A Time for Lunch, A Time to Learn…

Hi! I’m Nicole. I am one of the Family Service Counselors at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Family Service Counselors wear many hats—not only do we provide clinical mental health counseling, conduct guidance lessons in the school and assist with student issues in the homes – we are also the main contact for our students’ parents and guardians. We work hard to keep them abreast of how their children are doing in school, their behavior in the homes, how they get along with their peers, and if they are struggling with homesickness.

Throughout the month of June, we’ve teamed up with our Family Integration Coordinator to reach out and continue to make positive connections with our St. Joe’s parents and guardians by hosting ‘Lunch and Learns’ in the Fort Thompson and Lower Brule communities, where many of our students are from.

Invitations were sent to parents of our current students, inviting them to get together with us and other St. Joe’s families in an effort for them to learn more about us and connect with others in their community.

At both locations, we provided a sit-down lunch and asked parents and guardians to share why they chose to send their kids to St. Joseph’s and what benefits they have found from their decision.

A good education was the most common response. Another gut wrenching response was, “a safe place for my kids to live”. Yet another parent commented that now her children get to experience things by going to St. Joe’s that they wouldn’t have had otherwise, like going on home trips (the older St. Joe’s students even have a chance to do a German exchange program!).

It was a great afternoon for me, in particular, because a couple of my students live in that community and they made sure their parents brought them so that they could see me! I miss the students that are gone during the summer and it is heartwarming to know they miss St. Joe’s and our staff! This is why we do what we do! Our hearts are full! Thank you, donors for making this possible!

Nicole
Family Service Counselor

Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

At St. Joseph's Indian School, our privately-funded programs for Lakota (Sioux) children in need have evolved over 90 years of family partnership, experience and education. Because of generous friends who share tax-deductible donations, Native American youth receive a safe, stable home life; individual counseling and guidance; carefully planned curriculum based on Lakota culture and individual student needs and tools to help build confidence, boost self-esteem and improve cultural awareness. All of this helps children to live a bright, productive, possibility-filled future.

7 thoughts on “A Time for Lunch, A Time to Learn…”

  1. I just finished reading about Natalie Curtis and her history from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s in working with native tribes and the experience, indeed the law, removing these children from their homes to attend these schools whether it was the family wishes or not.

    My question to you is what part does their culture play in the curriculum of your school? Are they allowed to maintain their language? Traditions? Songs and dance? Long hair? I notice in photos that the children all have short hair unlike the traditional braids.

    I hope your goal is not to desensitize the children to the historic culture they are a part of. They have so much to offer to Americans as do those immigrants from other shores.

    I look forward to hearing from you,
    Fay Gunn

    1. Hello Fay,
      Thank you for your questions. The forced assimilation of Native Americans is a grievous truth in U.S. history. At St. Joseph’s we are committed to address our roots in boarding school history. We know we have much work to do to move forward, and we humbly acknowledge where we have fallen short.

      In the late 1800s, U.S. Federal Government set forth policies to “civilize” Native Americans through boarding school education. The deliberate removal of children from their families caused great harm to generations of Native Americans and still haunts current generations through the reality of historical trauma. Others, too, set out to educate Native American children, but their purposes and methods were not the same. Fr. Henry Hogebach began St. Joseph’s in 1927. His religious order was founded by Fr. Leo John Dehon whose desire was always to seek justice and uplift the lives of all people who share common dignity as children of God. We can be sure that was Fr. Hogebach’s intention in opening the school for Native American children.

      Today, we work to correct the wrongs of history. At St. Joseph’s, the Lakota culture is emphasized, encouraged and celebrated. It’s our priority for students to form deep roots in their beautiful, rich culture and proud tradition. Today this programming is one of several reasons parents and guardians choose to enroll their children here. Our job is to protect the children entrusted to us by their families. We provide these precious children with education and resources designed to help them embrace their proud culture, while reaching for a hope-filled future.

      You can see more specific examples of how culture is celebrated at St. Joseph’s by visiting http://www.stjo.org/culture.

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