s never a healthy environment in which to learn.”

Another student, sophomore Dezarae Valenzuela, said that the Student Council room [Mr. Obregon’s classroom] is very cold. I’d rather it be cold than hot, but sometimes you need a thick blanket to stay warm.”

Junior Angel Leeth said that in her math class, taught by Ms. Rhesa Olsen, she sometimes has to borrow her teacher’s blankets, which she keeps in her classroom.

“It’s very difficult to concentrate in her frigid classroom,” Leeth said. “It’s so cold, I fall asleep.”

The AC system in the main building is controlled and set by TUSD at 76 degrees, but the question remains: Why were the temperatures in some classrooms and the library 59 degrees or colder?

Pueblo has just one engineer, Mr. Robert Fuentes, a 1997 Pueblo graduate, who has been employed for the past 14 years; however, for the past 10 years, he has been the only engineer on site.

He explained that the new equipment to maintain Pueblo’s cooling and heating systems are working with an old 1980’s pneumatic system. In other words, two different systems are trying to work together, often unsuccessfully.

Story from 1995 Pueblo Yearbook on AC Issues

“I like what I do,” Fuentes said, “but it’s frustrating maintaining an entire school by myself most of the time.” He added, “I have to do what I have to do to make classrooms feel comfortable for our students and teachers.”

He paused and added, “This school needs to prioritize repairs on its cooling system.”

Solar Panels Project Shines At Pueblo

by Paula Fierros & Celestina Marinez

Pueblo Solar Panel Project 2018 by Leo Parra

Even though the solar panels project in the parking lot was supposed to be completed before the beginning of this school year, this construction project did not begin until July 16, making the beginning of the school year a bit chaotic for many employees and students looking for parking spaces.

More than three months later, the project is nearing completion. Final work continues,and an expected date of completion is estimated to be near the end of the semester.

Mr. Mark Farcis, a foreman for the Future Vervan Energy corporation, said, “We are nearing the end of our stay here,” he said. “All that is left is to connect all of the panels to one power source.”

Completion of this project will ease parking nightmares for faculty, staff and students.

“Traffic in and out of Pueblo has been horrid,” said Assistant Principal Mr. David Montaño, “but we’ve done the best we could do under these circumstances. We hope that everybody can be a little patient because in the end, we’re going to have a beautiful new parking lot that will be environmentally impactful.”

Due to a reduced number of spaces in our usual parking lot due to the installation of the panels, many teachers have had to park in the several new areas that have been designated temporary parking locations.

In the end, the solar panels will be improving the environment as well as reducing the district’s electricity bill.

“Cutting the energy bill in half is always a good thing,” said Ms. Kathryn Gunnels, assistant principal.

The big plan is to go green will take over the district. Many schools in T.U.S.D. have already completed their own solar panels projects in those schools’ parking lots.

Gunnels said, “We live in a world with limited resources, and it makes perfect sense to use our unlimited resource in Arizona—the sun.”

Alicia Reyes Breaks State Record

America Cardenas Pueblo El Guerrero

By America Cardenas

Pueblo Basketball Player Alicia Reyes Breaks Arizona Record For 3 Pointers Made In A Game
Alicia Reyes (Center) holds scorebook showing the 17 3-Pointers she made to break record.

On January 27, Pueblo’s Girls’ Basketball team enjoyed a colossal win over Cholla with a final score of 98-11. Another victorious moment that night was sophomore Alicia Reyes, Class of 2018, setting a new state record.

Reyes made 17 three-pointers during the game (for a total of 51 points in just three-pointers!) and ended up scoring a total of 57 points, topping the previous Southern Arizona high of 54 made by another Warrior, Angela Lopez, set in the 2007-08 season.

“She [Reyes] is my shooter, she is my best shooter!” exclaimed Coach Ismael Galindo.

The previous record of three-pointers made in a single game was 14 set last season by a Phoenix Sierra Linda High School student, Janae Gonzales.

“When I hit the record breaking three-pointers, I could not stop smiling,” Reyes said. “I could see my teammates cheering for me, and it was a great feeling!”

Reyes tied the national record of 17 three-pointers that was set by Rebecca Greenwell from Kentucky back in January 2013.

“I want to break the national record!” Reyes exclaimed. “That would definitely be something to talk about for a long time!”

One of the team’s greatest games this season was their matchup against the Safford High School Bulldogs; that evening, the Warriors girls’ basketball team broke that team’s 24-consecutive winning streak.

The girls’ basketball team ended the regular season with a final record of 22-3, going undefeated in their section. They need the support of the Pueblo community when they take on the Casa Grande Cougars in the second round of sectional playoffs on Thursday, February 11.

Stay Out Of The Hallways, Get To Class!

Xamantha Williams El Guerrero Pueblo 2015

By Xamantha Williams

Student traffic in the halls and excessive tardiness have always been a colossal problems at Pueblo, but these problems escalated to new disturbing levels this school year—due in part to a lack of security. Administrators and faculty here at Pueblo have been working diligently to resolve these issues throughout this first semester.

Monitors, too, are doing all that they can to ensure that students make it to their classes on time, but because we are short-handed two monitors at the moment, tardies are becoming excessive this school year. Currently, Pueblo has just four monitors, the least amount in recent years.

Ms. Nora Monge, one of Pueblo’s monitors, said, “It’s so important for students to be on time to school and their classes. Tardiness definitely negatively affects grades, and being tardy shows a lack of responsibility and a lack of respect. Many students truly need to do a better job of getting to class on time. There shouldn’t be anybody roaming the hallways.” She paused and said, “Quiet hallways mean that students are learning in their classrooms.”

Teachers, too, are becoming increasingly extremely frustrated about the abundance of tardies.

“Students need to treat school like it’s a job,” said Mr. Pete Pederson, who teaches graphic design and yearbook.” He paused and added, “When I was in high school, nobody was late. Students just weren’t. Over the years, unfortunately, students have become very lax about tardiness.”

While some students are excused for being absent and tardy, many others do not get excused which sometimes leaves the tardy as an absence.

“Students need to know the rules of this school and take responsibility for their own actions and their own learning,” said attendance clerk and office manager Ms. Rosalie Sinteral.

Most students at Pueblo want their peers to be in class during class time and use their passing periods wisely and responsibly.

Senior Marissa Padilla said, “It’s so frustrating when you’re in the hallway, and you see people standing and talking in the middle of a walkway while trying to get to class. I know how attendance is important and I try to always be on time.”

Pueblo High School Crowded Hallways
Crowded hallways during passing period

Padilla added, “Students need to remember why they are here at Pueblo.”

Kenya’s Questions ~ What Would You Fix About Pueblo?

Kenya Acosta El Guerrero Pueblo

By Kenya Acosta

The title is self-explanatory. Every two weeks or so, I will ask students to respond to a particular question. Their answers will vary from simple to complex responses. Here is this edition’s question:

What would you fix about Pueblo?Pueblo El Guerrero Kenya's Questions Cartoon

“Students mistreat the school, and they really shouldn’t.” (Leslie Robles, senior)

“They [teachers] don’t care about their students’ feelings, they only care about their job.” (Daniella Contreras, senior)

“The air conditioning isn’t right. They want us to work in a proper environment, yet they don’t provide proper temperatures for class. A lot of teachers have to use their own money when the school should be providing the supplies. School trips aren’t handled efficiently. The athletics department and our academic programs don’t get the same amount of treatment or funding, and there really should be a balance.” (Jose C. Martinez, senior)

“The lunch lines are horrible in first lunch. By the time you get your lunch, it’s time to go.” (Frankie Verdugo, senior)

“The food has no flavor and I have no morale to keep going. Our staff here at Pueblo wants us to do our best, but we can’t do that by eating this quality of food. We also need more supplies for teachers; they shouldn’t have to pay for classroom supplies with money out of their own pockets.” (Hector Jimenez, senior)

“The food is nasty.” (Emilio Grijalva, senior)

“The sausage was literally hanging out of my corn dog during lunch because it was so soggy and wet. What type of corn dog is wet? I can’t stand the cheese here, too, it’s disgusting.” (Mina Van Garder, senior)

“We don’t get enough food.” (Payton Rios-Sanders, senior)

“The ratio between students and teachers should be way different. There should be fewer students in our classes; a class of 35 or more is ridiculous.” (Kimberly Lerma, junior)

“I think that we don’t have enough time in our classes.” (Eneida Flores, senior)

“I took credit recovery ‘Edgenuity’ during the summer. The site crashed the last few days, and once I finally got back on the site, all of my work was gone. I feel like our school should spend our money more wisely. I remember during my sophomore or junior year; we spent over $4,000 dollars on our Cyber Café that nobody uses. They’re planning on doing tutoring there, but we have a library for that.” (Roman Romero, senior)

“There’s almost never soap in the restroom, and that’s absolutely disgusting.” (Shaira Perez, senior)

“Sanitation is a super huge problem. There’s no toilet-paper, no paper towels. This is illegal, isn’t it?” (Aaron Andrade, senior)

Warriors Urged To Attend Town Hall Meeting

America Cardenas Pueblo El Guerrero 

By América Cárdenas

 

Students, teachers and parents are urged to attend a Town Hall meeting regarding the future of CTE programs on the evening of Wednesday, October 21 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Catalina High School auditorium.

Pueblo CTE Auto Program
Auto Program at Pueblo would be affected by budget cuts.

This meeting will discuss the recent funding cuts approved by the Governor’s Office for the 2016-2017 school year and how this will negatively affect Career and Technical Education programs throughout the state.

 

State senators Steve Farley and David Bradley will be present to discuss how the cuts will affect school districts, including Pueblo Magnet High School.

 

Please plan to attend this meeting. Your voice and opinions will definitely count.