Techniques Feb 2013 - 32

At-risk Students

hooves and stretch out horses. (MVHS
has an Equine Physical Therapy Program.) We were thoroughly entertained
and fed, as well! And what was originally
intended to be a single-column article
turned into a five-page article with photographs.1 It was a coup for the school and
for the students!

MVHS Veterinary Science Program
The Veterinary Science Program serves
approximately 200 students, many of
whom select careers related to veteri-

nary medicine or environmental science.
Equally important to serving students
from the Navajo community, the program
serves the Navajo community at large.
Under the guidance of McBride and his
wife Elissa (another ag instructor), the
students manage a community veterinary
clinic that provides therapeutic and preventive medical and surgical services for
small and large animals. Students learn
and practice surgical skills along with
intake and pre- and post-op care. In their
medical studies, they learn pathology,

differential diagnoses, pet hygiene and
acute care. And when they have to gather
for triage, they are apparently cool and
collected, but more importantly, skilled,
confident and competent.
Those who have oversight over the
program include two superintendents, the
principal, community leaders, McBride,
and the students—who staff the clinic,
promote the program and serve as counselors in the pre-vet summer camps.
The MVHS Veterinary Science
Program partners with Second Chance,

Jasmine Blackwater

Karl Bedoni

Monument Valley High
School Seniors
When sacred Navajo values blend with
career-focused education, the potential
results look something like the
following four seniors from Monument
Valley High School (MVHS), who have
been friends since the ninth grade.
After four years of friendship with
common experiences and common
goals, they will be leaving each other
for college in the fall. All are active
members of the MVHS chapters of the
National Honor Society and FFA.
When observing Jasmine
Blackwater, it doesn’t take long to
understand that Jasmine’s Navajo
values have created a determination
and focus that are the beginning
elements for future leadership. Jasmine
is interested in a career in law that
focuses on improving and protecting
opportunities for all people—but
particularly for the people of the
Navajo Nation. To that end, she is
considering attending Arizona State
University, but she is also exploring
offers from top universities outside
the southwest. She is the class
valedictorian and vice-president of
FFA. It is not unreasonable to think
of Jasmine as a potential secretary of
agriculture or interior. And it would not

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February 2013

be the first time she visited Washington,
DC. In 2011, along with a delegation
of Native student leaders, she toured
the Capitol and brought messages to
members of Congress. She will be a
leader!
Karl Bedoni is somewhat like the “Billy
Budd” of Kayenta—with that same
magnetic naiveté of the main protagonist
of the unfinished novella of the same
name by Herman Melville. His honesty,
sincerity and humility are both engaging
and disarming. He spoke comfortably and
candidly about his shyness, but also spoke
comfortably and candidly about how he
is determined to change the pattern and
engage the world. Being a part of FFA,
along with great support from teachers

and friends, has changed his shyness into
engaging honesty and humility. He travels
35 miles each way to school, and he
takes care of his grandparents and herds
of cattle and sheep, all while keeping
his GPA above 3.0. He plans to attend
Oklahoma Panhandle State University,
and after further school, become a
veterinarian. Karl is an impressive young
guy and a tribute to his family and culture.
Racheal Holiday acts as the reporter
of MVHS’s FFA chapter, often serving
as spokesperson for the school in
several capacities. For both the TIME
and Aljazeera features about the
Veterinary Science Program, Racheal
was a significant presenter and guide for
the investigative writers and producers.

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