College students work at St. Mike's

This week, St. Michael Indian School was a gathering place for young people of many cultures but with a single goal: good education.

Eleven Williams College students from six different countries - Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Nepal and the United States - spent their spring break learning about Navajo culture while assisting in classrooms and leading interactive lessons of their own.

This weeklong service project is the third in the past three years and, like the two previous ones, was organized by Bethaney Hale, a St. Mike's alum who will graduate from Dartmouth this June.

The birth of this project, and its promising future, were the focus of an interview with Hale by this writer. I teach English at St. Michael.

Hale, who is majoring in Native American studies and with a minor in education, described the coming together of many needs and many gifts that brought Williams, Dartmouth, and St. Michael students and teachers into this partnership.

"During my sophomore summer at Dartmouth, I was nominated by the Dartmouth Native American Program to attend a program called Leadershape in Chicago, designed to cultivate leadership skills," Hale said.

"There, we were encouraged to consider our vision in life - what did we want to change in the world and how could we implement that change?" she said. "How could we encourage college students to act on their convictions and passions for a better world?

"Of course, my vision involved my community on the Navajo Nation," she said. "I believe that one issue that urgently needs to be dealt with is education for Native Americans.

"The rate of high school dropouts, teen pregnancy, suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse are the issues that really concern me," she continued. "Education is a key to beginning to address those problems.

"A fellow Leadershape conference participant from Williams College and I came up with the idea of a spring break educational trip to the Navajo Nation," she added. "My new friend from Williams went back there and pitched the idea to her classmates, who responded enthusiastically. I offered the same idea to St. Michael Indian School, where volunteers are always welcome. It began from there."

Nine months later, the first group of 10 Williams College students arrived on the Navajo Reservation ready to work and learn. They organized activities involving art, science, music, geography and literature for grades K to 12.

In turn, they learned about Navajo language and culture, the Long Walk and the code talkers from teachers and students, as well as from the exhibits at the Navajo Nation Museum.

They absorbed everything they could about daily life and issues from all those they met. The trip was so successful that it was repeated the following year.

Ten more students volunteered and worked at Hilltop Christian School for a week. That trip included a tour of the Navajo Nation president's office, the Navajo Council Chambers and Canyon De Chelly.

Back at SMIS for the third year, Williams volunteers met this past week with St. Michael administration to begin plans to institutionalize the experience by creating a course in which the college students do hands-on learning for credit. This would take place during their winter study period, which spans the month of January and allows students to participate in activities not normally offered in a traditional college curriculum.

Williams co-group leader Taida Smailhodzic, here in the U.S. from Bosnia and Herzegovina, was part of the planning meeting. Smailhodzic is no stranger to volunteer teaching programs.

"Growing up in post-war Bosnia, I encountered many volunteers who came to my country to help through peer education programs," she said. "The two most important things I learned from these were that volunteers need to be attentive to both the quality of education they are providing and to learning from new cultures."

Taida has had ample opportunity to utilize her insights and experience as a volunteer in schools on the Navajo Nation for the past three years.

Hale is excited about what the future may hold for project.

"I recently read an article in the Navajo Times in which Vice President (Rex Lee) Jim discussed the quality of education on the reservation," she said. "People talk a lot about the need for an increased focus on education across Indian Country. What does that really mean? It means that, as Mr. Jim said, we need to find out what our students are passionate about.

"The Williams students are in the midst of college life," she said. "Their enthusiasm for learning is contagious. Today four of the college students participated with St. Michael seniors in a seminar on a short story. This will expose high school students to a college level discussion and help prepare them for the coming year.

"In turn, the college students, many of whom want to become teachers, are actively learning new perspectives and new pedagogical skills," she said. "Williams students who volunteered at the elementary level are brimming with new ideas and insights about good teaching practice."

Uttara Partap, who worked with grades K-5, was impressed by students' attentiveness.

"We taught the children a little bit of world geography, and would conclude our lessons with a quick lesson on East Indian dance," she said. "The children listened and observed very carefully, recalling both facts and dance steps with considerable ease."

Hale concluded the interview with a note of gratitude.

"This volunteer program is a way for me to give back to the Navajo people," she said. "I've been fortunate to attend Dartmouth College. Williams is another great college.

"I never anticipated that a conversation at Leadershape between two concerned young women would lead to a spring break service trip," she said. "Now Williams College wants to make that into an actual college course. My hope is that it will maximize the learning both for Williams College students and St. Michael students."

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