Month: February 2011

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Never mind that Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow, (which means a short winter) the -19 degree overnight temps were COLD and we’re tiring of the white stuff already.

Today, I checked out our remodeling efforts in the Rooney & Speyer homes. They may even be finished before school lets out in May, so we’re well on track. The work has slowed down a little as we’ve had to pull workers off that project to handle snow removal around campus, but we know that’s going to regularly happen here in South Dakota during the winter. I saw Jon, our electrician working and asked what he was doing, “Outlets” he said. Outlets don’t sound to bad, but when you have over 200 to do, that’s a big time commitment!

Today for Catholic Schools Week the day was reserved for an appreciation day. Students baked cookies and other treats and placed them in different staff work areas with  a note of thanks. The chocolate glazed popcorn the 7^th graders created was my favorite.

When I went to the Rec Center this evening to exercise, I ran into the Stevens and Matthias homes (6^th – 8^th grade girls) doing their enrichment activity. The staff created games and challenges based on the show “Minute to Win It”. The girls build ten story towers of cards, balanced dice on a tongue depressor and bounced pencils into cups. Silly games, but a nice break with lots of laughter. And as the two homes kept a running tally of points earned, it brought out the competitive juices in all the kids. What’s nice about odd games is that everyone had a chance to participate, and  the students who aren’t known as athletes might have even greater success than the ball players.

I’ve been gradually stepping up my exercises, testing the foot and nerves. I don’t want to overdo it, but I want to keep pressing forward and try to do more.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

I stopped in at the Akta Lakota Museum & Culture Center to see how things were going there. We don’t get a whole lot of visitors in February – only one brave soul during yesterday’s snowstorm. We do get regular shoppers on our Akta Lakota online gift store, interested in artwork, books and information on Native American culture, so there are always orders to fill. But now is also a good time to do inventory and prepare ahead for summer busloads of tourists, and travelers who stop through to visit campus.

Today was Red, White and Blue day for Catholic Schools Week. I simply donned my 1970’s White Sox cap–which covered all three colors–and I didn’t have to change any of my usual black and white wardrobe. My sisters envy me because I sure don’t have to spend much time figuring out what to wear for the day.

While in Math class, I took up the students’ challenge and proved I can still add mixed fractions, as I explained each step to them as I did it. I heard some of the poetry the 6^th graders were working on. When I entered the 5^th grade room and found they were in their reading mode, I listened to a few impromptu book reviews as I went around the room to ask what each was reading. Our speech therapist celebrated a birthday, so I stopped by and sang, “Happy Birthday” to Angela, then observed her lesson for a while.

Our SEED book discussion group was down to four hearty souls who braved the cold. Yet discussion of the autobiography “Crow Dog” was lively. He is from Rosebud, and his take on historical events we remember like the development of the American Indian Movement, the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation and the takeover of BIA offices in DC were fascinating. He also describes a Lakota (Sioux) ceremony and ritual in an enlightening way.