On the last day of school, Thursday, May 21, Lakota (Sioux) students at St. Joseph’s Indian School spent the afternoon enjoying all kinds of outdoor games and activities during our annual Field Day event. From long jump and obstacle courses to parachute games and water activities, students were laughing and running all afternoon long.
“I am having a lot of fun at Field Day today!” Camella, a St. Joseph’s student, said with a huge smile.
Tug-of-war quickly became a favorite activity among most students, with one particular matchup becoming legendary.
One class decided to go boys versus girls. The girls definitely outnumbered the boys, but the boys were confident they could still pull out a victory. Unfortunately for them, they lost their grip — and their dream of winning — as the girls pulled them right across the line.
But even that didn’t dull the boys’ smiles.
Immediately, chants of “COLEMAN! COLEMAN! COLEMAN!” erupted from the mouths of the boys. Not being able to ignore the shouts, Coleman, St. Joseph’s Admissions Coordinator, stepped in to help the boys’ team. Amazingly, even with a grown man joining their side, the girls still managed to win!
The fun only escalated from there.
The boys quickly began chanting, “EVAN! EVAN! EVAN!” and before long, Evan, Rec Center Coordinator, joined the battle too. Even though the girls still had the numbers advantage, the boys now had two grown men helping them pull.
Evan gave the countdown.
“3 … 2 …”
And just like that, everyone started tugging on two.
The match was on.
You could tell by everyone’s scrunched-up faces that they were giving it absolutely everything they had. The rope barely moved as both sides battled back and forth. Slowly, the boys gained ground with every pull, inching closer and closer to victory.
The girls dug in with all their might. Some eventually fell to the ground laughing in defeat, but they were still smiling the entire time.
Now that was a tug-of-war match!
That’s the kind of joy and excitement that makes Field Day such a special tradition at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
As the afternoon wrapped up and the final bell of the school year approached, a few students shared some sweet and heartfelt thoughts.
“I am going to miss all my friends and teachers,” said Deandra, a second grader. “I am going to miss everybody here.”
Ring, Ring!
And just like that, the 2025–2026 school year came to a close.
What an incredible year it was. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back this fall for even more memories, laughter and fun at St. Joseph’s Indian School!
