Many Farms Community School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Many Farms Community School |
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| Location | |
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2600 Lakeview Drive,
Many Farms |
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| Coordinates | 36°21′57″N 109°37′41″W / 36.3659°N 109.6281°W |
| Information | |
| Established | 1965 |
| Governed by | Navajo Nation Council, Central Navajo Education Line Office, Bureau of Indian Education |
| Staff | 6 |
| Faculty | 23 |
| Grades | K–8 |
| Enrollment | 246 |
Many Farms Community School, Inc. (MFCS) is a special school for students from kindergarten to 8th grade. It's located in Many Farms, Arizona. The Navajo Nation runs this school. It gets money from the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). MFCS also has a boarding program. This means some students can live at the school. It helps kids who live far away from the school community.
The school started in 1910 as the Chinle Boarding School. It was run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Chinle, Arizona. It operated there for over 60 years, until 1976. A new, bigger school was built in Chinle in 1960. It was one of the largest schools on the Navajo Nation.
The Chinle School moved to Many Farms, Arizona, in 1976. It took over an old elementary boarding school building. By that year, the Navajo Nation had started to manage the school. More students joined in the fall because of changes at another school. The school was once called Chinle Boarding School, Inc. and Many Farms Day School, Inc.. By 2012, the Navajo Nation renamed the K-8 school to Many Farms Community School.
The K-8 school shares a campus with Many Farms High School. The BIE still runs the high school directly. Before Diné College moved to Tsaile, it was also on the Many Farms BIE-school campus.
Contents
School History: From Chinle to Many Farms
This school is connected to the Chinle Boarding School. That school was started in 1910 in Chinle. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) created it. When the BIA built the school in Chinle, the government became a big part of the town. The BIA pretty much ran the town after that.
The school has taught Navajo (Diné) students from kindergarten to 8th grade. In 1956, there were 249 students at the school.
Building a Bigger School in the 1960s
Around 1960, the BIE built a new, large boarding school in Chinle. It cost $3.1 million and had 34 classrooms. People called it "one of the largest schools on the Navajo Nation." It had dorms for 256 boys and 256 girls. There was a dining room for 300 students, a library, and labs for science and home economics.
The school also had 114 homes for staff. It even had its own power and sewer plants. The BIE thought 1,024 students would join at first. They expected the school to eventually hold 2,000 students.
Famous Students
A famous artist named Robert Draper went to this school. He was Navajo and Hopi/Laguna.
Learning and Changes: 1965 to 1973
Galena Dick, who went to the Chinle school, wrote about her experiences. In the 1950s, the school did not let her use the Navajo language. The goal was to help children learn English and fit into American culture. Navajo women who worked at the school helped make sure this rule was followed.
Changes in Teaching Methods
In the 1960s, Native American groups wanted their cultures to be respected. They also wanted more say in their children's education. The Chinle school and other BIA schools slowly started to change. They began to teach about Navajo and other Native American cultures.
- In 1965, BIA staff started teaching students about the Navajo tribal government. They also taught about the United States government.
- The school board asked for lessons about the traditional Hopi family.
- Around 1971, Chinle began using a new way of teaching. It focused more on helping each student individually.
- In 1972, teachers started using storytelling in their lessons. Storytelling is a very old tradition in Navajo culture.
- By 1973, BIA schools included "Indian Studies" in their lessons.
In 1974, Chinle had 26 classrooms and 730 students. About 80% of the classrooms had Navajo aides. These aides helped children with their Navajo language skills. The idea was that being good at Navajo would also help them learn English better. Students came from many areas, including Black Rock, New Mexico, and Forest Lake, Arizona.
New Uses for Old School Buildings
After the Chinle Boarding School moved in 1976, its old buildings were used by others. The Chinle Agency of the BIA and Chinle Unified School District (USD) #24 took them over.
The Chinle USD started in 1958. A school board with five members runs it. These members are elected from the Navajo Nation district. All current members are Navajo. They turned one of the old school buildings into a warehouse. Chinle Elementary, Chinle Junior High, and Chinle High School are all part of Chinle USD #24.
Chinle Boarding School Moves to Many Farms
In its last year in Chinle, ending in spring 1976, the school had 750 students. That year, the school moved to an old elementary school in Many Farms, Arizona. At first, it was still called Chinle School.
Chinle Boarding School took over the former Many Farms Elementary School. That school had also been a boarding school. The Chinle School opened in Many Farms with 860 students and 170 employees. The campus had six dorms. At first, only four and a half dorms were needed for students. The sixth dorm was used for fun activities. The Chinle school got extra students that year. This happened because the 7th grade was stopped at the Lukachukai School. The students still came from the same Navajo communities. By 2012, the Navajo Nation changed the name of the K-8 school to Many Farms Community School.
School Growth and Programs
The Navajo Nation has made big improvements to Many Farms Community School. A large expansion was built from May 2003 to December 2004. It added two new three-story dorms. Each dorm has 26 rooms, making 52 rooms in total. These rooms have semi-private and private bathrooms.
New parking lots, play areas, and basketball courts were also built. The project also included new administrative offices, a media center, a billiard room, and student lounge areas. Stronghold Engineering, Inc. from Perris, California, finished the construction. It was challenging because of very strong winds and cold winter temperatures.
Today, Many Farms Community School holds an annual arts and crafts show.
School Campus
Jacqueline Benally, the school's executive director, arrived around 2012. She remembered that the Many Farms buildings were in poor condition. In 2015, Benally said the electrical systems were not good enough for the school's technology.
Students who live in the dorms often do so because their homes might not have services. Or, their family situations might not be stable. Many Farms Community School is one of several boarding schools on the reservation.
The school has 44 homes for teachers. By 2015, these homes had also gotten old. Benally used the rent money from teachers to try and fix the buildings.
