A Sad Week, Remembering Kiarra The following is a modified version of the Holbrook Indian School (HIS) blog, “HIS Nation.” Visit HolbrookIndianSchool.org for more on this incident or about Holbrook Indian School.
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very September issue of the Holbrook Indian School monthly newsletter is dedicated to featuring photos of the students registered for the school year. “We enjoy seeing their lovely smiles arrive on campus after the summer break,” reads the front page of last month’s issue. It is an extended invitation to supporters of HIS to become acquainted with the new and familiar faces. By the time the September 2022 issue, Faces of the New Year, hit mailboxes at the beginning of last month, supporters across the nation were simultaneously hit with the heavy reality that one of those smiling students had passed away.
TOP: Former HIS student and pastor, Charlie Whitehorse, anoints the girls’ and boys’ dorms among other places on campus at the suggestion of Native representatives of the board, being mindful of Navajo beliefs regarding the deceased. BOTTOM: Several board members were on campus to share words of comfort and encouragement with our students and staff.
Unimaginable news On August 28, 17-year-old HIS student Kiarra Alma Gordon was killed and six others were injured during an accident involving a bus from the Holbrook Indian School. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the bus had slowed down in traffic near a rollover crash when it was struck from behind by a semi-truck. The bus was transporting a group of staff and students on a field trip to Window Rock, New Mexico. Kiarra was in the 11th grade and was loved and admired by her family and her classmates. The entire campus community regarded her with affection. “I am finding it difficult to find the right words to express our grief on the loss of our dear student Kiarra,” said Pedro Ojeda, principal of Holbrook Indian School. “She brightened our world. I continue to pray for our students who were injured and for all the students and staff who were on the bus.” Three other students were treated at Little Colorado Medical Center and were released after medical evaluation, and another three were admitted to Flagstaff Medical Center. Two of those students are still on the road to recovery. Kiarra Alma Gordon July 26, 2005 - August 28, 2022
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Holbrook Indian School