Pueblo High School

‘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.”

Cristobal Santa Cruz Receives Collegiate Award

By Isaiah Sotelo

Out of 305 nominees from 38 states and 17 countries, Pueblo U.S. history teacher Mr. Cristobal Santa-Cruz was nominated and selected as one of this year’s winners of the prestigious Yale Educator Award, which recognizes high school educators who have motivated and supported students to go and be “above and beyond”.

These educators are nominated by students, and these nominations are reviewed by admissions officers at Yale University.

“I felt privileged because I know that several teachers deserved this award,” said Santa Cruz, who was nominated by Pueblo High School’s Class of 2021 valedictorian Yakeleen Almazán, currently attending Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

“Once I read the Yale Educator Award prompt, I automatically thought of Mr. Santa Cruz.” said Almazán.

Almazán thanks Santa Cruz for all of the encouragement he gave her. She believes that because of his support, she was accepted to Yale and was selected for one of the most prestigious scholarships for high school students.

“Not only did he touch my life, but he is legendary at Pueblo for his amazing lectures and the motivation he instills within his students,” Almazán said.

She added that Santa Cruz’ interactive style of teaching allows his students to be engaged in their classwork and deeply interested in the subject.

“I can honestly say that I was never bored—not even once—while I was in his classroom,” Almazan said. “I was always fully attentive and fascinated during his lectures.”

Ms. Mary Wallace, an economics teacher at Pueblo, added that Santa Cruz has been an unconditional ally to his co-educators and staff throughout their years of teaching.

“He is the most amazing teacher I ever met,” said Wallace. “When I was a first-year teacher, he took me under his wing and helped me so much. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it my first year.”

Santa Cruz, who has been teaching at Pueblo for 29 years, was publicly recognized for this award at Pueblo’s Homecoming game on Oct. 1.

“When my students leave my class, my hope is that they have the skills that help them become literate members of our society and that they adhere to a tenacious spirit that helps them further their education in the field they choose to follow,” he said.

Unsportsmanlike Behavior Taints Homecoming Game

By Victoria Cazares

When one thinks of the word “sportsmanship”, one generally thinks of playing fairly and losing with grace and winning with dignity. However, that’s not exactly what happened during and after Pueblo’s homecoming game on Friday, Oct. 1.

Pueblo hosted Arcadia High School from Phoenix, Ariz., and although our guests were a heavy favorite, the Warriors barely missed the opportunity for a victory in the last seconds of the game. In the end, the Bulldogs clenched the win with a score of 12-7.

One might think that our victors would show some grace for their win—especially on another team’s field in another city.

According to our varsity players and our coaches, members on the opposing team showed disgraceful and unfortunate disrespect as well as blatantly unsportsmanlike behavior during and after the game.

“Name-calling and negative comments were already posted by Arcadia High School [on social media] days before the game was played, saying they were going to beat us 49-0,” said Miguel Moreira, a junior. “Despite our loss, we definitely made Arcadia earn that win. However, their name-calling during the game was uncalled for.”

Our Warrior football players heard a series of classless names from opposing team members, referring to Pueblo’s players as “South Side trash,” “a team of thugs,” and “beaners.” A few players said that they heard Arcadia football players wishing that our school would have a “boring homecoming.”

“What Arcadia did was very was disrespectful and immature,” said senior Daidryan Mendivil. “Their behavior was uncalled for. Why couldn’t they just enjoy their win and acknowledge that it was a well-played game for both teams?”

“We felt really disrespected,” said quarterback Diego Ramirez, a junior. “The bad sportsmanship after the game got out of hand, and there was no need for all of that.”

According to observers, Arcadia’s coaches failed to control their team or to show true leadership—as they, too, were part of the unsportsmanlike behavior.

“I was really shocked that [Arcadia] coaches were laughing at their players mocking us,” said senior George Molina, who is an “unofficial” manager of the team and a formidable mentor to many of the Pueblo’s football players. “I thought that coaches were supposed to be positive role models for their team members.”

Pueblo’s head coach, Mr. Jake Allen, was glad the tensions did not escalate to the point where things got physical.

“Things got a little out of hands, for sure,” said Allen. “The way Arcadia behaved created a pretty intense and uncomfortable environment for us, but we managed to keep our cool.”

Pueblo’s cheerleaders were also verbally harassed by some of Arcadia’s players, as many of the cheerleaders had to endure “unpleasant” comments.

One of those cheerleaders, junior Karolina Carrillo, said, “At the end of game, I heard some of the Arcadia players calling us ‘sluts’, and they kept bothering us. I had to ask [security monitor Ms.] Nellie [Rivera] to walk with me so that I felt safer.”

Pueblo High School Principal Mr. Frank Rosthenhausler said, “Everything begins with leadership, and it’s clear that the Arcadia High School coaches failed to show this to their players.”

He paused and said, “I’m proud of our football team and how they handled themselve

‘Project Contact’ Rolls Back To Pueblo Campus

By Victoria Cazares & Adam Bonillas

Pima County Health Services Van at Pueblo.

Project Contact has returned to Pueblo High School.

This service is an outlet to educate students about preventing sexually-transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy and to provide knowledge about having safe sex.

Nurse Kate Straub contacted this program to be a part of the Pueblo community as a way to keep our students safe and educated about sex.

“Project Contact is a fantastic!” said Straub. “This service reduces students’ chances of getting pregnant,” said Straub, “as well as keeping them informed about sexually-transmitted diseases.”

Project Contact is part of the Pima County Health Department and is on campus every second and fourth Monday of the month from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., located in a large RV in the southwestern part of the campus by the portables.

“Students can freely obtain information and get educated about sex, and so far this service has been a positive experience for students,” Straub said. “Hundreds of students have already taken advantage of Project Contact,” said Straub.

She added that this service provides free and confidential advice to students; contraception, condoms, and STD testing and treatment to all Pueblo students is available.

Students interested in visiting this service can sign up in the nurse’s office; students will be discreetly called out of class whenever the Project Contact RV is on campus.

Straub said, “Nobody is going to know your [students’] business, so there’s no need for anybody to feel embarrassed. Everything is confidential.”

A senior, who wishes anonymity, said she had a “very positive” experience visit to Project Contact.

She said, “These medical professionals were genuinely nice. I learned a lot during my visit and recommend that if students need this kind of advice or help to sign up for this free service.”

Straub said that she is planning to continue this program for as long as she can, labeling it “a great resource” for the Pueblo community.

“For now, Project Contact is here to stay,” she added.

This service is also available at TAPP (Teenage Parent Program) and Tucson High School.

“Project Contact would like to visit other schools—as the service will be available to anywhere if the program is embraced by schools’ administrators and nurses,” Straub said.

“I’m just happy that we are lucky enough to have this service available to our Pueblo community,” she said.

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.”

Kickoff Game 2021 Against Sahuaro Postponed

by Marla Terminel

After members of both teams went under isolation for COVID-19 risk and exposure, Pueblo’s first kickoff game against Sahuaro High School, originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 2, was postponed due to protocols.

The match was one of two that are a part of Southern Arizona’s 11th annual “Coaches for Charity Kickoff” event.

“It [the cancelation] was unfortunate, but due to an abundance of caution, it had to happen,” said Pueblo’s athletic director, Coach Miguel “Miggs” Sandoval.

Pueblo’s football season will now open on Friday, Sept. 10, at Rincon/University High School.

“It was sad at the moment, but I realized the season wouldn’t be cancelled,” said Josiah Gastelum, a sophomore on this year’s varsity squad. He added that despite the untimely circumstances, postponing the game would also give the team more time to practice for the late kickoff game. “Having more time to prepare for this season may be a blessing from the football gods.”

Mr. Jesus Jacquez, Pueblo’s band director and music teacher, said that COVID-19 has been a constant barrier on everyone’s lives, as it is one that impacts athletes, performers, as well as the entire student body and staff individually.

Through the heightened health procedures and cancelled events, the team has not only learned to overcome challenges, but have thrived with their resources.

The Kickoff game against Sahuaro will now be held Thursday, Oct. 29.

“COVID isn’t stopping us,” Gastelum said. “We’ll keep getting better and work hard through our problems as a team.”