Pueblo High School has added three ACT Prep classes as an elective to better prepare about 100 juniors for the ACT in April.
With the help of Ms. Mary Anne Kelly, Mr. Johnathan McLeod and Mr. Rana Medhi, juniors taking ACT for the first time in a few months will utilize their test-taking strategies and apply their academic preparation.
“I hope this class is a successful program for our Pueblo students,” said Dr. Rosario Hutchings.
She has organized a meticulous schedule for the ACT Prep teachers, who will be boosting students’ skills in three categories: reading, English (grammar) and mathematics.
Medhi, one of the ACT-Prep teachers, hopes to make a positive impact with his students’ test scores.
“I wholeheartedly want students to value the ACT and to help boost students’ confidence when taking a test,” said Medhi. “If it were up to me, I’d start this program when students were freshmen and give them a two-year head start on the ACT.”
Pueblo High School senior Leanna Payan has been selected as a semifinalist in a prestigious Arizona state scholarship.
The Flinn Scholarship offers full tuition for any of the three main in-state universities. Just 80 of 1,000 high school senior applicants are selected as semifinalists for two rounds of interviews, which narrows to only 20 Flinn scholars.
Leanna Payan said, “What drew me to applying was the fact that it was so supportive, and I knew people who received this award including Samuel Gonzalez last year.”
This is the 39th generation of Flinn Scholars. Students are offered over $130,000 dollars for tuition, housing, meals, and opportunities to study abroad.
Payan is one of six students from Tucson who made it to the finalist round.
She said, “For me, becoming a Flinn Scholar would mean being in a community with people who actually want to do school and want a better future for themselves.”
Payan will learn in April if she is officially a Flinn Scholar.
“Just to make it this far is an honor,” Payan said.
By Priscila Borquez, Jose Jovel & Emely Villanueva
Dr. Manuel Avila
On Dec. 31, 2023, the Free Application for Student Federal Aid opened. FAFSA opened initially with a period called “Soft Launch”—periodically FAFSA would open and close to prevent shutdowns within the system.
In the pursuit of higher education, completing the FAFSA is a gateway to financial assistance that can make the difference between attending college or not. Moreover, with the implementation of new changes in the 2024 FAFSA, the process has become more accessible and inclusive, further shaping students’ academic futures.
“FAFSA is subject to change because we know that FAFSA is taking longer to process. As of right now it’s due May 3, 2024,” said Dr. Manuel Ávila, Pueblo’s College and Career Coordinator.
Completing the FAFSA opens doors to many financial aid opportunities including grants, loans, and work study programs. These resources are lifelines for students from all walks of life, providing the means to afford tuition, books, and living expenses associated with collegiate success.
“Be mindful of the opportunities offered by FAFSA and consider attending workshops for help with creating and FSA ID and completing FAFSA,” said Avila.
The changes introduced to the FAFSA in 2024 represent a significant step forward in making the financial aid process more accessible. The application process and simplified questions reduce barriers for students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.
Also, the inclusion of questions to identify students struggling with homelessness, those in foster care, and those with incarcerated parents makes sure that the unique circumstances of students are seen and assessed for financial aid.
Avila added, “FAFSA determines eligibility for financial aid and I 100% recommend students apply to make sure they have access to different financial aid opportunities.”
Currently, FAFSA can only be completed by students who have a social security number, although students without one should not be discouraged in applying for financial aid. Counselors advise to use the CSS profile for undocumented students as more colleges and universities are accepting this type of financial aid.
In addition, the CSS communicates to colleges of those who meet a certain financial burden, and some colleges are willing to meet full financial need to students accepted into those colleges.
“There are exceptions that I still need to approve, but I will highly suggest making appointments and talking to me if you have any questions or concerns,” said Dr. Avila.
Seniors: Time is running out; don’t procrastinate!
Ms. Taylor Cleland is back at Pueblo High School to take over math classes for Ms. Rhesa Olsen who retired at the end of last semester.
She should look familiar to many students—as Cleland taught here at Pueblo from 2018 until 2022 to pursue her passion in writing (and to avoid COVID-19).
“I’m a writer, and I wanted some more time to work on my writing,” she said, explaining why she left two years ago.
“I also got long-term COVID-19, so I couldn’t work full time. However, I’m much better,” said Cleland.
She also substituted many times before this semester, but Cleland adds that she likes having her own students a lot more.
She said that she is focusing on getting the students back on track.
“When students have substitute teachers, they end up doing little or nothing,” Cleland said.
Her main goal is trying to create a positive learning environment for students, allowing students to listen to music while they do their work and frequently monitors all her new students’ work.
“I think if students have a positive environment in which to learn and work, they will have much better chances of academic success,” Cleland said.
She added, “I also have students working on projects as well as having some students teaching their peers. This creates an exciting learning environment.”
After 10 years of teaching anthropology at the University of Arizona—and after many “worldly” experiences”—Mr. Jonathan McLeod has ventured to Pueblo High School to teach English.
McLeod teaches four classes of freshman English; one sophomore English class; and this second semester he will teach an ACT Prep class to juniors.
“In the first semester at Pueblo, I have enjoyed developing student-teacher relationships,” McLeod said. “I’m just now really started to feel comfortable with those students in my classrooms.”
McLeod has been friends with PHS nurse Ms. Kate Straub, and she convinced him to apply for teaching positions at Pueblo. He was a frequent substitute-teacher last school year, and he jumped at the chance to become an “official” teacher for 2023-24.
“What I’ve really enjoyed most as a high school teacher is seeing improvement in my students’ work,” said McLeod. “I gain a lot of satisfaction from their academic success.”
Originally from Chicago, McLeod has lived and worked in many places around the world. He attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and lived in several American cities—most recently in San Francisco, Calif., before moving to Tucson.
However, McLeod’s early life reads like a global map. He attended many years of school in Singapore and Indonesia, which he said influenced his decision to become an anthropologist because of his fascination with many cultures. McLeod has even lived in Alaska for a few years.
He said, “I worked in the New Guinea jungles as an anthropologist from 2014 to 2019 conducting research with indigenous people because I wanted to know how these people live in the rain forest and how they were adapting to development.”
McLeod defines “anthropology” as the study and research of how people live and adapt to their environments, and although he would like to someday return to teaching college anthropology, he is happy right where he is now.
“I hope that my love of different cultures is contagious to my students,” McLeod said. “I have a lot to share with my students.”
TRIO Educational Search, or “EST” for short, is one of the many programs here at Pueblo High School dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed in their education.
While the commitment is lower than Upward Bound where students meet three times a week, TRIO-EST still offers students many opportunities such as workshops, tutoring, campus tours and more. Instead, students in EST are required to meet two times during the school year, although members can meet whenever they work.
Currently, students are not required to have a specific GPA to join ETS. The only requirement to join is to be a U.S citizen or U.S resident. Students can join at any grade, but students cannot be in both ETS and Upward Bound simultaneously.
“Our main goal is for every student to graduate knowing what they want to do after high school,” said Ms. Grissel Bojorquez, the coordinator of TRIO-EST.
She decided to become the coordinator of the program because she felt a need to people just like her.
Paola Salazar, a senior, said, “It’s been helpful having a mentor whenever I need it.”
Since learning about TRIO in her freshman year Salazar got all sorts of help such as having her college essays proofread and reviewed—as well as financial aid and help with her applications.
Having been in ETS since his sophomore year, Nae Alba, a junior, hopes that this experience will help him get into his dream university. Finding out about ETS from his older sister gave Alba the opportunity to get help with FASFA, college applications, and tutoring.
TRIO-ETS is a resource many students use to help in their pursuit of higher education. The support given to students by TRIO-ETS empowers them and helps them achieve their full potential.
“It is a very helpful program that provides resources to help me in my college journey with FASFA and college applications,” said Alba.
