Navajo times. [volume], April 26, 1961, Page Page 3, Image 3

About Navajo times. [volume] (Window Rock, Ariz.) 1960-1984

Image provided by: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ

                
APRIL 26, 1961—THE NAVAJO TIMES-
Chinle Boarding School
by E. C. Hinckley
The Chinle Boarding School,
newly-opened last October, is
sympolic of many things. It is sym
bolic erf the Federal Government's
interest in Indian education; an in
terest re-emphasized by President
Kennedy's recent announcements.
It is symbolic of an ever-expanding
Navajo population, since the old
boarding school could not accomo
date the growing numbers of boys
and girls arriving from out-lying
schools in the Chinle Subagency.
And it is symbolic of the Navajo
people's increasing concern for
their children's education and fut
ure welfare. This is shown by the
numbers of parents who have come
to the school since it was finished,
not only to visit their children, but
also to take a first-hand look at the
facilities and services with which
their children are provided.
These facilities will eventually
be used by over one thousand stu
dents each year, from Beginners
through the Bth grade. This school
year, enrollment reached a 6th
grade level, with 751 children en
rolled. Plans call for the addition
of a 7th grade for the 1961-1962
school year, and an Bth grade the
following year. Thirty-four class
rooms, a library, and three special
rooms (designed for Home Econo
mics, Siop, and Science Labora
tories), as well as the administra
tive offices, are housed in three
separate buildings, connected by
covered sidewalks. One such build
ing contains twelve specially-de
signed Primary classrooms. Each
of these has 1200 square feet of
floor space, allowing for the extra
work area which younger children
need. A sink, drinking fountain, and
private washroom is found in each
of these Primary classrooms.
The other classrooms, designed
for the Intermediate and Elemen
tary grades, have 900 square feet
of floor space, a sink, andadrink
ing fountain. Modern fluorescent
light fixtures, as well as one whole
wall devoted to windows, make all
classrooms light and airy. New and
attractive cupboards, bookshelves,
and storage lockers, together with
individual desks of various heights,
complete the furnishings of each
classroom. All furnishings are
moveable, allowing for individual
difierences in room arrangement.
Whatever the differences between
rooms, each one is a place where
a child’s learning can grow and ex
pand.
The classrooms are, of course,
only part of the picture at any
boarding school. During the week,
almost half the time between the
child’s getting up and going to bed
is spent in the dining room and dor
mitory. On weekends, all of the stu
dents' activities center around the
dormitories. The dining room here
is equipped to serve 500 children
The
Merchants Bank
t
" GALLUP’S OLDEST "
Established in 1916 —Member F.D. I. C.
Announcing A New Service To Its
Many Customers— j
TRUST DEPARTMENT j
-
200 W. Aztec Avc. Uptown Plaza
Gallup, N. Mex. 1116 E. 66 Ave.
at one time, cafeteria-style. By
staggering the meal-times slightly,
the total school enrollment can be
fed in about one hour. Modern, ef
ficient cooking and dishwashing
equipment enable the well-trained
kitchen staff to give the children
three nourishing meals a day,
seven days a week. Much instruc
tion is carried out in the dining
room by teachers, dormitory per
sonnel, and kitchen staff alike. The
children learn good table manners
and there are special opportunities
for small groups of students to
practice family-style dining. Stu
dents also take turns in helping
serve the food to their fellow stu
dents. Once a month, all students
with birthdays in that month are
given special recognition at a noon
meal, with student-made place
mats, name cards, special decora
tions, and a birthday cake. Although
many of the foods served here to the
students are different from those
served at their homes, they all are
chosen to give each child a bal
anced, tasty, and healthful diet.
The traditional fry-bread is gen
erally available from one of the
dormitories’ sales each weekend.
The dormitories occupy a large
part of the students' time and at
tention. They and their staff form
a vital factor without which a
boarding school could not exist.
The dormitory program is a very
important part of the school’s edu
cational training. Four large build
ings comprise the dormitories; two
for boys and two for girls. Three
of these are occupied this year, al
lowing for the planned future ex
pansion of the school. They are all
laid out on the same plan, in the
shape of a capital letter H. Each
side of the H is divided into ’'wings'*
the cross-bar of the H is an acti
vity room common to the four wings
of each dormitory. Sixty-four stu
dents are housed in each wing,
using double-decker bunks, wall
lockers, and shelves. Two wings in
each dormitory are for 4th graders
on up; these are additionally
equipped with a table and chairs for
every two students, to use for
homework, games, letter-writing,
and other such activities.
Bookshelves, couches, chairs,
and tables are found in the activity
room of each dormitory. Like the
furnishings of the classrooms,
these are also moveable, permit
ting individual groupings as well as
large areas of floor space for ac
tive games, parties, dances, and
movies. Curtains, lamps, pictures,
flowers, and other such decorations
help to contribute to an attractive,
pleasant atmosphere. In addition,
each dormitory has two offices for
Teachers (Guidance), a kitchenette
for the students’ benefit and use,
four isolation rooms for students
who are ill, four laundry rooms
with washing machines and ironing
boa r d s for doing light laundry,
Page 3
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storage rooms for luggage, and
apartments for some of the dormi
tory staff. At least one Instructional
Aid (Guidance) is on duty at all
times in each wing. During the wak
ing hours of the students' day, a
Teacher (Guidance) is also present
in each dormitory. Activities of all
sorts, from outdoor sports and
games to quiet, individual hobby
and craft work, are planned for the
students. There are also numerous
special activities, such asparties,
teas, and the recent two-hour-long
dance festival, in which every wing
was represented by several
‘'acts’*. By dividing the students
into “wing groups*’, the Instruc
tional Aids for each wing are able
to get to know the students, under
their charge, as individuals.
Students are permitted to go
home with their parents on week
ends, and for a ten-day Christmas
vacation, in addition, they may be
in vi ted to visit their teachers’
homes in Ciiinle on Saturday after
noons.
The modern facilities and ded
icated staff here attheChinle
Boarding School help approximate
a home-like atmosphere as close
ly as possible, while at the same
time provide an efficient educa
tional environment. Furthermore,
the location of the school here
makes it possible for parents to
visit their children, an event which
BUTLER’S I
EVERYTHING FOR
THE OFFICE
j 203 W. COAL GALLUP
Chinle school
Chow time
Study before lunch
is always a bright spot in the stu
dents' lives. An invitation is always
extended to anyone who would like
to come and visit the school per
sonally and see what is being done
in Indian education at Chinle.
OPEN WOW!
I NAVAJO
INN
On State Road 68 - Just 3 Miles
East of Window Rock |
■MHiWW • T
Package Goods - Beer-Wines
jstmmmamx % ■iiwMEMpy'itir
jj Groceries - Sundries - Magazines
| OPEN 9AM CLOSE 10 PM
6 DAYS WEEKLY
L 818
Air Gets Expensive
When Making Steel
It's indicated the steel industry
is spending around S2O million a
year for a commodity man gets free
as air—oxygen. That bill will like
ly increase over the years ahead.
Steel ways, official publication
of American Iron and Steel Insti
tute, said that oxygen use in the
steel industry has increased in the
last ten years from 127 cubic feet
per ton of steel to 550 cubic feet
per ton of steeL
Oxygen injection into open
hearths drastically intensifies the
refining process of steel and there
by shortens open hearth ®*heat
time"—the time required to refine
a batch of steeL This, of course,
means increasing production.
The publication noted that the
steel industry's growing use of
oxygen largely accounted for doub
ling production of high purity oxy
gen in 1954-59 from 22.1 to 44.9
billion cubic feet. It also made steel
the biggest single customer for the
oxygen industry’s output. The steel
industry now consumes 45 per-cent
of on-site oxygen capacity.
Moreover, Steelways added,
present oxygenconsumptiontrends
incidate the steel industry may be
consuming as much as 750 cubic
feet of oxygen per ton of steel by
1962. This possible continued
surge in oxygen use would largely
be due to the current conversion of
open-hearth furnaces to oxygen
processes.
The magazine said that a bout
one-fourth of these furnace s—
which produce four-fifths of the
nation's steel—already have been
converted and others are being
adapted daily. It is estimated that
under this impetus the oxygen in
dustry will again have to double its
capacity, this time within two
years, in order to meet the grow
ing demand.
Though the technical benefits of
oxygen in steel metallurgy have
been recognized for years, the
decision to use the element widely
awaited a favorable climate. Oxy
gen first had tobeavailabeinlarge
quantities at relatively attractive
prices. Now it is.
Steelways said its ready avail
ability has come about through the
building and financing of oxygen
separation plants by oxygen pro
ducers on or adjacent to steel mill
areas.
Oxygen, therefore, can be piped
directly to the place oi use instead
of being hauled about in refriger
ated tanks. As a result, oxygen pro
ducers have been able steadily to
reduce the price of oxygen and thus
make its widening use economic
ally feasible.