St. Bonaventure Indian School is a Catholic K-8 school in

Thoreau, New Mexico Thoreau ( nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,863 at the 2000 census. It is majority Native American, primarily of the Navajo Nation, as this community is located within it ...

. It is under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, and from 1986 to 2001 had high school classes. It is also known as

Kateri Tekakwitha Kateri Tekakwitha ( in Mohawk), given the name Tekakwitha, baptized as Catherine and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks (1656 – April 17, 1680), is a Catholic saint and virgin who was an Algonquin–Mohawk. Born in the Mohawk village of O ...

Academy,
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from Newspapers.com. or Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Academy.
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from Newspapers.com.

History

Douglas McNeill, a member of the Catholic clergy active in the area in the 1970s, saw an image of a child in poverty in the region and felt inspiration to establish a school. St. Bonaventure School started as a preschool in 1980. McNeill received assistance from the Gallup Head Start organization, which arranged school meals. An elementary and high school were added, with the former receiving accreditation in 1985 and the latter added in 1986, with accreditation for that coming the following year. From 1986 to 1989 enrollment increased by almost 200%. A new building was dedicated in 1999. The high school program ended in 2001, with the board of directors funding scholarships for students to attend high school classes at

Gallup Catholic School Gallup Catholic School (GCS) was a private, Roman Catholic K-12 in Gallup, New Mexico Zuni: ''Kalabwaki'' , settlement_type = City , nickname = "Indian Capital of the World" , motto = , image_skylin ...

. The current preschool facility opened in 2002, and the current grade 2-4 buildings, each with one classroom, opened in 2003. In 2015 the diocese, facing bankruptcy proceedings, stated the school was for sale, but the school stated it was privately owned and therefore not for sale.
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of second page from
Newspapers.com. In 2016 a proposed settlement was established which would mean the mission leadership would pay the diocese $550,000 and receive the title to the property.

Academics

The high school division had the standard classes as well as art, drama, and music.

Operations

The school provides free meals and is free of charge. the main source of funds are donations. In 1989 the school was to have athletics, but in 1994 the school did not offer athletic programs.
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from Newspapers.com. This is an abbreviated version of the Benke article.

Academic performance

In 1994, when it had high school, almost all students attended tertiary education after graduation, and no student left the education system before they graduated from a secondary institution.

Demographics

In 2015 it had 215 students, 55 Navajo employees, and 10 non-Navajo employees. 90% of the about students were classified as low income. In 1994 it had 300 students. At the time, 90% of them were from the Navajo tribe. At the time the school employed seven missionaries as teachers; they were not priests.

Transportation

In 1989 the school had buses to Bluewater,

Crownpoint Crownpoint ( nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Navajo Nation in McKinley County, New Mexico. The population was 2,500 at the time of the 2010 census. It is located along the Trails of the Ancients Byway, one of the designated New ...

Gallup Gallup may refer to: *Gallup, Inc., a firm founded by George Gallup, well known for its opinion poll *Gallup (surname), a surname *Gallup, New Mexico, a city in New Mexico, United States **Gallup station, an Amtrak train in downtown Gallup, New Me ...

, and

Grants Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

. Areas on the way to the school were also serviced.

References

External links

St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup Defunct Catholic secondary schools in the United States Private high schools in New Mexico Private elementary schools in New Mexico Private middle schools in New Mexico Schools in McKinley County, New Mexico 1980 establishments in New Mexico Educational institutions established in 1980 Private K–8 schools in the United States Private K–12 schools in the United States