The '''Native American Preparatory School Inc.'''<!--From https://web.archive.org/web/19981203160556/http://www2.naprep.org/--> ('''NAPS''') was a [[boarding school|residential]] [[University-preparatory school|university preparatory school]] located in [[unincorporated area|unincorporated]] [[San Miguel County, New Mexico]], in proximity to [[South San Ysidro, New Mexico|South San Ysidro]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naprep.org/Directions.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000525092215/http://www.naprep.org/Directions.html |archive-date=2000-05-25 |title=Directions|publisher=Native American Preparatory School|date=2000-05-25|accessdate=2022-07-15|quote=The gate to the Native American Preparatory School is about 1/3 mile past the Village of South San Ysidro. }}</ref> The school had a [[Rowe, New Mexico|Rowe]] [[PO Box]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naprep.org/admissions.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000408181954/http://www.naprep.org/admissions.html |archive-date=2000-04-08 |title=Admissions|publisher=Native American Preparatory School|date=2000-04-08|accessdate=2022-07-15|quote=Director of Admissions P.O. Box 260 Rowe, New Mexico 87562 }}</ref> The school's website also listed an office in [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naprep.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000229191335/http://www.naprep.org/ |archive-date=2000-02-29 |title=Home|publisher=Native American Preparatory School|date=2000-05-25|accessdate=2022-07-15|quote=2019 Galisteo Street Santa Fe, NM 87505}}</ref>

==History==
The school originated from a summer program established by [[Cushing Academy]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Dirk|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/04/education/indian-rootlessness.html|title=Indian Rootlessness|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=1990-11-04|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref> starting in 1988,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://naprep.org/about.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000604120019/http://naprep.org/about.html |archive-date=2000-06-04 |title=History|publisher=Native American Preparatory School|date=1999-11-04|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref> being held in multiple locations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.naprep.org/history.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981206200254/http://www2.naprep.org/history.html |archive-date=1998-12-06 |title=History of School|publisher=Native American Preparatory School|date=1998-12-06|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref>

In 1994 the owner of the land which housed NAPS, Larry Wilson, sold it to the entity that would establish the school.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED403086.pdf|title=Native American Preparatory School|publisher=Native American Preparatory School|year=1994|page=7 (PDF p. 10/19)|accessdate=2022-07-15}} - [https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED403086 Profile] at [[Education Resources Information Center]] (ERIC) - Informational booklet</ref>

Publisher Richard Ettinger, son of the founder of [[Prentice Hall]], established the school in 1995 with the goal of increasing the number of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] students attending [[Ivy League]] colleges.<ref>{{cite news|last=Allison|first=Donald Jr.|title=Native-American students prospering at prep school|newspaper=[[Elko Daily Free Press]]|place=[[Elko, Nevada]]|date=2000-06-20|page=A6}} - [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105630077/ Clipping] from [[Newspapers.com]].</ref> The property had a cost of $6 million to develop.<ref name=BrookeRedefine>{{cite web|last=Brooke|first=James|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/27/us/a-bid-to-redefine-indian-education.html|title=A Bid to Redefine Indian Education|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=1995-11-27|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref> The school was the only intertribal, privately funded preparatory school for [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]s in the United States.<ref name=Boylegraduates>{{cite news|last=Boyle|first=Christina|title=Native American Preparatory School Graduates its Last Class|newspaper=[[The Santa Fe New Mexican]]|date=2002-05-26|page=B-1, B-4}} - Clipping [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105630250/ of first page] and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105630282/ of second page] at [[Newspapers.com]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170201235117/http://www.turtletrack.org/IssueHistory/Issues02/Co06012002/CO_06012002_Native_Prep.htm reprinted in] ''Canku Ota'', June 1, 2002.</ref>

Initially 50 students in grade 9 were enrolled; the school had plans to increase one grade level per year. Students caused a disturbance shortly after the beginning of instruction in 1995, which headmaster Norman E. Carey stated was due to being unaccustomed to significant homework. By November 1995, there were 40 students enrolled, and James Brooke of ''[[The New York Times]]'' stated that "many [...] expressed enthusiasm in interviews."<ref name=BrookeRedefine>{{cite web|last=Brooke|first=James|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/27/us/a-bid-to-redefine-indian-education.html|title=A Bid to Redefine Indian Education|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=1995-11-27|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref> By that month there were plans to attempt to raise $20,000,000.<ref name=BrookeRedefine/>

By November 1998 its enrollment was up to 74. Its first graduation was to be held in June 1999.<ref name=Salodof>{{cite web|last=Salodof|first=Jane|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/29/us/a-new-school-bridges-two-worlds.html|title=A New School Bridges Two Worlds|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=1998-11-29|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref> The graduating class was to have 22 students.<ref name=Bissley>{{cite news|last1=Bissley|first1=Jackie|title=Native American Preparatory School|url=http://www.cowboysindians.com/articles/archives/0999/naps.html|work=[[Cowboys & Indians (magazine)|Cowboys & Indians]]|date=September 1999|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119111455/http://www.cowboysindians.com/articles/archives/0999/naps.html|archivedate=January 19, 2009|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref>

In 1998 the yearly cost to operate the school was $3,000,000. It had trouble raising the funds due to it not having a history of wealthy benefactors in the school community.<ref name=Salodof/> The school closed in 2002 due to financial pressures. Its last graduating class had 12 students.<ref name=Boylegraduates/>

The property later became the Pecos River Ranch Retreat. It was put up for sale in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last=Oswald|first=Mark|url=https://www.abqjournal.com/416792/pecos-river-ranch-center-formerly-native-american-prep-up-for-auction-in-santa-fe.html|title=Pecos River ranch center, formerly Native American Prep, up for auction in Santa Fe|newspaper=[[Albuquerque Journal]]|date=2014-06-17|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref>

==Admissions==
The school had to convince parents, who were skeptical of boarding schools due to past abuses at [[Native American boarding schools]] made for assimilation purposes, that this school had a different mission. The school saw many students being academically unprepared upon entering, despite almost all students having "B" or higher average grades in their prior transcripts, due to historic problems in education of Native Americans.<ref name=Salodof/>

==Operations==
The school had a $900 minimum tuition for a year, with, in 1998, 70% of the students paying that much and others paying more. That year almost all of the students had some sort of scholarship.<ref name=Salodof/> Without scholarships the tuition per student per year would have been $16,000.<ref name=BrookeRedefine/>

The school had study abroad and travel opportunities to get native American students familiar with non-Native cultures prior to them entering university.<ref name=Salodof/>

==Campus==
The school, on {{convert|1600|acre|ha}} of area,<ref name=BrookeRedefine/> was located in proximity to Rowe,<ref name=Bissley/> though a [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) document identified it as not being in Rowe.<ref name=FCCdoc>{{cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-01-193A1.doc|title=DA 01-193|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=2001-01-26|accessdate=2022-07-15|quote=NAPS is not located in Rowe and it is not designed to serve the educational needs of the residents of Rowe.  Instead, according to the information provided by the petitioner and staff research, NAPS, which has a Rowe post office box for some of its correspondence, is an independent residential school whose mission is to provide a college preparatory education to Native Americans and whose student body is {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}} children not from Rowe but from all over the United States.}}</ref> The school was {{convert|35|mi|km}} away from [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]].<ref name=Bissley/> The school stated that its education

In 1998 Jane Salodof of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the school's telephone infrastructure was "inadequate" for its needs.<ref name=Salodof/>

The school had dormitory facilities for its students.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naprep.org/schoolife.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000408221917/http://www.naprep.org/schoolife.html |archive-date=2000-04-08 |title=School Life|publisher=Native American Preparatory School|date=2000-04-08|accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref>

==Demographics==
The school was designed to house students nationwide, and was not intended to be a community school for the Rowe area.<ref name=FCCdoc/>

In 1998 the students originated from 32 tribes. Headmaster Sven Husaby described the community as "almost like a Native American [[United Nations]]", referring to the various ethnic backgrounds.<ref name=Salodof/> In 1997 the distance from families and rigor of the work had caused attrition in students unaccustomed to such.<ref name=Salodof/>

In 1998 American Indians made up about 50% of the faculty.<ref name=Salodof/>

==Curriculum==
The school used a point of view from the American Indian during United States history classes.<ref name=Bissley/>

==Notable alumni==
* [[Adam Kokesh]]<ref name=":19">Matthew Reichbach, [http://newmexicoindependent.com/31256/adam-kokesh-launches-northern-new-mexico-congressional-campaign Adam Kokesh launches northern New Mexico congressional campaign] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701071913/http://newmexicoindependent.com/31256/adam-kokesh-launches-northern-new-mexico-congressional-campaign |date=July 1, 2011 }}, [[American Independent News Network]], July 6, 2009.</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of boarding schools in the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite news|last1=Sorensen|first1=Barbara|title=A Summer Journey: The 1999 College Horizons Program|url=http://collegehorizons.org/press_woc99.html|accessdate=19 February 2017|work=College Horizons|agency=Originally in ''Winds of Change'' the magazine of The [[American Indian Science and Engineering Society]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060617102634/http://collegehorizons.org/press_woc99.html|archivedate=June 17, 2006}}

==External links==
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.naprep.org|title=Native American Preparatory School}}
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[[Category:Preparatory schools in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Boarding schools in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Private boarding schools in the United States]]
[[Category:Private high schools in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Native American high schools]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1995]]
[[Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:1995 establishments in New Mexico]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Education in San Miguel County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Native American history of New Mexico]]


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