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.
A few weekends ago, St. Joseph’s principal, Kathleen, and I took St. Joseph’s spelling bee contestants to the annual Corn Palace Regional Spelling Bee on the campus of Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota. The spelling bee had two divisions—Local and Regional. St. Joseph’s was represented by multiple spellers in the Local division and three in the Regional.
Our students came through in a big way. Savannah captured 1st place among all 7th graders by spelling ‘pharmacy’ correctly and Charlie won 3rd place among all of the 6th graders. All in all, St. Joseph’s students came home with three 5th places, one 4th place, one 3rd place and one 1st place! We are very proud of them and their efforts.
Leap Year Day saw the bottom fall out of our beautiful weather. What was supposed to be only an inch or two of snow turned into nearly 5 inches! The snow unfortunately caused our last home basketball game to be postponed, but the game was able to be made up the following week. Continue reading “Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School!”
Good Day from St. Joseph’s Indian School! The mild weather has continued and most of our snow and ice is gone. We know, however, that there is still a lot of winter left which can bring some challenges.
I hope you are having good weather wherever you are at.
Lots of things have been happening here at St. Joseph’s recently! The start of the month saw St. Joseph’s taking part in Catholic School Week activities. The theme this year was Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.
There was a different activity each day of the week to fulfill the theme.
Valentine’s Day is a wonderful day, but unfortunately, it sometimes causes people to feel lonely and detached from the world. This year, we decided to help St. Joseph’s high school girls “spread some love!”
The girls spent a recent evening practicing the Lakota values of generosity and belonging. Each girl was able to decorate as many cookies as she wanted.
St. Joseph’s recently handed out academic hardware to our high school Homes with the best academic averages and the least amount of missing assignments. The first award went to those who have maintained a 3.0 or higher grade point average for the entire semester. We give a shout out (and a prize!) to Listella, Sarah, Reyna, Hope, Camron, Danielle, Ashley, Martina and Trey for achieving this high standard!
The high school Home with the highest GPA went to the Hogebach home! They also captured the award for least missing assignments, which I’m sure helped them secure the high GPA they are boasting.
Since the seniors are in a new program this year, the two senior homes competed against one another. The Senior Girls Home won with a 2.90 GPA and also captured the least amount of missing assignments. Their efforts also enabled them to win the award for most improved GPA as they went from a C grade up to a B-.
Last week in the school library, we celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. I started out each class by asking the students what they already knew about MLK. Some of them knew quite a lot, and others (depending on their age) not so much. They were quick to volunteer what they did know: He was shot! He worked to make whites and blacks get along! He had a dream!
I talked to them about what King’s dream was—that his children would not be judged by their skin color, but by their insides… “the content of their character.” Then I asked the students to write down what their dream for the future was: two sentences, please, or one sentence plus a picture for the younger students. I let them know that the dreams would be posted in the library and in the hallway.
Asking kids about their dreams is exciting because you never know what you’re going to get. Some students were confused because they “could never remember their dreams when they woke up.” This led to some discussion about the difference between your dreams at night, and the things that you hope about for the future.
Dreams ran the gamut from immediate (Claire will give me some candy) to long term (I want to go to college, get a job and take care of my family). There were a lot of future NBA/ NFL hopefuls, as well as potential nurses, teachers and doctors. Some students wanted to meet (or beat) their icons, like Stephen Curry and Adele. Others wanted to vote for a Native American presidential candidate. And one kid wanted to go the evil genius route and rule the world. Bwa ha ha.
Many students had dreams of seeing better things in the world, like no war, bullying or ISIS. They would like people to stop fighting and doing drugs. They dreamt of having their Lakota (Sioux) culture and language preserved, and of going to powwows and sewing regalia. One student wished that single moms didn’t have to work so much that they couldn’t spend time with their kids. Another dreamed of having lots of money so they could help out their family.
Some students were quite adamant that they had “no dreams.” I wasn’t quite sure whether they meant that they were in full-on despair, or that their “dream” was to avoid having to write two sentences. Maybe both?
It is risky to talk about dreams, because maybe they won’t come true. Or maybe people will laugh. Or maybe their dreams have been stomped on enough that they aren’t worth having. I don’t know. I just dared them to dream anyway—even if it was just that we would have candy for lunch.
What I do know is this: being at St. Joseph’s helps these students reach for their dreams. They are able to be connected to their culture, get an education and give back to their communities. Maybe playing for the St. Joseph’s Braves or the Chamberlain Cubs is their first step towards playing for the Golden State Warriors, and maybe graduating middle school/high school is their first step towards a teaching degree.
Thank you for supporting our students and staff as we reach for the future.
Good Day from St. Joseph’s Indian School!
You’ve heard the saying, ‘the king is dead, long live the king,’ and we’ve seen an indication of it here at St. Joseph’s!
Most of the Christmas decorations came down right after our Christmas celebration on January 10 and several decorations promoting St. Valentine’s Day went up – not just commercially, but on campus as well. There is a sign welcoming you to the infirmary with two big hearts, a set of lips and the greeting ‘hugs and kisses.’
St. Joseph’s staff participated in the annual Chili Cook Off yesterday. We have yearly contests to find the best chili and soup! Those entering need to make a good amount so the staff can come and taste the variety of entries. Staff make sure they come early so as not to miss out on the goodies! The various dishes were tasted by our judges and prizes were awarded.
As our second semester gets under way, we’d like to update you on how our recent grads, alumni and scholarship recipients are doing! Kyron, JaTonne and Angela are back in class for the second semester. RJ is working here in Chamberlain at Sanford Hospital. Shawn is in Yankton looking for work. Cody, a 2014 grad, is back in class at University of South Dakota. Erica is discerning what her next step will be.
I offer thanks on behalf of our students here at St. Joseph’s who had the chance to celebrate Christmas this past Sunday. Our students received some wonderful gifts and they extend their thanks to you!
I had the chance to visit several of the homes and see the smiles and hear the giggles as packages were opened and everybody got a chance to see what Santa had brought.
Every home does things a bit differently. Some have breakfast after coming back from Mass; others tear right into the pile of gifts under the trees. Some open one at a time so that everyone gets the chance to see; others let everyone open at the same time. Some homes have the same gifts for each student, while others have gifts of a similar type but geared for each individual. (This was especially true among some of the older homes where sports caps were a key gift… allowing each student to show their support for a team or player.)
Star Wars items were also very popular, as many of the students were able to see the movie during the Christmas break. One home is all set for a Star Wars-themed camping trip as each student got a Star Wars pop up tent and sleeping bag.
Swimming goggles were the hit with several of the younger homes. They love to swim at St. Joseph’s rec center and had been complaining that the swimming pool chlorine was getting in their eyes.
One home even purchased a bicycle for each student!! They all wished it was warmer outside so they could go for a spin! I explained to them that they have something to look forward to in the spring.
We are grateful to you, our Benefactors, who contributed to the Christmas fund that enabled St. Joseph’s houseparents to serve as Santa’s elves! I wish you could have been present to see what happiness your generosity brought, but I hope these photos do the day justice!
Our Boys Basketball Season gets underway this coming Thursday as our 5th and 6th graders take on the students from Pierre Indian Learning Center (PILC). All teams, fourth grade through eighth grade, will be playing through the end of February. The boys have been practicing and look forward to showing off their skills! We hope everyone has fun and that there will not be any serious injuries.
We usually act out the Nativity Story as part of the Sunday Liturgy before our Christmas celebration, but this year we found a cute video production that you might also want to take a look at. It is children telling the story, as they remember it, but adults acting out scenes. You can see it here.
I think you’ll enjoy it.
Again, thanks for your generosity. You truly helped to make our Christmas celebration here at St. Joseph’s something special.
May the Great Spirit’s blessings be with each of you throughout 2016.
They’re BACK!!! The Lakota students returned to St. Joseph’s campus this past weekend. It is so good to have them back and encourage them as they jump into winter activities. Monday was a day for a teacher in-service, so those who were back early had the chance to go sledding on the snow.
We are scheduled to get some very cold and blustery weather this weekend, with temperatures just above zero and wind chills 20 to 30 degrees below zero. I want to thank those who helped provide warm clothing for our students – it is really going to be used and appreciated this weekend!
Holy Year of Mercy Logo
On Tuesday, we started the third quarter with a prayer service. Our theme was Mercy, tying in with the Holy Year Pope Francis is asking the Church to celebrate this year. As you can see by the logo, the Good Shepherd comes in search of us to forgive our straying and puts us on His shoulders to bring us back into relationship with God and one another.
Congrats to the students in Raphael and Dennis Homes! They did a project at Christmas, making ornaments and then selling them as a fundraiser. They sold $44.00 worth of ornaments, which they quickly donated to a nonprofit that utilized it to feed over 200 people. We are proud of them!
We recently had sign-ups for the boys’ basketball teams. The 4th, 5th and 6th grade will start on January 14, and the 7th and 8th graders will begin a week later. They are looking forward to getting underway and showing off the skills they learned in the Inter City Program they took part in before Christmas.
We are also busy organizing cheerleaders and members of the Pep Squad, a group of younger students who belt out cheers during the games! We hope the weather allows our boys to get in all their games.
The efforts of the staff at the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center continue to be recognized. They recently were honored by the State of South Dakota for their hospitality and friendliness to visitors and guests. They also continue to get very nice reviews from those who stop in to visit the museum. If you would like to read some of them, you can go on-line and check them out at http://bit.ly/1S6d7MI.
Since it is going to be very cold here, I thought I might put in another plug for our next donor luncheon, which is coming up on the weekend of January 16-17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Two of our high school girls will be attending along with some St. Joseph’s staff. They are excited to meet you and answer any questions you may have. If you are able to join us or would like more information, visit www.stjo.org/luncheon or call 1-800-584-9200.
I hope everyone’s 2016 is off to a flying start. May God’s blessing be with you to bring good health, much happiness and many interesting experiences during this election year.
Guess what! It has been snowing again; but this time we avoided being in the bullseye. We received several inches of snow on Christmas afternoon, but our grounds crew did a fantastic job removing the snow from the roads. Today we are getting some gentle flurries.
The Chamberlain Cubs were scheduled to host an East-West basketball tournament yesterday, bringing in schools from across South Dakota, but the threat of snow caused the schedule to begin today.
You may recall that our Lakota Hand Games team had been practicing to defend the championship they won last year at the Lakota Nation Invitational gathering in Rapid City, South Dakota. Sadly they did not do as well this year. We also sent a Knowledge Bowl team to compete against other schools. The team won their first contest but then dropped into the losers’ bracket and could not work their way through to play for the title. Once a team is ousted, each member of the team can take part in a specific category and answer questions and write an essay on their topic. This year one of our juniors, Justin, took part in the Literature category and won first place. Way to go, Justin!!
The archery team boasted a couple place winners:
Camron placed 1st in High School Boys Bare Bow
Danielle earned 4th place in High School Girls Bare Bow
Samantha placed 4th in Middle School Girls Bare Bow
Congratulations archers!
Since our students are away on their Christmas Break, I can share some events that have happened over the last few weeks. Our sixth, seventh and eighth graders participating in Explorers completed their first semester ‘Chores’ project. Through their hard work, the students raised $1,700 for a local resident who is fighting cancer! There was a picture in our local papers of all the members of the club surrounding the beneficiary who had a big smile on their face.
Just before the Break, those who will be serving as bowling captains held a draft of the students who wish to bowl in the upcoming league. There will be about 8 students on each team. Four of the eight will bowl each week. It will be up to the captains to select who will bowl and up to the students to remain eligible academically. There will be about six or seven weeks of bowling.
Also on the sports front, I was informed by our athletic director, Bryan, that one of our seniors, Daves, has been selected to participate in the South Dakota All State football game this coming summer due to his defense, kick returning and receiving capabilities. Congratulations Daves! I believe this is a St. Joseph’s first.
Vickie, the gift shop supervisor at the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center, was the guest speaker at the Chamberlain Kiwanis luncheon meeting recently.
Vickie filled in for the Museum Director, Dixie, who was snowed in that day. Vickie has been with the museum for 18 years. She shared with those attending information on some of the artists we have on display—Arthur Amiotte, Oscar Howe, Robert Penn, Andrew Standing Soldier, Don Ruleaux and Don Montileaux. She mentioned how schools from various parts of the state come for visits. During these visits, our museum staff help them develop a better awareness and understanding of the history of the Native People. She was happy to inform the Kiwanis that approximately 25,000 visitors came through the facility this past year, a 12% increase!
Hope Santa was good to everyone. On behalf of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s students and staff, I would like to extend our best wishes to you and yours for a very Joyous, Peaceful, Healthy and Happy New Year. May God’s blessings be with you now and throughout 2016.
Today we had the biggest volume of incoming mail in months. Practically all of it consisted of gifts, well-wishes and Christmas greetings, all from our generous supporters.
St. Joseph’s Indian School strives to acknowledge all donations in short order. This can be a challenge when volumes are large. Because the quantity of mail was so great today, our Mail Processing staff sent out an SOS for assistance in sorting. Feeling confident that no one would miss me at my desk for an hour or two, I headed to the sorting room.
Tray upon tray of mail greeted me when I arrived. A number of other staff members were already at work sorting the mail according to size. This process enables the pieces to be fed properly into the machine which automatically opens the envelopes.
I saw return addresses from all over the country. Many envelopes had hand-written holiday greetings. Others had a colorful array of Christmas stamps. One poor wrinkled-looking envelope had an address that was barely legible. I said a silent prayer to the Post Office for their diligence in getting all of that wonderful mail to us, including those pieces with challenges.
What I felt with each piece of mail that I handled was a deep respect for our supporters. Those envelopes showed me that our benefactors care. That so many people from so many places believe in our mission in little Chamberlain, South Dakota, and the work we do with the Lakota students is very humbling.
