By: Megan Moss and Bari Agnes

We all know Mrs. G as the girls P.E. teacher at Pueblo West Middle School, soon to be Liberty Point International School. She has taught at this school for eight years; she even has taught here longer than her co-worker Mr.Frost. Mrs. G has two athletic sons. Due to her sons athletic ability, she knows where each ice arena in Colorado. The cool part is she even knows when they open and close! Her most embarrising moment happened while she was on her first year teaching at PWMS.  Mrs. G was so excited for her first evaluation to happen! Being a P.E. teacher, she didn’t think she needed any posters in her gym; until one teacher told her that if she wanted a good evaluation she needed to have posters! She rushed to the store and hung up her posters before her evalutaion started. It turns out she didn’t even need posters for a good evaluation! No matter what the situation was, she still recieved a great evaluation. While interviewing Mrs. G, we talked to Mr.Frost about her.  He stated, “The weirdest thing about her is that she has a ranch! She is a cowgirl!” After hearing this, we turned to Mrs. G and asked her what she has on her farm. On this ranch she has cows, horses, goats, chickens, turkeys, guinea hens, dogs, and cats. According to Mrs.G, her guinea hens are South American watch dogs. One place Mrs. G would love to visit is Australia. Volleyball, is her favorite sport to coach; hockey, is her favorite sport to watch. Having Mrs. G all three years, I never knew any of these facts. I’m glad that we took the time to interview one of my favorite teachers Mrs.G!

By: Megan Vaught and Madison Cole

Sixth grade language arts teacher Mrs. Catherine Briggs

On May 15 Megan Vaught and I got to know the amazing sixth grade language arts teacher Mrs.Briggs on a more personal level.  Mrs. Briggs’ hobbies include reading, playing piano, and needlework, but she enjoys crocheting blankets and Christmas Ornaments, plus she enjoys embroidering table clothes. Her favorite book is the Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien.  She has been playing the piano since she was 10 years old. Before teaching she was a personal secretary and worked at an audio and video studio, and taught piano lessons, and of course has the responsibility of being a mom. Mrs.Briggs has been married to her husband Al for 36 years and they have six children; three girls and three boys. She also has 12 grand-children, and two more on the way!  Her favorite sports are football and baseball. Her favorite football team is the Greenbay Packers and her favorite baseball team is the Kansas City Royals. We enjoyed gettting to talk with Mrs.Briggs. Now y’all know a little more about the fabulous Mrs.Briggs.

By:  Daniel Minich

PWMS sixth grade science teacher, and head boys basketball coach, Mr. Paul Harrison

After being able to talk to sixth grade science teacher and head boys basketball coach Mr. Paul Harrison, I found out some pretty interesting stuff.  For example, he is not only a man of tall stature, he is a really cool guy.  After asking him what his favorite hobbies were, he said “I like to go sailing on the reservoir, and playing chess.” In getting to talk to him, I learned what his favorite category of science teaching was, and he stated, ”Geology.  I like it because I love to find rocks and understand how they were formed.” I wondered what his favorite food was so when I asked him, he said chicken enchildas.  When asked how he likes to run his classroom, he stated, ”I run my classroom pretty laid back.  I enforce the rules, but I am not so controlling about it.” So there you have it, Mr.Harrison is a tall man who enjoys sailing and enchiladas, and is a really good science teacher.

Shop Teacher and "Biker Dude" Mr. Robert Guidry

Mr. Robert Guidry’s business hours are occupied by his Industrial Arts class (A.K.A Shop).  He has been teaching here at Pueblo West Middle School for 18 years, but in all these years no one really knows who he is.

Mr. Guidry was inspired to become a shop teacher when he was our age…in Middle School!   His sixth and seventh grade science teacher,
Mr. Nelson was his most inspiring role model.  He was then talked into becoming a shop instructor in college. Guidry has a degree in welding which aides in his teaching job.

Of course Mr. Guidry has hobbies.  His favorite things are skiing, running triathlons, and riding his motorcycle. Since 1974, he’s been skiing every weekend opportunity he gets, and he’s been riding his motorcycle since 1976. He began running triathlons in the 90’s.  Mr. Guidry says he has never had an embarrassing moment, but I think there has to be something, after all he is Mr. Guidry.

BY: MEGAN VAUGHT

Mr. Kennedy, good math teacher, though clearly not as handsome as Mr. Mestas

Mr. Wendell D. Kennedy is a dedicated math teacher at Pueblo West Middle School, but that’s not what his entire life is consumed with.  He leaves plenty of room for his wife Jeri, and his kids Ryan and Amber.  His nephew Josh has also become a close member of the family.  Being a pet loving guy, he has four dogs, an equal number of cats, and seven fish!  As a hobby, he often buys and sells storage units, and enjoys anything dealing with sports.  His favorite sports team is Dallas Cowboys, although he has never watched them from the stands.  He also roots for the Oklahoma Sooners, a college team who he has seen play.  The things he buys, he then sells on Craigslist or at the flea market.

It was funny of him to say, his most embarrassing moment is every time a student refers to him as Mr. Mestas, the social studies and journalism teacher.  He was also very embarrassed in a previous job at an elementary school preforming a skit.  Mr. Kennedy’s part was a female, so he had to wear a dress infront of others.

Teaching at PWMS isn’t the only job he has ever had.  He was once a manager for Big Lots and a “pooper scooper” on a pig farm; yuck!  In college, his part time job was in construction.  Luckily, eventually down the road, he became a math teacher so the students at Pueblo West could experience his humor and personality he never fails to show.

BY: MEGAN VAUGHT

Mrs. Lori Fiorini spends her working hours as a social studies teacher at Pueblo West Middle, but she keeps herself quite occupied in her

Mrs. Lori Fiorini

free time out of school.  Happily married, she and her husband Ernie have two daughters, Christy and Jamie.  Christy has provided the couple with two precious granddaughters, Abby and Anna.  Sadly, Jamie tragically passed away at the young age of 26. At home, Mrs. Fiorini has two spoiled Shih Tzu dogs named Rosie and Lilly.  When she finds time, Mrs. Forini enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, crocheting, and even occasional guitar playing.  Her favorite book is “The Grapes Of Wrath” by John Stienbeck.  In her garden, she grows vegetables and flowers, and she crochets lots of interesting things such as blankets and sends them as gifts.  A favorite activity of hers is to hike the American Basin, a beautiful stretch of land near Gunnison. She says it’s a truly beautiful sight to see, and place to be.  Before she was our social studies teacher, she made money for herself in other occupations. She once owned an apple orchard in Penrose, Colorado, and that’s where her love for gardening first began. She was also, believe it or not, a dental assistant for EDDA (Expanded Duties Dental Assistant).  Just like anyone else, Mrs. Fiorini has been embarrassed. When she was about thirty years old, she and some friends went water skiing. While on the skis, she crash landed and lost her swim suit bottoms!  Luckily, her good friends had an extra pair of shorts to throw her.  That’s the last time she ever water skied without shorts on again!  There still many crazy things she enjoys soing such as 4-Wheeling.  “I like to go jeepin’ in my jeep,” she says.  Her most prized possession is her wedding ring, the same one her grandmother wore!  How fortunate she must be to still have something as special as that.   The extraordinary Mrs. Forini has many things going on other than teaching social studies, but she loves being our teacher just as we love her being here.

By Paige Gutierrez

Mrs. Valencia (white gloves and all) posing with a priceless artifact in a recent Philadelphia excursion.

If you hear someone say Mrs. Valencia, you almost immediately think technology teacher, and that’s it.  Well, think again! Mrs. Valencia is like a modern day Lewis and Clark because she loves to travel. It is definitely her favorite thing to do.  Sometimes her journeys are with students, and sometimes not.  She can visit the same place over and again, but still never get bored or uninterested. Of course each time she returns to an exhibit she tries to visit different parts of it, just to make things just a little more fun. Did you know that this year’s student trip (to Washington DC and New York City) will be the 12th one she’s organized? It sounds pretty stressful, right? Well, there’s always going to be stress with anything you do, but she’s been doing it for 12 years with the same company Smithsonian Student Travel. Thus, she is what you would call a “pro.”

Mrs. Valencia with Lower Manhattan in the background.

Also, did you know Mrs. Valencia is a history buff? Which basically means that she LOVES history, especially American History.  She has become so fascinated with it because when she was in 8th grade she had an amazing social studies teacher. In her personal life she’s been married for almost 13 years.  Oh, that’s so cute!  She and her husband Rick have

Mrs. Valencia with her precious grandaughter Adeline

two children, Briana (21) and Dannie (15.)  She also has two younger brothers, and one granddaughter.  Dogs would be her favorite animal, and she proves it because she owns five!  She was born in Pueblo, but from here moved to Texas, then South Dakota, back to Colorado, then to Kansas, and once again back where she started, Pueblo.  She moved around so much because her father was a Minister, which is cool if you ask me. She’s also extremely excited about the transition into MYP. “It will be good for the school and be the challenge that students need,” she explained. Other things Mrs. Valencia enjoys are reading, fishing, and camping. She’s definitely the adventurous type, and also a really awesome person! If you’re lucky enough to be in seventh or eighth grade next year, you might get the chance to be in her social studies class that she is transitioning into next year.  So next time you see Mrs. Valencia remember that she more than just an

With Riley, one of five furry friends!

awesome teacher.  She leads a very interesting and adventurous life; and definitely not an ordinary Day Tripper.

By Paige Gutierrez

Mrs. Nicole Melster (right) and her awesome mentor Ms. Jean Ramseyer

The minute I walked into the conference room of Pueblo West Middle School (Soon to be Liberty Point International School) and saw Mrs. Melster chatting with a stylish looking guest, I knew I was going to have a great conversation with both of them. The unfamiliar lady’s name was Jean Ramseyer, who had a beautiful wardrobe and a wonderful personality as I soon learned.  Jean is from Michigan and was recently brought into our school to help us through the process of transitioning into the MYP (Middle Years Programme).  She is also Mrs. Melster’s mentor, and I have to admit it was kind of funny to think of a teacher having a teacher! Ms. Ramseyer became involved in the MYP and IB
program during 2004 and absolutely LOVES it! “The program offers children the chance to use knowledge they have learned from school and transition it to the real world; it gets them to ask numerous questions, teaches them to keep an open mind, and also help them become leaders instead of followers,” she explained to me with a proud smile. She also explained in depth how the program (or is it programme?) really wants kids to have a better understanding of things. “We want them to try to understand that someone’s opinion could be
different than their own. And also understand that both opinions could end up being right,” she said. How Ms. Ramseyer got to help out Mrs. Melster out of everyone else is pretty awesome. The head coordinators receive applications from schools that wish to become an MYP or IB school and then they send the application to the mentors to see if they would like to help the school during its transition. What people don’t know is that there are MYP schools all over the world and they are all sharing ideas and helping each other out. If the program ccomplishes its goals, then generations that are involved will begin to shape the world to be the best it’s ever been. Benefits will include sharing ideas and accepting opinions and using what has been learned to help people make some crazy cool inventions that help society become so much better of a place. I’m glad our school was fortunate enough to get someone as nice Ms. Ramseyer to help out our very own coordinator Mrs. Melster.  I can’t wait until our school becomes an MYP public school!

By: Trenton German

To read Part One of The Great Land of Mythology click HERE

Chapter 2: Selena’s Special Power

Google Images

Joshua was relieved to see the tyrant he once called father dead, but his relief would have to wait, for he still had to leave town. He couldn’t risk staying in Sandi Mario and getting attacked by multiple enemies to he and Selena.

“Okay, we just have to get some supplies, and then we can go to The Meadow,” said Josh. Using his father’s wallet, Josh bought a couple bags of chips, a compass, a telescope, and he traded the Carson Family Farm for a motorcycle with a sidecar. Then he and Selena set off to find paradise.

The Meadow is a wonderfully magical place with five main towns and a huge field for people and animals to play, even the magic animals. There are forests for hunting and camping, and lakes bigger than any in the world. The Meadow is in the very middle of Gaea which is the enormous land that the great heroes forged out of the destroyed Seven Continents, or Earth as they called it back then, after the War of the Centuries. The Meadow’s five towns had their own personalities, business, warfare, farming, lifestyles, and animal havens.

As the motorcycle sped down the road with Josh and Selena in it, evil lurked all the way down the treacherous road: Lafayette Path. They were on their way to heaven, but they had to get past the creatures that live in the forest that the road crosses through.

“Selena, pass me the chips,” Josh yelled!

“What flavor?” she asked

“Potato.”

They crossed through rivers, towns, and the occasional corn field, but they still hadn’t gotten to the forest. As they were going down the most peaceful part of the road they were stopped. A huge ogre was blocking their path.

“Gimme your money and you might live!” roared the monster. He pulled a gigantic battle axe off of his back, slashed, and demolished the motorcycle, but with just enough time for the two to clear out of the way. Josh jumped to attack, but was immediately smacked out of the way. He got back up, winced, and attacked again, for he had to save his helpless sister. Selena stood there, angry at the beast that was
throwing her brother around like a ragdoll. A tear fell from her eye. She jumped into the air and punched the ogre in the face making him frozen where he stood, but it started moving again. Right before the beast was able to remove itself from the ice, Selena controlled the stream next to them. She used her water to swallow the ogre, drowning it in the stream bed.

Josh looked at his sister for a while, stunned at her actions. When he could finally speak, he said, “Selena, you’re a Water Bender?”
Water Benders were very rare in Gaea after their empire up north was demolished.

“I am a Water Bender!” She said.

By:  Kyle Hanna

The Aerodynamic Dave Sheppard about to unleash some Dodgeball Fury!

Students at Pueblo West Middle School all know Mr. Sheppard, math teacher for sixth and seventh graders.  But there’s more to him that meets the eye.  First of all, if you’re wondering why he shaved his head, its not because he has a bad stylist, but instead it was to support the dodgeball tournament.  “It makes me more aerodynamic,” he said.  Ever wonder why Mr. Sheppard wanted to be a teacher? Well, Ms. Garrett, his 8th grade math teacher at Commerce, Texas Middle School, inspired him by making math class fun.  “Without her,” Mr. Sheppard (or David, as his friends call him) “I would have never been inspired to teach math.” He added that he loves his job.  “I love my students and all the other teachers.  They make my days interesting.”  I asked him what he wanted to be when he was a kid besides a teacher, and he told me that he always wanted to be an architect. When I asked him what the funniest thing that ever happened to him as a teacher, with a laugh he replied, “When Mr.Dilka told Lexi Timme to put salt in my coffee.”  “I love everything about PWMS,” he said, ”from the teachers to the students, but the students most of all.”

When students hear the name of Ms. Vuksta they instantly think about the crazy drama teacher and talent show director. But does anyone know the real Ms. Vuksta? Is she really just a boring person? Is it all an act? Ha, no. I don’t have her as a teacher so I decided to interview her for about five minutes. I ended up walking out of the room feeling like I’ve known her forever and with the honest thought that she is one of the coolest and funnest teachers in the school.

Did you know that during her spare time she loves to go fishing, hang out with friends, listen to music, and play video games? One of her all time favorite games is Kingdom Hearts on the PS2.  She also loves to try new things. One incrediably interesting fact about Ms. Vuksta is that she was born with six toes on both of her feet but had the extra ones chopped off at 10 months. Another thing that is quite interesting is that fact thta her only career was teaching and the whole time it was at PWMS for 18 years! When I asked her what her most embarrassing moment was she answered, “One day I was in a horrible mood when a student pushed me to the edge. I was so frustrated I stormed out of the classroom and slammed the door. It was soon after that when I realized I had just locked myself out of the classroom. So, to make things even better I had to tap on the classroom window and the same student that made me mad in the first place was the one who had to open the door for me.”  Now that’s funny!

I am sure you all have heard of the Titanic. The Titanic is a colossal steamship, but unlike any other of it’s kind. This monster was was built to have plenty of room and still be a luxury. It was made up of mostly of steel  and the screws made up of bronze. Now if you do not know about the legend of the Titanic then here is a quick  summary for you. The Titanic was on it’s maiden voyage from Southampton England to New York when it was hit by an iceberg. After it was it by this the side of the ship was badly damaged.  This all happened on  April 14, 1912.

So you are probably wondering how could this giant be stopped by a piece of ice? Well this was a huge piece of ice, as in iceberg! The

The Titanic in it's One and Only Voyage

There is now a question that popped up recently. The question is about whether people should disturb the resting site of the giant.Many people say we should, others say that idea should be forgotten about. My opinion is that we should see what is there and if there is anything worth grabbing or moving then we should. If you had no idea of  how or what one of your family members,loved one etc… wouldn’t you want something to remember them by? I would so in that case we most definitely go and see what remains on the Titanic.

What do flags, science fair, poets, and culture quilt all have in common? Well… the Academic Fair! Here at Pueblo West Middle School (which next school year will be Liberty Point International), we are having a fair to display all of the

Visitors Marvel at Student Work During Last Year's Academic Fair

work from the students.  The Academic fair is going to be a good display to parents in what their student(s) were doing the past school year.

     On the Evening of May 16, 2012 all of the students will be displaying work from all of their core classes. A science fair in which all three grades will also be on this night, the science team is going to have High School students from the Adv. Science classes come and judge the competition. The overall theme that all of the projects are asked to display is International Mindedness. This name was chosen because of the new International Bachelorette program here.

The 8^th grade math teacher, Mrs. Zamora, said “In my class for the fair we are making flags from different countries, and performing different items to them.”

The Gifted and Talented (GATE) students were asked to host this event.  Gate will be hanging up posters and help organize the fair itself. The GATE team says “I feel this is a great opportunity to display the students work and to cover our school in all that we have been learning!”

So… if you aren’t doing anything the night of May 16,2012, at 6:00 please come and join us and enjoy our work!

By: Nicole Arguello

If you haven’t already visited Liberty Point International (previously Pueblo West Middle), I would consider it because, there are many interesting activities and very extraordinary, one of a kind students.  Many of these wonderful students impress in many different ways. Besides the normal activities like football, basketball, baseball, ect., many students have abnormal interesting interests. Serena Goodsell is an excellent, hard working student inside school but, who is she outside? Well that’s a good question and that is why I took the time to interview her and most importantly get to know another amazing student. The pretty, outgoing, 13 year old, 7th grader compassionately enjoys Figure Skating. But like any other young child she also enjoys memorable, special moments with friends and family. Why did you decide to start figure skating? “I was three years old when my mom took me on the ice and, since then I just couldn’t stop skating.” says, Serena. Another fun fact about Serena is that she enjoys working with baby goats. ” I like to figure Skate because it’s really fun to learn and the tricks are so cool once you’ve learned them.”  Do you think you will become a professional Figure Skater? ” No I don’t think I will because, I just like to skate for fun and I would really like to take the sport with me when I get older so, I can teach my future children.” says, Serena. There you have it, another extraordinary student here at Liberty Point International.

By: Kyle Hanna

Click on photo for larger image (google image)

On April 3, the NFL and Nike — the company which has replaced Reebok as the league’s official apparel supplier revealed new uniforms for each of the 32 NFL teams at an event in New York City. The new sleek design benefits more than just looks. “You look good, you play good,” said Tom Crabtree (Green Bay Packers star tight) end to the associated press. The uniforms also have a new V-shaped neckline and the new fabric technology allows jerseys to stretch but regain form without

Click for larger image (google image)

easily slipping over a player’s shoulder pads on contact. In general, the Nike uniforms boast a tighter fit, with more vibrant color shadings and visible sew lines. With the new uniforms this year’s NFL games with be more menacing and competitive!

By: Bari Ann Agnes

The Diamond Kings, a 12 and under National League team from Pueblo West played two great games this weekend at Runyon Field in

Coach Gives a Pep Talk

Pueblo.  Austin Kemmet, Spencer Janson, and Nolan Agnes were the three pitchers for the first game on Saturday vs a squad named the Venom. The team is made up of Pueblo West players. Gavin Howard, and his little brother, Colton played very well. The team had a game on Saturday and another on Sunday.  The boys played well losing the first game and winning the second game.  The first game on Saturday was well played by both teams.  Kemmet was the starting pitcher and was later relieved by Spencer Janson. The closing pitcher was Agnes.  He ended the last two innings in fourteen pitches!  Even though the boys lost, they had fun while playing. In the dugout, the boys had their rally caps on and watched the game on the edge of their seats. Gavin had an amazing play on first base and Jude Trujillo was dominating as catcher. The team tried hard during the game, and gave it their all.  The second game played on Sunday was amazing! Colby Henderson was the starting pitcher and he had a good game. Gavin Howard followed Henderson and finished the game as the closing pitcher. The Diamond Kings won 27-11.  Agnes, who played third and outfielder Ryan Timmie had great plays. Preston Wagner was the catcher for this game and Colton Howard played shortstop, while Kameron Ridings played first base. Chance Lenn played second base.  The boys tried hard for this victory. There was amazing teamwork throughout the game.  The Diamond Kings are an amazing team. The boys work hard and play well together. They cheered on their team and were motivated throughout. The Diamond Kings have won three games and have lost two games this season. Good job boys and keep playing hard!

 

By Megan Vaught

HIGH DRAMA AT PUEBLO WEST ELEMENTARY!

A Packed House of Cute Kids Assembled at Pueblo West Elementary

Did you know the Pueblo West Middle School drama class has been acting with puppets?  Normally they only put on shows for their classmates, but on April 9, they put on a great performance for Pueblo West Elementary. The class, which your’s truly is proud to be a part of, was extremely excited to have

The Gingerbread Man

participated in a performance so different than what we had previously done. “I thought they did very well and I was quite pleased,” said Mrs. Alicia Vuksta our awesome drama instructor.  ”Some of the challenges were keeping everyone on task and making sure everyone was producing something.  The upside is everyone is expressing their creativity.”  The class of 21 split up into three groups for three separate shows!  They  performed Johnny Appleseed, The Little Red Hen, and The Gingerbread Boy!  They had been working hard for weeks to get it perfect for their grand performance.

The Little Red Hen, and her Friend!

On March 22nd, there was a rehearsal performance put on for certain classes at our school.  For that, the class perfected their lines and made full sized backgrounds that would also be used during the elementary show. This would be put on for all kindergarten through second graders, so our class was very eager to do their best!  ”This performance is better because we are actually performing for a real, and captivated audience, and for people other than our own school and classmates,” said Marcella Jaso, A.K.A., the little old lady in The Gingerbread Boy.  Some students might say making the puppets was the the hardest part, but it was said to be worth it because the little kids fell in love with them! “It was hard being the horse and the fox because I had to make two puppets,” said Jaymie Wolfe.  “I made it easier by doing the fox on one side and the horse on the other.”

All Photos By Daniel Minich (Please Click on Pictures for LARGER IMAGES)

The biggest concern when performing was having good volume so we could be easily heard by our eager, capacity audience.  The performers could gage how well they really did by the children’s reactions.  The cute little boys and girls were laughing when it was

TOO MUCH SUSPENSE!

funny; gasping when it was tragic!

WAY TOO FUNNY!

They were really listening closely to what the puppets were saying, and I think that surprised most of our class. “They giggled a lot when we said funny lines and they were very adorable,” said Adriana Cruz who played Hannah in Johnny Appleseed. “I feel I take things more seriously than the kids do but they always come through,” said Mrs. Vuksta. In the end, after all puppets played their parts, the cast stood up and accepted their applause.  Overall, it was a fantastic show and we hope to see more continued excellence from Ms. Vuksta and her fifth hour drama stars!