Wrightsboro is a 100 year old school made in 1901.The school has gone through many changes,such as : the media center used to be a stage and the main building (a.k.a 500 building) was the only building.During the years like said,there has been many changes.During the 2009-2010 era people who used to go to school there were interviewed about there experieces at the school.During the 2008 renovation of the main building the whole main building was moved the other building(s).They had to re-do the building because two students set a fire in a trash can.The school and the Wrightsboro Baptist church work together for special occasions.During late 2009 and very early 2010 "they" were building what is known as the "Family Center" where they hold the "Cool Cats" Celebration.The school mascot is a tiger.Each grade gets a different color folder but with the same design.They write the slogan "Today We Learn,Tommorow We Lead.".Whenever students do nice things or do things without asking they get a sticker in the shape of a paw and it reads "I'm A Wrightsboro Cool Cat".On April 1, 2011 the Wrightsboro Fire Department came to the school because the American and N.C state flags were tied wrong.
"Win the war, and also win the peace." -Gen. George Patton
"A new Middle East? The way I'm looking at this new Middle East, I'm seeing what is happening in Gaza, I see what's happening in Lebanon, I'm seeing what's happening in Iraq. This is a new Middle East?" -Jordan's King Abdullah
"You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free." -American lawyer Clarence Darrow
Geography
Iraq is located in the Middle East, surrounded by Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey. Iraq is divided into four main zones: the desert, the uplands, the highlands, and the plains.
The desert zone is south and southwest of the Euphrates River. It is part of the Syrian Desert which covers places in Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. It is stony with sandy stretches, and is sparsely inhabited.
The upland region, commonly called Al Jazirah, is located between the Tigris River and Euphrates Rivers. This extends westward into Syria between the rivers, and into Turkey.The highland region begins south of Mosul and Kirkuk, and extends into the borders of Turkey and Iran.
The high ground and consistent steppes in this region give way to lengthy mountain ranges near the Iranian and Turkish borders. Here too, are the great oil fields near Mosul and Kirkuk. The northeastern highland region is home to most Iraqi Kurds.
The plains begin north of Baghdad and extend into the Persian Gulf. Source “Here the Tigris and Euphrates rivers lie above the level of the plain in many places, and the whole area is a delta interlaced by the channels of the two rivers and by irrigation canals”
The Tigris and Euphrates carry large amounts of salt, and becomes increasingly saltier near the Persian Gulf. Because of this, productivity is limited south of Al Amarah, and is visible in Bahr Al Milh, or the "Sea of Salt". The waters of these rivers are essential to life, but because of the flooding of March, April, and May, the rivers may also threaten life.
Brief History
“Britain’s greatest legacy was, plainly, the creation of Iraq as a legal, geopolitical entity. But Iraq’s borders were defined in the context of broken promises and the British established a cleft country that, even if territorial integrity were to be sustained into the future, would always be challenging to those whose aim was to lead Iraq” . The 1970s proved to be industrial, technological years for Iraq. Literacy rates were high, and they where they were becoming as advanced as most Western countries.
“As a result of subsequent wars and the United Nations trade embargo on Iraq, the situation deteriorated, literacy rates fell dramatically, and society rolled backward”. Following the fallback of society, tribes and religion took over the role modernization had previously had.
:::::Important Events in Iraq’s History
::1921: Britain, the mandate power for Iraq, installs Faisal I as head of state, incorporating the three Ottoman provinces into one nation tot be called the Kingdom of Iraq.
::1941: Iraqi government sides with Italy and Germany in World War II. Royal family flees Baghdad and British troops invade from Basrah in mid-April. Regent restored to throne in June 1941.
::1958: Army officers move against royal family and depose kind on 14 July. Revolutionary government installed. Abed al-Karim Qasim becomes head of state.
::1963: Qasim overthrown. The tiny Ba’ath party emerges as a key conspirator. Constant struggles engulf government.
::1968: Ba’ath party seizes power and Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr emerges as president. Saddam Hussein becomes deputy chairman of the ruling Revolutionary Command Council and the key strongman of the regime.
::1979: Saddam forces al-Bakr to resign and launches a purge of the party.
::1980: Saddam sends forces into Iran, launching a bloody war which lasts for eight years.
::1988: Saddam launches Operation Anfal to attack Kurds in the north. Halabja attacked with chemical weapons.
::1990: Saddam criticizes Kuwait for overproducing oil, forcing the price down. In August, Saddam invades Kuwait.
::1991: Gulf War launched by twenty-eight countries to oust Iraq from Kuwait. Up to 100,000 Iraqis are killed in the war. Iraqi forces expelled from Kuwait. In March, Shia uprising is crushed by Saddam’s cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, otherwise known as ‘Chemical Ali’.
::1998: Operation Desert Fox launched by the United States and Britain. Baghdad attacked with hundreds of cruise missiles. Saddam remains in power. UNSCOM weapons inspectors leave Iraq.
::2001: World Trade Center in New York attacked. Iraq says it was not involved.
::2002: Referendum on Presidency in Iraq. Saddam receives 100 per cent vote. Release of prisoners from Abu Gharaib prison. In October, President Bush receives special powers from US Congress, seen as green light for war on Iraq.
::2003: US, Britain and a small number of allies launch war against Saddam. War begins on 20 March and lasts until 10 April, when US announces the end of Ba’ath party power in Iraq. In May, the Coalition Provisional Authority instigated as sovereign power of Iraq. In August, the UN building destroyed in suicide attack. Special Envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello killed.
::2005: Elections in January are successful, but less than a third of Sunnis vote. New government pledges to crush insurgency but fails. Attacks reach new level of horror. In October, referendum on new constitution carried, but Sunnis vote against it.
::2006: Shia shrine at Samarra attacked and destroyed. Nationwide sectarian violence follows. Death toll reported by Baghdad Morgue rises to more than 120 per day. Most are being killed by gunshots to the head.
Government
The Economy
Oil is at the basis of the Iraqi economy. When dealing with oil production, Iraq is beat by only Saudi Arabia. After the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, Iraq contracted about $200 billion in debt. As the economy plummeted at this time, the educated people of Iraq left. “In the past Iraq had once possessed a cadre of highly educated doctors, engineers and academics. Now they were leaving the country whenever they could. Soon in New Zealand alone there were 30,000 Iraqi immigrants, many of them highly trained. The regime tried to stop professionals resigning from government service. By the mid-1990s a bribe could do almost anything in Iraq” .
Past Leaders
The British began their involvement in Iraq motivated by high ideals. But they miscalculated the economic and political difficulties they would face. In the end, the British withdrew hastily, having constructed weak institutions that were dependent on a minority ruling elite” . Saddam Hussein was vice president in the al-Bakr Ba’athist government from 1968, and he gained complete power in 1979 when he persuaded the president, al-Bakr to step down.
Present Leaders
Before the downfall of Saddam Hussein, the Ba’ath party ruled entirely, but following his downfall as a leader, the United States, and United Kingdom helped set up a new governing system.
The People
Poverty
According to the book The Occupation, by Patrick Cockburn, after the Iraq-Iran war, into the 1990s, poverty was everywhere. The currency became next to useless during the war in Kuwait. “In 1990 one Iraqi dinar was worth $3.20. Five years later a single dollar bought 2,550 dinars. Money changers provide black plastic bags in which to carry the weighty bundles of notes out of their shops” .
Crime
Following the wars with Iran and Kuwait (August 1990-February 1991), the poverty that had taken over Iraq led many people to crime. “Taxi drivers started carrying guns in case they were robbed by their passengers. Bandits ambushed a party of foreign journalists going to Basra under the auspices of the Information Ministry and left them and their minders on the main road stripped to their underpants. The government struck back by amputating the hands of thieves on television as a warning” . This war on international terrorism was conceived as a ‘clearly defined struggle between those favoring American policy against terrorism and those opposing it,’ as defined by the Bush Administration.
The Economy
Iraq was once a flourishing nation, among the rankings of the Western countries. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), "Iraq holds more than 112 billion barrels of oil - the world's second largest proven reserves. Iraq also contains 110 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and is a focal point for regional and international security issues." Source This oil could easily reboot the economy, and provide more than sufficient funding to reboot the country as a whole.
The Government
As the world continues to change, the Middle Eastern countries are being pulled away from long-time traditions, and introduced to modern ‘political trends’ (Dreams and Shadows p. 381). Change requires sorting out and moving beyond the past. Speaking on democracy in the Middle East, former U.S. Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said, “Failed and failing states are the problem, and we have to help them heal, and it’s tough. But if we abandon Afghanistan again, we are going to pay for it....We’ve got to complete that job, and we can’t just complete it any old way, we have to have a vision for the Afghanistan people.” She continues by saying, “The great thing about democracy is that if we’re fed up with the people that govern us, we can throw the bums out. But authoritarians can’t do that…. Every dictator, every authoritarian, fears the moment when their people are no longer fearful of them. And because they have no way to express themselves peacefully, people turn to violence…The only legitimate government, the only form of government that is true to the non-negotiable demands of human dignity is democracy. So the United States has to advocate for it.” Source
The people of Iraq, as with any other people, have the potential to create a strong, great nation. With adequate, consistent help, the Iraqi nation can return to the thriving nation it once was.
Withdrawal
"Why are you always reminding us that you opposed the war? Isn't that yesterday's news? Is that experience really relevant?" And what I always say is this -- this isn't just about the past, it's about the future.
- Barack Obama
There are approximately 47,000 troops remaining in Iraq according to the Iraq War Facts and Statistics Source. Referring to wars past, it is easier said than done when it comes to withdrawing troops from a nation. Consider places like Japan, Germany, Korea, etc. There are still military bases found in each of those countries that were developed namely during World Wars I and II. However ideal it sounds to bring each and every one of the U.S. troops home, it has become harder with every day spent in the Middle East. By destroying and attempting to destroy uncivil forms of government, there has been created a people dependent upon a strong military; the United States military.
Barack Obama has said, “We are putting the Iraqis in control of their history and their future. They’ll have responsibility for security and responsibility for providing for the citizens of that country. That is a milestone worth barking.” Source
Despite preferences to withdrawal all at once, the reality is that that is quite impossible. Slowly, the number of troops in Iraq is lessening, but only as they are becoming more dependent upon themselves. Eventually, the complete withdrawal of troops will be a possibility as Iraq is already showing signs of improvement based upon the sprouting government, and the stability therein.
Just as in times of old, however painful, progress does not come all at once. If abandoned at this time, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and those with strong hatred for America, would again take over Iraq.
"A new Middle East? The way I'm looking at this new Middle East, I'm seeing what is happening in Gaza, I see what's happening in Lebanon, I'm seeing what's happening in Iraq. This is a new Middle East?" -Jordan's King Abdullah
"You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free." -American lawyer Clarence Darrow
Geography
Iraq is located in the Middle East, surrounded by Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey. Iraq is divided into four main zones: the desert, the uplands, the highlands, and the plains.
The desert zone is south and southwest of the Euphrates River. It is part of the Syrian Desert which covers places in Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. It is stony with sandy stretches, and is sparsely inhabited.
The upland region, commonly called Al Jazirah, is located between the Tigris River and Euphrates Rivers. This extends westward into Syria between the rivers, and into Turkey.The highland region begins south of Mosul and Kirkuk, and extends into the borders of Turkey and Iran.
The high ground and consistent steppes in this region give way to lengthy mountain ranges near the Iranian and Turkish borders. Here too, are the great oil fields near Mosul and Kirkuk. The northeastern highland region is home to most Iraqi Kurds.
The plains begin north of Baghdad and extend into the Persian Gulf. Source “Here the Tigris and Euphrates rivers lie above the level of the plain in many places, and the whole area is a delta interlaced by the channels of the two rivers and by irrigation canals”
The Tigris and Euphrates carry large amounts of salt, and becomes increasingly saltier near the Persian Gulf. Because of this, productivity is limited south of Al Amarah, and is visible in Bahr Al Milh, or the "Sea of Salt". The waters of these rivers are essential to life, but because of the flooding of March, April, and May, the rivers may also threaten life.
Brief History
“Britain’s greatest legacy was, plainly, the creation of Iraq as a legal, geopolitical entity. But Iraq’s borders were defined in the context of broken promises and the British established a cleft country that, even if territorial integrity were to be sustained into the future, would always be challenging to those whose aim was to lead Iraq” . The 1970s proved to be industrial, technological years for Iraq. Literacy rates were high, and they where they were becoming as advanced as most Western countries.
“As a result of subsequent wars and the United Nations trade embargo on Iraq, the situation deteriorated, literacy rates fell dramatically, and society rolled backward”. Following the fallback of society, tribes and religion took over the role modernization had previously had.
:::::Important Events in Iraq’s History
::1921: Britain, the mandate power for Iraq, installs Faisal I as head of state, incorporating the three Ottoman provinces into one nation tot be called the Kingdom of Iraq.
::1941: Iraqi government sides with Italy and Germany in World War II. Royal family flees Baghdad and British troops invade from Basrah in mid-April. Regent restored to throne in June 1941.
::1958: Army officers move against royal family and depose kind on 14 July. Revolutionary government installed. Abed al-Karim Qasim becomes head of state.
::1963: Qasim overthrown. The tiny Ba’ath party emerges as a key conspirator. Constant struggles engulf government.
::1968: Ba’ath party seizes power and Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr emerges as president. Saddam Hussein becomes deputy chairman of the ruling Revolutionary Command Council and the key strongman of the regime.
::1979: Saddam forces al-Bakr to resign and launches a purge of the party.
::1980: Saddam sends forces into Iran, launching a bloody war which lasts for eight years.
::1988: Saddam launches Operation Anfal to attack Kurds in the north. Halabja attacked with chemical weapons.
::1990: Saddam criticizes Kuwait for overproducing oil, forcing the price down. In August, Saddam invades Kuwait.
::1991: Gulf War launched by twenty-eight countries to oust Iraq from Kuwait. Up to 100,000 Iraqis are killed in the war. Iraqi forces expelled from Kuwait. In March, Shia uprising is crushed by Saddam’s cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, otherwise known as ‘Chemical Ali’.
::1998: Operation Desert Fox launched by the United States and Britain. Baghdad attacked with hundreds of cruise missiles. Saddam remains in power. UNSCOM weapons inspectors leave Iraq.
::2001: World Trade Center in New York attacked. Iraq says it was not involved.
::2002: Referendum on Presidency in Iraq. Saddam receives 100 per cent vote. Release of prisoners from Abu Gharaib prison. In October, President Bush receives special powers from US Congress, seen as green light for war on Iraq.
::2003: US, Britain and a small number of allies launch war against Saddam. War begins on 20 March and lasts until 10 April, when US announces the end of Ba’ath party power in Iraq. In May, the Coalition Provisional Authority instigated as sovereign power of Iraq. In August, the UN building destroyed in suicide attack. Special Envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello killed.
::2005: Elections in January are successful, but less than a third of Sunnis vote. New government pledges to crush insurgency but fails. Attacks reach new level of horror. In October, referendum on new constitution carried, but Sunnis vote against it.
::2006: Shia shrine at Samarra attacked and destroyed. Nationwide sectarian violence follows. Death toll reported by Baghdad Morgue rises to more than 120 per day. Most are being killed by gunshots to the head.
Government
The Economy
Oil is at the basis of the Iraqi economy. When dealing with oil production, Iraq is beat by only Saudi Arabia. After the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, Iraq contracted about $200 billion in debt. As the economy plummeted at this time, the educated people of Iraq left. “In the past Iraq had once possessed a cadre of highly educated doctors, engineers and academics. Now they were leaving the country whenever they could. Soon in New Zealand alone there were 30,000 Iraqi immigrants, many of them highly trained. The regime tried to stop professionals resigning from government service. By the mid-1990s a bribe could do almost anything in Iraq” .
Past Leaders
The British began their involvement in Iraq motivated by high ideals. But they miscalculated the economic and political difficulties they would face. In the end, the British withdrew hastily, having constructed weak institutions that were dependent on a minority ruling elite” . Saddam Hussein was vice president in the al-Bakr Ba’athist government from 1968, and he gained complete power in 1979 when he persuaded the president, al-Bakr to step down.
Present Leaders
Before the downfall of Saddam Hussein, the Ba’ath party ruled entirely, but following his downfall as a leader, the United States, and United Kingdom helped set up a new governing system.
The People
Poverty
According to the book The Occupation, by Patrick Cockburn, after the Iraq-Iran war, into the 1990s, poverty was everywhere. The currency became next to useless during the war in Kuwait. “In 1990 one Iraqi dinar was worth $3.20. Five years later a single dollar bought 2,550 dinars. Money changers provide black plastic bags in which to carry the weighty bundles of notes out of their shops” .
Crime
Following the wars with Iran and Kuwait (August 1990-February 1991), the poverty that had taken over Iraq led many people to crime. “Taxi drivers started carrying guns in case they were robbed by their passengers. Bandits ambushed a party of foreign journalists going to Basra under the auspices of the Information Ministry and left them and their minders on the main road stripped to their underpants. The government struck back by amputating the hands of thieves on television as a warning” . This war on international terrorism was conceived as a ‘clearly defined struggle between those favoring American policy against terrorism and those opposing it,’ as defined by the Bush Administration.
The Economy
Iraq was once a flourishing nation, among the rankings of the Western countries. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), "Iraq holds more than 112 billion barrels of oil - the world's second largest proven reserves. Iraq also contains 110 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and is a focal point for regional and international security issues." Source This oil could easily reboot the economy, and provide more than sufficient funding to reboot the country as a whole.
The Government
As the world continues to change, the Middle Eastern countries are being pulled away from long-time traditions, and introduced to modern ‘political trends’ (Dreams and Shadows p. 381). Change requires sorting out and moving beyond the past. Speaking on democracy in the Middle East, former U.S. Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said, “Failed and failing states are the problem, and we have to help them heal, and it’s tough. But if we abandon Afghanistan again, we are going to pay for it....We’ve got to complete that job, and we can’t just complete it any old way, we have to have a vision for the Afghanistan people.” She continues by saying, “The great thing about democracy is that if we’re fed up with the people that govern us, we can throw the bums out. But authoritarians can’t do that…. Every dictator, every authoritarian, fears the moment when their people are no longer fearful of them. And because they have no way to express themselves peacefully, people turn to violence…The only legitimate government, the only form of government that is true to the non-negotiable demands of human dignity is democracy. So the United States has to advocate for it.” Source
The people of Iraq, as with any other people, have the potential to create a strong, great nation. With adequate, consistent help, the Iraqi nation can return to the thriving nation it once was.
Withdrawal
"Why are you always reminding us that you opposed the war? Isn't that yesterday's news? Is that experience really relevant?" And what I always say is this -- this isn't just about the past, it's about the future.
- Barack Obama
There are approximately 47,000 troops remaining in Iraq according to the Iraq War Facts and Statistics Source. Referring to wars past, it is easier said than done when it comes to withdrawing troops from a nation. Consider places like Japan, Germany, Korea, etc. There are still military bases found in each of those countries that were developed namely during World Wars I and II. However ideal it sounds to bring each and every one of the U.S. troops home, it has become harder with every day spent in the Middle East. By destroying and attempting to destroy uncivil forms of government, there has been created a people dependent upon a strong military; the United States military.
Barack Obama has said, “We are putting the Iraqis in control of their history and their future. They’ll have responsibility for security and responsibility for providing for the citizens of that country. That is a milestone worth barking.” Source
Despite preferences to withdrawal all at once, the reality is that that is quite impossible. Slowly, the number of troops in Iraq is lessening, but only as they are becoming more dependent upon themselves. Eventually, the complete withdrawal of troops will be a possibility as Iraq is already showing signs of improvement based upon the sprouting government, and the stability therein.
Just as in times of old, however painful, progress does not come all at once. If abandoned at this time, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and those with strong hatred for America, would again take over Iraq.
Isaac Westbrooks (born 4 February 1985) is an Irish basketball player.
Isaac currently plays for the Irish basketball club Dart Killester.
Career
Isaac played for St. Fintan's High School & North Park University. He played for Dart Killester before joining the Leicester Riders in the British Basketball League. Isaac is also a member of the Ireland national basketball team who play in Eurobasket B, the second tier of European basketball.
Personal life
Isaac has 4 brothers who all play basketball. Isaac just happens to play in the same team as three of his brothers.
*Aaron - currently a free agent (mid-late 2010)
*Michael - currently plays with Dart Killester
*Jerome - currently plays with Dart Killester
*Eric - currently plays with Dart Killester
Isaac, along with Michael and Aaron, plays for the Irish national basketball team.
Isaac also has a sister called Leah and his father, Jerome, is currently a basketball coach.
Isaac currently plays for the Irish basketball club Dart Killester.
Career
Isaac played for St. Fintan's High School & North Park University. He played for Dart Killester before joining the Leicester Riders in the British Basketball League. Isaac is also a member of the Ireland national basketball team who play in Eurobasket B, the second tier of European basketball.
Personal life
Isaac has 4 brothers who all play basketball. Isaac just happens to play in the same team as three of his brothers.
*Aaron - currently a free agent (mid-late 2010)
*Michael - currently plays with Dart Killester
*Jerome - currently plays with Dart Killester
*Eric - currently plays with Dart Killester
Isaac, along with Michael and Aaron, plays for the Irish national basketball team.
Isaac also has a sister called Leah and his father, Jerome, is currently a basketball coach.
Rebecca M. Benally (born May 16, 1962) is an American school principal for Montezuma Creek Elementary School, and a current voting member of the Navajo Nation Board of Education. She is of the Navajo Tribe in south-eastern Utah by which the Navajo Nation extends.
She is consistently supported by the Navajo Council Delegates and many colleagues and parents.
In 2006, Rebecca M. Benally was directly appointed by the Navajo Nation President on the Navajo Nation Board of Education which oversees the operations of schools under its jurisdiction on the Navajo Nation as the vice-president of that Navajo Nation position. The Navajo Board of Education is very important in that it works to help transition the Navajo Nation model in education to a more Efficient system much like state school systems around the country.
Life and Education
Rebecca received her Bachelor's degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Upon receiving her bachelor's degree, she began her career as an Educator in Montezuma Creek, Utah.
Beginning her career in the field of education, she has provided opportunity programs for the Navajo children in and around the Montezuma Creek area.
Later she was admitted to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She received her Master's Degree in Educational Administration from BYU. She currently works as a Principal in Montezuma Creek, Utah.
Educator
Rebecca began at the Elementary school as a teacher's assistant then as a preschool teacher. She also began directing a research project in an early childhood grant program with Utah State University and served as an educational advisor/liaison between the State of Utah and Navajo Nation, a position to which she was appointed by Utah state governor Norman H. Bangerter in 1992.
While believing that education is a means to overcome many obstacles in life such as poverty she has directed a Family Literacy grant program to help adults achieve a GED or high school diploma and a ninth-grade reading level so that they may contribute to the workforce and become self-sufficient.
During the following decade she accomplished a significant amount of experience in the educational field starting from the position of a Special Education and Early Childhood teacher to a High School Assistant Principal to currently an Elementary Principal of Montezuma Creek Elementary School, Montezuma Creek, Utah.
Montezuma Creek Elementary School Principal
Rebecca became the Elementary School Principal at a point when American President George W. Bush began implementing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The Act reauthorizes a number of federal programs aiming to improve the performance of U.S. primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts and schools, as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children will attend. Additionally, it promotes an increased focus on reading and re-authorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
During the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, she transitioned her ailing school into one of Utah’s leading public institutions for primary education. Since her tenure, the school has achieved an Adequate Yearly Progress four of the five years since No Child Left Behind became mandated.
Utah Governor Meets with Montezuma Creek Elementary School
In the Summer of 2007, Rebecca Benally met with and presented the Elementary School for Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. during his visit to the Montezuma Creek Elementary School to tour many of the Native American Schools within the State of Utah.
The Governor’s entourage toured the Montezuma Creek Elementary School. Principal Rebecca M. Benally took visitors through several
classroom in which summer school was in session. Following this, a luncheon was held with various Navajo Nation leaders and staff including: Navajo Council Delegate member, Kenneth Maryboy, Executive Staff Assistant, Andrew Tso, former Navajo Nation Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Tommy Lewis, Deputy Attorney General, Harrison Tsosie, and other distinguished leaders.
Literacy is Empowering Project
In November 2005, Rebecca along with her daughter, Rozanna Benally with the support of her immediate family began the Literacy is Empowering Project to promote literacy and pre-reading skills for Native children to increase standard academic language. And always to instill the 'love of reading.' This program was implemented at first to meet the needs to the local community and in time, expanded out reservation wide as well as other Native tribes such at the White Ute tribe of White Mesa, Utah.
Books are distributed throughout remote communities of Navajo Nation and bordering communities in Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The project is certainly a family and community project in hopes to connect in unity with compassion to make the life of a young Navajo child enjoy reading, while to increase and improve their literacy skills in areas such as vocabulary, comprehension, phonemic awareness, alphabetic principles, fluency, oral language and phonics. Rebecca and Rozanna's motto, "Readers are Leaders."
It includes an annual fund-raising program and a book drive to provide free books and lessons for children ranging from Preschool to Eighth-grade students.
Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Salina Bookshelves, Navajo Nation First Lady-Vicki Shirley, Southwest Board of Cooperative Services, and many caring and supportive individuals and Vikki's Ink donated money to purchase books and book donations from the Utah State Office of Education, local community members and local business contribute routinely as well.
Navajo Board of Education
Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education
The Navajo Nation Board of Education is an 11 member board instructed to oversee the operations of schools on the Navajo Nation and exercise regulatory functions and duties over education programs on the Navajo Nation. It was established by the Navajo Nation education code, Title 10 which was enacted in July 2005 by Navajo Nation Council.
The board acts to promote the goals of the Navajo Sovereignty in Education Act of 2005 which include the establishment and management of a Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education, to confirm the commitment of the Navajo Nation to the education of the Navajo People, to repeal obsolete language and to update and reorganize the existing language of Titles 10 and 2 of the Navajo Nation Code.
It is the educational mission of the Navajo Nation to promote and foster lifelong learning for the Navajo people, and to protect the culture integrity and sovereignty of the Navajo Nation. A Navajo Nation Board of Education meeting is scheduled the first Friday of every month.
Rebecca held the Board President position until she stepped down in order to maintain the ability to vote on important issues and begin her dissertation topic research, in which the board president does not have the power to do.
Through a ballot election process, the Board realigned their officers in 2006. The new officers are:
Jimmy C. Begay - President (School Administrator Representative)
Tim Bitsilly - Vice President
Dolly C. Begay - Secretary
Rebecca Benally - Member
Vee F. Browne - Member
Virgil Kirk, Jr. - Member
Rose J. Yazzie - Member
Juanita K. Benally - Member
Katherine Arviso - Member
Navajo Nation Board of Education's purpose is to elevated the Division of Diné Education to a Department of Diné Education, the development Navajo-specific standards of education, and creates a database of information regarding Navajo student academic achievement.
Rebecca and other Navajo Education Board Members most notable want to develop a Navajo language and Culture based education system which Western Education Systems integrates Navajo Way of Life. It's proposed structure will uniquely form an independent Navajo Nation Educational system much like State Agency.
Continual Navajo Education Improvement
In July 2007, Rebecca Benally will give a presentation in Honolulu, Hawai'i at a conference called Wellness is a Lifetime Journey. Her presentation will most notably be about Coordinating Health and Academics for students to become successful academically.
Currently Rebecca is working at an unofficial liaison between the State of Utah and the Navajo Nation in order to maintain a smooth systematic process which both party's can work together in order to create a better educational infrustructure between the State Government and the Tribal Educational system.
Utah Division of Indian Affairs group honors Rebecca Benally with Educator Award
The Division of Indian Affairs honored recently people who have contributed to Utah's American Indians at its seventh annual Indigenous Day Awards and Dinner Celebration, themed "Utah's American Indian Youth — Our Hope, Our Future."
For the state of Utah, she was awarded Utah's Outstanding American Indian Educator Award for 2007 .
She is consistently supported by the Navajo Council Delegates and many colleagues and parents.
In 2006, Rebecca M. Benally was directly appointed by the Navajo Nation President on the Navajo Nation Board of Education which oversees the operations of schools under its jurisdiction on the Navajo Nation as the vice-president of that Navajo Nation position. The Navajo Board of Education is very important in that it works to help transition the Navajo Nation model in education to a more Efficient system much like state school systems around the country.
Life and Education
Rebecca received her Bachelor's degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Upon receiving her bachelor's degree, she began her career as an Educator in Montezuma Creek, Utah.
Beginning her career in the field of education, she has provided opportunity programs for the Navajo children in and around the Montezuma Creek area.
Later she was admitted to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She received her Master's Degree in Educational Administration from BYU. She currently works as a Principal in Montezuma Creek, Utah.
Educator
Rebecca began at the Elementary school as a teacher's assistant then as a preschool teacher. She also began directing a research project in an early childhood grant program with Utah State University and served as an educational advisor/liaison between the State of Utah and Navajo Nation, a position to which she was appointed by Utah state governor Norman H. Bangerter in 1992.
While believing that education is a means to overcome many obstacles in life such as poverty she has directed a Family Literacy grant program to help adults achieve a GED or high school diploma and a ninth-grade reading level so that they may contribute to the workforce and become self-sufficient.
During the following decade she accomplished a significant amount of experience in the educational field starting from the position of a Special Education and Early Childhood teacher to a High School Assistant Principal to currently an Elementary Principal of Montezuma Creek Elementary School, Montezuma Creek, Utah.
Montezuma Creek Elementary School Principal
Rebecca became the Elementary School Principal at a point when American President George W. Bush began implementing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The Act reauthorizes a number of federal programs aiming to improve the performance of U.S. primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts and schools, as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children will attend. Additionally, it promotes an increased focus on reading and re-authorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
During the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, she transitioned her ailing school into one of Utah’s leading public institutions for primary education. Since her tenure, the school has achieved an Adequate Yearly Progress four of the five years since No Child Left Behind became mandated.
Utah Governor Meets with Montezuma Creek Elementary School
In the Summer of 2007, Rebecca Benally met with and presented the Elementary School for Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. during his visit to the Montezuma Creek Elementary School to tour many of the Native American Schools within the State of Utah.
The Governor’s entourage toured the Montezuma Creek Elementary School. Principal Rebecca M. Benally took visitors through several
classroom in which summer school was in session. Following this, a luncheon was held with various Navajo Nation leaders and staff including: Navajo Council Delegate member, Kenneth Maryboy, Executive Staff Assistant, Andrew Tso, former Navajo Nation Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Tommy Lewis, Deputy Attorney General, Harrison Tsosie, and other distinguished leaders.
Literacy is Empowering Project
In November 2005, Rebecca along with her daughter, Rozanna Benally with the support of her immediate family began the Literacy is Empowering Project to promote literacy and pre-reading skills for Native children to increase standard academic language. And always to instill the 'love of reading.' This program was implemented at first to meet the needs to the local community and in time, expanded out reservation wide as well as other Native tribes such at the White Ute tribe of White Mesa, Utah.
Books are distributed throughout remote communities of Navajo Nation and bordering communities in Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The project is certainly a family and community project in hopes to connect in unity with compassion to make the life of a young Navajo child enjoy reading, while to increase and improve their literacy skills in areas such as vocabulary, comprehension, phonemic awareness, alphabetic principles, fluency, oral language and phonics. Rebecca and Rozanna's motto, "Readers are Leaders."
It includes an annual fund-raising program and a book drive to provide free books and lessons for children ranging from Preschool to Eighth-grade students.
Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Salina Bookshelves, Navajo Nation First Lady-Vicki Shirley, Southwest Board of Cooperative Services, and many caring and supportive individuals and Vikki's Ink donated money to purchase books and book donations from the Utah State Office of Education, local community members and local business contribute routinely as well.
Navajo Board of Education
Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education
The Navajo Nation Board of Education is an 11 member board instructed to oversee the operations of schools on the Navajo Nation and exercise regulatory functions and duties over education programs on the Navajo Nation. It was established by the Navajo Nation education code, Title 10 which was enacted in July 2005 by Navajo Nation Council.
The board acts to promote the goals of the Navajo Sovereignty in Education Act of 2005 which include the establishment and management of a Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education, to confirm the commitment of the Navajo Nation to the education of the Navajo People, to repeal obsolete language and to update and reorganize the existing language of Titles 10 and 2 of the Navajo Nation Code.
It is the educational mission of the Navajo Nation to promote and foster lifelong learning for the Navajo people, and to protect the culture integrity and sovereignty of the Navajo Nation. A Navajo Nation Board of Education meeting is scheduled the first Friday of every month.
Rebecca held the Board President position until she stepped down in order to maintain the ability to vote on important issues and begin her dissertation topic research, in which the board president does not have the power to do.
Through a ballot election process, the Board realigned their officers in 2006. The new officers are:
Jimmy C. Begay - President (School Administrator Representative)
Tim Bitsilly - Vice President
Dolly C. Begay - Secretary
Rebecca Benally - Member
Vee F. Browne - Member
Virgil Kirk, Jr. - Member
Rose J. Yazzie - Member
Juanita K. Benally - Member
Katherine Arviso - Member
Navajo Nation Board of Education's purpose is to elevated the Division of Diné Education to a Department of Diné Education, the development Navajo-specific standards of education, and creates a database of information regarding Navajo student academic achievement.
Rebecca and other Navajo Education Board Members most notable want to develop a Navajo language and Culture based education system which Western Education Systems integrates Navajo Way of Life. It's proposed structure will uniquely form an independent Navajo Nation Educational system much like State Agency.
Continual Navajo Education Improvement
In July 2007, Rebecca Benally will give a presentation in Honolulu, Hawai'i at a conference called Wellness is a Lifetime Journey. Her presentation will most notably be about Coordinating Health and Academics for students to become successful academically.
Currently Rebecca is working at an unofficial liaison between the State of Utah and the Navajo Nation in order to maintain a smooth systematic process which both party's can work together in order to create a better educational infrustructure between the State Government and the Tribal Educational system.
Utah Division of Indian Affairs group honors Rebecca Benally with Educator Award
The Division of Indian Affairs honored recently people who have contributed to Utah's American Indians at its seventh annual Indigenous Day Awards and Dinner Celebration, themed "Utah's American Indian Youth — Our Hope, Our Future."
For the state of Utah, she was awarded Utah's Outstanding American Indian Educator Award for 2007 .