Around Campus – Page 6 – Pueblo High School

Welcoming ‘Feminist Club’ To Pueblo

By Dayanara Gonzalez and Arnold Ochoa

From left to right:
Caroline Fioramanti (Sponsor), Luis Salazar, Cielo Rangel, and Anindita Farzana

A new school year often brings new clubs to schools; one of these is the Feminist Club, which has the purpose of uplifting, empowering and supporting women through the focus on women’s issues, not only at Pueblo but in the community at large.

The Feminist Club’s advisor, English teacher Ms. Caroline Fioramanti, said that the club will achieve their goals by sharing their ideas publicly and raising awareness through several types of activities and fundraisers.

The club has already gained over 40 members through “word-of-mouth” around school and through her own promotion of the club in her classes. All students are welcome to attend the weekly meetings.

“I wanted a group open to all genders, and the interest has been amazing!” said Fioramanti. “This [students joining] tells me we needed something like the Feminist Club.”

Junior Lailani Figueroa, a member and treasure of the Feminist Club, joined because she believes we should have equal rights for men and women. Figueroa also wants to share information with club members and to help women who might be troubled by women’s issues, as well as to help students initiate peaceful protests and marches and inspiring students to volunteer to help various charities.

Figueroa said, “I advise people come and join the Feminist Club. I want everyone to feel included and respected.”

Certainly, not all members of the club are female.

Senior Armando Soto said that he joined the club because not only does he really like Ms. Fioramanti as an educator, but also because he was interested in what the club could teach him.

“I would say that I really enjoy getting to socialize with the members,” Soto said. “I’m having a lot of fun meeting new people and getting to know more about them.”

Fioramanti said that she started this club because not only has she experienced sexism in her own life but feels very passionate about feminism and women’s issues in the lives of young people.

“We are not at place of equality yet. There is much work to do,” she added.

“I have been involved in a few different feminist clubs in my teaching career, and I truly feel that educating others about feminism is important, especially for young people.”

The meetings are held on Mondays after school from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

“I want everyone to feel safe here [at Pueblo] and in our community,’’ said Fioramanti.

‘Day Of The Dead’ Comes To Life At Pueblo

By Jose Jovel

On Nov. 2, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) came alive at Pueblo High School—with several artistic and vibrant displays around campus.

One of the most dramatic and spectacular was the one in front of the library; it was difficult to miss because of this display’s vibrant colors and elaborate and meticulous craft.

Ms. Marsha-Jean Burrola, Pueblo’s librarian, began back in September setting up this display—with some help from the Pueblo community.

“To prepare for this display, we used a CCLC [21st Century Community Learning Centers] program called ‘Maker-Con’ to help us set up for this event,” Burrola said.

She added that she had a lot of help from staff and students.

Burrola would like to thank the following for their artistic contributions:

Ms. Patsy Soto and Ms. Armida Martinez, both CCLC employees, helped Burrola with this display. A few students also added their creative touches: freshman Mariana Martinez, senior Vianney Fimbres and senior Esme Rodriguez.

Día de los Muertos is a two-day festival that takes place every Nov. 1 and 2. Although most strongly identified with Mexico, Día de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Latin America and everywhere with a Latino population, including many Southwestern American cities—including Los Angeles, San Diego and here in Tucson.

This event honors the dead with festivals and lively celebrations—a typically Latin American custom that combines indigenous Aztec rituals with Catholicism, brought to the region by Spanish conquistadores hundreds of years ago.

This year, Dia de los Muertos was even more eventful due to the number of COVID-19 related deaths, affecting the Pueblo community with great devastation.

“Many students and members of our Pueblo community have lost relatives and loved ones in the past 18 months,” Burrola said. “Honoring those who have passed during this time [Dia de los Muertos] has been especially heartfelt.”

New Seeds Sprout In Pueblo Garden

by Jose Jovel

Pueblo Garden Club with sponsors Ms. Espindola (flowers shirt) & Mr. Pitts (gray shirt)

The seeds have been planted; the sun is shining. There is hope.

Pueblo High School’s Garden Club has big plans for the 2021-22 school year, and they have already begun to plant new vegetation—setting their goals high for a productive year and a promising future.

The club will continue the reconstruction of the garden and discuss new directions for Pueblo’s little acre of botanical bliss.

One of the club’s primary goals is to continue to clean and clear the garden after it was destroyed two years ago. (Those responsible for the garden’s “massacre” have never been determined.)

With new enthusiastic sponsors and a tenacious group of students, everybody in this club is ready to roll up his and her sleeves and get a little dirty.

Pueblo science teachers Mr. Nicolas Pitts and Ms. Melissa Espindola, this year’s Garden Club sponsors, are eager to provide learning opportunities for students this school year and for years to come.

“We don’t know exactly what happened to the garden two years ago, but everybody in the Garden Club is excited to make the garden better than ever,” Espindola said.

Garden Club member, sophomore Jolette Coronado, said, “Working on this garden provides new opportunities to learn. We are planting foods that we can actually eat as well as learning how to nurture to everything that we grow.” She paused and said, “Everybody in the club is excited about our harvests after all of our hard work.”

Pitts said, “The Garden Club will definitely live on but in a new direction.” He added that the garden will take multiple years to return to its original state, but he hopes that new students in the club will be creative and add their own footprints to the garden.

Every student is welcome to join the club; meetings are held Thursdays after school. Everybody is encouraged to share ideas how to resurrect the garden and bring new life to the northwestern corner of Pueblo’s campus.

“We already have all the garden beds working,” said Pitts. “We’re on our way to making this garden a new learning environment for all teachers and students.”

Student Council Stays Strong During Pandemic

By Hector Guzman

During this 2020-2021 school year, Pueblo’s Student Council has faced many challenges and jumped over many obstacles due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has prevented this club from performing normally.

Mr. Gregory Obregon, who teaches Algebra 1 and 2, is once again this year’s Student Council advisor/teacher. Like many at Pueblo, he has expressed his frustrations of online instruction and trying to ensure that Student Council continues to be functional.

“We [students and teachers/sponsors] may not be able to be with our students in person, but the work we still need to do really does matter,” Obregon said.

However, he does have hope that this situation will not last forever but wishes he had had more time to prepare for a remote learning environment.

“It [Covid-19] will pass,” he said.

Franchesca Fernandez, a senior and this year’s Student Council president, has also encountered her share of challenges this school year. She said that insufficient student participation has affected her job, and she has had difficulty contacting people. She said that she conducts meetings by planning schedules and having business meetings on Thursdays, and afterwards allows members to be in their committees.

Fernandez said that this year Student Council is looking at online alternatives to raise money, including Percentage Night Fundraisers. She hopes to continue raising money for the club throughout the entire school year.

“Student Council is there for them [students],” Fernandez said. “We are trying our hardest amidst the pandemic to keep pushing, and we will eventually get through it.”

Obregon said that he misses an in-person Student Council a lot—as well as all the activities, group work and just hanging out with his club members.

“Showing school spirit is quite hard during the pandemic,” Obregon said, “because we are unable to decorate the hallways and put up posters.”

He expressed sadness on not being able to give students a real Student Council environment.

“Despite the hardships, we’re all together in this,” he said.

Class Of 2019 Finally Gets Its Legacy

By Illianna Valenzuela

Even though Pueblo High School has officially closed its campus this first semester of the school year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, that does not mean that there are not great acts occurring.

On Thursday, October 29, several members of the Class of 2019, along with students from Ms. Espindola’s Garden Club and other volunteers, planted 23 trees around the school.

Graphic design teacher and Class of 2019 sponsor Mr. Ernesto Somoza said, “The senior class gifted me this project back in 2019, and they had to remind me several times that the project needed to get done. I felt like the student in this case.”

Mary Rose Bourbon, Mr. Ernesto Somoza, Sam Lopez & Aylin Coronado.

Class of 2019 President Sam Lopez said, “The idea of planting trees was definitely something we have wanted to do since our freshman year. I believe the idea originally started back in a conversation between my mom and me during my first few weeks of high school. From there, my best friend and future Vice President Aylin [Coronado] and I brainstormed ways of leaving something that will embody the spirit and

growth that the class of 2019 had. Planting trees was the most symbolic thing we could think of. With the help of our amazing sponsor, Mr. Somoza, we were able to pull this all together.”

Most of the trees were planted in the north section of the school, but some were planted by the tennis courts and a few in the front of the school. Prior to the “big dig” event, Somoza and Lopez initiated the project by shoveling the earth, as starters, and realized that the task of planting nearly two dozen trees was going to be challenging for the incoming crew.

“The ground was very hard,” Somoza said, “so for the days leading up to planting the trees, Sam [Lopez] and I—along with his mother—went to Pueblo to pour water in each of the holes to soften the dirt.”

Eventually, after the dirt was softened, other participants from the Class of 2019 included Aylin Coronado, Mary Rose Bourbon, Jovan Miller, Kendall Ervin and Jasmine Bojorquez, could start digging holes and planting the trees. Many other people were involved in this project, including parents, underclassmen and several volunteers from the Tucson Clean and Beautiful Organization.

Several varieties of trees were planted, including Red Push Pistache and Vitex. Three Texas Ash trees were donated by Pueblo High School Principal Mr. Frank Rosthenhausler (aka “Mr. R”). In the future, Somoza said that bench tables, a mural and flower beds may be placed in the same area to create a “Warrior Pride Plaza”.

In the short time since the trees have been planted, Somoza said that the spaces are already becoming habitats for wildlife.

“I saw a large red cardinal sitting on top of one of the trees and many other small wild birds using these trees as resting spots,” Somoza said. “The Vitex trees have already brought some butterflies, a praying mantis and a few lady bugs. It is interesting to see how an area like this can change so quickly in just a week or two by introducing water and trees.”

He added, “The entire project process was beautiful. I really enjoyed seeing former students working with new students to make a positive change on our campus and in the world.”

“Being a student at Pueblo High School and being part of the Class of 2019 definitely had the biggest impact on who I am today,” Lopez said. “My time here at Pueblo, although short, were the best times of my life. It felt right to give back to something that has given so much to me.”

Lopez added, “The callouses on Mr. Somoza’s hands will definitely serve as reminders of all of the hard work.”

Warriors Register To Vote In ’20 Primary, General Election

By Daeyalina Moreno

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Pueblo’s CCLC Program hosted a voter registration drive in order for young voters to participate in Arizona’s Presidential Preference Election next month; the deadline to register for the March 17 election is next Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Economics teacher and CCLC Coordinator/sponsor Mary Wallace said, “We partnered with folks who were familiar with the voting process to help us with the drive, including Mi Familia Vota and the League of Women Voters.”

In order for Pueblo students to register for the general election in November, they must be a U.S. citizen, be 18 by November 3 and have no felonies. Warriors who missed this opportunity to register will have another opportunity to register to vote in another drive in September.

“It’s important to bring a form of identification to register,” Wallace said.

Many Warriors volunteered to make today’s voter registration drive a success.

“I partnered with [credit recovery teacher] Ms. Christina Benitez,” Wallace said, “and without her wonderful help, the process of making the voting drive a reality would have been difficult.”

Benitez said, “We feel a sense of accomplishment in being able to generate an interest in the political process of voting. Our Pueblo students seemed very happy and pumped to have the opportunity to participate in the upcoming presidential election.”

Both Wallace and Benitez hope that this enthusiasm continues with our young voters, and she encourages our students to inspire their parents to vote, too—especially in the general election (Tuesday, Nov. 3).

La Familia Vota: Victor Preciado, Shania Shelby, Samantha Torres & Selina Ramirez.

Ms. Selina Ramirez, the leader of Mi Familia Vota and a fervid member of the group for the past four years, was present at Pueblo’s voter registration drive, along with three other members of MFV: Mr. Victor Preciado, Shania Shelby and Samantha Torres.

“We [Mi Familia Vota] really want young people to vote,” Torres said. “The youngest age group of voters is and has historically been the least active on election days. We want to change that statistic. We especially want to appeal to Hispanics, who have the lowest voter participation among all ethnicities.”

Mi Familia Vota visits Pueblo sometimes as often as twice a month, and the group has already registered many students who will be 18 by November. The number of registering students has dwindled a bit due to the high number of students who have already registered.

“Still—every new registered voter means a great deal to us and the political process,” Torres said.

She added that she and her co-workers try to reach as many prospective Latino voters to participate—even going door-to-door to educate and inform others to vote.

“We welcome any Pueblo students who are 16 or older to help us spread the word,” Torres said. “Students can earn $15 per hour, up to five hours per day, by joining our group.”

If interested, get in touch with a local Mi Familia Vota office at: mifamiliavota.org.