Nizhoni Elementary School in Shiprock, New Mexico on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Nizhoni Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":88.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9616557,"projectId":9644518,"letterContent":"I hope this letter finds you well. I'm writing to share something that has been truly transformative in our classrooms this year, and your generosity has made it possible. The Learn, Explore, Discover (L.E.D.) area you helped us create has become a sanctuary for my students with special needs. With the recordable buttons as their guides, my students have begun exploring letter recognition, mouth shape formation, and letter sounds in ways I've never seen before. They move through the center at their own pace, pressing buttons that gently guide them to identify letters, hear their sounds, and connect them to pictures. Most importantly, they're doing this freely and joyfully, without pressure or frustration. But the impact goes far beyond letter learning. I've discovered that the recordable buttons have become a powerful communication tool for my non-verbal students. These buttons have literally given my students a voice. When they press a button and hear a word or sound, their faces light up with excitement, and then something magical happens they begin to verbalize words themselves. Watching a non-verbal student find their voice, even just one word at a time, has been one of the greatest gifts of my teaching career.\r\n\r\nWhat I love most is that my students have the freedom to explore at their own pace, whether we're in center time or during our literacy circle. I've noticed remarkable positive changes in their verbal ability and cognitive development that I can directly trace back to their time in this space. Your gift has inspired me to dream even bigger for my learners. In the future, I plan to expand the recordable buttons to our library area so I can record myself reading books aloud. This way, my students can choose their own stories during center time and hear a familiar, caring voice guide them through the pages. Imagine the doors that will open students selecting books independently, building literacy skills, and feeling the joy of reading at their own pace.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in my students and investing in tools that meet them exactly where they are. Your donation has given my learners with special needs not just a learning center, but a place where they feel safe, excited, and capable. You've helped give them a voice, and for that, I am eternally grateful.","fullyFundedDate":1766446599231,"projectUrl":"project/project-led-learn-explore-discover/9644518/","projectTitle":"Project LED (Learn, Explore, Discover): Building Brighter Beginnings","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Julie Marie Dumepnas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9616557"},{"teacherId":9616557,"projectId":9123947,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation! Your contribution to our project has provided my Pre-K students with task boxes, filled with hands-on activities that are essential for their development. The students' faces lit up with curiousity and excitement when they first saw the materials, and they were eager to dive in and explore every new item.. We've been using it in different centers such as the task box area, sensory area, and calming area. Within these areas students' use boxes to work on various skills, and it has been amazing to watch students' focus and explore. Since it is still new to them they still need to get used to putting back the boxes though. \r\nYour support has and will make a real difference in our classroom by providing a rich, engaging learning environemnt for these amazing students. Our next step is to continue building on the the skills as time goes by, when they all mastered skills from the task boxes. I'll be creating more task boxes that will be more complex that challenges their growing activities. Also, make it more tailored to their individual needs to continue to grow and learn through play. I want my students to be able to choose and complete tasks on their own, building their confidence and self-suffieciency.\r\nThank you again for helping us with this project.","fullyFundedDate":1740706852477,"projectUrl":"project/task-boxes-for-prek-special-education/9123947/","projectTitle":"Task Boxes for PreK Special Education","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Julie Marie Dumepnas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9616557"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_42966","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":259,"numTeachers":25,"percentFrplEligible":94,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":0,"percentIndigenous":94,"percentLatinx":3,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":0,"gradesServed":"Pre-K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"10.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"TOWN","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_FRINGE"},"inStateSupporters":12.0,"schoolId":42966,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Nizhoni Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Nizhoni Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-mexico/central-consolidated-school-district-22/nizhoni-elementary-school/42966"}

About this school

Nizhoni Elementary School is a rural public school in Shiprock, New Mexico that is part of Central Consolidated School District 22. It serves 259 students in grades Pre-K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 10.4:1. Its teachers have had 7 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Supporting this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades Pre-K - 5

259 Students

25 Teachers

S Highway 491

Shiprock, NM 87420 View local requests

http://centralschools.org/~niz/

Direct, proactive support

Empower teachers at Nizhoni Elementary School to request what their students need.

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Nizhoni Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Ms. Julie Marie Dumepnas

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for public school teachers.

Every donation funds real needs — pencils, books, lab equipment, art supplies, and more — helping students learn and thrive. We ship supplies directly to the school, and you'll see exactly where each dollar goes.

See how DonorsChoose works

Nizhoni Elementary School Demographics

94%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

97%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Nizhoni Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated May 29, 2026

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.