Rehoboth Christian School is the premier school for Native American children in New Mexico. High school senior Cheyenne Ott has attended the school since kindergarten. I was there on the last day before summer vacation and on Cheyenne's final day at Rehoboth.

Dutch missionaries started Rehoboth Christian School in 1903. They wanted to serve the Navajo and Zuni people in the area, so they started the mission. It grew to include a boarding school with live-in dorms, a hospital, a church and other on-property services. It is no longer a boarding school; however, some of the faculty still live on the property.

On the last day of school students were treated to an outdoor barbecue of grilled hot dogs and potato chips, as well as their choice of ice cream. On a typical day, Cheyenne's favorite dishes at the school were spaghetti and lasagna, and her ultimate favorite was the Navajo tacos. These are made just like a taco, only they used fried Navajo bread (made from scratch) instead of a tortilla or taco shell.

Principal Tim Stuart is in his third year at the school. The students love him, and they seem to have developed his same positive attitude with each other. As they walked down the halls between classes, you could hear them encouraging each other with “You can do it!” and “I hope you pass your test!” That's something you don't mind hearing on finals day.

“I like it here,” Cheyenne said, referring to the family atmosphere on the campus. “It's tight-knit.”

The students are taught the Navajo language, and one student, Patrick Denetdale, gave me a quick lesson:

Yaa teeh (pronounced yah teehey) is “Hello.”
Ahehee means “Thank you.”
Hah-go means “Come here.”
Nez quish means “Does this hurt?”
Ya go lindeztee means “Take a deep breath.”

I wanted to ask him how to say, “Watch out for exploding meatloaf” in Navajo, just in case I ever have anyone of Navajo descent over for dinner, but Patrick had to go back to class.

For Cheyenne, she wants to absorb more than the Navajo language. She longs to be a professional Christian singer or a music teacher. She has been leading worship at her church since she was 15. She also sings in the school choir, which has gone on tour to numerous other states and Canada, and has cut several CDs. Even Cheyenne's dog is named after Christian music group and ZOEgirl.

Cheyenne loves people and enjoyed helping out with the after- school program for younger students, tutoring them and helping with other activities. She is now attending Eastern New Mexico University, where she's received several scholarships.

The Rehoboth school and mission has a rich history. There is a cemetery on the property where some of the students' ancestors are buried. Also an old wagon trail is visible just outside the school. I didn't have a wagon, just the Caf-Mobile, so I couldn't take the trail to the next school on my journey, but the highway was calling.

I do hope to go back someday, though. It was a very interesting school and mission, and I still have to try those Navajo tacos!