Rebecca Benally

Rebecca M. Benally (born May 16, 1962) is an American Principal for Montezuma Creek Elementary School, Utah. She is also the current Navajo Nation Board of Education Vice-President. She is of the Navajo Tribe in south-eastern Utah by with the Navajo Nation extends.

Rebecca Benally initially became a prominent individual with her involvement with the 1997 Aneth Oil Protest against Exxon-Mobil's Utah Navajo community policies. Rebecca along with the Former Navajo Nation Council Delegate Mark Maryboy and protesters from the Aneth Chapter Blocked the main ExxonMobil Corp. Office for 3 days in Aneth, Utah.

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 a Elementary Principal of Montezuma Creek Elementary School, Montezuma Creek, Utah. Her actions for the improvement of Navajo education is consistently supported by the Navajo Council Delegate and San Juan County Commissioner Kenneth Maryboy, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Davis Filfred and Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., and many colleagues and parents.

In 2006, Rebecca Benally was directly appointed by the Navajo Nation President for the Dine Board of Education which oversees the operations of schools under its jurisdiction on the Navajo Nation.

Life and Education

Rebecca was born at Indian Health Service Hospital in Shiprock, New Mexico, and was raised in a strict Catholic Navajo family with an intense integration of Navajo Cultural and Traditional values in Egnar, Colorado. She has two older brothers and three younger sisters. Her father, Robert Sr. (Navajo Name: "Redhorse's Son"), operated a small farming/cattle industry. Her father, who was also a Uranium Miner, was well known within the Shiprock and Gallup areas. He made a lasting impression who had an adamant Philosophy in Education and Work Ethics; which proved to be beneficial throughout her life.

After graduating from Monticello High School in 1981, she enrolled in Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. The college is famous for its outdoor activities and program as well as a relatively notable academic programs in Liberal Arts which is where she majored in Education and Exercise Science. Upon receiving her bachelor's degree in 1990, she began her career 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.

When she entered Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah in 1997. She received her academic post-graduate Master's Degree in Educational Administration from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah in 1998.

Montezuma Creek Elementary School

Educational Stance

I believe that "It Takes a Community to Educate a Child," it is vital that parents are committed to their child's education and are the first teachers. With one heart and one voice we will make a difference in the education of our children, because education is freedom.

In 1999, Rebecca became the Elementary School Principal at a point when American President George W. Bush became 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).

Rebecca soon after smoothly transitioned the ailing school into one of Utah's leading public institutions for primary education. Since her tenure as the Elementary School Principal, the school school has achieved an Adequate Yearly ProgresS” (AYP) award four of the five years since 2002 when No Child Left Behind became mandated.

She has directed a research early childhood grant program with Utah State University and served as an educational advisor/liaison for the State of Utah and Navajo Nation, which she was appointed by the Utah state governor in 1992. While believing that education is a means/tool 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 reading level of ninth grade to become a contributing citizen and in the workforce to become 'self-sufficient.'

Literacy is Empowering Project

Historically, Utah Navajo issues are ignored not only by the Utah county and state governments but also by the Navajo Nation. The narrow Utah strip that is home to 8,000 of the Navajo Nation's 300,000 citizens. San Juan County officials long believed Utah Navajos were primarily the responsibility of the tribe.

In November of 2005, Rebecca along with her daughter, Rozanna Benally and the rest of the family ( spouse-Ray, son-Ryan and daughter-Rhianna) 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.'

Books are distributed through-out 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 and annual fund-raising program and a book drive to provide free books and lessons for children ranging from Preschool to Eighth-grade students.

The book distribution program is held in conjunction with Montezuma Creek Evenstart Program's Family Literacy Night and schools and communities. The program is aimed at the Navajo and Ute Tribes.

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

In December of 2005, Rebecca Benally along with six other educational member across the Navajo Nation were appointed by the Navajo Nation President for the new, 11-member Navajo Nation Board of Education.

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.

The Navajo board of education ousted its first Superintendent of schools

In August of 2007, Tom Lewis was ousted from the position of superintendent for the reaons that he did not have the vision to implement a Strategic Plan for the Department of Dine Education. He was selected as the education chief July 2007-- a year after the tribal council amended its education law to establish a state-like education department, a board and a superintendent.

As a result Tommy Lewis Jr. Maintained the board acted wrongly, however with the resulting vote, the ruling was obstained. The board voted 5-3 to fire him.

In September 2007, Tommy Lewis Jr. filed a complaint with the Navajo Office of Labor Relations last week seeking reinstatement, back pay and benefits. However it was ruled that he was an At-Will Employee, meaning he could be fired at any time for no reason.

Wellness is a Lifetime Journey

In July of 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.

The Division of Indian Affairs honors Rebecca Benally

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 In November of 2007. Rebecca was awarded Utah's Outstanding American Indian Educator Award for her work in the Education field in the State of Utah.

See also

• No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
• Adequate Yearly Progress
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• Navajo language
• Navajo music
• Navajo people
• Navajo Rug
• Southern Athabaskan languages
• Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation
• Uranium mining in the United States

External links

• Montezuma Creek Elementary School
• "Indian affairs group honors contributors"
• "Utah governor makes first visit to Navajo"
• Navajos blocked Mobil Oil Corp. offices near Aneth, Utah January 1997
• "Wellness is a Lifetime Journey" Rebecca M. Benally to Present in Honolulu, Hawai'i July 8-13, 2007
• No Child Left Behind
• Navajo Nation Board of Education (Official Site)
• Board of Education Appointments
• Jim Matheson