December 2014

Volume 1, Issue 2 Navajo Preparatory

School Inc.

Eagle Express Parent Newsletter OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE THROUGH ANNUAL UNITY DAY Unity means united to act as one body. This is exactly what Navajo Preparatory School

did on Friday, November 21, 2014. All students and staff united to help our local commu-

nity through their volunteering. The Freshman Class officers and sponsors organized the

18th Annual Unity Day.

NPS students got to choose where they wanted to help out in the community. This year

we served at local elementary schools, Salvation Army, Beehive Assisted Living, Childha-

ven, Gateway Museum, and other organizations as well as beautifying our own campus.

Students who went to Northeast Elementary worked in the Kindergarten class rooms.

They helped these beginning students in various learning centers. Some of our students

read to the young minds or helped them write their letters. When it was time for recess

our students lead the way in starting a game of tag.

Students that went to Gateway Museum helped the Keep Farmington Beautiful campaign

by picking up trash. Our students were featured in the Daily Times with a front page story

of their volunteering and community service. Way to go Quisheima Brown and Dakotah

Dawes for having your picture taken while doing a great service!

It is part of our school’s mission to develop leaders and good citizens. Our school planner

has a good saying, “A good leader works alongside others to motivate, teach, and help

where this is a need.” Unity Day provided students with an opportunity to build those

leadership skills by helping others.

In the afternoon our school continued to our Adopt-A-Highway section in Hogback.

There was certainly a need for trash removal along the highway. Our students did a fan-

tastic job cleaning it up. Many honks of appreciation could be heard by travelers along the

highway. Thanks to Sandra Westbrook, Dean of Admissions and Rod Denetso, Dean of

Student Life for organizing this part of Unity Day.

As we begin our IB journey the center of the IB program is a concentration of developing

the person through experiential learning. The Creativity, Activity, and Service component

of IB is now an integral part of our student’s lives as they learn how to become a better

citizen and learn more about who they are through giving back to others. Unity Day is a

good tradition that will remain for years to come at NPS.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Counseling Schedule ................2

Academic Activities………..2-3

Freshman of the Month ............4

Study Hall and G&T Infor-

mation…………………………..5-6

Residential Update ...................7

IB & Atsa News .........................8

Campus Information……..9-10

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST

Security Concerns

Honor Band Update

Japan Educational Tour

Junior Class Officials

Student Athletes Recognized!

Extended Essay Information

NPS Pow Wow!

On Friday, November 14th, the Office of Academic Counseling hosted the annual "Junior Parent Day" at Navajo Prep. Jun-iors along with their Parents/Guardians enjoyed lunch and had the opportunity to attend information sessions regarding the IB Programme and Atsa Project with Ms. Roxanne Lee, IB Coordinator; CAS Experience with Ms. Donna Fernandez, Math Teacher/CAS Coordinator; Academic Information and Planning for Senior year with Mr. Daniel Jones, Academic Counselor; and Junior Class Information (e.g. events, and fund-raising) with Mr. Kevin Keeley, Teacher and Ms. Yolanda Flores, Teacher. We want to thank all the students, parents/guardians, faculty and staff for their assistance in making Jun-ior Parent Day a success!

A JOYFUL EXPERIENCE FOR THE SPANISH CLASS IN SANTA FE, NM

JUNIOR PARENT DAY A SUCCESS!

On October 28, 2014 Mr. Iwana took

his Spanish class to visit Rancho de

Las Golondrinas (swallows) outside

of Santa Fe, NM. In the beauty of

autumn colors they all enjoyed the

area tours with guides to see the his-

torical living museum and the beauti-

ful hilly ranch. Students saw women

spinning the wool using

old customs and they

demonstrated how to

weave the same way

residents of Las Golon-

drinas did 200 years

ago. Students realized

that many of the His-

panic weaving tech-

niques were similar to the Navajo

traditional ways of spinning and

carding.

In addition to visiting Los Golondri-

nas we took in the sites of downtown

Santa Fe by visiting the State Capitol,

Loretto Chapel and the Plaza. We saw

the mysteriously beautiful stairs in

Loretto Chapel that has no evidence

of nails! Students fulfilled their as-

signment which was to speak Spanish

with people in downtown Santa Fe.

Overall this was an exciting educa-

tional experience for our students.

Submitted by Hiroshi Iwana,

NPS Spanish Instructor

2

Date Time Event Location

01/12-16/2015

TBD NWEA Testing NPS Campus

01/19/2015 NO SCHOOL– Martin Luther King Jr. Day

02/13/2015 1pm-4pm Parent Teacher Conferences NPS Campus

02/04/2015 All Day Annual Health & Wellness Snow Day Durango, CO

02/08/2015 4pm Indian Education Committee Meeting NPS Campus

02/23-27/2015

TBD International Week NPS Campus

Mr. Iwana’s Spanish Class at Los

Golodrinas, Santa Fe, NM

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER FOR JAN. &

FEB. 2015

Students enjoying the State Capital

in Santa Fe, NM

48 out of 71 sophomores

earned a GPA of 3.0 and

above. This is an excellent

achievement for Navajo Prepar-

atory school. We will continue

with our twice weekly after

school study halls where stu-

dents will receive tutoring from

a licensed sophomore teacher.

Students who score a 3.5 and

above for fall semester will be

a part of our annual Sopho-

more Academy celebration next

spring. Thanks for all the sup-

port from our parents of soph-

omores who help make Navajo

Preparatory School great.

Submitted by Steve Caudill,

Sophomore Academy Coordinator

3

The NPS Math Department presented cool math websites at the San Juan County Big Broth-

er/Big Sisters Discovery Festival. The Discovery Festival was focused on introducing local

youth to the STEM professions. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering

and Mathematics. This event was be a fun, creative way for over 50 local companies and

organizations to introduce STEM based projects and activities to children in the Four Corners

Region.

Ms. Fernandez had a booth sponsored by APS to showcase the incredible math websites that

promote learning math through very fun and interactive games. Some of our math classes

took a field trip to this event on Friday, December 5th. Students got to talk with major companies

such as Williams, Raytheon, San Juan Regional Medical Center, and Conoco Phillips. The com-

panies let students perform experiments and ask questions about the types of careers and de-

grees required to work in these industries. Students who visited 10 or more booths got a special

prize of a drawstring bag filled with materials.

“It was very fulfilling to tell students about a fun way to play math; especially to help them see

that is math doesn’t just have to be learned in the classroom,” said Ms. Fernandez. “Most

students didn’t know about all of the math game websites that are available to them 24/7 and

free!”

Nixolas Bedonie (11th) and Caleigh Benally (11th) volunteered at the NPS Math technology

booth helping students to gain a greater love of math. A number of local and reservation

school attended the event.

Here is a list of great math websites that we encourage anyone to play:

www.mathmovesu.com

www.mangahigh.com

www.mathnook.com

www.pbskids.org/cyberchase

www.mathplayground.com

All of these games can help our NPS students and everyone reinforce basic math skills to higher

level thinking through project based learning. So go have fun and play a math game today!!

Submitted by Donna Fernandez,

Math Instructor

DISCOVERY FESTIVAL 2014

SOPHOMORE ACADEMY UPDATE

NPS Discovery Festival Booth at McGee Park

Left: Nixolas Bedonie assisting a student with Math Technology

My name is Trayvian Billy. I am from Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. I am Ash88h7 and born for

Choctaw. My maternal grandfather is Tsin sikaadnii and my paternal grandfather is Choc-

taw. Some things I enjoy doing are playing sports, especially basketball, reading, and

hanging out with friends. I am always active and wanting something to do. I enjoy reading

realistic fiction books. I like to hang out with my friends because they are fun to be around

and they always keep me in a good mood.

There are many things that I like about NPS. I like how academically challenged I am. I

enjoy the many resources I can use if I ever need help. I can go see tutors. I can email my

teachers or I can ask somebody in my dorm for help. I feel challenged that there are really

no excuses for homework except being lazy.

When I graduate, I plan to attend college at the University of California Los Angeles

(UCLA) and major in the field of Sport Medicine. I want to be an athletic trainer and be-

cause I know I can’t play basketball forever, I want to be involved in any way possible.

“OCTOBER FRESHMAN OF THE MONTH”

AWARDEES:

My name is Janice Hanna. I am his sheaves.. leaf clan/under his cover clan. I am born for

the many hogans clan. I am from Farmington, New Mexico. Some things I enjoy are bak-

ing, braiding hair and painting nails... basically just a bunch of girly things. Some things I

like about NPS are the courses, students, staff and faculty. The courses are more challeng-

ing than most schools here in Farmington. This helps me push myself to become better in

my academics. I also like the students, staff and faculty because they are one big family.

At other schools students keep to their own groups and never socialized with anyone out-

side of that, but here everyone is connected through kinship. The staff is another reason I

really like this school because they care about your personal life and academic success. I

actually don't know what college I want to go to. However, I do want to either be a teacher

or orthodontist. I want to be a teacher because I love working with kids and I want to be an

orthodontist because the human mouth interests me.

4

Trayvian Billy,

Freshman

Janice Hanna,

Freshman

A HUGE congratulations to the following Volleyball Student Ath-

letes who were recognized for the following:

1st Team All State: Keona Leano and Jasmine Coleman

2nd Team All State: Diamond Jones and LeShauntai Adams

Navajo Times All Star: Jasmine Coleman and Keona Leano

Navajo Times Co Player of the Year: Jasmine Coleman

Also Congratulations to other successful Navajo Times All Stars:

Tyler Bahe, Cross Country

Sarah Chacon and Stacey Bia, Cross Crountry

Samantha Dennison and Wambli Farland, Soccer

Tyler Sorensen, Trevor Martin, Dante Alonzo, Aaron Arthur, Foot-

ball

Awesome Job keeping your grades up

and working hard on the court, field

and course.

WAY TO REPRESENT NAVAJO

PREP!!!! Submitted by Rainy Crisp,

NPS Volleyball Coach & Instructor

APPLAUSE FOR OUR STUDENT ATHLETES

STUDY HALL INFORMATION

One year ago four students made impact statements in front of the Navajo Nation Council

in support of the Diné Health Act. While the 0% tax on healthy foods was passed at the

time, it wasn’t until November 14 that the 2% tax increase on junk food items was ap-

proved by the Navajo Nation Council. Upon this approval, the Navajo Prep Naa’t1anii

Youth Council received an invitation to attend the Presidential Signing Ceremony. On No-

vember 21, 2014 we witnessed history in the making as President Ben Shelly’s singing of

the legislation allowed for the Navajo Nation to take a stand against diabetes and other

health problems plaguing our people. o nutritional value. The feeling of watching our stu-

dents participate in this legislative process and being invited back to witness the historical

signing ceremony is beyond words.

5

All students are required to attend study hall or study at home for a minimum of five hours a week. The student’s study hall sheet should be filled out by the student each day and signed by the person monitoring their study time. This study time is required because of our rigorous academic requirements. These sheets are checked each week by the student’s college prep advisor and becomes part of their grade. Students must meet eligibility with grades and GPA to participate in extracurricular activities including sports, clubs, and other off-campus activities. If a student falls below a GPA of 2.99, the student is considered to “on proba-tion” until the GPA is at or above 3.00. These students are expected to report to the tutors for extra help and to study hall as assigned. “At risk” students each nine weeks are required to attend a specified study hall Monday-Thursday from 3:45 to 5:30pm. Students with D’s or F’s are required to report to study hall Monday-Thursday from 3:45 to 5:30pm. If a student has an F more than two consecutive weeks in any one class or more

than one class the student must attend study hall until all classes are passing with C’s or above. “If by the end of the nine week grading period, the athlete does not have a GPA of 2.5 or better the student will become ineligible until the next nine week grading period.” (page 25 of the stu-dent handbook) Study halls are available from 6:00-8:00AM. Monday thru Friday. Study Hall is always available to everyone in the student lounge Monday-Thursday 3:45-to 5:30pm. Study hall in the library is open to all from 5:30-8:00pm. We even have study time on Sunday evenings in the library from 6:00-8:00pm. We provide students with tutors, staff mem-bers, and time in order for them to receive the best education possible at Navajo Prep! Please encourage your students to use the resources we provide to help them succeed here.

Submitted by Judy Griffin,

NPS Study Hall Monitor

YOUTH LEADERSHIP

Caleigh Benally (pictured

above) auditioned for the

2015 Honor Band Concert

that includes the top Band

students from Farmington,

Aztec, Bloomfield, Gallup,

Shiprock, and Kirtland

schools. She represented

Navajo Prep with style and

class, but didn't get a posi-

tion in the flute section.

Only six were selected from

fifteen student auditions,

and I am very proud of her

for going to the auditions

alone, and giving it her

best shot, we'll get them

next year!

Submitted by Mark Smith,

Music Instructor

MUSICAL NOTE

Pictured above left to right: Denise Joe, Kelly Charley & Delvecchio Wilson

Delvecchio Wilson & Kelly Charley

Pictured left to right: Denise Joe, Kelly Charley, NN President Ben Shelly & Delvecchio Wilson

SCIENCE G&T STUDENTS-ENGINEERING DAY

AT TSAILE ,ARIZONA

Science G & T students participated in the Engineering Day

sponsored by the Dine College at Tsaile, AZ November 6,

2014. Students participated in the round table science and

engineering activities such as, Mouse trap car and bridge

building, Mindstream Robotics building, Canyon DeChelly

Eco-system, Understanding friction to construct fire,

Demonstration on Engineering by NAU, Demonstration of

Science by AISES, Math activities by the Navajo Nation

Math Circle, Roller coaster building by the Dine Engineer-

ing students and the Egg drop competition. Students man-

aged to go around and participate in all the activities. One

teacher and a parent commented, “It’s good to see Navajo

Prep participating in these events”. The Engineering Day

was participated in by different schools from Arizona and

New Mexico from the elementary, middle school and high

school.

Submitted by Yolanda Flores,

Science Instructor

6

Canned food collected for New Beginnings & Echo Food Bank

CANNED FOOD DONATED TO LOCAL COMMU-

NITY ORGANIZATIONS

As part of the community service that we per-formed for the Haunted House, we collected over 1000 pounds of canned food that went to New Beginnings and Echo Food Bank last week! Both organizations were extremely grateful for the do-nation and our students did an awesome job of collecting them. Thank you all who donated or who were a part of this community service effort.

Submitted by Sandra Westbrook

The fall months have been full of

exciting activities during academic,

afterschool and evening. It con-

sisted of a one-day Mountain Day

trip, Dig Pink Volleyball Game day,

Homecoming activities, the

Haunted House, and the Mandato-

ry Afterschool & Evening activities.

The mandatory activities were:

“Capture the Pig”, “Chain Tag”,

“Dodgeball”, and “Pac-man”,

“Time Bomb”, “Amoeba Tag”, “Rez

Life”, “Shark Attack” and “Minute

to Win It games” . During Home-

coming week the afterschool activ-

ities involved reshuffling and paint

the rocks on the hill forming an

“NP” and adding “EAGLES” for a

later event.

We held a special event during

Halloween Week, an NPS Residen-

tial Halloween Carnival on October

29, 2014, 7-9pm in the old gym.

This was a non-fundraising event

hosted by the residential & after-

school activities department. Each

dorm and the afterschool activities

had booths set up with games and

prizes for the students. Shaka and

Ms. Kelly had “Minute it to Win It”

games: “Babyrattle shake”, “Move

It on Up”, Stack the Bolts” and

“Smash house”.

The evening activities are continu-

ous with the Eagles Recreation

Center, Fitness Center, Fun Time

Gym Time, along with off-campus

trips to Skateway USA, Bowlero

Lanes, Animas Valley Mall & Mov-

ie, and the famous Wal-Mart trip.

We also had 4 native culture activ-

ities: Ms. Daisy Hunt was invited

to do “Native Beadwork and Jewel-

ry Earring Making”, “Hogan Cam-

pus Beautification with Sweet Corn

Roast & students sang a couple

songs (Hozhongo Naasha & Navajo

Blessing Song)”; “Shiprock Fair &

Carnival Trip” and “Navajo Bingo

using numbers”.

Submitted by Mary Lou Kelley,

Afterschool Activity Coordinator

“The evening activities are continuous with the Eagles Recreation Center, Fitness Center, Fun Time Gym Time, along with off-campus trips.”

RESIDENTIAL UPDATE

7

New Moon

Run Dates

January 13, 2015

February 9, 2015

March 16, 2015

April 13, 2015

Homecoming painting and organizing the rocks!

Afterschool Teambuilding Activity

Afterschool Culture Activity

Afterschool Teambuilding Activity

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH IB?

8

Navajo Prep has just completed the first semester of the IB Programme implementation for our first cohort of 2016 IB candidates. We have much work to do regarding ongoing IB curriculum construction, staff development and student preparation for assessments and IB require-ments. Senior and Junior students have been diligently working on their CAS experiences and continue to input their projects into the ManageBac System. We will kick off our New Year with a luncheon for our Junior IB Candidates on January 8 to ensure that we are all on the same page regarding IB expectations.

The deadline for IB applications for interested sophomores was Decem-ber 19 and thus far we have 25 full IB candidates for the 2017 cohort. Should sophomore students wish to complete an IB application after the initial deadline they will need to discuss with the IB Coordinator. More information for parents will be given at the Freshman and Sopho-more Parent Seminars that are scheduled for February 2015. Students are welcome to attend the IB Inquiry Sessions that are held bi-weekly on campus. The next session is on January 12 and January 26 at 3:45pm in the Student Success Center.

We encourage parents to contact the IB coordinator, Roxanne Lee at 505-326-6571 ext. 130 in order to discuss any concerns or questions you may have. Information regarding the IB Programme at NPS is on the school website: www.navajoprep.com under the “Academics” head-ing. IB apllications are also on the website.

What is the Extended Essay?

Extended Essay (EE)- For NPS Students the EE is a requirement for NPS grad-

uation and is one of four components of the Senior Atsa Project. This inde-

pendently completed 3,000-4,000 word research paper is done in consulta-

tion with a staff advisor who assists in supervising the student’s choice of

topic and research question, as well as their search for sources.

Senior students have successfully taken their first steps toward graduation

in that they have turned in their Atsa Extended Essay Research Papers by

the December 10th deadline. We have a team of outside graders from San

Juan College who will score the papers and return at the end of January

2015. Students will be notified of satisfactory, exemplary or needs improve-

ment status.

Upcoming Atsa dates are as follows:

Viva Voce “Student Interview”- entire month of January and part of February

EE’s back from SJC– January 30

Atsa Portfolio Due— February 25

EE Resubmissions—February 27

Atsa Portfolio Resubmissions—TBD

Atsa Presentations & CAS Fair —April 24

SE

NIO

R A

TS

A

Japan Educational Tour 2016 Would you like to visit the most exotic country in the far-east? According to our International Trip Survey, Japan was chosen as the 3rd favorite country to visit. My college students and I had a wonderful experience in the Japan tour of 2012. For the Japan Tour 2016 students will enjoy the history, culture, food, and abundance of technology. It will surely be a worthy life-time experience with an international mind as IB emphasizes. Excellent opportunity to learn to speak Japanese!!!

For more information, please see Mr. Iwana. 326-6571 ex.150 Room 150 of Morgan Hall

Happy Holidays Navajo Prep Community!!! We

thank you for your efforts in assisting us in keeping

our campus safe and accident free for the upcoming

school year. In order to remain a positive environ-

ment for our students and staff we would like to re-

quest that all parents, guardians and students famil-

iarize themselves with the Student Parent Handbook.

The Navajo Prep Security Department is continuing

to have issues with visitors bringing in “outside food”

for students in the morning and at lunch time. On

page 38 of the Student-Parent Handbook under Food

Services, it clearly states that food orders are allowed

only on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Security

will uphold the policy, we kindly ask that visitors re-

frain from breaking policy set in place by our Board

of Trustees.

Additionally, Navajo Prep Security Department has

been checking ID's for everyone coming onto NPS

campus for the past three years. This is standard pro-

cedure, especially for a campus as large as ours.

Please understand that we are doing this for the safe-

ty of our students, staff, and visitors so remain pa-

tient in this process.

Finally, we have a partnership with Farmington Po-

lice Department to continue to keep the school safe,

conducting drills, and Emergency Preparedness pro-

cedures. Farmington Police Department has

been assisting and supporting Navajo Prep in keeping

the school and everyone on campus safe. It will bene-

fit all stakeholders to read the Student Parent Hand-

book and understand it’s contents. We appreciate

your assistance in these matters and wish you the

best for the upcoming New Year! Thank you.

Submitted by Thomas Young

NPS Head Security

9

JUNIOR CLASS OF 2016

President- Triston Black

Vice-President- Adriano Tsinigine

Chief of Staff- Adreyan Pete

Sec./Tres.- Sarah Chacon

Sec./Tres Pro-Tem-Leshauntai Adams

Publicist- Jazmin Benally

Assist Publicist- Maceo Tortalita

Campaign Manager-Adreyan Pete

Sponsors:

Ms. Yolanda Flores

Mr. Kevin Keeley

CAMPUS CONCERNS FROM THE NPS SECURITY DEPARTMENT

NAVAJO PREPARATO-

RY SCHOOL INC.

Mission Statement

To develop inquisitive, compas-

sionate life-long learners and

leaders through a challenging

curriculum of international

education and assessment.

To promote a strong foundation

of Navajo Philosophy and holis-

tic world view that fosters inter-

cultural understanding and

respect in a global society.

The mission is reflected in the

IB Learner Profile and the

School’s motto: “Leaders Now

and Into the Future–

Yideesk33g00 Naat’1anii”.

Lucas Spencer, NPS Alumni and Mrs. Betty Ojaye , NPS Executive Director

Navajo Preparatory School Inc.

1220 West Apache Street

Farmington, NM 87401

Newsletter Contact:

Roxanne Lee,

IB Diploma Coordinator

Phone: 505-326-6571 ext. 130

Fax: 505-564-8099

E-mail: rlee@navajoprep.com

The annual Navajo Prep Pow Wow

took place on December 13, 2014 at

the Eagle’s Nest. There was an array

of dancers in beautifully decorated

regalia, venders, food and spectators

who joined in this joyous fundraiser

event for NPS student scholarships.

Several NPS students, parents, and

alumni displayed their dancing tal-

ents. This was truly teamwork effort

that was spearheaded by none other

than Ms. Sandra Westbrook. The

school received numerous donations

and support from the community in

order to truly make this a blessed

event. If you missed out this year we

welcome you to come on by next year

to join in on the festivities!

Above: Seneca Martin, Soph-omore

Above: NPS Pow Wow Grand Entry Right: NPS Pow Wow in full swing at the Eagle’s Nest