Rough Rock Community School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rough Rock Community School |
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| Address | |
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RRTP #PTT HC 61 Box 1480
86503
United States
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| Coordinates | 36°24′53″N 109°51′20″W / 36.414660°N 109.855648°W |
| Information | |
| Established | July 1966 |
| Superintendent | Marty Roessel |
| CEEB code | 030049 |
| Principal | Ronald Thompson |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrollment | 214 (2023–2024) |
| Color(s) | Maroon and gold |
| Mascot | Sun Devils |
Rough Rock Community School, Inc. (RRCS) is a special school for students from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade. It is located in Rough Rock, Arizona, and uses a Chinle postal address. The Navajo Nation runs this school. It gets its money from the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). As of the 2023–2024 school year, about 214 students attended RRCS.
School History
Rough Rock Community School has an interesting history. It was started in 1966 by Robert Roessel Sr. and Ruth Roessel, who was a member of the Navajo Nation. When it first opened, it was called the Rough Rock Demonstration School (RRDS).
A New Way to Learn
For a long time, the United States government ran schools for Native American children. But Native American leaders wanted more control over their children's education. Rough Rock Demonstration School was the very first school where the government, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), let a Native American tribe run the school. The Navajo Nation was the first tribe to do this.
The Navajo Nation made important changes to the school's lessons. They added their own culture, history, and traditions to what students learned. This was taught alongside regular school subjects like math and science.
In 1994, the school became a nonprofit organization. It also changed its name to Rough Rock Community School. This new name showed that it was no longer just a "demonstration" school. It was now a permanent school for the community.
New Buildings for Students
In the early 2000s, new buildings were constructed at the school. These new buildings replaced older ones. In 2010, a large dormitory was built for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. This dorm could house 86 students.
More new buildings were finished in 2011. These included a new academic building for K-8 students. Two more dormitories were also built. This project was important because it was the first school replacement project. It received money from a special government plan called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
