In this edition of our Stories of Hope blog series, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube continues her visits to our affiliated sites in Arizona, where she meets with administrators at Greyhills Academy to talk about how the school is helping children prepare for the future and how our sponsorship goes a long way in supporting those efforts.
“If parents choose Greyhills, then their children could maintain their sponsors’ support and encouragement through high school graduation.”
Getting to know Greyhills
“Greyhills Academy High School is located in Tuba City, a busy and bustling place on the Navajo reservation. When I first contacted our volunteer coordinator, Roger, about the proposed site visit in late 2022, he said the school’s pandemic policy does not allow visitors on school grounds at this time. I proposed that Roger and I have an off-site meeting at a local restaurant, and he readily agreed.”
“Despite the different surroundings and my disappointment at not seeing any of the students, we had an excellent meeting. Roger explained that their Governing Board had voted to go on lockdown back in March 2020 and had not lifted that order until this 2022-2023 school year. Greyhills was not only fully virtual during the rest of the 2019-2020 school year, but remained virtual through the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years as well. There was no hybrid option.”
Adjusting after the pandemic
Students at Greyhills Academy are benefiting thanks to theirs sponsors.
“Roger said in-person instruction returned on August 9, 2022. The school has daily temperature checks, maintains social distancing, and does vigorous contact tracing. So far there have been no outbreaks of COVID-19, although they were concerned at the time about rising influenza and RSV.”
“Roger says two other staff help him with our sponsorship program: Lee, the school’s Special Education teacher and Zelda, the Homeliving Manager. He’s grateful for their support to run our program smoothly.”
“The school’s enrollment is currently 197 students in grades 9th through 12th. The student to teacher ratio is 10:1. Roger was very proud to share that the graduation rate is over 90%, and he attributes this to the high level of attention and instruction. Yet, Roger still expressed his concern about the impact of the pandemic on their students and families – enrollment has declined 23% over the past five years.”
A wonderful partnership
“One of the developments Roger was happy to share was a partnership between the high school and Arizona State University. Juniors and seniors can take engineering classes through a portal called ASU Prep Digital. The students get a taste of how a college course feels while earning college credits. Roger said the students are hungry to learn and are so appreciative of the opportunity.”
“Native American students are underrepresented on college campuses. Demographic data shows that only 3.5% of people who live on Arizona’s reservations have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Programs like ASU’s can make high school students more confident and ready.”
“Roger also shared that this year the school is beginning an initiative to recruit more students in an organized and purposeful way. In the past, the administration would usually sit back and let parents come to them, and they had plenty of students. But with the pandemic and sharply declining enrollment, they must work to spread the word of the benefits that Greyhills Academy High School has to offer. In addition to the personal attention from faculty and staff, the school offers student learning opportunities, STEM programs, and the Miss Greyhills Pageant.”
“Roger and I both agreed that Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program is one of those benefits and advantages that the school has to offer. Several of the elementary schools that feed into Greyhills are also affiliated with our organization. Thus, if parents choose Greyhills, then their children could maintain their sponsors’ support and encouragement through high school graduation.”
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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.