May 2016 – St. Joseph's Indian School

What a busy last week of school at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School.
What a difference a few days makes! Last week, we were caught up in the excitement of graduation from Chamberlain High School and St. Joseph’s Indian School as the graduates of 2016 took their first steps into their futures.
With most of the students and staff now on summer vacation, the campus is rather quiet. In complete contrast, the tipi is up at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center and the parking lot is filled with cars from all over the United States! Our Museum & Cultural center continues to receive great reviews from visitors.

As the school year wound down, the 8th graders took part in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Camp. Through the camp, they participated in a variety of projects that put into action the skills they have learned over this past year.
The 7th and 8th grade students also had a yearbook signing party during which they could relax, share some goodies and sign each other’s yearbooks. Many teachers, Family Service Counselors and houseparents joined in the fun.

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We are meeting ourselves coming and going at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Fr. Anthony, St. Joseph's Chaplain — Fr. Anthony, St. Joseph’s Chaplain

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Things are ‘normal’ here on campus, meaning we are meeting ourselves coming and going.

The 7^th graders returned from their cultural trip a few days ago and shared where they went and what they learned with the younger grades yesterday.

The 6^th-8^th graders in the Explorers Club have been down in Kansas City watching the Royals play. They washed over 80 cars and brought in $5,000 in donations and pledges! The money was donated to the City of Chamberlain to help with the construction of a Frisbee golf course.

St. Joseph’s Health and Family Services Center groundbreakers.

On Monday afternoon, we had the blessing and ground breaking for the new Health and Family Services Center. This building will have our healthcare and counseling services all under one roof, better enabling us to care for the whole child—mind, body, heart and spirit. The current health center is located in the old nun convent that was built in 1963 and converted to the Freimann Health Center in 1982. With both students and staff families taking advantage of the nurses and local healthcare providers in attendance, new space was needed.

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A time of transition and new beginnings at St. Joseph’s

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School.

The number of school days is dwindling down quickly. Most of the classes have already enjoyed their home trips to the Badlands, Pierre, Mitchell, Sioux Falls and other sites around the state.

This coming weekend, the 7th graders will take off on their cultural trip to visit multiple sacred Native American sites in South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana. Once they are back next week, they will make a presentation of what the experience was like and how it strengthened their pride in their culture and heritage.

On April 30, St. Joseph’s hosted our First Annual Hand Games Tournament. Teams from Little Wound, Porcupine, Crow Creek, Todd County and Wolf Creek joined St. Joseph’s in the tournament. LaRayne and Allen, our Native American Studies teachers, organized the event and did a great job! It is interesting to watch as players hide two ‘bones’—one of which is marked—in their hands and try to prevent the other team from guessing which hand held the ‘marked’ one. It was a double elimination tournament. Each team had 8 sticks—or markers—that they try to protect. If a correct guess is made by the opposing team, the stick must be surrendered. The game came be short or lengthy, depending on how well a team can bluff and guess. Continue reading “A time of transition and new beginnings at St. Joseph’s”

You are making a difference at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Mary Jane, our Director of Alumni, recently sent a notice about how your generosity is helping former St. Joseph’s students and other Native Americans continue to further their education, aided with St. Joseph’s Scholarships.
As you read a little about each of these students, take pride in knowing you helped make their higher education goals possible!

Continue reading “You are making a difference at St. Joseph’s Indian School!”