Before dawn, bound for Shonto
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Shonto Preparatory School eighth-grade graduates Madison Hurley, left, and Dwayne Gishie pose for a photo after their promotion ceremony May 22 in Shonto, Ariz.
Two Naatsis’áán students spent their eighth-grade year waking before sunrise for the long ride to school in Shonto
SHONTO, Ariz.
By 5 a.m., Dwayne Gishie and Madison Hurley were getting ready for school days that began more than 47 miles from home.
The two students live in the Navajo Mountain area and traveled each morning to Shonto Preparatory K-8 School. The bus left around 6 a.m., and the routine repeated even after late games, school activities and long rides home.
Dwayne and Madison recently promoted from eighth grade together. Madison was the salutatorian of their class.
Dwayne, who is Tódích’íi’nii and born for Tábąąhá, traveled with his younger brother, Leon, a sixth grader, and his sister, Arlene, a fifth grader. His maternal grandfather is Bit’ahnii and his paternal grandfather is Táchii’nii.
Their mother, Roxanna Yazzie, said the early mornings reminded her of teachings she heard growing up.
“When I was younger, it reminded me of my great-great-grandpa and my dad telling us ‘You’re supposed to wake up before the sun,’” Yazzie said. “And it was a good experience for my kids.”
At first, she said, her children struggled to wake up and depended on alarms. After three years at Shonto, the routine became familiar.
To read the full article, please see the May 28, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow