Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

Many of the students at St. Joseph’s Indian School have watched as an auntie or uŋčí (grandmother) pieced together a Lakota star quilt, a central tradition to the culture. They are one of the most valued gifts to the Lakota people, often made for giveaways, memorials, graduations, ceremonies and weddings.

On Tuesday, March 20, the Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong offered fourth-grade students another window into the cross-cultural tradition of quilt-making, which in South Dakota represents home, family, comfort, history – and in this case – healing from the pandemic. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Students Participate in “Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong””

Greetings from Chamberlain, SD! As we progress through the season of Lent and get closer to Easter Sunday and the celebration of the resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ we anticipate warmer days. Continue reading “Fr. Greg’s Hoší – News – for March 2022”

Aveyon may only be in seventh grade, but she has a knowledge and passion for her Lakota culture that far exceeds her years. It is a knowledge and passion she enjoys sharing with others, particularly her peers at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

“I’ve always been that ‘tradish’ (traditional) kid that would go around everywhere telling my friends all the stories that my grandma told me,” said Aveyon.

But this past week, Aveyon didn’t have to go very far to reach her peers. Continue reading “Pass It On: Student Shares Hand Games Expertise with Peers”

St. Joseph’s Indian School was recently named a “2022 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Indian School Crowned Top-Rated Nonprofit for Sixth Consecutive Year”

Tensions were running high during St. Joseph’s Archery Challenge. Two female students, Kaylee and LaToya, had each shot 20 arrows and done exceedingly well. In fact, both students recorded personal best scores. But the good shooting resulted with the girls tying for First in their age category. That meant it was time for a five-arrow shoot-off to crown a champion. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Crowns Archery Tournament Winners”

It was two weeks before Christmas and Kristal Salter had yet to find the perfect Christmas ornament for her granddaughter, Roselyn. She had browsed through stores and searched online, but nothing she found seemed to do justice to the annual tradition. None of the ornaments felt quite right.

It is possible nothing felt right because the holiday season, in general, was proving to be more difficult than in years past. Kristal lost her father, Jimmy Young Barton, in June 2021 at the age of 88. Although it had been six months since his passing, she felt his absence more and more the closer December 25 approached. Continue reading “A ‘Blessing in Disguise’ to Remember a Beloved Paw-Paw”

Greetings everyone, I hope all of you are doing well. There are several great things happening here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Just this past week, 11 new students enrolled at St. Joseph’s Indian School. We are grateful for every student we have studying and residing here at St. Joseph’s which would not be possible without your generosity. Continue reading “Fr. Greg’s Hoší — News — for February 2022”

Mary Jo Lends His Horse Dupris attended St. Joseph’s Indian School from 1991 to 1997. In 2021 she and three other healthcare workers were named St. Joseph’s Distinguished Alumni. 

We recently asked Mary Jo a few questions about her time at St. Joseph’s and what she has been up to since she graduated. Her answers were so inspiring that we wanted to share them with you.

We hope you enjoy hearing what she had to say.   Continue reading “A Conversation with a St. Joseph’s Indian School Alumna”

St. Joseph’s Indian School recently awarded $95,285 in spring-semester scholarships to Native American students across the nation, bringing the total awards for the academic year to a record $186,285.

This spring, St. Joseph’s provided 78 scholarships … Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Sets Record by Awarding $186,285 in Scholarships in 2021-22”

As students took their seats in the St. Joseph’s Indian School art classroom, they were greeted by two faces. One was a familiar face — their art teacher, Rachel Butzin. The other was someone new — someone at their school for a very special purpose: Michele David Mechling. Continue reading “Artist Visits to Inspire Students through the Making of Mosaics”