Sedona, AZ November 2011. Freshman Flower Bliege, stands on the roof of an ancient hogan as she helps patch it with mud. Flower is one of ten VVS who continued the VVS tradition of working on the Navajo Nation as one of several November field trips. The group spent five days in Canyon de Chelly working on Winnie Henry’s family ranch. Winnie’s family has roots in the canyon that date back several hundred years. The students were accompanied by science teacher Jim Richards, communications and marketing director Hilde Keldermans, and ESL teacher Bill Shandor. “I learned so much about the Navajo culture from Winnie and her son-in-law and nephew. They explained some of their beliefs to us, and Winnie told us about growing up in the canyon and her years in an Indian boarding school” says freshman Flower Bliege. “This was an amazing trip and I’m very grateful for the experience,” she added. In addition to working on the hogan’s roof, Bliege learned how to chop wood, build a barbed-wire fence, and cook outdoors. The Henry ranch is located at the bottom of one of the most beautiful areas in Arizona. For more than ten years VVS students have worked on the Henry land. They have repaired the roof of the Henry family’s two-hundred-year-old hogan, they have planted a small orchard, built a fence to protect her home, cut down invasive trees, and rebuilt outhouses. “I love having the VVS students here, they work so hard and put everything into it,” says Henry who adds that the work the students have done over the years has made it possible for her to continue to live in the hogan in which she grew up with her eight brothers and one sister. The first week of this Field Trip was spent in the eastern Arizona desert where the group learned about navigation, survival and desert ecology. Since it’s inception in 1948, Verde Valley School students have worked with the Navajo and Hopi Nations as part of the school’s Field Trip Program. In addition to the trip to Canyon de Chelly, other student groups traveled throughout the West and Mexico on a number of trips that including working on an organic farm, and building houses in Mexico. For more information on the Verde Valley School visit them at http://www.vvaz.org/ |
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Verde Valley School Continuing the Traditionposted Dec 1, 2011 2:29 PM by Elizabeth Ringlee [ updated Jan 12, 2012 8:21 AM ] |