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

4 students, ages 14 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), Maxine (Student), Ambrosia (Student), Keilani (Student), Tyler (Student)

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://

1. Description of Our Team

Our team has four members from our class. Ambrosia is a hard worker. She does her work and is nice. Tyler is, also, a hard worker and he works independently. Maxine works with no distractions and does her work. Keilani is a positive person and can finish her work. The teachers divided us into groups. We divide the jobs by what each person knows.

2. Summary of Our Project

We chose to focus on the category “Leadership Traits” for our Doors to Diplomacy project. We are going to compare the structure and operations of our native tribal government to our national government, the government system of the United States of America. As a sovereign nation, what are our rights and responsibilities within the overarching government of our country? How has the United States government system influenced our tribal government system? How are leaders selected in our system? What is the history of our interaction with the United States government? What happens when a crime takes place on a sovereign nation? How does our tribal government work in cooperation with the United States government? We will conduct research online, at the library, at our school and within the community to explore all these questions in our Doors to Diplomacy project.

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 issues getting organized and with the internet. We had trouble deciding each person's job. We worked together to assign jobs and make it fair. The internet was down and the website we used to build our pages was very slow. We had to be patient and work on it whenever the internet worked.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Participating in Door to Diplomacy has meant a lot to our school. It helps our students and school have a chance at a better future.

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.