Free Super Bowl Tickets For Lucky Warrior!

By Gabriela Gastelum and Isaac Montiel

Cesar Rivera surprised with Superbowl tickets!

Our very own Warrior, senior Cesar Rivera, was totally surprised with Super Bowl XLIX (49) tickets—as well as vouchers for transportation costs.

Comcast NBC Universal and The Boys and Girls Club of Tucson teamed to make one deserving member’s dream come true with two tickets to the Super Bowl; and, on Friday, Jan. 16, that lucky person was Cesar Rivera.

Rivera said, “I was just sitting in the background waiting to get interviewed until a guy just came up to me with two tickets telling me that I’m going to the Super Bowl. Of course, without any hesitations, I said ‘YES!’” He paused and added, “With my other ticket, I took my dad.”

Rivera said that the two-hour trip to Glendale, Ariz., was very “adventurous”—in fact, he said, “ “It was sick!”, referring to his intense enthusiasm for the experience.

“I met so many NFL players such as Larry Fitzgerald, Odell Beckham, Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers and Colin Kaepernick.”

Cesar Rivera met some of his favorite players at the Superbowl

Rivera said that he and his father left Tucson on the Thursday before the Super Bowl and returned home on Monday, the day after the event.

“My dad and I took a tour of the Cardinal football field,” Rivera said, “and then we went tailgating before heading to the big game. We were seated near the [Seattle] Seahawks’ end zone, although there were a lot of [New England] Patriots fans around me.” Rivera said, “I even got to see the fight that went down between the two teams!”

Rivera said that despite all of the excitement he experienced, the most amazing moment was being in the front row seats to the NFL honors show.

“It’s like being at the Grammy’s,” Rivera said. “But instead of music, great NFL players were being honored.”

He added, “Since it was my first time attending the honors award show, I didn’t know we were supposed to be dressed fancy, so my dad and I went right away to rent some neat tuxedos.”

Cesar Rivera will never forget Superbowl XLIX

Say ‘Cheese’! Warriors Enjoy Benefits of Photography Class

By Holly Pogue

Iram Arce interviews Annalisa Verdugo

Pueblo offers many electives to its more than 1,500 students, and one of the most integral branches of the communication magnet program is photography, which provides students beginning and advanced classes.

Sophomore Jacqueline Guerrero wholeheartedly believes that students should enroll in photography classes in the future because of the many benefits the program offers; she attests to how beginning photography has helped her in numerous ways.

“This class truly has prepared me to be more professional and to interact with others,” Guerrero said. “I’ve really learned how to express myself better.”

She said that she enjoys how teacher Ms. Emma Tarazon gives her and her peers opportunities to go out of the classroom and take pictures—not just randomly but specifically for Tarazon’s assignments.

“Sometimes she [Ms. Tarazon] wants very precise pictures,” Guerrero said. “Everything we do is for a purpose. We are being prepared to be advanced photo students, and I intend to stick to this program hopefully all four years of high school.”

Felicity Aguilar interviewing Ms. Tarazon

Students use the Macs frequently—learning an array of photography editing skills, including restoring old photographs and learning how to remove unwanted objects in pictures to make them more aesthetic.

Guerrero said that she has also enjoyed learning how to use different cameras, including film cameras and learning how to develop pictures “the old-school” way.

“I really encourage other students to enroll in this program because photography will help them to become better people,” Guerrero affirmed. “You’ll learn how to view the world in a different way and be more positive, which is always a good thing.”

Another student, Analise Verdugo, who transferred to Pueblo from Cienega High School last semester, said that she is glad that she enrolled in photography because she is not only having fun but also learning a lot of strategies about photography.

Verdugo said, “I really enjoy the days when we students are allowed to go outside—to take a break from being cooped up inside of a classroom—and learning new techniques about photography, including lighting and shadows. And, who doesn’t like taking pictures? This is such a great class!”

Despite having some mixed classes of beginning and advanced photography students, teacher Ms. Emma Tarazon has observed improvements with her first-year students.

She said, “Despite the agonizing challenges of teaching two totally different groups of students at once, I’ve had to somehow make it work like a lot of electives teachers at Pueblo.” She paused and added, “It’s not fair for the advanced students to be with beginning students, although there are opportunities for job-shadowing, which is a valid way to teach beginning students and reinforce what my experienced photography students already know.”

One student, sophomore Kimberly Teran, said that she enjoys her beginning photography so much that she is considering a career as a photographer.

“Ms. Tarazon has truly been helpful and has taught me so much in a short period of time regarding photography,” Teran said. “This is one of the very few classes I’ve had at Pueblo that has been both fun and academically rewarding.”

Uomoto ReTIRES from Pueblo, Expands Bike Business

By Julio Moreno

After a dozen years as a science teacher at Pueblo Magnet High School, Mr. James Uomoto decided to retire last month at the end of the first semester —or, as he would prefer to call it: “to switch his focus.”

Since ’02, Uomoto taught freshman integrated science and physics. He occasionally interjected to his students not only his enthusiasm for his subject matter, but his passion for his other job—owning and maintaining a motorized bicycle shop, which he affectionately calls “U-MOTO Motorized Bicycles”.

“I am not actually retiring,” Uomoto asserted. “I’m just transitioning to my business full-time.”

Although excited for the success of his bike business, Uomoto said that he could not deny his sadness about leaving Pueblo, his home, after 12 years.

“I will definitely miss helping students grow and achieve, being part of the process of helping student better themselves,” he said. “I’m also going to miss the faculty and staff here at Pueblo because they are truly the standard of excellent education.”

Uomoto said that he was inspired by his father, an Amphi Middle School teacher, to become an educator after witnessing the joy that his students brought to him.

He added that education is not a particularly easy field to dive into, but wants future educators to know some of the most valuable lessons he has learned while at Pueblo.

“You [new teachers] definitely need to develop a sense of humor early on,” Uomoto said, “and don’t take things to seriously or you’ll go crazy!”

“Teaching always comes with its share of challenges,” he said. Uomoto’s biggest challenge, he said,” was finding new ways to inspire students and to engage them intellectually.”

“The challenge is to motivate students to find the answers as to why they need to pursue education in life,” he said. “It’s a good challenge, though, don’t get me wrong. Anything in life worth doing is a challenge, and I appreciate it because it has helped me become better at my craft.

With a heavy heart, Pueblo Magnet High School says its goodbyes to Mr. James Uomoto and wishes him luck in all of his future endeavors.

If you would like to learn more about U-MOTO Bicycles, visit umotobikes.com.

Student Advances to Spring ‘Bee’ Finals

By Gabriela Gastelum

Bernadette Romero Wins Pueblo Bee in 2014

The annual Vocabulary Bee was the buzz earlier this semester, and on Nov. 24, two Pueblo Magnet High School students competed—sophomore Valentino Lugo, and the victor, junior Bernadette Romero.

According to counselor Ms. Teresa Toro, the Academic Scholar Club wants to address the need for the students to use the most frequently used words on the SAT/ACT in order to help them be more successful for higher college-entrance exam scores and also to increase their diction in all writing assignments.

“Last year, I lost the Bee,” Romero said, “so I’ve been studying ever since because I really wanted to be the champion this school year. For the past year, I’ve been practicing using all the words in sentences—and I even tried to use these words on a daily basis.” She paused and added, “I felt very successful as the Vocabulary Bee champion this semester.”

“The Vocabulary Bee started with great support, but unfortunately, the enthusiasm seemed to wane,” Toro said. “Maybe we can generate more enthusiasm next year because we really want our students to increase their word choice.”

Toro said, “This contest is not a traditional spelling bee. Students are not required to spell the vocabulary word. But, they do have to enunciate the words, know their definitions and be able to utilize the words in sentences.”
She added that it’s not too early to promote interest for next year’s Vocabulary Bee, and if students are interested in participating, they should find a teacher-mentor who would like to spend time preparing them for the next Vocabulary Bee in the fall of 2015.

Romero has been rewarded with a Samsung Galaxy tablet and will have the opportunity to have lunch with her mentor and Pueblo’s principal Dr. Augustine Romero, on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Mr. Jesus Orduño, Romero’s teacher mentor, was awarded a tote bag full of school supplies.

Students Attend Camp, Learn Leadership Skills

By Julie Harrison and Cynthia Rojas

Pueblo SkillsUSA Students attend Camp

Pueblo Magnet High School’s SkillsUSA 10 club members and its two advisors attended the 2014 SkillsUSA leadership training camp in Williams, AZ, for three days, Nov. 12-14.

One of the primary objectives of this trip was to train SkillsUSA members to build leadership skills and to unite the group through a multitude of activities during the three-day event.

“The trip was very helpful—not only for me personally but for the entire group as well,” said Jesus Alvarez, a senior. He added, “We were able to bring back ice-breaking techniques and learn new ways to become effective leaders.”

During their trip, SkillsUSA members networked with other SkillsUSA groups and programs across the state, and in the process, they learned their own strengths and weaknesses as well as communication skills between their own members and other groups.

When the students arrived, they had the opportunity to set up their cabin rooms. Then, they had a chance to socialize with other students until opening session that evening. At this session, students listened to a key-note speaker who engaged them in ice-breaking activities. Dinner followed this session, and then students were divided into six regional meetings.

A dodge ball tournament, which was hosted and organized by one of the Tucson schools (Canyon Del Oro), followed the meetings, and Pueblo’s team advanced to the semi-final tournament.

The next day, the students participated in various classes that provided them with a multitude of leadership activities and trainings.

Advisor Pete Pederson, who also teaches graphic arts and the yearbook, said, “As an advisor, I also was able to gain knowledge of how to incorporate my students’ talents and their individuality into the classroom. This camp helped me with altering my curriculum in a way that built a community and develop student leadership.”

Pederson added that he noticed that members who attended this camp were already exemplifying better and stronger leadership qualities upon their return to Pueblo.

Ms. Marie Little, the other SkillsUSA advisor, said, “I picked up materials in leadership and personal responsibility that can be integrated in automotive skills and utilized by myself and my students in the delivery of instruction.”

Leonardo Serrano, a senior, said, “When we got back from this trip, we decided to plan a new lesson with Ms. [Marie] Little. We participated in ice-breakers, and gained a lot of knowledge about each other.” He added, “This trip and all of the activities that we did during those days really brought us together while helping us students to become better leaders.”

Warrior Wrestling Finishes 7th At William Bell Tournament

This past weekend, the Warrior Wrestling team participated in the TUSD William Bell Wrestling Tournament.

As a team, Pueblo ended up with a 5 win, 3 loss tournament record, which was not bad considering we fielded only 10 out of 14 possible wrestling weight classes. Pueblo ended up in 7th place out of 15 teams and qualified 6 wrestlers for the individual mini- tournament. In this part of the tournament, we finished in 4th place with those 6 wrestlers.

Anthony Montiel takes down opponent at William Bell Tournament 2014

We are very proud of the performance these young men gave and are anticipating an excellent season, especially when we get back some key wrestlers in January. Sadly, Anthony Montiel dislocated his shoulder and will not be able to continue. He was undefeated in his 4th match when it happened and ended up with a 3-1 record.

Congratulations to following wrestlers:

Champions

132- Christian Felix (Jr)
160- Samuel Sierra (Fr)

Runner-up Champion

220- George Majuta (Jr)

3rd Place
195- Miguel Moreno (Jr)
285- Ares Benitez (Jr)

4th Place
113- Nick Gallegos (So)

The other young men who also wrestled and did well are;
126- Matt Luna (Jr)
145- Lazaro Tovar-Fimbres (Jr)
152- Billy Bertsch (So)
170- Anthony Montiel (Sr)