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Pueblo County High School
Main entrance of the school
Address
1050 Lane 35 Pueblo, Colorado 81006 United States
Coordinates	38°14′47″N 104°28′04″W / 38.2465°N 104.4677°W / 38.2465; -104.4677
Information
Type	Public School
Motto	"Small School Environment with Big School Opportunities"
Established	1953 (71 years ago) (1953)
School district	Pueblo County School District 70
CEEB code	061205
Principal	Brian Dilka
Staff	60.12 (FTE)
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,219 (2022-23)
Student to teacher ratio	20.28
Color(s)	Green and gold
Athletics	League 3A-4 South Central, Division 3A-4A
Mascot	Hornet
Website	pch.district70.org

Pueblo County High School is a four-year public high school in Vineland, an unincorporated area in Pueblo County, Colorado, near Pueblo. It is a part of the Pueblo County School District 70.

Pueblo County High School offers courses for all academic levels, as well as the languages of Spanish and Italian. It also incorporates the School of Engineering and Biomedical Science (SEBS) program.

History

In the early 1950s it was decided by the School Board to build Pueblo County High School as a merging school. Students from Pleasant View, Vineland, Avondale, and Boone enrolled to attend Pueblo County High School in the fall of 1953, where they took up Pueblo County High School's new colors and school mascot. A school-wide vote was cast to select the mascot, and a pair of colors. The selected mascot was a Hornet, the colors chosen were green and gold.

While the school opened as a legal senior high school, construction of the building was still in progress, leaving many classrooms unavailable. Students and teachers took learning to the grass, boiler rooms, or inside buses as an alternative. Originally, the location in which Pueblo County High School was built was used as farmland and was tended as such. Harvest time and planting season respectively were the most important times of the year for Pueblo in that era, which caused many students to miss months of school, as Harvesting and Planting was more of a priority.

Principals

The school is overseen by a principal. There has only been one female principal: Terrie Tafoya (2010–2016).

Bond projects

In the 1970s Pueblo County High School had roughly 1400 students, and the campus needed to be expanded. A bond issue project, originating in 1977, allowed construction of a pool, auditorium, original stadium, and another building containing classrooms for English and other languages.

In November 2012, Ballot Question 3A was approved, granting a second bond to Pueblo District 70 schools for improvements. NorthStar and H&L were responsible for facility changes. Renovation began in early 2013, including an artificial turf football field and a multi-weather track. The main office structure was moved from the West Building to the center south side of County. A new auxiliary gym, wrestling room, and breezeway were also built.

Demographics

As of 2017 there was a close 50–50 ratio between Hispanics or Latinos to Whites. This was due to Pueblo's tie with the largest steel industry in the 1970s, where immigrants came to work, largely Hispanics. Not only did the steel industry influence the demographics of Pueblo, but the land has also been owned by multiple nations, becoming a cultural melting point.

SEBS – School of Engineering and Biomedical Science

The school of Engineering and Biomedical Science, more commonly known as "SEBS," is a specialized program offered to high-level students to prepare for career readiness and hands-on experience in the fields of Engineering and Biomedical Science. There are also courses that assist in careers revolving around software and computer programing within SEBS. SEBS is paired with Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses, and is a certified PLTW school. SEBS courses are only found at Pueblo County High School, although other schools may have a similar plan known as STEM.

Although classified as a separate course, the SEBS program is more commonly known to be a school within a school, rather than offered courses. Students must register into SEBS program. It is expected of all SEBS students to stay within an unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. Managers, advisors, and/or counselors may recommend other courses if a student's grade does not meet the above criteria.

Formerly known as Pueblo Technical Academy, SEBS started off as its own District 70 school in the GoodYear building of the Pueblo Industrial Park. John Musso, the current principal of SEBS, was among others who worked on the startup of the school. Economic issues forced the Tech Academy to move to PCC around 2005, then finally to Pueblo County High School in the year of 2010.

Alumni

• Kory Sperry, former professional football player
• Kelly Reno, actor
• Andrea Neu, Miss Colorado and 2013 Miss US International
• Tisha Mauro, American politician
• Kim Borrego-Couture, UFC fighter and former wife of Randy Couture
• Joe Pannunzio, running-backs coach at the University of Alabama

Foreign Exchange Students

1984/85

• Stefano Bonzi, Italy
• Andres Handschy, Mexico
• Robertino Janesky, Germany
• Atsuko Obata, Japan
• Jorge Olivares, Mexico
• Günter Pilz, Germany

References

1. ^ "PUEBLO COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
2. Home. Pueblo County High School. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. "1050 35th Lane Pueblo, CO 81006"
3. "2010 CENSUS – CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Vineland CDP, CO." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 2, 2017.
4. ^ An interview was conducted with four original students who attended PCHS when it was first opened on April 20, 2017
5. Information provided Daisy James from the 'Hall of Fame' plaques found in the Main Hall of Pueblo County High School building as of 2016–2017.
6. ^ An interview was conducted by students on May 17, 2017, to Ms. Toussaint, a senior staff at PCHS, about any historical information about PCHS.
7. Barker, John Jr. "Athletic Facilities". www.northstar-co.com. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
8. "2012 Bond". www.district70.org. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
9. Markus, Ben. "Decades later, Pueblo still reeling from steel exodus". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
10. "History of Pueblo | Pueblo, Colorado". pueblo.org. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
11. Unknown. "School of Engineering and Biomedical Science". Pueblo District 70. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
12. ^ An interview was conducted by a student to Vicki Walter and John Musso who are SEBS staff on April 22, 2017, about general information about SEBS and its History (Primary Source)
13. White, Austin. "Checking in: Kory Sperry settling into new career after achieving NFL dreams". Pueblo Chieftain.
14. Smith, Scott. "RENO'S RANGE". Pueblo Chieftain.
15. "Miss U.S. International - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE". www.facebook.com.
16. Latch, Lacey. "Puebloan Tisha Mauro enters race for House District 46 to replace term-limited Rep. Esgar". Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
17. "Bio". Kimcouture.com.
18. Letofsky, Jeff. "Pueblo's own credits roots for success". Pueblo Chieftain.

External links

• Official website
• "Pueblo County School District 70". Retrieved August 26, 2011.

• Public high schools in Colorado
• Schools in Pueblo County, Colorado