As Reported by Patagonia High School Journalism Class…
What’s New? Five Teachers Join PUSD
Sarah Vicary
By Calvin Whitcoe
Sara Vicary, the Patagonia Elementary School’s first grade teacher, has just begun the first of what she hopes will be many successful years in Patagonia. Vicary taught in Oregon and Colorado for 24 years and then retired. However, she still hoped to teach in Arizona one day. As school begins, she is looking forward to getting acquainted in the community. She is highly qualified, with degrees from a community college in eastern Oregon and from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, as well as an M.A. degree from Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado.
Vicary was raised in eastern Oregon in what she calls “the middle of nowhere,” so she is well aware of the ins and outs of small town life and enjoys small classes. Growing up with a mom as a kindergarten teacher exposed her to the life of teaching younger students. She has a passion for teaching, reading, and watching younger children grow and mature, as well as helping them to succeed.
As a high school student, Vicary enjoyed creative writing. In Arizona, she spends free time in the outdoors, trail riding on her trusty steeds, biking, and [text missing].
Elizabeth Anne McGowin
By Exelee Budd, Elizabeth McKay and Christina Novak
In an interview with Elizabeth Anne McCowin, she provided insight into the life of an art teacher. She was born in Iowa but grew up in Indiana. She first created art by drawing on walls with her mother’s lipstick. Later she went to Iowa State University to become a veterinary doctor. She went there for four and a half years (including summers), then realized she wanted to pursue her true passion—art. She got a bachelor’s degree in art and design. She then studied art for two years at Blackburn College in Illinois, where she minored in business.
McCowin moved to Tucson when her husband got a job there. She says she wanted to have fun and found that PUHS was the perfect fit for her. She loves teaching different grades. “Middle school is a challenge,” she says, “but I love them anyway.”
McCowin enjoys art because “It’s very relaxing. Time just passes, and you don’t even notice.” Before she was a teacher, she painted signs outside. “And even that was relaxing,” she says.
She tries to motivate her students by being excited about every project, and her number one rule is staying positive. McCowin’s favorite thing about teaching is the moment a student creates something he or she loves. However, she doesn’t enjoy all of the grading, other paper work, and meetings. She would rather be able to tell students they did well and move on to the next project. We asked how old she was when she started teaching, and the answer was, “That’s a big fat secret. Don’t ask that question.” She told her class, “When I get old, grumpy, and tired of this job I will retire, but not until then.”
LuAnn Beaton
By Garrett Fish and Sabrina Mendoza
LuAnn Beaton, the newest edition to the Patagonia Pack, is beyond excited to get to know new students, make new friends, and see familiar faces. This year, some of her goals for her second grade class include transforming her students into fluent readers and strong writers and encouraging them to think of math as a puzzle to which they want to find the answer. Beaton intends to implement the important message of always wanting to learn and never to say, “I’ve learned enough.” She describes her teaching style as “structured” but suggests that her students should have fun. When asked what she wanted them to achieve, she quoted from Christopher Robin: “Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
An East Coast native, Beaton did student teaching in Pennsylvania, then lived in Alaska, Oregon, and Hawaii before settling in Arizona, where she has taught for eight years. Retired teacher James Schrimpf influenced her to come to Patagonia because of our elite community and school. Later this year she plans to move to Whetstone and to commute to Patagonia. When not maintaining her organized classroom, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters, husband, and Beemer, her dog.
Charles Mitsak
by Alexis Montañez and Christopher Quiroga
“Students, no matter where they are from, are all amazingly the same,” says Patagonia’s new high school science teacher, Charles Mitsak. During a recent interview, he gave us some insight on his life and his teaching career. Alexis Montañez and I asked about his education, and he told us he had attended the College of the Holy Cross, which is in Worcester, Massachusetts. He made the decision to move to Patagonia after the closing of Skyview, a school in Tucson where he previously taught. He heard from a teacher friend about the opening for a chemistry teacher at PUHS.
Mitsak’s hometown is Sewickley, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has traveled around the world, going to places such as Australia and Spain.
Juli Runberg
By Hector Lopez
Meet Juli Runberg, the new middle school science teacher, as well as the computer lab advisor for the high school pod. Runberg was first inspired to educate today’s youth by her elementary teachers, and one in particular, Sister Orlando, who taught art and science. Runberg got her teaching degree at Central Michigan University, in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, a school known for its teaching program. She has 12 years of teaching experience in northern Michigan at an arts charter school and a residential alternative high school on Beaver Island. She is willing to go out of her way to help a student, stating, “It’s my job, and it’s necessary to be a good teacher.”
During an interview, Runberg exclaimed, “I love Patagonia. It’s extremely beautiful and the people here have been very friendly. I feel at home here.”
Runberg spends her time, when she has it, hiking, reading, painting, gardening, and socializing.
Battle of the Packs
By Garrett Fish and Dominick Paz
On September 11, the Lobos showed their true patriotic spirit by dominating in America’s favorite game, football. The final score, 34-8, truly reflected their performance. The undefeated 3-0 team’s focus was to incorporate defense and the execution of plays on offense. In their whopping performance, Patagonia defeated Hayden—which shares the Lobo mascot.
The game started with Patagonia scoring first and Hayden coming right back in vengeance. Then Patagonia made an advance and would not let up for the rest of the game. Senior Greg Zapata played phenomenally, recording several tackles and rushing yards. Zapata’s inspiration for the game was his head coach, Kenneth Hayes. Zapata said, “Let’s do it for Coach!,” and without a doubt, they got it done. When asked about the game, Coach Hayes said, “After a shaky start, the team focused and came together to finish strong.”
3.1 Miles of Success
By Exelee Budd and Elizabeth McKay
On Wednesday September 10, the Lobos cross country team had their first track meet in Rio Rico. Starting the races with a gunshot that could wake the dead, and four different schools competing, the runners were off for 3.1 miles of mud, rocks, and hills.
Their best time for PUHS was Calvin Whitcoe, who came in 25th with a time of 23 minutes and 37 seconds. Considering they were competing against much larger schools, the cross country team members are very proud of their times.
PUHS’s senior cross country runner, Dawn Novack, says “Our sport is so hard, other sports use it as a punishment”.