ST. MICHAELS, Ariz., - A ground breaking ceremony is scheduled for May 18 at the St. Michaels Association for Special Education (SMASE) where dignitaries from the school, National Guard, and the Navajo Nation will discuss the plans for refurbishment and improvement of the school's facilities.
This milestone event culminates 18 months of planning and facility design completed under the auspices of the National Guard's Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) in conjunction with the Southwest Indian Foundation.
Construction will begin this summer here at St. Michaels, the Navajo nation's only state-certified private non-profit school for special education.
The initial planning work was done by the 240th Civil Engineer Flight of the Colorado Air National Guard. A National Guard unit from Virginia will be the first to begin construction on a new nurse's station.
During the ground breaking ceremony, the Colorado flag will be exchanged with the Virginia flag to signify the transition from design to construction.
The St. Michaels School was founded in 1968 by Sister Mary Jane Ryan and was formally recognized in 1970. It now serves as a school and home for 80 Navajo children and adults with severely disabling conditions. St. Michaels is the only state and federally certified special education school on the Navajo Reservation, drawing clients from the four corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.
The school's 20-acre campus is dotted with donated modular structures and temporary wooden and aluminum buildings that were placed over the last 40 years.
School officials said most of the infrastructure is out of date, or non-compliant with present codes that address facilities for handicapped persons.
"The continuous growth of the student population coupled with the increase of students identified with severe disabilities and health issues put a serious strain on our aging facilities," said Gillis Chapela, the SMASE executive director.
Chapela said paving roads and new sidewalks will help with transporting children in wheelchairs. He, along with Joseph Esparza of the Southwest Indian Foundation have been instrumental in establishing an alliance with the IRT program of the National Guard and Air Force reserve components.
The IRT provides real-world training opportunities to traditional military reservists and guardsmen. This particular arrangement, involving units from several states, will also provide SMASE with the design support, construction labor and equipment necessary to upgrade the campus facilities to current standards.
The school bears the cost of material whereas the American tax dollar via the Department of Defense covers the cost of labor.
"By maintaining special education best practices and keeping a family and Navajo-centered environment, St. Michaels provides a "home close to home" for handicapped children and adults on the reservation who otherwise would have to trek to Phoenix to get the level of education, therapy and medical care needed," said Chapela.