Pueblo High School

Youth On Their Own Shelters Warriors

YOTO, also known as Youth On Their Own, was established in 1986 by Ann Young at Amphitheater High School in hopes of helping homeless teens. This program was made possible with the help of local churches, local foundations and many concerned citizens in Pima County.

Today, YOTO continues to help financially unstable students who are invested in academics. Pueblo’s Learning Support Coordinator, Ms. Veronica Vironet, who has worked with YOTO for three years described the way the program has grown throughout the years.

“Today we are doing a better job of promoting the program and giving more recognition to its purpose and what it does to help students,” said Vironet.

Veronica Vironet - Learning Support Coordinator — Veronica Vironet – Learning Support Coordinator

Due to higher recognition, the program has increased in student numbers in recent years.

“This year alone [2015] there are already 22 students in the YOTO program,” said Vironet, “and applications are still coming in.”

She added that the program provides financial aid to the students who are enrolled at Pueblo. This includes a stipend for satisfactory grades [A’s and B’s] and regular daily attendance.

This stipend helps students with the money they require for paying bills and/or sports or club enrollment. Besides providing financial assistance, YOTO also offers a food pantry and access to a clothing bank.

“The only requirement that students need to verify to be in this program is to prove that they are living away from their parents through no fault of their own,” Vironet said.

She said that her door is always open in the main office and that she will walk students through the process of applying for YOTO, which is now exclusively completed on-line. (www.yoto.org)

Mr. Brouillette Gives Kids A Push

By Iram Arce

One of the many new faces at Pueblo Magnet High School this school year is Mr. Ron Brouillette, who is a teacher assistant for Ms. Rebecca Baltos, an exceptional education teacher.

He is a graduate from the University of Arizona and Columbia University, and he earned a PhD in international development administration, focusing on exceptional education with an emphasis on deafness.

Brouillette applied for a Fulbright scholarship, which allowed him to move to Africa for 25 years, opening schools for the deaf.

“Africa was so wonderful, the people were natural and joyful,” Brouillette said. “I opened schools for the deaf to get them into school.”

Brouillette grew up with a deaf brother, inspiring him to dedicate his life working with people who are in need of special assistance.

“My brother taught me about disabilities,” he said. “I lived with him and lived through him, and I felt the struggles he endured.”

After 25 years in Africa, Brouillette returned to Tucson to support his daughter, who is attending the U of A. He added that it was at this time that he applied for the job here at Pueblo as a teacher’s assistant.

He said that Ms. Baltos helps him guide and support any of the students’ needs.

“Working with Ms. Baltos has been a true delight,” Brouillette said. “She’s a real pro and knows what she is doing.”

He paused and added, “These kids [at Pueblo] are smart. They just need a little push, and I’m the one who will give them a little nudge in order to help them live a successful life.”

Warriors Explore Future At Tucson College Night 2015

By América Cárdenas

Once again, Tucson College Night rocks the worlds of our seniors and juniors at Pueblo Magnet High School. An estimated 50 Pueblo students braved the lines and crowds at the Tucson Convention Center on Tuesday, September 29 from 6:30-8:30 p.m., although some seniors noted that they were speaking to college representatives way after 9:00 p.m.

More than 3,000 were in attendance—students and their families from all over Southern Arizona. All of the hard work paid off—work that is done Ms. Holly Colonna and Ms. Beth Counts who work for TUSD’s Guidance and Counseling Departments.

Pueblo Warriors At Tucson College Night 2015 — Class of 2016 Seniors Precious Wall, Sky Blue Estrella, Guadalupe Chacon, Manny Buelena & America Cardenas at Tucson College Night 2015

Sky Blue Estrella, a senior who attended College Night, said, “The event was overwhelmingly filled with high school students and a lot of college recruiters. I really enjoyed talking to some of the out of state colleges, including San Marcos College in California.” He paused and said, “If I have to, I’ll go to Pima, but I think that attending College Night really opened up my eyes and offered me many collegiate options.”

Mr. Ruben Romero, Pueblo’s College and Career coordinator, encouraged all of this year’s seniors to attend the event, and apparently he and senior teachers at Pueblo, made an impact on our students because the TCC parking lot was completely full in a reported 17 minutes!

Another senior who attended, Guadalupe Chacon, a senior, also took full advantage of the numerous colleges.

“It was fun to talk to some of the colleges from far away, including Alabama,” Chacon said. “Realistically, however, we spoke to the recruiters and reps from Arizona State University and the University of New Mexico.”

She paused and added, “This experience was a wake-up call for me and many seniors—especially since we have less than eight months [until graduation].”

Water Warriors Swim To 1st Place Team Finish

Pueblo Water Warriors Swim Team 2015 — Pueblo Warriors Swim Team 2015

Our swim team competed hard against Sahuarita and Cholla on Thursday, October 1, and even though the boys’ and girls’ teams came in second individually, as a team, we came in first place!

We have almost 30 kids swimming 1000’s of yards every day, and their hard work has started to pay off. Our Water Warriors are dropping huge times and swimming with confidence.

Come out and see them for Senior Night on October 22 at 4:00 p.m.

Congratulations to these swimmers who earned first place finishes at the meet versus Sahuarita & Cholla:

Kassandra Amaya: 200 Yard Freestyle

Damaris Ponce: 200 Yard IM

Sal Varela: 50 Yard Freestyle

Damaris Ponce, Julia Sullivan, Bernadette Romero and Kassandra Amaya: 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

Congratulations to all the Water Warriors!

Ms. Levitz: Teaching Students Life Skills

By Lauren Ahern

Many new faces are gracing the classrooms here at Pueblo for this 2015-16 school year, including Ms. Sande Levitz, who is Pueblo’s new health teacher.

Levitz, a Tucson native, earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree in conflict transformation in peace building with a focus on restorative justice from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Throughout the years, she said that she has been involved in many workshops and programs with high school students. Prior to coming to Pueblo, she was a substitute teacher in TUSD for eight years and decided to become an official teacher and apply at Pueblo.

“I feel very comfortable here [at Pueblo], and I enjoy working with all of the students,” said Levitz.

Levitz said that she plans to be a Warrior for a long time, and she wants to share with students a lot of life skills and teach them how to better problem-solve.

“I want to create a foundation, giving kids the opportunity to learn from experience,” said Levitz.

Brianna Bertsch: How Football Saved Her Life

By América Cárdenas

For the past two years, Class of 2016 Senior Brianna Bertsch has been a committed varsity football player, the only female on the field this year.

When Bertsch toured the Pueblo campus as an eighth grader, she recalls seeing the mural in the cafeteria, and one of the images was a dignified native holding a football, and this image inspired her to want to be dignified as well.

“I suffered from low-esteem because of a poor family life,” Bertsch said. “So, I knew that I had to get myself out of the gutter—and I found that sense of belonging on the football team.”

In the past four years, Bertsch has been awarded many accolades for her commitment to the football team, including the Superintendent’s Cup Scholarship as well as numerous pins and patches.

“I learned early on that I was a big girl,” Bertsch said. “I was teased a lot in elementary and middle school, but once I entered high school and tried out for football, all of the teasing ended and I started to have friends.”

She paused and said, “Being on the football team literally saved my life. I stopped a lot of bad habits in my life, and I found direction.”

Bertsch said that when she became the only girl on the boys’ football team, as a freshman, some of the players ignored her and didn’t take her seriously. “I was like a ghost to some of these players,” she said. “It wasn’t until I started breaking records in the weight room when I started to get the respect that I always thought that I deserved.”

Following high school graduation next spring, Bertsch plans to attend Pima and become a member of the AZ Prep Team, which is an organization that caters to players who may not be prepared to be on the regular college football team.

Eventually, Bertsch wants to pursue a career to be a paramedic.

“I’ve always wanted to save people—always,” she said.