Rehoboth – Remembrance Day was still days away, but Rehoboth Cemetery was filled with American flags, some of which had been shattered by New Mexico’s persistent irreverent winds.

Flags are a must in this cemetery. The same is true of artificial flowers, some bright with new determination, others faded from long vigilance, and flooding many graves.

This is a place of patriotism and faith. A Navajo code-speaker and a Christian missionary are buried here.

So did Army Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Johnson, who died at the age of 31 in August 2007, leaving his wife and three stepchildren in a Chinook helicopter crash over Iraq.

His grave here is more than just a place of demise. It represents an enduring legacy.

blessing from tragedy

The cemetery is behind the Rehoboth Christian School, which was founded in 1903 by the Christian Reformed Church as the Rehoboth Mission School. Rehoboth is a Hebrew word that means a space, such as a large space or an open space. The school and cemetery bears its name in a small town in McKinley County about nine miles east of Gallup.

“Chris loved this place,” Mary Johnson said as she and her husband Chuck walked through the cemetery last Wednesday. “He came[to Rehoboth]every time he got any deployment. He would climb the mountains here.”

Mary, 75, and Chuck, 76, are Christopher Johnson’s parents. Chuck served as a secondary school teacher at Rehoboth He Christian from 1994 until 2008.

Mary pointed to a large rock in the cemetery known as the Rock of Resurrection.

“Chris stood there looking out over the rugged terrain of the cemetery and said, ‘What a lovely place to be buried.'”

His grave, covered with small stones, is on a nearby hill. An American flag floats on a pole embedded in the ground of the cemetery, and the words “Honor and Courage” are engraved on the headstone.

But CWO2 Johnson’s memory is characterized here by more than stone or the colors of his country. Money donated to a memorial fund set up in his name by his parents paid for the establishment of a much-needed early childhood center at his Christian school in Rehoboth. Started in 2009, his Pre-K education at this school is thriving.

“This gives children a good foundation for learning and helps them grow later,” said Mary, who is also an educator. “In the midst of our grief, we thought nothing good would come out of Chris’ death. But generations of schoolchildren will benefit from it. Out of tragedy came a blessing.” rice field.”

on parade

The parade may not match Macy’s famous Thanksgiving spectacle or Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses promenade, but it was a pretty big event in Rehoboth.

We started at 5:30 pm on Wednesday in the parking lot of the Red Rock Theater and followed the short distance down Church Rock Road to the Rehoboth Christian Campus.

The parade honored the memory of Rehoboth Christian Early Childhood Center, 4-year-olds graduating from the preschool program and entering kindergarten, Rehoboth High School seniors who were members of the original preschool class in 2009, and Christopher Johnson. .

A police car leads the way with flashing lights and blaring sirens, followed by bikers from various motorcycle clubs, the Johnson family and the first teachers of the preschool program, Suzanne Breithaupt and Christine Teller Skeets. A truck towing the trailer it was on followed.

He was then picked up by his high school seniors Madison Anderson, Eden Pikaart, Stacey Skeet and Maggie Van Drunen. A school bus carrying this year’s excited Pre-K graduates. fire engine. and Rehoboth Christian executive director Bob Yppel driving the truck.

Rehoboth Christian Pre-K Director Nicole Steiger watched the parade from her school campus.

“It was a lot of fun when the bus came with the[preschool]kids hanging out the window,” Steiger said. “They all called my name when they saw me. They were so proud of their famous moment.”

relationships

The population of Rehoboth is probably less than 100 souls. But hundreds flocked to the Fellowship Hall of Rehoboth Christians for the post-parade celebration.

Known as Miss Tiger to her students, Steiger, 31, was a pre-kindergarten teacher at Rehoboth Christian School for eight years before becoming director of pre-kindergarten earlier this year. She said she was always impressed with her family’s support for the young children she was in charge of.

“Look at the people here for kindergarten graduation,” she said. “Being able to build relationships not only with students, but with their families, siblings and cousins ​​is one of the great joys of continuing my work.”

The Rehoboth Christian preschool program has grown from its first year with one teacher and one assistant teacher and less than half the current number of students.

Steiger says the program currently has 12 staff members and three classrooms. Classrooms include an early kindergarten for 3-year-olds, and this year he enrolled 16 children. There were 16 children again this year in the mixed stage class of 3 and 4 year olds. The other was a Pre-K class for 4-year-olds only, with 20 students.

Steiger said 80% to 90% of preschool students are Navajo, although there have been Zuni students over the years. Overall, approximately 70% of the school’s enrollment is Native American.

Twenty-eight 4-year-olds graduated from Pre-K through kindergarten this year. Students entertained Wednesday’s audience by singing “Herman the Worm” and “The Navajo Puppy Song.” Afterwards, Pre-K diplomas were awarded by seniors Anderson, Pickert, Skeet and Van Drunen.

start from scratch

Christopher Johnson graduated from high school in Michigan. His parents moved to Rehoboth from Michigan in his early ’90s.

“We just came out because we knew about Rehoboth Christians and their quality education,” Mary said. “We ventured out for a year and ended up staying for 17 years. We loved the area and the diverse cultures.”

While Chuck was on the staff of Rehoboth Christian, Mary taught preschool classes at Gallup’s Indian Hills School, then moved to the University of New Mexico at Gallup to teach an early education course.

Proceeds from the son’s memorial fund paid for the renovation of the old Rehoboth Christian Dormitory into a preschool facility and also generated the funds needed to hire preschool teachers.

Mary adopted Suzanne Breithaupt from then Church Rock Elementary School, now Katherine A. Miller Elementary School in Church Rock.

Mary said of Breithaupt, “You could tell she was overjoyed and happy to be involved with the children.” She said, “She was very positive and she was well educated in early childhood education.”

Breithaupt said the Rehoboth job was the culmination of her career.

“I was supposed to build Pre-K from scratch and Mary was such a great guide,” she said.

Teller Skeets joined Breithaupt as an assistant and was able to translate for children whose first language was Navajo.

“Some of the children were only children,” said Teller-Skeets. “[The preschool program]helped children learn numbers and colors and socialize with their peers.

Breithaupt said outreach was necessary to get Pre-K started because some parents aren’t having a good experience in school.

“When I brought the children in, I could see they were nervous, so we did a home visit.”

going to college

Pride was the fashion of the day at Fellowship Hall on Wednesday.

“Education starts at home and we truly believe in education as a partnership between parents and schools,” says Yippel, Executive Director of Rehoboth Christian, who has been with Rehoboth Christian since 1993 and has been there for six years now. said Mr. “The Rehoboth Early Childhood Center serves a need in what is considered a childcare desert. Our goal is to provide children of all economic backgrounds with a great foundation to do so.”

He said 90% of Rehoboth Christian’s high school graduates this year have already been accepted to college.

All seniors who entered the first Pre-K class in 2009 have gone on to college. Anderson and Pickert are on their way to Northern Arizona University.

Van Daanen attends UNM in Albuquerque and Skeet enrolls at UNM-Gallup.

rainbow sign

Mary and Chuck Johnson retired and moved back to Michigan. But they visit Rehoboth Christian every year to tell preschoolers about their son, Constable Chris. They plan to visit Chris’ grave on Memorial Day.

“I’m going to go with my friends and have a little recollection,” said Mary. “We just love sitting on top of Resurrection Rock and watching families plant flags.”

She said there was a rainbow over Rehoboth the afternoon after Chris’ funeral.

“At the time we thought it was just beautiful. Now we see this as a promise that God is blessing the school.”