Dedication:

This web site is dedicated in loving memory to those who have passed on.
May their spirit live within us always and may their passing serve to remind us of our many blessings.

Purpose:

This web site evolved out of an idea formed by a group of special people, who grew up together in a special place, at a special time. That time was the 1960's. That place was Window Rock High School at Fort Defiance, Arizona. Those people were/are the students who attended WRHS who made it a very special and unique place. Our intentions are not to exclude others that do not happen to meet the criteria above, but rather to encourage all students, of all classes of WRHS, to join us in this effort to celebrate our collective uniqueness and our school.  By defining and preserving our history, we allow others to follow in our footsteps with greater insight and clarity. We invite you to share your memories, your photos and your memorabilia for it is through sharing that we are able to unearth the many buried treasures of our past.

Vision:

When we began work on this new web site, it was simply a vision. How it would be achieved and what it would look like was a complete mystery. In the ensuing days, we talked to people from our past and gathered information, obtained photos and collected memorabilia. We searched yearbooks, newspaper articles and photographs to verify dates, names, and activities. There were days when the problems were discouraging and somewhat insurmountable. We were faced with the fact that we graduated over thirty five years ago, information had been lost, various people and staff had passed on and our high school was destroyed in 1981 by fire. As we continued our work on this project, the focus became clear. We learned that for every moment spent working, we received volumes of intrinsic wealth in return. We were again reminded that we are One People. That the magic that was created during our short stay at Window Rock School happened because we united as a team with a common goal: to create a school that we could all be proud of. The diversity of our skin made us all the more stronger and special. It was a lesson that we carry with us every day. Our path led us to rekindle friendships and learn about people that we had not heard from for many years. Some had sadly passed away and others are a vital part of society. We came to truly understand and appreciate the tremendous contribution made by both teachers and staff at Window Rock School. It became extremely clear as to how each had worked as a team to meet our educational needs. Their contribution to our lives can be seen simply by reading the Guest Book and Questionnaire. We came to realize that this project will never be finished. By involving other ages and generations in this project the web site is timeless, ageless and limitless. In calling back the spirits to Window Rock High School, we hope that you will find a sense of happiness, contentment and complete joy as that is exactly what it has provided us! Nancy Martin Rikel & Larry Nelson