Heinrich champions educational excellence for Navajo students

By Shawna Allison Becenti and Sherrick Roanhorse

Editor’s note: Shawna Allison is the head of school at Navajo Preparatory School, and Sherrick Roanhorse is the Navajo Preparatory School Board of Trustees president.

As the only Navajo-sanctioned, college-preparatory school for Native American students, Navajo Preparatory School proudly offers our students an innovative and challenging academic experience steeped in science, math, humanities, and rooted in Diné language, culture, and history.

Since our school’s founding in 1991, our mission has been to produce Yideeską́ą́góó Naat’áanii Leaders Now and into the Future. We proudly provide our students with a culturally responsive high school education, which meets prestigious worldwide standards and the criteria sanctioned by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

In 1995, the Navajo Nation purchased our school’s permanent home, the 82.45-acre campus in Farmington, New Mexico, that formerly hosted the Navajo Methodist Mission School. Over the last three decades, we have continuously worked to improve our campus facilities and expand our educational programming.

For years now, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has been an incredible champion and partner for Navajo Prep, focused on ensuring that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed in the classroom and beyond. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Heinrich has the ability to deliver investments to build a stronger future for all New Mexicans.

Earlier this year, he successfully secured two game-changing investments for our school within the 2024 federal budget, including $2 million to help Navajo Prep build a whole new

Community Wellness and Cultural Complex to support academics and extracurricular activities like sports, language, and culture for our students, faculty, and staff. He also delivered $500,000 to help us grow our Classrooms Without Walls Leadership Program, which allows our students to embrace experiential learning and Navajo cultural knowledge to help them develop community-based leadership and communication skills.

Senator Heinrich is taking an all-of-the-above approach to improve outcomes for students and teachers across New Mexico. He’s working to pass legislation to improve our kids’ literacy outcomes, strengthen our educator workforce pipeline in rural and tribal communities, address our severe nationwide shortages of early childhood and K-12 teachers, and provide educators and school staff down payment assistance to help them purchase a home and stay in the communities where they teach, and support community schools that create wraparound support services for students and their families.

As a premier institution serving Indigenous students, we know that many of our students today will become leaders of their people and role models for future generations. We are proud to work alongside Senator Heinrich to deliver long-term investments in their future success.