Baxter: Wally The Warrior’s Greatest Rival

By Jose Nagore & Julian Tellez

Baxter, a two and a half-year-old Boston Terrier, has become a “regular” at Pueblo with his owner, teacher Ms. Christina Benitez, making students and teachers smile throughout the day.

Baxter was adopted by Benitez back in 2021 and can be found roaming around Pueblo, mainly within Benitez’s Credit Recovery classroom, Room 254.

“I love Baxter!” said math teacher Ms. Rhesa Olsen, whose classroom is adjacent to Benitez’ room. “He is adorable and very comforting!”

According to Benitez, Baxter was at first “smuggled” into Pueblo, but admin liked the idea of Baxter improving morale at Pueblo and allowed him to keep returning. Baxter has been helping students stay positive during his “visits” ever since.

“I like it when Baxter is in the classroom,” said junior Skylese Grajeda, a student in Benitez’ classroom. “He really makes me feel relaxed in the classroom.”

Benitez lost her previous dog after 12 years.

She said, “I felt lonely without a companion, and I kept going to animal shelters to find a new pet. It wasn’t until I went to Animal Kingdom that I found Baxter. He licked my leg, and I felt like Baxter chose me to adopt him.”

Benitez hopes that Baxter will stay with her throughout the rest of her teaching career.

Medhi Wins December 2023 ‘Bake-Off’

By Desiree Noriega

Once again, Pueblo High School’s faculty had an opportunity to boast their delectable creations; last quarter, the competition was “chips and salsa”, and this time around, on Dec. 14, faculty members showcased their favorite baked goods in the “December Bake-Off”.

This contest’s winner, journalism teacher Mr. Rana Medhi, entered his “pineapple upside-down cheesecake” dessert.

“Not to sound overly confident, but I knew I’d win,” Medhi said. “This dessert is a family recipe that has been passed down through the generations. It wins at every competition.”

Math teacher Ms. Taylor Pacheco, said, “I think Mr. Medhi’s dessert should not have won for having to replace the whipped cream.”

Pacheco’s dessert, “Oreo Balls”, won second place.

Third-place winner, librarian Ms. Marsha-Jean Burrola, said, “I’ve seen better days.”

Burrola’s dessert was truffles.

MTTS Coordinator, Ms. Brenda Levinson-McCune, organized this event, although she said that it was Ms. Karla Martinez’ (assistant principal) idea to have a faculty “Bake-Off” before the end of the semester.

“This contest was to celebrate the holidays, but it was a bit of a struggle with everybody so busy with the end of the semester and preparing for Christmas,” Levinson-McCune said.

She added that she will continue these food competitions next semester.

“I’d like to organize at least two more contests this school year,” she said. “I would like to have themed contests, but I’m still brainstorming ideas for future events like this.”

New Tool For Seniors: ‘FAFSA Night’

By Jonathan Redondo & Emely Villanueva

This year, Dr. Manuel Avila (Pueblo’s College and Career Readiness Coordinator), along with some assistance, is hosting weekly FAFSA and “College Nights”. He hosts workshops every Wednesday after school in the Special Projects room to inform and educate seniors about scholarships opportunities and to help them create an “FSA” identification in order to fill out the requirements for FAFSA.

There are multiple topics to be covered within these meetings, including the following topics: college and university applications; to learn scholarship programs; scholarships for DACA and undocumented students; upcoming scholarships; and creating an FSA ID account.

Avila said, “Even though some students or parents might not have a social security number or anything of the sort, there are many ways for students to complete something like FAFSA that can help with going to college or university.”

Creating an FSA ID account is a crucial step to filling out FAFSA, which is one of Pueblo’s graduation requirements. The FSA ID account is the account in which you will access the FAFSA application. Starting this year both the parent and student will need one of these accounts.

“Parents’ jobs are much easier this year since FAFSA goes directly through their social security ID to their taxes,” said Avila.

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is an application for students to receive aid from the government to fund their college or university. FAFSA rewards students who meet the requirements that demonstrate financial need to attend a college or university.

Avila stated, “My focus is to get all the students that I can, to create an FSA ID to complete FAFSA to help them graduate and find a career in their post-secondary education.”

In past years, FAFSA would open Oct. 1, but now it is opening Dec. 31. The FAFSA application is opening later this year because there have been many changes that the government wants to implement to make FAFSA shorter. FAFSA used to require students to fill out 103 questions but this year they have shortened it, and some applicants can answer as little as 18 questions on this new form.

“This is why FAFSA will go directly into your parents’ taxes instead of you doing it yourself. Because of the later open date and new changes in the system, it will be easier for students and parents,” he added.

This new form also involves the parents more in the application process. To fill out your FAFSA, the student will need to fill out around 45 questions, and then the student must invite their parent to also fill out a separate questionnaire and enter their tax information directly from the IRS.

From then, the parent will have 40 days to complete and submit the application, or the student will have to redo their own application.

Although Avila focuses on the process of FAFSA, these workshops are also if you need help with college or scholarship applications. He added that he is happy to help any student fill out any application for a post-secondary education as it fits with one of his principles of getting 99.99 percent of the senior class to have a post-secondary course.

Avila said, “Students should be checking deadlines for priority and regular decision application to make sure they are getting their application in on time.”

December 2023 Grads: On Their Way

By Briana L. Barreda

On Tuesday, Dec. 19, more than a dozen Pueblo High School students earned their secondary education diploma, and most attended a graduation ceremony the same day—held at Catalina High School, along with more than 100 other students from across TUSD.

Congratulations to the following December graduates:

Bryssa Alcantar; Jacob Amado; Angel Avalos Dorame; Kara Bertsch; Daritza Bravo Zavala; Moses Carpintero Sainz; Mariana Heredia; Krystal Hidalgo-Enriquez; Adrian Perez; Esteven Ruiz Hong; Steven Redondo; Jaime Rivera; Nathaly Salazar; and Senida Santiago.

Kara Bertsch

Most of these students needed an extra semester to fulfill credit requirements, and a few, like Kara Bertsch, graduated a semester early.

Bertsch said that she has saved enough money to live on her own and to attend college and eventually join the military.

“College is my ultimate goal, and so is serving my country in the military,” said Bertsch. “I decided to graduate a semester early because I feel mature enough to do so.”

Bertsch describes her three and half years at Pueblo as “exciting” and “fun”. She enjoyed her participation in sports, including swim and football as well as being part of Student Council and enrolling in AP classes.

“My experience here all of my four years went really well, considering all the positive experiences and opportunities I have gained,” Bertsch said.

Despite an amazing high school experience, Bertsch said that she has also endured some hard times and acknowledges Mr. Abel Escalante for support and encouragement.

“I thank Mr. Escalante for being there for me during my toughest times and encouraging me to meet my goals and graduate early,” Bertsch said.

As a Pueblo senior graduating early, Bertsch would like to give advice to her fellow Warriors struggling with challenges.

“I want to let everybody know that high school is important for you before going into the real world, so it is very important to finish strong. You’re almost there.”

Ms. Rhesa Olsen Retires After Decade At Pueblo

By Arnold Ochoa

After 10 years of passionate teaching at Pueblo High School, Ms. Rhesa Olsen said: “It’s time to retire.”

For the past decade at PHS, Olsen taught various levels of algebra and financial math to more than a thousand Warriors.

“It’s gone by so fast, and I can’t believe 10 years have come and gone!” Olsen said. “It’s been a pleasure.”

Despite missing all her great students—past and present—she said that she won’t miss the alarm clock going off at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Olsen’s early life was about living in many wonderful places in the country. Olsen’s father was an officer in the U.S. Air Force, so she and her family moved frequently. Her favorite places to live were Oahu, HI (grades three through five), and Alexandria, VA, where she graduated from high school.

Olsen then moved to Tallahassee, FL, to begin her teaching career in the late 1970’s at Godby High School. She then taught calculus and algebra at Tallahassee Community College and various algebra classes at Ivy Tech State College in Indianapolis.

“When I first started teaching, educators used chalkboards and mimeograph machines,” Olsen said. “I’d go home each evening with different colored chalk on my clothes, hair, and face—as well as purple ink on my hands from the stencils. Promethean Boards have certainly made teaching easier and less messy!”

After retirement, Olsen has a lot on her “To Do” list. She is looking forward to volunteering her time at a few animal shelters as well as tutoring math and reading at a local elementary school.

“I’m also excited about visiting friends and family [during retirement],” she said. “I look forward to traveling—especially to places I haven’t yet visited, including Alaska and Costa Rica.”

With so much on Olsen’s “plate” after this semester, she said that she will still miss her love of teaching and many of her students.

“I think what I’ll miss most are the times when I observed students beginning to enjoy math in my classes,” she said. “I loved seeing students ‘get it’—and when they realized that math isn’t so scary after all. I will also miss former students coming back to visit to tell me what they’re doing with their lives since high school.”

Although 10 years of teaching at Pueblo has been just a fraction of Olsen’s total educational career, she said that she will miss the camaraderie between other teachers both while at Pueblo and after hours.

“There is a lot to say before retirement,” Olsen said, “but I think what I want to say foremost is that I hope that I have encouraged students to be amazed at the beauty, fun and magic of math. I also want kids to know that one learns from making mistakes, and that they should always try. If they don’t try, they won’t know.”

Olsen would like to end her teaching career by quoting poet/writer George Eliot: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

She hopes students will heed the message in Eliot’s words.

Senior Graduates Early, Off To The Marines

By Aubrey Medina & Dania Navarrette

Before Pueblo High School student Jacob Amado develops “senioritis” next semester, he has decided to graduate early and begin a five-year military commitment in the United States Marines Corp.

Amado, still 17, will earn his high school diploma at the end of this semester and head off to “boot camp” for three months in San Diego, Calif., next month.

“I have been committed to the military since the end of my sophomore year,” Amado said. “I had a feeling two years ago that I wouldn’t be able to stay focused in college, so my decision to serve my country has been a wise one. I don’t want to waste any time or money in college when I’m still not sure what life career I want to pursue.”

After boot camp and a brief break, Amado said he will then be stationed in Virginia for approximately five months before finding out his next assignment which could involve guarding American embassies around the world and a few years of infantry.

“Nothing is as hard as you might think it is,” Amado said, advising his peers that they should never abandon their dreams no matter how challenging they may seem to be.

Amado worked especially hard this past semester to complete his high school credits early.

“The moment I committed to a future in the military, I stayed focused on completing this [Pueblo High School] chapter of my life,” he said.

Amado said that he does plan to attend the district’s ceremony for December 2023 graduates at Catalina High School so that he could officially have “closure” to this part of his life.

Although he said he will miss his family, friends, dogs and the “comforts of home”, Amado is eager to venture to boot camp on January 8, 2024.

“There will always be something [in Tucson] to return to,” he said, “but this [military commitment] is the next chapter of my life.”

[Amado is the grandson of campus monitor Ms. Nellie Rivera.]