Congratulations to the following students for their work in partnering with the House of Neighborly Service (33rd street & 8th Avenue) and providing a garden and it’s produce for elementary age students all the way up to Sr. Citizens to enjoy. They prepared the garden and planted it in September and the garden is still going strong.
Warriors Volunteer Their Time
The team consisted of Mario Acosta, Mina Van Gorder, Bernadette Romero, Conrad Jones, Joey Caicedo, Anyssa Garcia, Marina Padilla, Ezra Valenzuela and Eddie Flores
Many thanks to Maria Bicknell, Dolores Carrion, Travis Klein, Lolly Levine, Liz Raizk, Elaine Straub, Emma Tarazon, and our partners at HNS, Josefina Ahumada and Michele Orduna for making the garden a reality for the community.
For Salma Reyes-Flores, the dream of becoming a pediatrician just got a little closer. Reyes-Flores, a Class of 2014 Senior at Pueblo Magnet High School, is one of only 10 students in the state to be named a Baird Scholar and to receive a four-year scholarship to the University of Arizona’s Honors College.
The scholarship is for $10,000 each year and is renewable for four years. To earn the scholarship, Reyes-Flores wrote essays, provided letters of recommendation and met ACT score and sustained a top-notch GPA. That last one hasn’t always been easy.
Reyes-Flores is close to her father. He’s a big support for her, and he goes away for long periods to work in the fishing ship industry.
“It’s hard when he’s gone,” Reyes-Flores said. “I don’t feel like I can do much.”
Family is important to the soft-spoken senior. She has two older brothers who attend the University of Arizona, and she knew that was the school for her, too. She wants to be close to home.
While Reyes-Flores hasn’t yet identified her undergrad major, she knows it will in the sciences. She said the science instructors at Pueblo have inspired her.
“I wasn’t really into science before high school. When I came here, I really got into it,” she said.
Reyes-Flores said she didn’t realize the scholarship was possible until Ruben Romero, Pueblo’s college and career coordinator, told her about it.
Romero said one of the remarkable things about Reyes-Flores is what she has achieved at her age. At 16, she is younger than her peers, yet she performs at a high level.
“She has always been focused. She’s quiet, but confidently quiet,” he said. “She has always been at the top of her class.”
Three Pueblo Magnet High School Class of 2015 Juniors have been accepted into the Arizona Ivy League Project, a two-year program that develops students’ leadership and academic skills, takes them on a tour of the East Coast and prepares them to apply for and attend Ivy League institutions.
Ashley Parra, Jose Toro and Cecilia Machado were chosen from a field of 50 applicants and are the only students from Tucson accepted this year. They will attend leadership classes in Phoenix during their first year in the program and will visit eight Ivy League campuses during the trip to the East Coast in the spring. In their senior year, they will attend classes that help them apply to the universities.
All three students are excited about the trip. For Parra and Machado, it will be their first time on an airplane and their first time leaving Arizona.
“I’m most excited about seeing the campuses, the variety there,” Parra said. “I’m excited about meeting the admissions officers. It’s like a golden ticket.”
The Arizona Ivy League Project is open to sophomores and juniors who come from an economically disadvantaged background and have at least a 3.75 grade average. The application process includes providing teacher recommendations, writing three essays and undergoing an interview with an admissions panel.
The students said hard work and focus have been essential to reaching their goals, and that hasn’t always been easy. Managing their time can be a challenge.
“I have to study. I don’t get to be that teenager, but I’m making myself a better opportunity,” Machado said.
Toro has had similar experiences. “It’s kind of a struggle to keep up our grades, studying for hours upon hours at night,” he said.
All three Ivy League Project winners said teachers at Pueblo have helped and inspired them. “Coming into high school is intimidating,” Toro said. “My teachers motivated me to do my best, even when I didn’t think I could.”
The Pueblo students will be holding fundraisers to cover the cost of the East Coast trip, where they will tour eight campuses and meet with admissions and other personnel. They can also accept tax-credit donations. See our tax credit webpages to learn more about making a donation.
About the winners:
Jose Toro
Career plans: Doctor of chiropractic
Dream school: Harvard because of its reputation, but open to all
Quote: “In the interview, they asked who our role models are. I said the Pope.”
Ashley Parra
Career plans: Veterinarian (heavy on research)
Dream school: Looking for one that fits her
Quote: “My dad is really proud. I’m a first-generation college student.”
Cecilia Machado
Career plans: Pediatrician
Dream school: Looking at Yale or Georgetown
Quote: “Everyone wants to go along on the trip. They want to go in my suitcase.”
Event to celebrate three TUSD schools that won national
Bronze Awards in HealthierUS School Challenge
C.E. Rose, Tully elementary schools, Pueblo High lauded for improvements in food, nutrition, exercise
Tucson, AZ, November 15, 2013 – Three Tucson Unified School District schools will be honored for earning a Bronze Award in the HealthierUS School Challenge at a celebration on Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at Pueblo High School’s auditorium, 3500 S. 12th Ave.
C.E. Rose and Tully elementary schools and Pueblo Magnet High School earned the designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s voluntary healthy school initiative by meeting criteria in three areas: offering healthful food options, providing nutrition education and increasing physical activity.
The TUSD schools are the only schools in Tucson to be recognized with the awards, and Pueblo is the first high school in Arizona to win the award.
At the celebration, each school will showcase activities their teams accomplished to earn the award, and students will share their stories. TUSD’s Food Services department will host a taste-test exhibit featuring new FUSION stations that have been added to some school cafeterias. FUSION menu items incorporate cuisines from around the world.
Mary Szafranski, associate superintendent for Health and Nutrition Services at the Arizona Department of Education, will present the awards. TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, community partners and other representatives from the Arizona Department of Education will be in attendance to congratulate the schools.
Shirley Sokol, director of TUSD’s Food Services, and her department have worked closely with the schools and their nutrition teams to develop menus and make changes that led to achieving the Bronze Award.
“I was impressed by activities at each school: The walking paths, the field trips to the grocery store, the school gardens that tie into lifelong lessons,” Sokol says. “Students at Pueblo High School wanted to know what they should do to incorporate a healthy diet and exercise plan into their life. I found their commitment to pass on the information they learned to their families and communities unbending.”
This past Monday, March 4 Pueblo’s Mariachi Aztlan performed at our Arizona State Capital. Three performances were given, one to Secretary of State Ken Bennett and Senators Bradley and Lopez, one on the mall between the House and Senate and the third was at the opening of senate meeting.
Pueblo's Mariachi Aztlan Performs At Arizona State Capitol
Pueblo students with Secretary Bennett and Senators Bradley and Lopez.
This is the first time a student group has been invited to perform for a senate meeting. The students received a standing ovation by all the senators. The House plans to extend an invitation in the future and the comments from everyone were of the highest compliment.
Secretary Bennett, Senators Bradley & Lopez And Teachers
Fine Arts Teachers with Secretary Bennett and the Senators.
We are so proud of our Mariachi representing our school at the local, state and national level!
Congratulations to musicians Mia Enos, Alfonso Gutierrez, and Saul Melendez for a job well done at the Southwest Honor Band held on January 10-12 at the University of Arizona. All three made the Honor Symphonic Band and performed with over 60 other very talented high school musicians from around the state.
Saul Melendez, Mia Enos & Alfonso Gutierrez Honored (From Left to Right)
Top honors go to Saul Melendez who was the top tenor saxophone player in the Symphonic Band and Mia Enos who performed so well that she was offered a scholarship to attend the U of A School of Music in the Fall!
These same three musicians will move on to the auditions for the Arizona Music Educators Association South Central Regional Honor Band next weekend at the U of A’s School of Music.
Pueblo is proud of these very talented members of our Warrior Band and wish them well as they continue to represent our school across Arizona!
