Category: Around Campus

‘Project Contact’ Returns For Another Year

By Estevan Alvarado & Adam Bonillas

Project Contact has returned to Pueblo High School once again this school year.

Project Contact is a mobile clinic that provides essential services—offering students condoms and birth control as well as sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment. They also educate students about safe sex and teen pregnancy.

“It is absolutely important for everyone to get informed,” said Nurse Kate Straub, who is credited for providing Project Contact to the Pueblo community.

Services are available to both male and female students on campus every second, third, and fourth Monday of the month from first period to the end of second lunch. Students can sign up for a visit in the nurse’s office, and they will be notified to visit the van with a call slip.

“Say ‘Yes’ to education! You can help yourself and your friends with accurate information,” said Straub.

She added that all services provided are confidential.

“It takes two to have sex, and STDs do not care if you are a girl or a guy,” said Ms. Michelle Magana, one of the several workers in the mobile clinic.

PHS Cafeteria: From One Star To Four Stars!

By Jose Nagore

Throughout much of the summer, Pueblo High School’s cafeteria was renovated, which has dramatically improved the atmosphere where hundreds of students gather for lunch each day. Even those who have been at PHS more than 30 years have said that nothing significant (except the mural on the north wall) has been done to the cafeteria during their tenure.

New renovations include new flooring, repainting, added padding to walls, new bathrooms, and new lighting. The $700,000 price tag for this prodigious project was paid for by grants—and money well spent on the cafeteria’s first “face-lift” in decades.

Students have been quick to evaluate the project.

“The cafeteria looks a lot cleaner than ever,” said Pueblo senior Jonas Vazquez, “It looks amazing, and I hope that students take better care of it all—and that means picking up after themselves every day instead of leaving everything a mess!”

“There is a lot more room on the tables,” said Pueblo sophomore Angelo Ortega. “We students get to hang out with more people during lunch now.”

Sophomore Magle Andrade said, “The [renovated] cafeteria is not as dark, which seems to really brighten our lunch time.”

Besides the impressive renovations, students have also noticed the food quality.

“[The food] is way better compared to last year, especially the pizza,” said Pueblo junior Israel Figueroa.

“I’ve noticed that we have a lot more variety in the food choices this school year,” said Pueblo junior Sebastian Marinval.

“The kids [last year] complained about the appearance and taste of the food,” said cafeteria worker Manuela Drum, “so a lot of what is on the menu this school year has been changed to satisfy students.”

According to PHS Principal Frank Rosthenhausler, there are still a few late additions to complete the cafeteria renovation project – including new furniture, bar-style tables, round tables, and even some sofas.

“The library was the first major overhaul at Pueblo, and now with the cafeteria near completion, we can focus on the next project—which will be new gym floors and bleachers,” he added.

New Dean At PHS Receives ‘Big’ Welcome

By Jonathan Redondo

The 2023-24 school year is definitely a school year of “new hires” at PHS. One of the more than two dozen new faces to grace our campus is our new Dean of Students, Mr. Simon Arriola.

Coming from Austin, Tex., Arriola is bringing “big” plans from the state where everything is bigger. He oversees all disciplinary actions at Pueblo, focusing on keeping students productive and maintaining order on campus.

“If you aren’t in trouble, there’s a good chance you don’t know me,” Arriola said half-jokingly.

Arriola said his first impressions at Pueblo were positive.

“It was clear from my first few days at Pueblo that this great school has many diligent students, and they have multiple opportunities to be successful,” he said. “The sheer number of students hoping to graduate and move on in their next chapter of life is very impressive.”

He added that the College Preparatory Academy is one example of offering students big opportunities for success.

“I already feel like a Warrior,” Arriola said. “I’m excited about helping students strive for excellence and success.”

Pueblo Administration Closes Hallway, Now Reopened

By Alyvette Moreno & Jenna Twaje

As Pueblo High School students walked the halls and climbed the stairs near the end of the first quarter, they were met with an unexpected block on their treks to classes.

The main hallway and stairways leading to it were closed and stayed closed until the end of the quarter. PHS administrators had been considering this idea for a while due in part to some of the violent, chaotic events at Cholla and Tucson High.

One day after second lunch ended, a “mob” started with students throwing water bottles around. Admin then decided to implement the closure of the main entrance.

“It [discipline problems] was [were] becoming a real safety concern,” said Principal Frank Rosthenhausler.

For some monitors, the closure made their jobs more challenging with students trying to sneak into the main hallway from the main entrance doors.

Security monitor Ms. Nellie Rivera said, “If the kids didn’t throw water bottles, then the hallway wouldn’t be shut down. Students suffer with the consequences of their bad actions.”

Mr. Simon Arriola, PHS’s Dean of Students, said, “The closure is only effective if the students realize they should not throw water bottles at each other.”

Many students had negative opinions on the hallway closing.

“It honestly sucked, and I didn’t like going around, I was late to all my classes,” said Kaz Detwiler, a sophomore.

Malo Anaya, a senior, believes admin’s decision wasn’t effective. “I think way more people were hanging out upstairs or on the stairs.”

Rosthenhausler said he didn’t like closing the hallways but said, “It was effective in removing what I thought was a dangerous situation.”

After a week of fall break, students were welcomed to the main hall and stairs being opened again.

A majority of PHS students took this return to normalcy positively.

New Business Officer Manger…New Coat Of Paint

By Natalie Salazar

Mr. Eli Lopez (standing) with Alicia Santa Cruz.

Students were greeted this school year to several projects—either in the making or completed. One of the most needed was a new paint job at Pueblo’s Business Office.

The idea of repainting this space has “been in the making” for a few years, but the project wasn’t completed until July.

Mr. Eli Lopez, Pueblo’s new Business Office manager, said that the previous manager, Ms. Melina Montiel, had proposed the idea, but the job was not completed until three months ago.

Lopez said, “The compliments of the new paint job have been incredible. This was a project long overdue.”

With the help of a student, sophomore Alicia Santa Cruz [now a junior], who was working with Lopez and the front office at Pueblo High School during the summer, the project was finally completed.

“Painting was a two-person job,” Santa Cruz said, “and it was fun working with Mr. Lopez. In the end, I feel proud that I’m leaving a legacy of my hard work. Every time I walk past the Business Office, I am happy to have been part of making Pueblo shine a little brighter.”

CCTV Goes Live At Pueblo

By Jose Nagore

More than 50 new cameras have been installed throughout Pueblo High School, replacing the old, dozen-year old nonfunctional cameras.

These new cameras cost nearly $90,000 and were funded by Tucson Unified School District, keeping Warriors safer than ever. In the short time they have been completely installed—a project that began late last school year and completed before the beginning of this school year—they have already prevented trespassers from entering campus; they have stopped fights quicker; and they have proved to be instrumental in getting more information about “other incidents”.

“[The cameras are] not necessarily to catch students doing wrong things,” said Ms. Karla Martinez, Assistance Principal, who was instrumental in this project. “These cameras are primarily for safety purposes. We can see if a student runs away from a fight, or see if someone jumps the fence to get in.”

These cameras are not located in the restroom for privacy purposes.

The screens for all camera film can be found in the offices of all four offices of our administrators, who are the only ones who have access to the recordings, which record 24/7.

“Do I feel safer? Yes, I do!” Martinez said.