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Associated
Press
kvoa.com
31 May 2004
Hope
springs eternal at Hopi High School.
Every
spring, that is, when this school in isolated Keams
Canyon graduates another large group of seniors, bucking
the trend for Native American graduation rates.
Nearly
87% of students graduate within five years of starting
Hopi High, well above the 63% statewide average for
Native Americans. The statewide graduation rate for all
races is 76%.
What
makes the school a standout?
Along
with the usual high school classes, Hopi High
incorporates cultural teachings, Hopi and Navajo
language classes, and native traditions into its
curriculum.
"Students
are big participants in Hopi culture in the villages,
and the respect and tradition they learn are integral to
their view of education," Principal Glenn Gilman
said. "It helps strengthen the role of
education."
The
school has about 750 students, with about 80% Hopi and
the rest mostly Navajo.
The
majority qualifies for free or reduced school lunches.
Many of the students are bused long distances, some from
places like Moenkopi, 80 miles away.
Along
with the language and cultural teachings, students
participate in a traditional dance group called the Hopi
Sinom Club, and the Hopilavayi Project, a Hopi tribal
project to encourage the growth and acquisition of Hopi
language and culture.
Once
a year, during Indian Days, there is a week of
traditional celebration, with about 20 dance groups
performing butterfly and buffalo dances, students
wearing traditional dress and a meal of traditional
foods.
Daryn
Melvin collected his diploma with his class May 21, then
prepared to face the next step in his education, far
from the traditions of home.
"I
really want to help my people," said the
18-year-old Navajo/Hopi, who lives at Spider Mountain.
He's
the second Hopi High student in two years to be accepted
to Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., where he plans to
study medical research.
"It's
a small society here with great health care needs,"
he said. "And I really wanted to take a little bit
of my culture out into the world and succeed."
Other
factors credited in the high school's success are a 90%
teacher retention rate, regular meetings with
counselors, an after-school tutoring program with bus
service afterward and a Second Chance catch-up program
for kids who don't complete English classes the first
time around.
And
there are several programs to encourage college
attendance, including the Two-Plus-Two-Plus-Two college
transition program, which lets teens earn college
credits while still in high school. This year, 70
students participated.
Another
program called Upward Bound takes students to the
Northern Arizona University campus to meet other
students and provides a five-week summer session.
Forty-seven students enrolled this year.
Ten
students attended the Hopi Harvard Summer last year,
attending classes at Harvard Medical School.
Principal
Gilman also attributes the school's success to parental
involvement, teacher retention, counseling and tutoring.
"Parents
place an emphasis on having students attend and complete
high school," Gilman said. "They want to see
their children go to college because it's an opportunity
that was not afforded to them."
But
although most students are meeting graduation
requirements, many are struggling on the Stanford 9 and
AIMS tests, especially the math portions.
"We
do all right on the writing and reading portions, but if
the AIMS requirement were imposed today, 68% of our
students would be getting a certificate of attendance
rather than a diploma," Gilman said.
He
said part of the problem is an inconsistency in the
curriculum of lower-level schools feeding Hopi High.
Students
must pass all three of the AIMS sections for graduation
beginning in 2006.
But
the school has strength in numbers. With a 95%
attendance rate, the students have a better chance of
conquering any test or curriculum.
"Hopi
High School can prepare students well enough to go to
Ivy League schools. It can produce top-class
students," said Melvin.
©
2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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