School: San Diego Riverside Charter School
    Jemez Pueblo, NM, United States

3 students, ages 14 & 15 worked together to complete this Doors to Diplomacy project on March 8, 2012. They have participated in Doors to Diplomacy in the following year(s): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Classes and Teachers: Valerie Shaw (Teacher), Carrie Young (Teacher), Mildred (Student), Joel (Student), Francisco (Student)

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://

1. Description of Our Team

Our team has three members. Millie is a hard worker and she is working on celebrations. Francisco is a hard worker too. He is working on the history of Jemez. Joel is a good worker. He is working on the history of Taos. We have a good hard working team. Our teachers helped us by teaching us how to do stuff on webs and helping us when we had trouble.

2. Summary of Our Project

Our Website introduces the history of cultural traditions in the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. We will compare and contrast our traditional way of life before the arrival of the European explorers and since that time. We will comment on the changes that took place on our religious celebrations, foods, visual art, weapons, songs, dance, language, traditions, and our way of life. We will discuss how these changes are reflected in Pueblo arts and also how our traditions are maintained through our arts. Our Website can help people all over the world to see how contact between indigenous cultures and outsiders can be positive and negative.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

We had to overcome many technical issues over the past few months. These issues are attributed to a slow Internet connection, lots of out of date equipment, and network issues. We overcame these issues by finding a website builder that functioned in spite of these issues and having a lot of patience. We worked around the problem to the best of our abilities.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Participation in Door to Diplomacy has meant a lot to us, because we got the opportunity to tell other people about the pueblos in New Mexico, including our own.

6. How did your activities and research for this Doors to Diplomacy Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

We used the Doors to Diplomacy project to support content standards in language arts and technology. We team-taught to make the project possible and the students had opportunities to work on their projects in their language arts and communications classes. A majority of our state standards molded well with this project, especially those in writing, research, and technology. We, also, utilized the Towa language and Jemez Pueblo History to meet some of our schools bilingual requirements. This project was an awesome learning tool for our students.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your Doors to Diplomacy project?

We used a multitude of tools and technologies to complete the project. These tools include our computer lab and classroom computers, as well as digital camera, scanners, various computer software, our school and public libraries, and oral interviews. The variety of tools we used allowed our students to get a broad spectrum of opinions and insights into their culture and the global community. Our most valuable tool was our computers and the Internet, because we are located in a rural part of New Mexico. The Internet allowed use to view other cultures and views from around the world.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your Doors to Diplomacy project both on-line and in person.

Our students acted as ambassadors to the community of Jemez Pueblo by researching and discussing the issues and culture of Jemez with the people of Jemez and sharing their findings on the website. They are raising awareness of their small community by relating their lives to the lives of others around the world.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

Our project will make a difference in the lives of the people from Jemez Pueblo. It will allow them to see their lives and the relations with the larger world. It will, also, raise awareness of the power of technology in research and advocacy. We hope that our website with give them global community a greater understanding of the Jemez people and their lives.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

The Doors to Diplomacy project encompassed the whole community, as the students meet with community members and talked about their culture and views. It gave the students a chance to learn from community elders and present their knowledge to the world.