Issue 1 - Fall 2011

EL GUERRERO STAFF POLICY
El Guerrero is a student-written and studentedited publication at Pueblo High Magnet
School. We acknowledge the importance
of providing a forum for student voice,
discussion and open debate.
We recognize the multicultural diversity at
Pueblo and will strive to cover the many
facets of Pueblo’s events, issues, and people.
We acknowledge that El Guerrero in no way
is a free-lance publication. We recognize
that El Guerrero’s publisher is the school
administration and ultimately the district
and that the school’s princial (or principals)
are allowed to and has the right to review
El Guerrero before publication. El Guerrero
will not be used as a public relations
tool by administration and will not avoid
controversial topics as they arise. El Guerrero
will not be used to advance selfish interests
of any group or clique of students or faculty.
It will not publish material that is libelous
(written with the intent to harm), obscene or
in bad taste.
We understand that the newspaper editor
and the staff occupy positions which
possess the power to injure individuals and
institutions, but our actions at all times will
be conditioned by restraint, a strong sense of
responsibility, and extreme care for accuracy.
Therefore, in all the editorials, in-depth
stories, signed letters, and other articles
which may be considered for publication, the
following guidelines will always be used in El
Guerrero:
All available facts that can be produced from
all pertinent sources will be obtained before
anything is written or published.
El Guerrero
2011-12
Pueblo Magnet High School
Tucson, Arizona
Tri-Editors-in-chief
Jessica Bickler
Melody Inthyvong
Ray Marquez
Advisor
Mr. Rana Kumar Medhi
STAFF:
Keyerah Bates
Angelica Bracamonte
Erika Campana
Nicole Celaya
Nathan Davenport
Ale Durazo
Krystal Evans
Liliana Garcia
Ramiro Gonzalez
Cassandra Gutierrez
Reina Guzman
Jazmin Hernandez
Hector Lopez
Alexa Martinez
Stephanie Medina
Cissy Morgan
Aimee Nieblas
Oscar Polanco
Enrique Ramirez
Clarissa Romero
Ashley Sandoval
Jasmine Valencia
Thanks to the following individuals who
contributed to this issue’s success: Ms.
Eva Brown and Ms. Jennifer Sprung for
returning to Pueblo to be interviewed; the
University of Arizona nurses for giving
the El Guerrero staff a press conference;
sophomore Brian Esparza for drawing
this issue’s “Pueblo Comics” and for
several other pictures throughout this
issue; sophomores Carmina Garcia and
Cassandra Valenzuela for helping us obtain
a picture of the cheerleaders; everybody
who participated in the “Pueblo Shows
Gratitude” story; and all of the students,
teachers, staff members and administrators
who gave up their time to speak to reporters.
Principal
Ms. Vivi Watt
Questions/suggestions should be emailed to
the advisor: [email protected]
If all the facts cannot be gathered before a
publication deadline, the above-mentioned
articles will be held from publication until
such time as that information can be obtained.
All letters to the editor must be original and
signed. No anonymous letters will be printed.
No anonymous sources will be used in stories
unless the topics can’t hurt the source or
damage their reputations.
Signed editorials represent the opinion of the
writer and not necessarily of the newspaper
staff or the school as a whole.
Letters to the editor should be taken to Room
T4B or placed in Mr. Medhi’s mailbox.
2
Letters From The Editors
Students Need to Participate
Seniors, Lead the Way!
Carpe Diem
By Jessica Bickler
By Melody Inthyvong
By Ray Marquez
Hi, I’m Jessica Bickler, and I am one of
the three editors-in-chief for this school
year, 2011-12, for El Guerrero here at
Pueblo. I have been in the newspaper
program since my freshman year back
in 2008- 09, and as a veteran of this
program for my fourth year at Pueblo, I
have a lot to
say this year.
Hello, Warriors, and also hello to another school
year. Firstly, I, Melody Inthyvong, am very
honored and privileged to have been chosen
as one of your prestigious editors-in-chief for
El Guerrero this school year. I understand the
commitment and hard work needed to produce
an accurate and appealing newspaper for you,
the students and faculty of Pueblo Magnet High
School. With the newspaper staff beside me,
I can assure that we will try our best in order
to deliver
interesting
and valuable
news as well
as fascinating
features
to inform,
entertain and
educate.
For my first
letter of the
school year,
I would
like to write
about what I
have noticed
over the past
four years.
Editor-in-Chief Jessica Bickler
Pueblo has
an amazing amount of students with
abundant energy and potentially great
athletes among our student body.
However, there is an immense lack of
participation, which adversely affects
our school because we could be so
much stronger and better if all students
participated and boasted their strengths
Many of our sports programs have
suffered, for example, because not
enough students participate—not because
we have a shortage of talented athletes.
Many times, our teams are forced to
forfeit a game because our teams don’t
meet the minimal requirement to be a
team.
If just half of the students here at Pueblo
would actually participate in our sports
programs as well as clubs and other
after school programs, we would have
an amazing chance at actually having a
better winning record which would lead
our school to havinge a more positive
reputation around Tucson. Even at the
beginning of the second quarter of this
school year, it’s not too late for students
to participate. So, come on, Warriors, let’s
make this year our best.
Who’s
got spirit?
Apparently,
Editor-in-Chief Melody Inthyvong
not many
at Pueblo Magnet High School. As an active
member in student council, it is discouraging to
watch uncooperative students during lunchtime
activities and spirit week. Who is to blame for
this lack of spirit? With a new year ahead of
us and a new student council advisor as well,
our organization is doing its best to construct
and contemplate alluring ideas to promote and
incorporate school spirit throughout our campus.
Seriously, seniors, as a fellow senior, I notice
and I am frustrated with the lack of interest for
students participating at lunchtime activities.
Although seniors—as well as other classes—are
lacking in school spirit, the good news is that we
do not lack seniors on our campus. This year we
have a large number of incoming freshmen (477
as of late September), but we also have a large
number of seniors (453) to match. In fact, seniors
comprise the second largest group of students
at Pueblo (followed by the sophomores [419]
and juniors [411]). While I am cheerful with
the number of seniors and my hopes are high to
stay that way, I encourage the freshmen to stay
focused with school, the remaining sophomores
to endure and overcome challenges, and for the
juniors to stick with it just another two quarters
and become seniors next year—as well as to
graduate.
Even though we’re nearly two quarters into
the school year, it’s never too late to grow
dendrites by learning and to grow school spirit
by attending sports programs and being members
of clubs.
3
Dear Warriors, my name is Ray
Marquez, and as a two-year veteran
of the El Guerrero newspaper, I am
fortunate enough to be one of the
three editors-in-chief. This year we
are blessed with a phenomenal staff,
and we hope
to provide
the students
and faculty
of Pueblo
a top-tier
newspaper
that will
intrigue,
enlighten
and entertain Editor-in-Chief Ray Marquez
them to the
fullest extent. As one of the editorsin-chief, I will work to the best
of my ability to assure that this is
accomplished.
As a senior facing my last year of high
school, I now realize how precious
time can be. Time is an invaluable
asset, worth more than money, simply
because time cannot be earned or
replaced. During my freshman,
sophomore and junior years, I
constantly procrastinated, letting
opportunities pass by and regretting
not taking the risk later on. The best
advice I could give to anyone, as
cliché as it may seem, is to live for
the moment because the moment will
pass. There is no burden worse than
living with regret and wondering
“what if”.
These four years go by faster than
anyone could possibly imagine. Do
not take them for granted. Take a risk,
live for the moment, and seize the day.
‘Watt’ Is New
at Pueblo
By Liliana Galaviz and Reina Guzman
This school year, Pueblo Magnet High
School probably has more new staff,
teachers and administrators than any
other year in recent memory—including
a brand new principal, Ms. Vivi Watt,
whose optimism is contagious.
Now for a short soap opera: Watt, a
former assistant principal at Tucson
High Magnet School, takes the place of
Mr. Carlos Armendariz (who became
principal after Ms. Patricia Dienz
departed in February 2010). Armendariz
is now an assistant principal at Tucson
High Magnet School.
Watt said that she gladly accepted the
head administrative position at Pueblo.
“I love Pueblo!” exclaimed Watt. “It’s a
great school with a wonderful culture!”
She paused and said, “It was a strategic
decision to bring me to Pueblo.”
Watt, originally from Elmwood Park,
Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), began
teaching at the young age of 21 after
attending the University of Illinois and
began teaching family and consumer
sciences at a high school. Later, she
earned a master’s degree at Purdue
University in Indiana. She said that
she also attended Northern Arizona
University where she earned her
administrative degree.
Watt said she took some time off to
become a “stay at home” mom with her
three children, and in 1995, she moved
to Tucson.
“I wanted to move somewhere warm!”
Watt said.
For six years, Watt was assistant
principal of curriculum and instruction
at Tucson High MagnetSchool.
“I always wanted to be in charge of
a school, and this year I was given
the opportunity to be a principal here
at Pueblo,” Watt said. “I am very
impressed with how Pueblo students
showed me respect from the beginning.”
Watt said that she has prodigious
expectations from students, staff
members and educators at Pueblo. She
has many career goals, but Watt said that
her number one goal is to ensure that
teachers are raising students’ academic
and behavioral expectations and to see
that all teachers are better preparing
students to graduate from Pueblo
as well as preparing them to attend
college. Watt said that she wants to walk
into classrooms and observe students
interacting with teachers and being ontask.
“I’ve already seen impressive
engagement in the classrooms and more
support from the community,” Watt said.
She added that Pueblo has been
evaluated as an “orange” school, and
Watt truly wants Pueblo to improve
its academic standing. Currently, the
school is one “color” away from “red”,
which is considered “failing”. The colorcoding of schools is primarily based on
students’ test scores.
“We all need to work together—as a
Pueblo community—to improve our
school’s academic record,” Watt said.
“You guys [Pueblo students] are capable
of achieving great things.”
She paused and said, “This school has
great teachers who are devoted and
committed to education
and teaching students. In
fact, Pueblo offers more
AP [Advanced Placement]
classes than my previous
school [Tucson Magnet
High School].”
Watt also said she is
committed to making
Pueblo a bully-free high
school.
“I want to make Pueblo the
best school in Tucson in
so many areas,” Watt said,
“and I hope to be here for
a long time—for years,
if possible.” She paused
and said, “When I came
to Pueblo, I expected a
challenge, and I’m ready.”
Watt settling in to her amazingly organized new office.
4
Welcome,
Ms. Gallegos!
By Alejandra Durazo
Even before you meet our new
assistant principal of curriculum and
instruction, Ms. Ana Gallegos, one
would get the feeling that education is
very important to her. On her door are
the following words, written by classic
NBC radio speaker and author Ralph
W. Sockman: “The larger the island of
knowledge, the larger the shoreline of
wonder.”
“My expectations are that we make
Pueblo the best high school in
Arizona!” Gallegos affirmed.
Gallegos was an assistant
principal at Hohokam Middle
School for two years as well
as a principal at various
elementary schools for eight
years in Nogales, Arizona. In
addition, Gallegos has also
taught high school Spanish and
English as a second language.
about students’ attendance and their
behavior.
“I believe that students should
increase their knowledge because
there are many possibilities out in
the world,” Gallegos said. “Students
need to be responsible about their own
learning and realize the importance of
education.”
She added that she has many
professional goals this school year.
One of her goals is to get to know as
many students as possible—as well as
the teachers and staff members. Also,
Gallegos wants to learn about all of the
great programs that are working for
students and to help those programs
that are not working.
Principal Vivi Watt said, “Ms. Gallegos
will do a tremendous job. She has
much experience and is wonderful with
parents.” Watt added, “She’s positive
and always cares about the students
at this school. I’m not going to let her
go!”
Ms. Crystal Reedy, a counselor (for
students with surnames H-M), said
“Ms. Gallegos is a wonderful worker,
and she is just what the school needed
this school year—a lot of positive
energy.”
Gallegos has three children (two
daughters and one son) who are very
important to her, and she added that
she also enjoys being part of the
Pueblo Magnet High School family.
Gallegos firmly believes that our
students can achieve anything once
they commit to being better.
“Si se puede!” she exclaimed.
“I was ready for a change and
wanted to get back in a high
school, “Gallegos stated. “I
wanted to come to Pueblo
because of all of the wonderful
things I heard about the
students.”
“I expect respect from students,
and I will give them respect in
return,” she said.
As assistant principal of
curriculum and instruction,
Gallegos said that her job is to
support the teachers and their
curriculum and to ensure that
they receive what they need to
teach their students.
She is also very concerned
Gallegos stands ready to help Pueblo’s students at a moment’s notice.
5
Pueblo Receives
Upgrades from
Bond Money
By Oscar Polanco
Just because there was no
school over the summer doesn’t
mean that there wasn’t any
action at Pueblo Magnet High
School.
During this young school year,
there have already been a lot of
projects underway. According to
Ms. Vanessa Casillas, assistant
principal of operations and
activities, Room 260, currently
unoccupied, is being converted
into a science lab and will be
ready within the next few weeks.
Noel Federico, a senior, said, “I
think this new lab will be really
good for us students—making our
school more modern, which will
make science more fun.”
He added, “This is a good start,
but the school needs to be cleaned
up more. The cafeteria needs A/C,
and the food and water need to be
fresher.”
In February, there will be other
improvements and construction
projects occurring at Pueblo,
according to Casillas, including
the Little Theater, the auditorium,
the mariachi and classrooms.
The mariachi and band room will
be turned into sound rooms for
recording music and will also be
getting a lighting upgrade. The
auditorium and Little Theater will
Mr. Phat Ho, a Pueblo engineer, takes a break from construction work.
also receive lighting upgrades,
along with new A/C units and
sound improvements.
CBI students will be moved to
Room 102 so that the auditorium
can have an extra room for its
props and other materials.
Mr. John Contreras, mariachi
teacher, said, “I think it’s been a
long time coming that the stage
is going to be upgraded. During
past mariachi performances, the
lighting has been poor.”
The art department will also
be seeing upgrades, including
lighting upgrades as well as some
new technology upgrades.
Art teacher Mr. Ned Grey said,
“I think it’s [the upgrades are]
excellent, but what frustrates me
is that the art department gets
6
almost nothing out of the bond
money.”
He added, “The A/C everywhere
at Pueblo also needs to be
upgraded, and the bell system is
unreliable.”
Even though Casillas does not
know exactly how much Pueblo
has received from district bond
money and how much will be
used to fund these and other
projects, she does know that
Pueblo will be “going green”
soon with the installation of solar
panels in the patio area later this
semester.
“Going green is important
because we all need to start
thinking and doing something
to improve our environment and
to slow down global warming,”
Casillas said.
Students:
Don’t Drink the
(Reclaimed) Water!
By Enrique Ramirez
Reclaimed water makes its debut at
Pueblo High School. As a way to save
money, Pueblo has switched from
purified city water to much cheaper
reclaimed water.
Reclaimed water, also known as
recycled or wastewater, is commonly
used for irrigation and landscaping.
Our football field used to demand
hundreds of thousands of gallons
of city water. However, a cheaper,
“greener” alternative is to use
reclaimed water, which saves Pueblo
money. According to Mr. Ray Unger,
the Athletic Director at Pueblo, the City
of Tucson saves more than $27 million
annually by using reclaimed water.
Also, reclaimed water is healthier for
grass, also known as sod (grass that’s
rolled onto the field like carpet). The
wastewater from washing machines,
sinks and bathtubs fertilize the grass,
making the grass healthier than purified
water.
Unger said that a good indicator to
identify a field with reclaimed water
is purple water pipes. He also stressed
that if the water gauges are purple, then
reclaimed water is being used.
Most parks in Tucson currently utilize
reclaimed water, including nearby
Manzanita Park. It is imperative that
this water is never consumed because
of its bacteria content. However,
reclaimed water does not include
sewage.
According to Unger, playing on grass
that has been recently watered with
reclaimed water is unsafe. However,
when our players are on the field, the
grass has not been recently watered.
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The process of switching from city
to reclaimed water was done in
two phases. Phase one started on
December 1, 2010 on the lower field,
which was torn up in order to change
the waterlines and new sprinklers to
support the change of water. The lower
field was then covered with sod.
Phase number two took place on May
5, 2011, in the upper field, which was
torn up as well, though sod was not
rolled onto this section; instead, weed
killer, fertilizer, and seeds were used on
this section.
Unless you want to play in a toilet or
a washing machine, no one should
play in or drink from the sprinklers on
Pueblo’s field.
Going green is not always the cleanest
and safest, but this effort will, indeed,
save Pueblo and TUSD money, which
is crucial at this time of school budget
cuts, Unger said.
A/C Drama
Continues at Pueblo
By Jazmin Hernandez
Now that it’s much cooler, many of us
have forgotten about the heat. However,
some teachers and students have
memories like elephants.
This past August was the third hottest
in Tucson history, according to the
National Weather Service. Ask many of
the teachers and students here at Pueblo
and they will agree because many of
them suffered in classrooms without air
conditioning.
Even as late as the end of September,
there were still several classrooms that
did not have air conditioning. One teacher
who said that she had to endure horrific
classroom conditions is chemistry teacher
Ms. Wilma Amaro. She explained that
her air conditioning unit had produced
condensation, which caused soggy ceiling
tiles to collapse.
“There was water all over the back of the
room,”
Amaro
said.
“I’m sure
there’s
mold, too.
There
were
buckets
of water!
I had to
empty
them
frequently. Administration usually takes a
long time to respond to e-mails, but once
I sent the photo, they responded pretty
quickly.”
This is not the only drama at Pueblo
regarding air conditioning units. Some
teachers experienced worse case
scenarios, such as math teacher Ms.
Paulette Livio-Velez.
said, “Students were constantly
complaining that it was too hot until Mr.
Robert Fuentes, the engineer fixed the
problem. Ironically, the students are now
complaining that it’s too cold. I loved the
portables [when I taught there] because
you can keep the temperature at whatever
level you want.”
When teachers experience air conditioning
problems, they have to complete work
orders, said Ms. Vanessa Casillas, assistant
principal of operations and activities, who
said that she receives daily complaints on
the air conditioning issues.
“This [A/C] situation is very hectic,”
Casillas said. She added that if her
engineers are unable to fix the problem,
then she is forced to call the district.
“At one point, air was coming out of the
vents like a hurricane and blew papers and
other materials off of students’ desks,”
Livio-Velez said. “It actually made a
‘whoosh’ sound. No one could even sit
down around the vents. I had to hold class
in the computer lab for a while.”
A few teachers have attempted to replace
the lack of air by using fans, including Mr.
Roman Badalov, who teaches calculus,
pre-calculus and college algebra. Badalov
used fans to cool down his classroom
while the air wasn’t working. However,
the fans eventually broke. He estimated
that the units could have simply been
replaced twice instead of calling a
repairman various times.
“Look at the noise in the room!”
exclaimed Badalov. “No other class makes
this much noise on campus.”
[During my interview with Mr. Badalov,
his classroom was, indeed, loud from a
noisy cooler.]
Not all of the rooms on campus lack
cool air. The portables, for example, are
among the best air-conditioned classrooms
on campus because teachers are able
to control the temperatures in the room
unlike in the main building.
English teacher Ms. Diane Bouchard
8
“The district assures us [at Pueblo] that
this will be the last year we have to
experience these problems,” Casillas said.
[Since this story was written earlier
this semester, there have been many
improvements. According to Casillas, “All
classrooms should have air conditioning
in them before it gets hot again.”
The T-Building just had a new A/C unit
installed, positively affecting Ms. Rebecca
Baltos’ classroom and Mr. Pete Pederson’s
printing classroom.
Casillas added that the district will be
replacing a compressor for the entire
building.]
2011-12 Wally
and Wanda
Warrior Chosen
By Stephanie Medina and Clarissa
Romero
More than 50 students tried out to be
this school year’s new Wally and Wanda
Warrior on Wednesday, Aug. 31, in
English teacher and Student Council
Advisor Ms. Kathryn Gunnel’s classroom.
As Student Council Advisor, Gunnels
made the final decision regarding which
two high-spirited students would become
our next beloved mascots.
“We were looking for students who were
energetic, enthusiastic
and entertaining to
represent Pueblo as our
new mascots,” stated
Gunnels.
The “new” Wanda Warrior embraces the
costume as if it were her own skin.
“I don’t feel like I’m wearing a suit,”
stated Wanda Warrior. “It all feels
natural.”
She paused and added, “When I was
chosen to be Wanda, I felt honored! I
can’t wait to cheer on the Warriors at
games and to build school spirit at school
functions. In the last few weeks, I’ve had
nothing but super-duper fun!”
As for Wally Warrior, he said, “I feel
pumped up when I’m in the costume, and
I’m very proud to represent the Warriors
in such a positive way.”
Wally and Wanda have a few words
of wisdom to share upon their fellow
students.
“I love all of all of my fellow Warriors,
and I want them to keep up the good
work and to study hard so that they will
succeed,” said Wanda Warrior.
Wally Warrior advises students to
participate at all Pueblo functions. He
said, “Students, come support your fellow
Warriors at their games by cheering them
on.”
Freshman Ana Ortiz said, “During games,
the mascots are important because they
generate enthusiasm with the crowd, build
school spirit, and represent Pueblo pride.”
“Like the cheerleaders, the mascots
definitely help our teams succeed by
boosting their spirits and overall attitude,”
Gunnels stated.
Gunnels added that
every student who
showed up for the
try-outs were given a
chance.
“In the end, it was a
hard decision picking
the final mascots,”
Gunnels said, “because
so many students
showed talent and
enthusiasm.”
The students who were
chosen to “be” Wally
and Wanda Warrior are
permanent for the school
year, Gunnels said.
Although Wally and
Wanda Warrior have
been chosen, their
identities shall remain a
mystery, Gunnels said,
but the Warriors are able
to communicate through
a translator.
Valerie Krukowski and Viri Sigala with Wally and Wanda
9
Brown
Leaves a Void
At Pueblo
By Nathan Davenport
unknown if the programs are going to
continue without her presence here.
needed to talk to her, she would be
accessible to them.
“I haven’t been told [if these programs
are going to continue or not], so I’m
not sure. No one has talked to me about
anything yet,” explained Brown.
The entire Pueblo community has
already felt the void that Brown has left
this school year.
Brown said that she is trying to get into
the rhythm of retirement.
During the course of our years at
Pueblo Magnet High School, it is not
uncommon to see members of our
faculty move on with their lives. On
August 12, Ms. Eva Brown hung up
her title as the McKinney-Vento liaison
after announcing her retirement after 21
years of being at Pueblo and 32 years in
TUSD.
“For years, I’ve been throwing around
the word ‘retirement’. I said I was going
to do this and that, but now that I’ve
actually retired, I’ve yet to do any of it,”
said Brown. After working from age 14
to 55.
Brown stated, “Unfortunately, my job
essentially became a funding problem.”
After being with TUSD—and
particularly Pueblo—for so long, Brown
said that she finds it very challenging to
say goodbye to the community.
Among many of Brown’s
responsibilities as a drop-out prevention
counselor, one of them was to ensure
that homeless students received the
same education as all students, which
falls under the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistant Act, a federal law
which guarantees educational equity for
all students regardless of living status.
“I don’t really know how to stay home
yet!” exclaimed Brown.
“After 32 years, what do I say? I’ve
felt the support and the friendship of
everyone here at Pueblo,” said Brown.
“I think I’ve found some of my best
friends here.”
Brown stressed that if any students
One of Brown’s closest colleagues
has been Mr. Simon Maximo, one of
Pueblo’s social workers.
“Ms. Brown’s retirement has been
definitely felt at Pueblo,” Maximo said.
“She is irreplaceable no matter who
steps into her office.”
He added, “Ms. Brown did more for
these students than most anybody
at Pueblo can ever realize. She was
beyond dedicated to Pueblo’s students.”
Another colleague that Brown worked
with frequent, Ms. Evelia Lopez, who
is a student/family mentor specialist,
expressed her sadness about Brown’s
departure from Pueblo.
“She [Brown] had a great heart,”
Lopez said, “and she never, ever let
her students down.” Lopez paused
and added, “Nobody—and I mean
nobody—can imagine how much she
loved and helped the students here.”
“As the McKinney-Vento liaison, my
main priority was to try and keep kids in
school,” explained Brown. She was also
both the Youth On Their Own (YOTO)
and the LIFT (Learning Incentives
for Teens) liaison—helping literally
hundreds of students over her several
decades at Pueblo.
“Last year was actually the highest year
of attendance for homeless students,”
said Brown. Through YOTO, LIFT
and the McKinney-Vento Act, Pueblo
had a combined total of 137 homeless
students attending classes with everyone
else, Brown said.
Brown was responsible for many of the
helpful programs taking place at Pueblo,
including food donations, the clothing
bank, and the extremely well-known
prom dress donations. However, it is
Brown taking a break to smile for the camera.
10
Sprung Springs
Out of Pueblo
By Alejandra Durazo
Working as a science teacher for 22 years, Mrs.
Jennifer Sprung was an icon to Pueblo Magnet
High School. Truly, the students and staff at Pueblo
will feel the colossal void of Sprung’s departure
since she decided to accept a certified position as
a professional development academic trainer for
TUSD earlier this semester.
Even though Sprung said that she will not be
teaching in a traditional classroom setting, she will
continue to be involved in education.
“I have been teaching all of my life,” said Sprung.
“Even in the third grade, my teacher would ask me
to tutor students from kindergarten classes all of the
way up to students in
my grade.”
Warriors alive—“Once a Warrior, always a Warrior;
I’m still wearing my blue and blue!”
As a Tucson native, Sprung grew up around the
Pueblo area. As a child, her leisure time was spent
riding horses as well as experiencing native cultures,
arts and music in the area. To her advantage, Sprung
said that she learned as a young child how to speak a
little of both Papago and Spanish.
Unfortunately, at a young age, Sprung’s parents
divorced, and she could not attend Pueblo because
she moved to a different neighborhood and
graduated from Catalina High School.
“I think because I grew up in the Pueblo area as
a child is one reason my passion for Pueblo is so
deep,” said Sprung.
Working at Pueblo for such a long time, Sprung said
that she always believed in Pueblo’s success and
believed that her students could always do better.
Truly, she always remains optimistic about PHS
being the best school in the district.
“Visiting sites, assisting
in whatever way
possible describes my
first week,” Sprung
said. “Part of my work
entails linking Common
Core Standards [CCSS]
with subject area
curriculum guides for
TUSD, and training
teachers how to
successfully use them.”
“My work with high school leadership is focused on
improving student achievement in all high schools,
grading regulations and curriculum audit reviews,”
Sprung said. “I also work with Mojave comment
revisions and periodic teaching and learning
reviews.” She paused and said, “In the first week of
my new job I went to nine of the 11 high schools in
TUSD!”
Sprung added that no matter how far she is from
Pueblo, she will always keep the spirit of the
Sprung said she would consider returning to Pueblo
if she were to do so in a “greater capacity”.
“I would come back to Pueblo in a heartbeat!” said
Sprung.
In the short time that Sprung has been gone, she said
that she misses everyone and everything at Pueblo.
She adds that when she visits other TUSD high
schools, she brags about Pueblo.
Sprung said that she always wants to hear positive
stories regarding Pueblo. She said that to better
Pueblo, community partnerships are necessary.
Several of her science department colleagues
expressed how they will miss Sprung and the void
she is leaving at Pueblo.
Ms. Wilma
Amaro,
chemistry
teacher, said,
“What I liked
about Ms.
Sprung was her
passion for her
students and
her job—as
well as her
work ethic.”
Sprung said that she is
going to enjoy her new
position because her job
description entails her
to work with all 11 high
schools in the district
and create partnerships
with community
entities.
Sprung said that
she also has the
responsibility with
team members to
create curriculum guides for K-12 across subjects,
and especially a focus on curriculum guides for all
science courses tied to CCSS. She has been very
busy presently working on documenting use of all
science texts in high schools to assure that they meet
Procurement regulations and are approved by the
Governing Board.
One student who was in Sprung’s biology class last
year, junior Samantha Bernal, said, “Ms. Sprung was
a great teacher, and I couldn’t wait to have her again
this year. I was very sad when I found out she wasn’t
going to be my teacher for the entire semester.”
Sprung said that she always embraces the school
motto, “Si Se Puede!”
Physics and
science teacher
Mr. James
Uomoto said,
“I can’t thank
Ms. Sprung
enough. She
found me at
the College
of Education
close to 10
years ago
just before
graduation and
gave me an
opportunity to
work for this great school. I owe my professional
career to her. Thank you so much, Jennifer! You will
be missed!”
“We need people who care passionately about
Pueblo’s success and future,” Sprung added, “and
there are plenty left. We just need everybody on
board.”
Ms. Fatima Lopez, Earth Science teacher, said,
“Mrs. Sprung was always joyful, and our students
benefited from her because she was smart and
always very helpful. I’m going to miss her a lot.”
Sprung reiterated that she will, indeed, miss
Pueblo but she said that she could not bypass “an
opportunity like this, to try something new working
with colleagues from all high schools and benefitting
even more students.”
“If you set the bar high and exceed the bar, you can
only get better,” Lopez said.
Sprung with Wilma the Wildcat
Sprung taught several thousands of students at
Pueblo, and said that she is going to miss the
students the most.
11
“People need to understand that it’s not an option to
be a Warrior, there is a deeper meaning to the title,”
said Sprung.
“Be proud, work hard, do your best, and never give
up-embrace the school’s motto in all you do…’Yes,
you can’…”
Restroom
Horrors!
By Alejandra Durazo and
Clarissa Romero
When you walk into a school
restroom, you might expect
them to be clean. Right?
Wrong!
Most students would concur
that our restrooms are far from
pristine.
Clearly, the school restrooms
are not as clean as they should
be, but do not go pointing the
finger at the custodians.
Even though custodians clean
the restrooms daily, by the end of
the school day, the restrooms can
become a nightmare.
Custodian Ms. Lupita Velarde,
who has worked at Pueblo High
School for almost two years,
said, “Everyday of the week we
[custodians] clean the restrooms,
and once a week, we give them a
deep cleaning.”
There are no shortages of students
who have complaints regarding
the school’s restrooms.
Junior Justin Marinez said, “The
restrooms’ soap dispensers are
always empty, and the toilets are
always clogged up.” He paused
and said, “At least we have
restrooms at school!”
The girls’ bathroom in its usual state of disarray, courtesy of irresponsible students.
Custodian Velarde said, “Male
restrooms are worse [than girls’
restrooms]. There is feces on
the floor, and paper towels are
shredded and all over the floor.
The restrooms are so filthy that
they can never be completely
clean.”
Junior Khadija Abdi said, “I give
the girls restrooms a five [on a
scale from one to 10] because
sometimes the walls are dirty, and
the sinks are filled with hair.”
“Honestly, I’d give the [boys’]
restrooms a five,” said junior Juan
Aguilar. “The toilets are always
clogged when I need to use
them.”
“I believe that the girl’s restrooms
are much cleaner, because girls
12
have a reputation of being more
sanitary,” added Aguilar.
Overall, neither of the sexes’
restrooms are clean—so neither
male or female students have
bragging rights.
Ms. Vanessa Casillas, assistant
principal of operations and
activities, said, “The restrooms
are cleaned daily by the
custodians, and the monitors
check the restrooms various times
throughout the day. Anything that
is out of the ordinary is reported
to administration.”
She added, “Students can
definitely do their parts by
ensuring that they throw their
restroom trash in the garbage cans
and to ‘make it in the toilet’.”
U of A Nurses
Educate Students
About Health
By Jessica Bickler
Many students may have noticed
these past few weeks a group of U of
A nursing students walking around
our campus.
They are here at Pueblo to promote
community health amongst the
students and to listen to the concerns
Pueblo students may have towards
health-related issues.
The nursing students also exclaimed
that the relationship that past nursing
students have created with Pueblo
is also the reason why they continue
to come back each year to have their
community health rotation here at
Pueblo.
All 10 of the nursing students are in
their 4th semester of nursing school,
and this is their final semester before
they graduate in December. Shortly
after graduation, all 10 will all take
the nursing exam before becoming
certified nurses.
“The nursing exam is the exam that
will give us our nursing license, and
on average 98 percent of all U of A
nursing students who take this test
will pass,” said one of the students.
The nurses admitted that they have
endured their share of challenges as
nursing students.
“Time management is sometimes
difficult,” one nurse said. “Learning
how to prioritize our time is very
important.”
The nurses leave this month and
have answered many questions for
students while they were here. Also,
they had booths during both lunches
educating students on a variety of
topics, including sex education as
well as general health issues.
“We are also available to all the
students who have any questions
any Wednesday and Thursday, from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” said one of the
nurses. “We’re usually around the
Special Projects Room and we’re out
in classrooms as well.”
Mr. Saúl Ostroff, JTED career
counselor, said that he is planning a
field trip to the University of Arizona
for PHS students who are interested
in seeing the College of Nursing. He
said that seats are limited, so anyone
interested should see Ostroff in the
Career Center as soon as possible.
A new group of U of A nurses are
scheduled to visit Pueblo next
semester.
U of A nurses and their teacher visit Pueblo to promote health and to answer questions for students.
13
Summer Vacations:
Ah…So Long Ago
Now…
By Melody Inthyvong
Even though we have been in
school for more than a few months,
we found that many of our students
and faculty/staff members had
truly remarkable vacations this past
summer—lucky enough to escape
the insane scorching weather in
Tucson. Some of these vacation
stories need to be told.
This past summer, did you dream
about cooler weather? How does a
26-day kayak expedition in Alaska
sound? That’s exactly what senior
Bill De La Rosa did! Or, would you
spend the entire summer coaching
and playing a sport you love, like
junior Yanseli Alameda did? Or,
would you work in a summer camp
as a social worker, like College
and Career Coordinator Mr. Saúl
Ostroff? Or, would you want to
snorkel off the Galapagos Islands,
like English teacher Mr. Stephen
Reitz did? Maybe you were lucky
enough to travel to Asia and step on
the Great Wall of China like Class
of ’11 student Melissa Shaw.
“My adventure theme this summer
was ‘Man vs. Wild’!” Bill De La
Rosa said.
Although he did endure the struggle
of being one with nature, De La
Rosa said that he learned to set up
camp on several “rocky smooth
beaches”, kayak in cold waters and
cook for himself. Aside from the
survival skills he honed, he feels
that he has become more prepared
for college–and life itself—and
that he
feels more
confident
in himself
and that his
leadership
skills
have been
greatly
enhanced.
De La Rosa
bonded
with nature
and wildlife
such as
seals, black
Reitz prepares to go snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands.
bears,
one step at a time.”
eagles, sea otters and dolphins.
“I traveled 131 nautical miles in
Prince William Sound, and I now
understand, respect and appreciate
my limits and true potential,” he
added.
Back in Tucson, Yanseli Alameda
spent her summer in the Reffkin
Center at tennis camp. She said that
she learned to be patient, as she
taught little children up to ages 10
and 11 during the day.
“We taught the children how to
hit balls correctly, improve their
strokes with the racquet as well
as good sportsmanship,” said
Alameda.
Being instructed by numerous
coaches, including a professional U
of A alumni tennis player, Alameda
realized that she possessed the
motivation to continue tennis and
pursue the opportunity to play
tennis in college.
“I learned how negativity affects
what I do in a game,” Alameda
said. “And, I learned to also take
14
Mr. Saúl Ostroff spent his summer
out of school and in a summer
camp at the Pocono Mountains
in Pennsylvania. He remembers
spending some of his best days at
the same camp at the age of 11. In
fact, he said that this was his eighth
summer returning.
“This was the first summer that I
summoned enough courage to ride
the zip line, which goes across the
entire lake,” Ostroff said.
With 200 children and distinct coworkers from various locations
such as Mexico, England, South
Africa, Australia and Poland,
Ostroff said that he loved
encouraging others to do their best.
Ostroff expressed that he enjoyed
swimming in the lake and planting
a garden especially in cool weather
as well as teaching life skills such
as integrity, honesty, problemsolving by modeling and social
actions.
“Sometimes I felt like I was in
heaven,” Ostroff admitted. “The
kids were the best part of my trip.”
This summer, Mr. Stephen
Reitz and his wife traveled to
the Galapagos Islands, which
are a group of volcanic islands
approximately 600 miles off of the
western coast of Ecuador in South
America.
“The people we traveled with were
interesting,” Reitz said. “Some
were from other countries, and
many of them had interesting
stories to tell about their travels.”
Reitz said that his days started
early. He and his wife sailed to
new locations at night on a fishing
trawler, which had been turned into
a very comfortable 96 passenger
ship.
Reitz said that most days were
filled with snorkeling and hiking.
Zodiacs (small passenger boats with
a rubber tube hull and metal floor)
were used to travel to and from the
ship.
He added that naturalists provided
commentary, answered questions
and gave lectures on geology, plants
and animals.
“On one of our trips in the Zodiac,
we found ourselves in a large pod
of dolphins—an estimated number
of them between 500 to 1,000—
and, for about 20 minutes, dolphins
swam and leaped alongside of our
Zodiac,” Reitz said. “On a smaller
scale, while I was snorkeling, a sea
lion swam right up to my face, and
at another time, two penguins swam
under me.”
Melissa Shaw, who graduated
from Pueblo last spring, returned
to Pueblo in September to talk
to students about her threeweek trip to China in July—to
participate in the Chinese Summer
Bridge Program, which includes
students from all English-speaking
countries.
Ms. Tao Pan, Shaw’s Chinese
teacher during her senior year,
encouraged her to apply for this
program, and Shaw was accepted.
“I was
shocked
that I was
selected!”
Shaw said.
“I was
going to
go to a
country
that I’ve
always
wanted to
visit!”
Melissa Shaw (left) climbs the Great Wall of China.
15
Shaw
said that
during her
three-week
visit in China, she experienced
more than she anticipated. She
enjoyed many different areas of
China and visit many tourist areas
including Tiananmen Square and
the Emperor’s summer house and
palace. She said she even got to
meet Los Angeles Lakers player
Kobe Bryant, who was in China to
help promote his youth outreach
program. However, Shaw said that
she was most impressed by the
Great Wall of China.
“It took me two hours to climb
[the Great Wall of China], but it
was worth the effort,” Shaw said.
“The entire experience was totally
surreal.”
However, Shaw said that she
missed eating American food while
in China.
“I think I might have eaten dog
several times,” Shaw said, “but I’m
not sure. Maybe it was just pork.”
She added that Chinese citizens
were very cordial to her.
“I was treated like royalty there,”
Shaw said. “But it was totally
overwhelming to be in a city
[Shanghai] that has 21 million
people. That’s like three times all of
the people in Arizona in one city!”
Even if you did not escape Tucson
this past summer, at least most of
you did not have to go to school
for 11 weeks—and that in itself is a
vacation. And, students, don’t feel
bad if you’re already thinking about
summer vacation for Summer 2012;
start planning now, but focus on
doing well for the rest of the school
year.
Freshmen Find
Their Way in
New School Year
By Stephanie Medina and Blanca Ruiz
The first quarter of the new school year
has ended, but freshmen are just now
starting to settle in at their new school.
This year we are welcoming a total of
approximately 500 new freshmen.
For the first several weeks, many Class
of ‘15er’s admitted to getting lost while
trying to adjust to high school and their
new campus.
One freshman, Carolina Silva, admitted
that she couldn’t find the portables (the
W’s) on her first day of school, while
freshman Keiri Mendoza said that his
friends had to show him around campus.
Alexandra Lugo, a freshman, said, “It was
challenging for me to make new friends at
first in my classes.” She paused and said,
“I couldn’t find Mr. Denny’s class in the
portables.”
Lugo also admits that she has been
fearful of “Freshmen Friday”, a day when
upperclassmen tend to make freshmen’s
lives a little more challenging through
pranks and intimidations.
“We [freshmen] never know when we’ll
be the next victims,” Lugo said.
Freshman Jonathan Galaviz said that he
likes his classes so far—especially Mr.
Tanner’s P.E. class.
“He [Mr. Tanner] lets us express our
minds and be ourselves,” Galaviz said.
Most freshmen who were interviewed
expressed that they will need more time to
become familiar with all of the rules and
policies at Pueblo. Some freshmen do not
agree with our administrators’ decisions.
Freshman Ana Ortiz said, “One of the
rules that I do not like at Pueblo is how
we students can’t have taggings on our
backbacks.” She added, “This has always
been a way of expressing ourselves
and to keep us from writing on walls.
Administration should just allow us our
freedom of expression.”
Although some freshmen do not agree
with administrative decisions, students
admit that our administrators have been
helpful.
Mr. Frank Rosthenhausler, assistant
principal of athletics and security, said,
“There is a community of staff who
care deeply about the development of
all freshmen—and all students for that
matter—and we hope that they trust us
[principals, teachers and staff members]
when they need help.”
Some freshmen are still adapting to all of
the new rules and policies, including the
“no-hat on campus” policy implemented
this year. Many freshmen boys have
expressed their disapproval towards this
specific rule.
As one freshman said, “We live in one of
the hottest cities in the country! I think it’s
ridiculous that we can’t wear hats even
during lunch time!”
Ms. Crystal Reedy, one of Pueblo’s
counselors, said, “Freshmen need to get
out of the middle school mentality. They
need to realize that earning their credits is
essential to graduation. One failed class
could have devastating consequences.”
Mr. Manny Galvan, who teaches 9th
gradeEnglish, said that freshman have
many ways of ensuring their own success.
“It should be common sense for freshmen
to come to school every day and do their
work and be responsible,” he said.
Galvan added, “Freshmen should maintain
a positive attitude and be respectful.”
Mr. Guillermo Navarro, who teaches P.E.
at Pueblo, said, “All freshmen need to
value their education. They should always
have excellent attendance and do their
homework.”
Navarro paused and said, “Most seniors
come to regret the mistakes that they made
when they were freshmen. I hope that
this year’s freshmen will learn from the
senior’s mistakes.”
Science teacher Ms. Elaine Straub and one of her many freshman classes.
16
Klein Conquers
New York
By Aimee Nieblas
This past summer, many of
our teachers experienced very
interesting trips and adventures,
including economics teacher, Mr.
Travis Klein, who traveled to the
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
on Wall Street in Manhattan in July
for several days.
Last school year, Klein searched
the internet for economic
workshops for the summer of
2011, and after completing an
application, he was accepted by
email and felt extremely excited
when he found out the great news.
According to Klein, one must be
invited to the New York Stock
Exchange. He added that one can’t
just show up and be expected to
gain entrance.
Klein traveled alone to New York
City, but he was not alone once
he arrived at the NYSE. He and
other fellow teachers from around
the world learned more about how
thestock exchange works.
Klein said that the entire
experience at the NYSE was
“definitely worthwhile” and
“enlightening”. He added that he
will never forget the many people
who took the time out of their days
to show them around the building.
Klein added that people don’t have
to specifically go to New York to
trade stocks and said that he has
his own investments in the stock
market, which were at
their best in 2008.
“Actually, a lot of people
already own stocks but
they aren’t aware,” Klein
said. “Many of these
stocks are related to their
retirements.”
Klein said that Americans
should invest in stocks
instead of spending their
money because over
the last 50 years Stock
Market investments have
grown exponentially.
While in New York,
Klein also learned the
history of our nation’s
most populated city
and toured many of
the Big Apple’s main
attractions including the
Empire State Building,
Chinatown, Central Park
and Times Square.
One of the most exciting
episodes of Klein’s trip
was seeing the WienerKlein in front of the New York Stock Exchange with the
mobile. He said that the
Wiener-mobile tempting his hunger.
people who own Kraft/
few years because now everything
Weinersnitchel were having an
is computerized.”
event in front of the New York
Stock Exchange Building, giving
Klein said that he would definitely
away free hotdogs.
return to the New York Stock
Exchange, and he would also
Klein added, “Nothing is free—I
had to stand in a long line for a hot be very interested in traveling
to Washington, D.C. to visit the
dog.”
Security Exchange Commission.
“If Pueblo students ever decided
to go visit the New York Stock
Exchange, they would be amazed
and astounded by it,” said Klein.
“They would be amazed that it has
dramatically changed in the last
17
Klein added that the trip to
the NYSE will help him in his
classroom because it helped him to
have a better understanding of this
financial process.
agriculture, so I thought, hey, since I
enjoy teaching, I might as well become
a teacher.”
So far, Collingwood said that he really
enjoys Pueblo.
“I like teaching our kids [at Pueblo]
because students here have fewer
advantages than those kids on the
eastside of Tucson,” Collingwood said.
He expressed that he deeply wants to
help his students improve in math and
get them prepared for their sophomore
year.
He also wants his students to attend
college—if students go to college, they
will most likely go attend college.
Collingwood’s enthusiasm is contagious to his students.
Collingwood
‘Teaches Life,
not just Math’
By Erika Campaña and Cassy Gutierrez
There are a lot of new faces gracing our
campus this new school year, including
Mr. Charles Collingwood, who is teaching
algebra support. He admits that he has
taught every type of mathematics that exists.
Collingwood comes to Pueblo Magnet High
Ms. Heath Teaches
‘Special’ Students
By Erika Campaña and Cassy Gutierrez
Another teacher who is new at Pueblo
Magnet High School this year is Ms. Trevia
Heath, who teaches exceptional education and
geometry.
Heath graduated with a bachelor’s from the
University of Central Florida in Orlando. She
also earned a master’s degree in education
and counseling as well as a master’s degree
in secondary education. Currently, she is
completing her PhD in exceptional education.
“I’m getting my PhD because I like being in
school and learning,” said Heath. “It would
School from Rincon High School, where
he taught AP calculus, pre-calculus, and
statistics.
“One thing I like about Pueblo is that it has
better facilities and a better community.”
Collingwood graduated from the University
of Hawaii with a degree in economics,
agriculture mechanization—but, in the end,
teaching fulfills him the most.
“When I moved to Tucson, there were no
jobs in the agriculture field, so I decided
to become a teacher. The main reason I
became a teacher was because I felt like
I was always educating people about
be fun to teach in college because I would
get to spend time around different people and
learn new things.”
One of the reasons why Heath decided to
teach at Pueblo is because her parents live
here in Tucson, and she was tired of the
weather in Kentucky.
“The weather there [Kentucky] is hot and
humid in the summer, and in the winters
there are many snowstorms and even
flooding. There are also a lot of tornadoes in
Kentucky,” she said.
Trevia also taught special education in
Kentucky.
So far, Heath said that she really likes
Pueblo because everyone is very nice and
welcoming.
18
“We set an example for the generation
that follows us,” Collingwood said.
“It’s not about you; it’s about the people
who will come after you.”
Collingwood also said that college is
challenging, but students should not
abandon the idea of getting a higher
education.
“Hard times are only for the moment.”
Collingwood said. “They will end, and
everything will get much easier.” He paused
and said. “All you really have is what you
put in your brain.”
“The one thing that nobody can take from
you is your knowledge because that’s deep
within you,” he said.
“The teachers and students are very generous
and genuinely nice,” said Heath.
Heath decided to major in exceptional
education because, at the time, that’s where
the jobs were in education.
“Choosing this major turned out being very
cool because I get to work with all kinds of
different teachers, and I never have to teach
the same thing all of the time,” Heath said.
She added that the most rewarding quality
about teaching students is seeing them
graduate and watching them become
successful.
“Truly, this is what teaching is all about,”
Heath said.
Jackson Joins
Warrior Staff
By Erika Campaña and “Sassy” Cassy Gutierrez
Mr. Joseph Jackson is one of our many new
teachers this school year at Pueblo, teaching world
history and government.
This is Jackson’s sixth year as an educator,
although he has taught at Naylor Middle School,
Pistor Middle School and Valencia Middle School.
However, this school year marks Jackson’s first
year as a high school year teacher.
Jackson expressed that he is enthused to teach a
new age of students.
“There is much less attitude from kids in high
school,” said Jackson. “But, other than that, there
is not much of a difference with students.” He
added that his classroom kids are nicer and more
respectful at Pueblo than at any other school he
has taught.
Jackson earned his teaching degree at Northern
Arizona University in Flagstaff, although he grew
up in Bisbee,
attending and
graduating from
Bisbee High
School.
Jackson (right) explains the importance of history to his class.
Ms. Breck Gets
Kids to Shake
Their Tail Feather
By Erika Campaña and “Sassy” Cassy
Gutierrez
Ms. Elizabeth Breck is one of the
many new teachers this year at Pueblo
Magnet High School—as our school’s
newest fine arts dance teacher.
Pueblo is like another world compared
to Breck’s first teaching assignment as
a kindergarten teacher at Open Arms
Private School, and she admits that
this year is her first opportunity to
teach dance at a high school.
“Dance is important for high school
students because it builds selfconfidence and it keeps teenagers’
bodies healthy. Dancing is also a way
to express ideas and emotions,” she
said.
“My grandfather
was a teacher,”
Jackson said,
“and that is what
made me want to
be a teacher as
well.” He added,
“I want to be a
good influence
on students and
people and make
an impact on their lives.”
Thus far, Jackson said that he is enjoying his first
year at Pueblo. “What I’m enjoying most this
school year are the students. They are a lot of fun,
and they have a great sense of humor,” he said.
Jackson said he loves his subject, and he feels that
history is important for students to learn so that
generations do not repeat the mistakes that were
made in the past.
Jackson confessed that he is mostly interested in
the Revolutionary War. He said this war led to the
independence of the United States.
Jackson also said, “If I could travel back in time
and be a witness to a historical event, I would
have to choose the signing of the Declaration
of Independence because I would like to give
Thomas Jefferson a high-five!”
He said that although Pueblo students are
definitely well-behaved, sometimes they lack the
enthusiasm to learn.
“If we try showing students what life is like
without education, and show them how different
life is with education, they might realize that the
only way to be successful is to have and value an
education!” said Jackson.
Breck graduated from the University
of Arizona where she earned a
bachelor’s degree in fine arts dance
(as well as a minor in poetry). She
then attended SUNY Purchase Dance
Conservatory for two years, located in
Purchase, New York (about 30 minutes
from New York City). There, she
studied ballet and modern dance.
style and culture of dancing is.”
She comes to Pueblo with 20 years
of dancing experience and believes
that teachers can learn from their
students—not just students from
teachers.
“Teaching is totally a nourishing
experience,” she said, “and Pueblo is
very relaxed, friendly, and there is a
lot of community spirit at this school.”
“This year, there are
two students in my
advanced class, and
although they have
no modern or ballet
dance background,
they have such a
willingness to learn
and participate with
me,” Breck said.
“By looking at them
dance, they have
taught me what their
19
She added, “As a teacher, one of our
roles is to empower our students.”
Breck said that thus far in the early
school year, she loves working with
Pueblo’s teachers and students. Breck
added that she enjoys Pueblo’s culture.
Breck (center) models key dance movements.
Pueblo Comics by Brian
Pueblo Celebrates El Dia de los Muertos
Ms. Garcia-De Cruz’ class pays homage to the Day of the Dead by constructing an impressive diorama, giving tribute to Steve Jobs, who passed away last month.
20
Halloween
Goofies
By Stephanie Medina and Clarissa
bag while trick-or-treating, and he
Romero
Under the moon on Halloween
night, we get a little mischievous
and sometimes do some of the
weirdest (and sometimes some
of the funniest) acts. This past
Halloween was no exception.
Freshman Marcos Medina stated, “I
stood on my roof and threw eggs at
people—and even though I missed
hitting anyone, I still had fun.”
Sophomore Tiffany Markham said,
“I stepped on this guy’s cape and
made him trip.”
Senior Irene Acosta said, “I put an
egg in my
friend’s candy
21
started swinging the bag around.
Then, when he put his hand in the
bag, he ended up getting egg all
over him.”
Freshman Linda Valle stated,
“When this guy came out of
nowhere with a chainsaw, I
accidently tripped and dragged my
friend.”
Indeed, the power of the Halloween
moon can make a person do some
funny things.
Cheerleaders
Inspire Warriors
in 2011-12!
She added, “We [cheerleaders] could win
in competition if we continue to develop
our spirited attitude. So much of being
a cheerleader is mental—the ability to
believe in ourselves and to stay optimistic
and positive at all times despite defeat
and challenges.”
By Nicole Celaya
This year, the cheerleading squad
includes 10 guys (15 if you count
competition) out of nearly 40. According
to Urquidez, this is the most guys on a
cheerleading squad in Pueblo history.
Cheerleading is defined as a competitive
sport involving organized routines
including elements of gymnastics. For
more than a century, cheerleading has
existed to encourage crowds to cheer on
all sports teams and to bring about team
spirit.
Here at Pueblo Magnet High School,
cheerleading is taken very seriously.
One of our school’s cheerleaders this
year, junior Lyleanna Urquidez (also
known as “China”) said this season
has been her most challenging yet.
She especially wants to put in 110%
effort at the assemblies and during the
homecoming game at halftime because
she wants to show the school what she
and the cheerleading team have: total
school and team spirit.
“Cheering totally pumps up the crowd,”
Urquidez said. “Without cheerleaders, a
game would be pretty boring.”
Urquidez said that she wants to attend
competition and win awards so that
Pueblo’s cheerleaders will be known as
the best in the Southwest.
Cheerleading coach Maria Lopez, who
has been coaching for seven years (and
has also coached girls soccer teams), said
this year’s squad has many strengths,
including collaborating on improving
their skills.
She added that the team also has its share
of weaknesses that they are constantly
trying to improve—including being late
to practice.
Lopez added that she enjoys having males
in the cheerleading squad.
“Having both males and females in
cheerleading allows the team to perform
more stunts,” Lopez said.
Senior Marco Ortiz, one of the male
cheerleaders this school year, said, “In
order to become a good cheerleader,
you must be in good condition because
cheering involves performing strenuous
activities which requires weigh-lifting,
rhythm and plenty of upper body
strength.”
22
Ortiz said that he wanted to become a
cheerleader because he wanted to try
something different for his senior year.
“Everybody was asking me to try out
because I would enjoy it,” he said.
Ortiz added that he loves cheering for
Pueblo High School because he wants to
be part of bringing spirit to students here
at PHS.
Another cheerleader, Jocelyn Dominguez,
a junior, added, “We want to inspire
students to have a strong school spirit and
to always maintain a positive attitude—
which can really be infectious to others.”
“I want us to be the best this year, and I
want our team to be known as one of the
best cheerleaders in the city,” she added.
She said that in order to be a good
cheerleader, you have to be in great shape
and all members have to watch their
diet—as well as maintaining a positive
attitude.
Cheerleaders practice on Mondays
through Thursday from 6-8:30 p.m. The
coaches make the cheerleaders start off
practice by running a mile out in the track
and then 30 minutes of stretching. Finally,
our cheerleaders warm-up on their jumps
and kicks.
“Even though practice is grueling at
times, it’s all worth it,” Dominguez said.
“We have a fun job to do and an entire
school to inspire.”
‘Odd Future’
Looking Bright
By Alex Moreno
To all of those fans of rap music, Odd
Future is definitely one of the best new
rap artists that seems to have appeared
out of nowhere. Due to the number of
members within the group, they are
commonly compared to Wu-Tang Clan.
The band has already gained
recognition from the larger names
in the music industry, such as MTV
designating lead singer Tyler, the
Creator, the best new artist during the
MTV Music Video Awards.
After receiving his award, Tyler said,
“I wanted this [award] since I was
nine years old. I finally got one!” His
tenacity proves that you can achieve
anything you want if you set your mind
to it.
an
awardwinning
artist.
Odd
Future
is at top
of their
game
when it
comes
to music
with lead
singer/
producer
Tyler, the
Creator,
plus
Hodgy
Beats,
Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, Mike
G, and singer Frank Ocean. Producers
Left Brain, Syd “The Kyd”, and Matt
Martians.
Odd Future
on Goblin. Most people know of Earl
Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator’s little
brother, when he went missing. Earl was
recently found in Samoa in a military
camp with his mother.
The group also includes other nonmusical members—most notably
Jasper Dolphin and Taco, who are not
professional rappers but still featured
Left Brain and Hodgy Beats also have
a side project called Mello Hype, so
you should make sure to also give that a
listen too.
Hardcore Lives On!
because of the way the frenzied fans were
dancing to the music.
Flare Homicide”, Attila’s “Rage”, and The
Ghost Inside’s “Between The Lines”.
By Alex Moreno
Hardcore music was born in the late
1970s, and it’s refreshing to see that this
genre of music is still alive and kicking
30-something years later. In the past year,
I have seen over 30 hardcore bands (both
local and mainstream), and out of all
of them, my top favorites are Emmure,
Attila, The Ghost Inside, Oceano, and
Tuscon’s own Chordata and Bow In
Astoria (who usually plays at Skrappy’s
Tucson Youth Center, The Rock, The
Rialto and various
house shows).
When these bands performed these
songs live, the vibe from the crowd was
amazing—and the pits intense as audience
members were “through down”—going
berserk with the energy from the music.
I thought it was crazy that he went from
being relatively oblivious to becoming
In Tucson, there are many bands that fall
under the genre of “Hardcore” (or HXC
for short). For example, Bow in Astoria,
Chordata, and We Stand Reborn, are just a
few of the bands that have started here in
Tucson. But what exactly is the new local
hardcore genre?
Hardcore music is heavy music with
yelling/grunts/pig-squealing, double drum
pedals, and of course, the breakdown,
which, to me, is the beauty of this genre
of music—I need it! The breakdown is
the “oomph” of the music. And, when
it comes to dancing and two-stepping,
breakdowns are amazing. Since hardcore
music entered the scene, mosh-pits have
never been the same.
In an article from AP (Alternative Press),
a reviewer and attendant of a Suicide
Silence concert stated that when the band
was performing their music, the audience
seemed to be “slam-dancing on crack”
It’s hard to believe
that I used to hate
this kind of music,
but after giving it
a proper chance,
I fell in love with
hardcore music
and never looked
back. Thus far, my
favorite songs are
Emmure’s “Solar
23
Got to love hardcore music and hardcore
shows. If you are still a little shy or
hesitant about this genre of music, go to
the next local show; you might become a
fan..
Alex Moreno (left) and friends dancing at Scrappy’s Youth Center.
Students Show Spirit!
Student Council really should be applauded and
congratulated for all of the dedication and creativity that
helped this year’s Spirit Week to be a success. Spirit
Week began during the week of Oct. 24-28, 2011, and
this year’s festivities proved to be more memorable
than most seniors and junior could recall. Throughout
the week, each day students in their classes had a theme
to follow regarding their dress. For example, at the
spirit assembly, seniors dressed up as zombies; juniors
were witches; sophomores dolled themselves up to
be vampires; and the freshman class were ghosts—all
appropriate themes considering how close homecoming
was to Halloween this year. All students who were
interviewed said the spirit assembly on Oct. 28 was the
most boisterous in recent years. Before the football game,
the traditional tailgate party entertained (and fed!) the
crowds. This year’s tailgating party was held near the
football field as opposed to the patio area like most years,
which allowed for easy access to the football game. This
year, many of our school’s clubs participated. Eclectic
and tasty food was provided all night either at the snack
bar or at various tables set up at the tailgating area.
24
Homecoming 2011: A Great Success!
Even though the Warriors were defeated by the
Nogales Apaches and ended the season with a 37 record, many Pueblo fans thought that Pueblo’s
spirit was at its highest. This was, by many
people’s opinion, one of the most diligent PHS
football teams in years. Anyway… for a while, it
looked as if the Warriors might be victorious, but in
the second half, Nogales kept scoring touchdowns.
During halftime, however, everybody took
time out to honor and commemorate this year’s
homecoming senior king and queen: Noel Federico
and Araceli Valenzuela, both of whom were
humbled to be crowned PHS’s beloved royalty.
Afterwards, the dance gave everybody a chance to
wear off their adrenaline from all of the excitement
earlier in the day and throughout the entire
spirit week. Many students agree that this year’s
festivities and homecoming traditions would be
memorable for many seasons in the future.
25
Pueblo Shows Gratitude
This is Thanksgiving week, and the time has
come to express our gratitude for what we have
in life. Despite these very trying times in this
economic slump, administrators, faculty, staff
members and students at Pueblo have a lot to
be grateful for this season of giving thanks.
Pueblo’s principal, Ms. Vivi Watt, said, “I am
grateful and thankful for my family, as well
as being here at Pueblo Magnet High School
having fun with everybody.”
Mr. Frank Rosthenhausler, assistant principal
of activities, said, “I am thankful for Peter
Piper Pizza and for the students at Pueblo being
very respectful. This job is more like a home.”
Assistant Principal of Instruction Ms. Ana
Gallegos said, “I am thankful for food, shelter
for when it’s cold, my family and friends.”
Ms. Vanessa Casillas, assistant principal of
operations, said, “I am thankful for my family,
my friends and for being blessed with great
support from everyone.”
Ms. Susanna Ugalde, secretary of facilities,
said, “I am thankful for my health because
without my health, I would not be able to work.
Also, I am thankful for my family.”
Ms. Anna Abbott-Gee, sophomore honors
English teacher, said “I am thankful for my
family who makes me smile, my friends who
remind me how to relax, and my students who
make me want to be here. I love you all.”
Ms. Martha Avila-Miranda, geometry teacher,
said, “I am very grateful for my many blessings
of health and my family and for all of my
awesome geometry, YES and class of 2015
students. I love you all and wish you joy this
holiday season.”
Ms. Dianne Bouchard, sophomore English
teacher, said, “I am
thankful for my
supportive husband of
27 years who gave so
freely of his time to help
the science students
with their trebuchet,
just because I asked;
my sons, who make me
laugh; my colleagues,
who give so unselfishly
of themselves to educate
their students; my 80year-old parents, who
motivate me to stay
active and be a lifelong
learner; and, my friends
for just being there for
me through tantrums and
triumphs.”
Ms. Sydney Dudikoff,
bilingual language arts
teacher, said, “I am really grateful and happy
to be teaching at Pueblo. Having a job and
a teaching position at a school from which I
graduated over four decades ago is a privilege
and an honor.”
Ms. Paulette Livio-Velez, intermediate honors
algebra teacher, said, “I am grateful for my
two beautiful daughters who are always there
for me. I am also grateful for the greatest math
department in the district where all of the
teachers work and share with each other. I am
also grateful for the Pueblo family. Most of all,
I am grateful that we didn’t get snowed in and
still have electricity! Now, if only they could
turn the heat on in the building…”
Ms. Karen Rimmell, freshman English and
Native American literature teacher, said,
“Even though I may appear to be irritable and
unreasonable at times in class, I am grateful
for every single one of my students who have
added experiences to my life.
So, students, I have learned
not only about you, but about
myself. Thank you for being
here! Enjoy your holidays.”
Mr. Donald Robertson,
sophomore/junior English
teacher, said, “On this
Thanksgiving 2011, I am
grateful for my family, friends,
and the wonderful students,
teachers and staff here at
Pueblo. In terms of inanimate
objects, I am thankful for
computers, but I am not
thankful for leaf blowers.”
26
Ms. Jennifer Sprung, former biology teacher at
Pueblo, said, “I love this quote: ‘Thanksgiving
Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the
honest man, it comes as frequently as the heart
of gratitude will allow’ [Edward Sandford
Martin]. “Happy Thanksgiving from a fellow
Pueblo Warrior for 23 years and I am very
much missing you all at PHS!”
Ms. Bonnie Stull, early childhood/education
professions teacher, said, “I am grateful for my
family and friends, and for those who protect
our country.”
Ms. Teresa Toro, senior counselor, said, “I
would like to extend a thank you to all parents
and guardians who entrust their children to us
at Pueblo. Our students are priceless, and they
are the reason why we dedicate ourselves to
our profession, which are meant to guide and
teach them.”
Mr. Guillermo Navarro, P.E. teacher, said, “I’m
thankful for my health and the fact I haven’t
died and beautiful woman.”
Mr. Devin Tanner, another P.E. teacher, said,
“I’m thankful for my freedom, great school,
family and all of my blessings.”
Steve Lopez, math teacher and wrestling coach,
said, “I am thankful for my health, my job and
my family.”
Mr. George Smith, a “permanent” substitute
teacher, said, “I’m thankful to be alive in a
world that God hasn’t forgotten.”
Mr. Virgil Henderson, one of Pueblo’s security
liaisons, said, “I’m thankful for my health, my
family and my job.”
Alfonso Gonzalez, another security liaison,
said, “I’m thankful that I’m healthy, my family
and kids.”
Ms. Nora Monge, security liaison security,
“I’m thankful for all of my family.”
Freshman Maricela Bravo said, “I am thankful
for the fact that we live in a place where we
have so many rights and opportunities—where
there are so many other places in the world
where they could only dream of having the
rights we do.”
Desiree Obregon, junior, said, “I am thankful
for my family and friends and a fat cat who I
adore.”
Jimmy Lopez, a junior, said, “I am thankful for
life.”
Mariano Soto, a junior, said, “I am thankful to
have my mom because she has done everything
for me as a single mother—always buying me
everything I need. All I can say is thank you,
and I love you!”
Junior Elijah Collazo said, “I am thankful for
my family for always being there for me. I love
them and would be nowhere without them.”
Hilario Ochoa, a freshman, said, “I am thankful
for all of the men and women sacrificing their
lives [in the military] so that we Americans can
live the way we do everyday.”
Marissa Figueroa, a junior, said, “I am thankful
for my mom and my nana for taking care of me
and my little brother.”
Victor Grijalva, junior, said, “I am thankful for
coming to school, getting a good education, my
life, my friends, the support from my teachers
and the office, my family, the gift of being able
to dance, the gym and Facebook.”
Tristen Arvaca, a freshman, said, “I am
thankful for baseball.”
Yuquie Escobedo, a sophomore, said, “I am
thankful for my friends Karina and Alejandra.”
Karina Martinez, another sophomore, said, “I
am thankful for having such amazing friends
like Yuquie and Alejandra for always being
there with me through thick and thin.”
Christian Rios, a senior, said, “I am thankful
for dancing and my teachers.”
Claudia Figueroa, a junior, said, “I am thankful
for my wonderful family and friends and for
being blessed they’re the ones who keep me
strong.”
Sophomore
Nereida
Gonzalez,
said, “I am
thankful
for having
wonderful
friends and
family.”
Sharon
Martinez, a
junior, said, “I
am thankful
for everything
that anyone
else would be
thankful for,
like family,
having the
chance to
live a healthy
life and for
everything I
have that is
necessary and even unnecessary. One thing that
I am truly grateful for is having the opportunity
to repair the relationship with my mom.”
Junior Juan Aguilar said, “I am thankful for
my family and all of the friends who I have—
especially those I met during my freshman
year.”
Senior Bryan Morales said, “I am thankful for
my family, my friends and my job.”
Junior Carlos Olguin said, “I am thankful for
life, my parents and for cars—I hate walking!”
Edwin Villarreal, a sophomore, said, “I am
thankful for my friends because they’re always
there for me.”
Melissa Aguirre, a junior, said, “I am thankful
for my family most of all because without
them, I don’t know what I would be in life.”
Sophomore Veronica Saucedo said, “I am
thankful for our school because we can get a
good education for our futures.”
Junior Wanya Simmons said, “I am thankful for
waking up everyday and for dancing.”
Fernanda Sotelo, a junior, said, “The most
important thing that I am thankful for is for
having everything that I have and also for
what I do not have. This year I am thankful for
having Sharon Martinez in my life because she
is one of a kind. I love her. I’m also grateful for
food!”
Freshman Carmen Placures said “I am thankful
for my life because I have everything except a
phone and my best friend because she is always
27
there for me.”
Julian Herrera, freshman, said “I am thankful
for my family, friends, sports, my two baby
sisters, the great parents I have and just another
day of living.”
Victor Aravjo, a sophomore, said, “I am
thankful for my life, my family and my
freedom.”
Luis Del Toro, a sophomore, said “I am
thankful for my family, the friends I have and
for everything else I have. I could not ask for
more.”
Sophomore Jesus Fierro said, “I am thankful
for schools and turkey.”
Junior Cory Ortega said, “I am thankful for
recovering well from my surgery.”
Jesus Valenzuela, a sophomore said, “I am
thankful for school, family and friends.”
Sophomore Julio Duarte said, “I am thankful
for food.”
Freshman MariaLouisa Vega said, “This
Thanksgiving I am very thankful for my family
because without them, holidays just wouldn’t
be the same. Also, I am very thankful for
everything—in general.”
Kassandra Enriquez, a junior, said, “I am
thankful for my dad being alive. He was in
the hospital and actually died for five minutes.
Thank God he’s alive!”
Tell him that you like his cologne but
overdoing it causes headaches. You can
have candor with him as long as you do
so with diplomacy and tact. Hopefully
he’s not wearing too much cologne to
repel others! But, if you are serious about
him, you need to at least try. Even if the
situation between you both does not gel,
then at least you’ll still be doing him a
huge favor for future prospects in the
relationships department.
Dear Al,
Dear Al,
I really like this guy. He has all of the
qualities that make him great; he is smart,
funny and good-looking. However, he
always wears too much cologne. He
wears so much cologne that he could
probably kill insects and small animals
as he passes by. How do I tell him that he
is overdoing the cologne? Even though
he’s wearing an expensive fragrance, too
much can really be annoying. I really like
him, but I honestly can’t seem to get too
close to him for more than a few minutes
without needing a gas mask! Please help!
Sincerely,
Girl With Clothespin on Her Nose
Dear Clothespin Girl,
Whatever happened to subtlety? What
is wrong with the honest approach?
28
I have been dating a guy since this past
summer, and we seem to be doing well
most of the time. At first, he seemed a
little hesitant about going out with me
because he had just broken up with his
girlfriend—and my former friend—after
two years. I guess their break up was
pretty heavy. But, I was hoping to help
him forget about her. However, he keeps
a necklace that she gave him, and even
though they broke up last spring, he
refuses to take it off. It looks expensive,
but that’s not the point. If he was truly
over her, then he wouldn’t be wearing
the necklace anymore. When I mention
to him that I wish he would remove the
necklace, he gets very defensive. Then,
we start to argue, and that leads to all
kinds of stupid talk. Should I continue to
be upset with him about this matter or just
let it go? I really feel that the necklace
represents his ex-girlfriend. In fact, I can’t
look at the necklace without thinking
of her. Sometimes I want to yank the
necklace from him, but I know that would
make me look really immature and sort
of psycho. What do I do regarding this
matter?
Sincerely,
Necklace Hating Junior
Dear Necklace Hating Junior,
I would not push the issue any further.
He will let go of the necklace in his own
time, and you also need to keep in mind
that they were together for two years.
You seem to be a little aggressive in this
situation, which is understandable, but
you also know that the “break up was
pretty heavy”. Good grief, give him some
breathing space! Continuing to pressure
Ask Al the Wise Owl
him about the necklace will only cause
more tension and possibly ruin your
relationship. If you can move past the
necklace, he will, too, in time.
Dear Al,
I’m a senior, and I’ve got to admit
my scandalous secret. As much as it
embarrasses me to admit, I think I’m
falling for one of my teachers here at
Pueblo. He’s just…so handsome! Every
time I’m in his class, I can feel my heart
fluttering, and I don’t know what to do.
I understand that these kinds of feelings
aren’t right. But, I don’t know what to do.
I would deeply appreciate any advice you
have for me.
Sincerely,
Senior Wanting to be Teacher’s Pet
Dear Senior Wanting to be Teacher’s Pet,
Many students develop crushes on their
teachers, so it is fairly normal. However,
you must know that it is illegal and
unethical for a student and a teacher to
pursue a “romantic” relationship. Focus
on your reason for being at school—to
learn academics and not stalk a teacher
who is just maintaining professionalism
and trying to make a living on a meager
salary. Leave him alone and pick on
someone your own age.
Dear Al,
I know that this is an advice column, but
I’m not sure I need advice as much as I
just need to vent publicly. As a respectful
senior, I have become totally disgusted
by how many of our girls dress at Pueblo
over my four years of high school. I
think my fuse totally blew a few days
ago, during my first period class, when
a student walked in about 10 minutes
late, smiling nervously but also enjoying
the attention she received. Everybody—
especially the boys—couldn’t stop staring
at her. Even the teacher was staring,
although in horror; I could tell that he was
totally angry about being disrupted during
his lecture. Her dress was so tight that I
don’t know how she sat at a desk without
the seams of her dress bursting. She is
not the only distraction at Pueblo. Many
of our girls are dressing scandalously
and seeming to get away with it. If a
stranger stumbled upon our campus, he
or she might think that they were on the
seedy streets of Las Vegas. So many of
our girls dress as if they’re at a hooker’s
convention—definitely not at a school!
Administration needs to seriously crack
down on the dress code and tell these
girls that they are here to learn instead of
looking like call girls. In the amount of
time that it takes some of these girls to
dress and plaster their faces with make-up
in the morning, they could be studying
and/or doing their homework. Maybe
we’d have higher graduation rates. And,
parents need to stop letting their children
out of the door looking like tramps. I’m
not a prude, but in a million years, I’d
never dress like these girls, not even on
a date. My conscience wouldn’t let me.
Pueblo administrators definitely need to
consider including a mandatory etiquette
class in our curriculum for students who
just don’t have a clue how to be classy.
Sincerely,
A class-act student
Dear A class-act student,
Thank you for addressing this issue. Yes,
I think that everybody here is disgusted
when girls wear clothes that are two sizes
too small and all of their body parts are
bulging out of the seams. These girls
actually think that they are attractive?
Well, they’re not. Most guys, when it
comes down to it, are not really interested
in girls who dress like Las Vegas hookers.
Guys like girls who dress like hookers
for only one thing—and that one thing is
not a long-lasting relationship. On the
other hand, I find it sad that girls believe
that they have to dress scandalously in
order to receive attention. And, you’re
right, administration does, indeed, need
to start cracking down on girls who
dress skimpily. Most of the students
want to attend a respectable school, but
with students who dress like trash, this
29
reputation is hard to attain. A strong,
young female does not need to flaunt
her body; instead, she needs to focus on
flaunting her mind.
Dear Al,
In the past six months or so, since the
end of the last school year, I started
developing acne on my back. At first, I
had just a few pimples, although they
grew to become big zits, and they were
very painful. I’ve always been a very
clean person, but nothing seemed to stop
them from multiplying. Before the end
of this past summer, most of my back
was covered with them. I don’t get these
pimples anywhere else, for the most
part (just a few on my face here and
there), but my back is downright ugly,
like a dartboard covered with dozens
of pimples—big ones, small ones…all
sizes. My parents think that I have these
pimples because I’m “just a teenager”.
My father said that he had them when was
my age, and they eventually went away. I
can’t wait until I get older—these pimples
are painful and very disgusting. Is there
anything I can do to get rid of them?
Sincerely,
Pained with pimples junior
Dear Pained with Pimples,
We are at the age when we develop
acne. It is common for boys to find some
on their back if they sweat or work out
quite often. The pores on our body get
clogged with oils and/or dead skin cells,
attracting bacteria, which cause pimples.
Neutrogena has a series of body washes
called Body Clear® that targets these
problems. Also, you can buy a spray from
Neutrogena that can be used to get rid
of the acne. Be sure to exfoliate properly
to turn over new skin cells quicker and
wash with an antibacterial wash. To
treat current acne, use salicylic acid
or acne spot treatment on those areas.
If this does not seem to work, you may
need to schedule an appointment with a
dermatologist. In fact, seeing a specialist
is not a bad idea.
All of these efforts were in vain;
Davis was executed.
Nationally, the exact number of
innocently convicted or executed
people is unknown. However,
there have been studies suggesting
10,000 people each year are
wrongly convicted and estimate
that between 1990 and today,
dozens of people have been
wrongly executed.
Themis Takes Off
Her Blindfold
An opinion by Keyerah Bates
On Wednesday, Sept. 21, Troy
Davis was executed in Georgia at
11:08 P.M.
He was executed after being
convicted of killing a South
Carolina police officer in 1989.
After several recanted testimonies
from witnesses, and even after
another person confessed to the
crime, the Georgia Pardon and
Parole Board refused to grant Davis
clemency.
No DNA-based evidence could
actually link Davis to the crime.
More than 630,000 letters were sent
for Davis’ stay of execution—even
from death penalty supporters such
as William Sessions, a previous
F.B.I director.
Troy Davis was executed in
Georgia, a state notorious for its
racist history. (Georgia is right up
there with Alabama, a state that has
a long history of embarrassing racial
atrocities). I am not sure that Troy
Davis, an African-American, would
have been executed in a Western or
Northeastern U.S. state.
Clearly, Troy Davis’ execution was
far from justice; this is another
classic example of racism at its
most extreme. This ordeal is beyond
prejudice because there was no
concrete evidence linking Davis to
the accused crime.
If Davis had a lot of money, he
could have found a lawyer who
could have saved him. But, when
you have been oppressed for most
of your life in a geography where
racism is prevalent in this country,
having money like that is not much
of a reality or luxury. Money will
not be able to pay the damage and
pain the Davis family now feels.
Joan MacPhail, the wife of the
deceased officer who Davis
supposedly killed, believes that
justice was served when Davis was
executed. She said that she will
grieve for the Davis family—saying
that the Davis’ relatives can now
30
understand the pain she endured and
the pain she continues to feel more
than 20 years later.
Themis is the Greek Goddess of
Justice who symbolizes truth and
justice—and she wears a blindfold
so that she delivers justice by what
she hears and not by what she sees.
Was Themis doing her “job” in the
Troy Davis execution?
I think not. Clearly, Themis was
peaking through her blindfold.
Do we dare continue to call
ourselves the United States when
we tear down the principles that
we supposedly represent? No, we
do not deserve to have the word
“United” in our country’s name at
this time. Until this country can help
its own citizens and there is justice
for all races in this nation, the
United States should be called “The
Country that Wants to be Called
the United States But Still Holds
Certain People Back”.
Troy Davis’ execution was grieved
in many countries. In France, for
example, Davis’ face was featured
on posters, shirts, signs and the
sides of buildings—all in support
for Davis staying alive. Indeed,
even the international community
was outraged. Across the Atlantic
Ocean—and every other ocean—
people witnessed and voiced their
opposition to the atrocious injustice
in our country’s judicial system.
Last month, speaker Mr. Calvin
Terrell advised us Pueblo students
that we have to fix a world of hurt
and uproot evils such as racism.
I think that Mr. Terrell’s next stop
should be the U.S. Supreme Court.
Rage Page (Volume III, Issue 1)
Opinions by Nathan Davenport
Good afternoon, Warriors, and
welcome to the first issue of the
final volume of my “Rage Page”.
For those of you who are new,
this is essentially a column filled
with subjects that really tick me
off—from presidential shenanigans
to ugly people on the streets… If
something makes my blood boil,
you can bet I’ll
mention this topic in
my Rage Page.
CD of ‘em. Heck, if Christmas
gets a soundtrack, why can’t
Thanksgiving? I can hear it now!
♫ I’m sitting here, turkey in my
hand. Now I have to loosen up my
waistband. I shovel food deep in my
mouth, because pretty soon, it’s all
headed south! ♫
I hate those stupid messages
everybody forwards on Facebook®,
your love is going to carve your
current crush’s name into your
hand. Wait, I’ve got one: Forward
all of your money into my bank
account then spin around in a circle
40 times. Afterwards, jump out of a
closed window and run into traffic.
You’ll really be hospitalized! Wow,
how crazy!
Do you remember those
commercials
made for
California? I still
remember the
Firstly, why is
one where Arnold
everyone so skeptical
“The Governator”
about everything
Schwarzenegger
now-a-days? No
and other
matter what claim
celebrities went
you make, anyone
snowboarding,
and everyone around
fine-dining
you will instantly
and a bunch of
inform you that it
other crap so
is impossible. What
they could get
happened in the last
people to come
few years to cause
to California.
this widespread
Who on Earth
lack of belief, and
thought it was a
where was I when it
good idea to make
happened? Besides,
a commercial
it’s not like I’m
for a state? Did
telling you I can
Schwarzenegger
Nathan Davenport questions the reason why you dare to stand in his light.
walk on water and
wake up one
Myspace®, and the like. Every
make your knees explode. I just
morning, look in the mirror, and
day, I log onto Facebook to check
want you to believe that I can make
scream (in his thick Shwarzenmy
messages
and
joke
around
with
a tasty sandwich! “…Why are ye
accent) “Nyah! My mighty
friends, only to be barraged by an
fearful, O ye of little faith?”
biceps are telling me a genius
inbox full of “Believe me, this really way to make Ahnold-Dollars!
works: Think of the person you’re
I still don’t understand why
Commercials and lots of them”,
in
love
with.
Okay,
now
post
this
Christmas is the only holiday
before he put on pants and tried to
message on 200 walls in 30 minutes, take over the world? Yes, nothing
that has CDs full of songs based
and then look at the palm of your
around it. Considering that it’s
makes me want to go to California
hand! You’ll see your lover’s name
the most diluted holiday in
like watching Betty-friggin’-White
appear!” What?!? How stupid can
existence (Christmas is officially
drive a golf cart through a film
you people be?!? Oh, yes, if you
synonymous with money), I really
set. Actually, scratch that. I’d give
post a stupid chain letter on peoples’ my left leg to hang out with Betty
don’t think it’s worthy of a single
walls, the concentrated power of
upbeat song, let alone a holly, jolly
White.
31
Congratulations,
Homecoming King and Queen
Noel Federico and Araceli Valenzuela!