Native American Preparatory School
Encyclopedia
The Native American Preparatory School (NAPS) was started in 1988 as a summer academic program by Richard Ettinger, son of the founder of the Prentice Hall publishing dynasty and the Education Foundation of America (EFA). At its inception, NAPS operated in schools in New Mexico
, Arizona
, and the University of California, Irvine
. EFA poured $20 million into acquiring land some ten miles east of Pecos, New Mexico
, next to the village of San Ysidro. The property purchased was formerly a corporate retreat developed by the 3M Corporation. The Pecos River
ran through the southern part of the campus. The ranch of movie star Val Kilmer
bordered NAPS to the west and north. And just a few miles more to the northwest lay the foothills of the Sangre de Christo range of the Southern Rockies.
In 1996, after Richard's untimely death, the leadership of NAPS passed to his daughter from his first marriage, Barbara Ettinger. In 1996, Barbara became Chair of NAPS' Board of Trustees. That year, NAPS began its permanent existence as a four-year college-prep school still guided by Richard's vision of increasing the number of Native American students having post-secondary educational opportunities. NAPS, the only existing intertribal, privately-funded preparatory school for Native Americans, drew its students from tribes across the United States and Canada. These students received full to partial scholarships according to need.
In 2000, Barbara was forced off the Board by a group of its members including her stepmother, Richard's third wife, Sharon Ettinger. Barbara and her soon-to-be husband, Head of School Sven Huseby, left NAPS for good.
In 2000, after graduating its first two classes, NAPS could boast that 100% of its students had been placed in post-secondary educational opportunities ranging from community college to admissions to Stanford and Harvard. Under the leadership of then Academic Dean Diana Gruendler, 83% of NAPS' students were admitted to their first choice college or university.
Still on the Board were soon-to-be Chair Cheryl Hamer Mackell (then a Santa Fe
attorney, now heading the Washington, D.C. office of Pomerantz Haudek Block Grossman & Gross) and Knott's Berry Farm
heiress Frances Knott. In the fall of 2001, new Head of the School Gruendler, Dean of Students Leslie Lopez, and Dean of Admissions Christopher Johnson, were fired by Mackell, Knott, and the Board. NAPS would later settle with these administrators after a suit for wrongful termination and a related civil rights claim. All administrators fired were Native American. None of the Board members of the Native American Preparatory School were themselves Native American.
The school would be closed forever in 2002 due its financial situation. But when Sharon offered to put up the money needed to keep NAPS going so long as the then existing Board dissolved itself, that plan was rejected by the Board. The events leading up to NAPS' demise were the focus of an investigation by the New Mexico Attorney General.
The NAPS Restoration Committee was begun in Spring of 2002 in an effort to save the school. The Attorney General's investigation into NAPS' closure found evidence of fraud and financial mismanagement by the Board. Still, the cost of a full-blown criminal investigation and prosecution against well-heeled Board members with powerful connections was deemed an unwise use of limited government resources. With the student body having already found other schools to attend, and the teachers already accepting other positions for the following school year, there was nothing left to save for 2002-2003. The only punishment metted out to the Board which oversaw the destruction of NAPS was a negotiated settlement of one-million dollars to assist former students with future academic expenses.
The NAPS property has been on the real estate market for years and remains unsold as of 2011.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
. EFA poured $20 million into acquiring land some ten miles east of Pecos, New Mexico
Pecos, New Mexico
Pecos is a village in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,441 at the 2000 census, growing much faster than in other parts of San Miguel County, partly because Pecos is within commuting distance of Santa Fe. The village is built along the Pecos River which flows from...
, next to the village of San Ysidro. The property purchased was formerly a corporate retreat developed by the 3M Corporation. The Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
ran through the southern part of the campus. The ranch of movie star Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
bordered NAPS to the west and north. And just a few miles more to the northwest lay the foothills of the Sangre de Christo range of the Southern Rockies.
In 1996, after Richard's untimely death, the leadership of NAPS passed to his daughter from his first marriage, Barbara Ettinger. In 1996, Barbara became Chair of NAPS' Board of Trustees. That year, NAPS began its permanent existence as a four-year college-prep school still guided by Richard's vision of increasing the number of Native American students having post-secondary educational opportunities. NAPS, the only existing intertribal, privately-funded preparatory school for Native Americans, drew its students from tribes across the United States and Canada. These students received full to partial scholarships according to need.
In 2000, Barbara was forced off the Board by a group of its members including her stepmother, Richard's third wife, Sharon Ettinger. Barbara and her soon-to-be husband, Head of School Sven Huseby, left NAPS for good.
In 2000, after graduating its first two classes, NAPS could boast that 100% of its students had been placed in post-secondary educational opportunities ranging from community college to admissions to Stanford and Harvard. Under the leadership of then Academic Dean Diana Gruendler, 83% of NAPS' students were admitted to their first choice college or university.
Still on the Board were soon-to-be Chair Cheryl Hamer Mackell (then a Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
attorney, now heading the Washington, D.C. office of Pomerantz Haudek Block Grossman & Gross) and Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
heiress Frances Knott. In the fall of 2001, new Head of the School Gruendler, Dean of Students Leslie Lopez, and Dean of Admissions Christopher Johnson, were fired by Mackell, Knott, and the Board. NAPS would later settle with these administrators after a suit for wrongful termination and a related civil rights claim. All administrators fired were Native American. None of the Board members of the Native American Preparatory School were themselves Native American.
The school would be closed forever in 2002 due its financial situation. But when Sharon offered to put up the money needed to keep NAPS going so long as the then existing Board dissolved itself, that plan was rejected by the Board. The events leading up to NAPS' demise were the focus of an investigation by the New Mexico Attorney General.
The NAPS Restoration Committee was begun in Spring of 2002 in an effort to save the school. The Attorney General's investigation into NAPS' closure found evidence of fraud and financial mismanagement by the Board. Still, the cost of a full-blown criminal investigation and prosecution against well-heeled Board members with powerful connections was deemed an unwise use of limited government resources. With the student body having already found other schools to attend, and the teachers already accepting other positions for the following school year, there was nothing left to save for 2002-2003. The only punishment metted out to the Board which oversaw the destruction of NAPS was a negotiated settlement of one-million dollars to assist former students with future academic expenses.
The NAPS property has been on the real estate market for years and remains unsold as of 2011.