Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

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.

Starting the year off with a Bang!

Hello from the Mathias Home, where we are starting off our new year with a bang! We have eleven Lakota (Sioux) girls in 6-8th grades. Two are new students at St. Joseph’s, and two have moved up from the 4-5th grade homes.  On top of that, we have four new staff in the home!

St. Joseph’s students love having Claire as a houseparent!
Claire has worked as a houseparent at St. Joseph’s for five years.

I am new to the 6-8th grade community, but have worked for five years in St. Joseph’s high school program.  My partner Cathy is fresh from Chicago.  Today is the first day of work for the 6-day house parents, who just arrived in South Dakota this week from out East.  We are all going through some changes as we try to figure out who we are, where everything is, and how we are going to work together.

The first week is usually pretty frenetic as we get all of our students checked in, get their medical and clothing needs taken care of, and get their belongings squared away.  Once we have the external details in order, we start with the internal ones.

The students need to know if new staff are trustworthy.  Do we mean what we say?  Are we going to be hurtful?  Are we going to give up on them?  Are we going to keep them safe?  Are we going to stop them if they go too far?

The student’s job is to feel out the limits, and our job is to be very clear where those limits are.  Over.  And over.  And over.  And over.

My partner and I are pretty on top of things, so students don’t get confused by conflicting messages.  And so the students don’t “confuse” us with conflicting stories.

I have been feeling the learning curve as I learn a new set of rules and expectations, and as I find my way around a new home and a new group of kids.  I think I am getting the hang of it.

The other night on duty, I decided to check in with one of my “veteran” students, Jillian, who has been at St. Joseph’s Indian School for several years.  She is actively trying to figure out what the limits are in the home, now that there are different staff people here.

I told her I was writing a blog post for the donors and friends of St. Joseph’s, and I could use her help.  She seemed to like being interviewed, and took a serious tone that I hadn’t seen from her before.  She tried to read me, and give me the “right” answers at times, but mostly she was amazingly candid.

ME: So what is good about being back at school?

JILLIAN:  Having a good time playing basketball with my friends [who I haven’t seen all summer].

Anything else?  There is always something good to learn.

Like what? Umm.  Math…reading.  Mostly all my subjects.   Anything else?  I like when we go on trips.  Like Lifelight. [a Christian Music Festival].  There was a girl rapper last time.

Anything else? There is always something good and healthy to eat.

Hm.  What have you liked so far?  Breakfast pizza!!

ME: Tell me about what is hard about being back.

JILLIAN: I’m used to being with my sisters and brothers.

And you don’t see them as much when you’re here? Yeah…my brother is somewhere else.

But your sister is here, right? [Makes a face.]   

Anything else?   New house parents.  [Makes a face].

ME: Tell me about your dreams for this year.

JILLIAN: Meet new people.  Try to get along with everyone in the home.  Try to get good grades.  Be a good role model.   [Pause.]  I would like to be Miss St. Joseph’s [for powwow.]

That’s right, you’re a dancer.  Fancy shawl, right?  Tell me about that.  Well, when I dance…it’s like there is no one there.  Just me.  There is no sound.

Do you feel anything?   Just the beat on the ground.  Like big horses.  Or a big heartbeat.  There are no colors.  Everything is white.  Going in circles.  When the drum stops, then everything goes back to normal.

[Dumbstruck.] Whoa. That is so cool.  [Shyly] I dance for my ancestors, who have done it in the past.

[Over the summer, Jillian said she lost that feeling of being connected to her ancestors.  She seemed pretty sad when she talked about it.   I asked if there was someone on campus who could help her with this.   Her face brightened when I mentioned LaRayne, her Native American Studies teacher. Yes!  LaRayne would know what to do! ]

ME: Anything else you would like to share?

JILLIAN:  It is hard living on the Rez!  Stay in School.  Stay out of trouble!  Don’t give up on work! 

Anything else? [Pause]  I think that’s all.

Thanks for helping me with my homework, Jillian!

Wow.  It has been a long week of sorting, folding, washing, talking, telling, urging, cleaning, cooking, mopping, nit-picking (literally), running, walking, shopping, teaching, writing, reminding, consequencing, listening,  learning, setting limits, setting limits, setting limits, setting limits…

I am very grateful for these moments when these precious Native American girls – my girls – remind me why I’m really here.

Thanks to everyone who makes these kinds of connections possible.  Your support and prayers are making it possible for us to have another great year at St. Joseph’s!

It’s the First Day of School!

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s,

The school bell has rung!!!  The Lakota students began arriving yesterday, and some came in early this morning.  As the students entered school this morning, the teachers and staff greeted them with leis –the traditional sign of welcome in Hawaii.  We have a large number of students this year.  It looks like we’ll have 50 high school students and 166 students in grades 1-8, for a total of 216 Native American youngsters! We are grateful for your generosity that makes it possible to welcome in so many students to St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Check out our First Day of School photo album!

As part of our commitment to make sure we can offer a safe environment for the students we serve, our staff has learned about the Olwes Bullying Prevention Program.

It was developed in Norway by Dr. Dan Olwes and has been used here in the United States for about 5 years now.  It is a program that encourages all St. Joseph’s staff, not just teachers and houseparents, but anyone who will be in contact with the students, to be alert to any negative actions or words so that someone can step in on the spot to prevent the situation from escalating further.

We have ‘no bullying’ signs up around campus and will have an official kick-off at the start of September to remind everyone that it’s necessary to treat each other with respect and dignity.

We began the monthly novena of Masses for all our benefactors on Sunday, August 11 and it will continue to August 19.  We offer this novena each month as our way of saying thanks to you for your support and encouragement.

I hope each of you has a wonderful week and that God’s blessings and strength will continue to be with you.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s Indian School

Getting ready for the Lakota students to return

It’s hard to believe that in less than a week I will be seeing 24 adorable little faces! Some will be familiar and others will be new.  Either way, it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that there will be 48 little eyes watching every move I make. It is a REALLY good thing that I don’t suffer from any form of social anxiety.

As 3-day houseparents, my husband Jachin and I have the privilege of working in both the Afra and Ambrose Homes.  This will be our second year serving the Lakota children in the 1st-3rd grade community at St. Joseph’s Indian School. After seeing the progress our kiddos made last year, I can’t help but be excited about what is to come. Among other things, it was so rewarding to witness their academic, emotional, social, and spiritual development.

We don’t just love being a part of the mission at St. Joseph’s Indian School, we believe in it!

Although the kids aren’t back yet, staff members across many departments have been preparing for their return for quite some time.  I could write a book about all that has been accomplished by my colleagues, but for now I’ll stick to what I’ve been involved with.

In July, I went to Colorado for a Love and Logic conference and just a couple weeks ago, we were certified in a counseling technique known as Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI). Then, all last week, was New Staff Orientation.  I had the pleasure of meeting most of the newcomers on campus.  My hat goes off to Human Resources – they did a wonderful job at finding lots of really wonderful people from all over the country.

2)One of St. Joseph’s new houseparents hails from South Africa.
Z, as she is known, is a new houseparent. Her cultural roots are in South Africa.

It’s great that St. Joseph’s continues to become more diverse. I happen to be half Chilean-Colombian and I also happen to be a bit of a nerd when it comes to learning about various cultures. I love listening to stories about traditions and listening to people speak foreign languages. I also think it’s valuable for our Native American students to have role models that look like them and others that are very different from them. Over the last couple of weeks, I have especially enjoyed getting to know Z (a new houseparent from South Africa), Nancy (a returning third grade teacher who is from the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe), and Jeshua (our new Native American Studies associate from Lower Brule).  We are excited to have them with us!

Aside from learning about the ins and outs of the organization and their respective positions, our new staff took First Aid and CPR, and were also certified in CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention.

1)Two of St. Joseph’s newest teachers are Native American.
Nancy and Jeshua are new teachers at St. Joseph’s and are both Native American.

As you can see, we have been keeping ourselves busy. In addition to all of the above, we have to freshen up on policies, procedures, new programs, and goals for this coming year.  We have also listened to various presentations on topics ranging from Fire Safety and Preventing Child Abuse to Professionalism. My personal favorite so far was a presentation on the correlation and bridges between the Christian/Catholic faith and Lakota traditions.

In total, I have about 20lbs of material I’ve read and reviewed so far and we’re still not done! We also have to prep the homes, make beds, and stock supplies and groceries. Devoting so many hours to preparing for the start of the school year could seem really monotonous to some, but being able to positively affect the life of just one child makes all time and effort worth it.

I ask that you keep the children, their families, and us in your prayers. Fr. Steve will definitely be missed by all this year. With that said, I’m beginning to thank God for the work He is doing, for those He is leading into a new season, for the people He has purposefully placed here, and for the generosity of all those who make our day to day blessings possible.  I am hopeful that 2013-2014 school year will be a great one! Please stand in faith with me! 🙂

3)Jachin and Luisa have fun at orientation.
There’s lots to learn, but staff orientation is also a lot of fun!

I’ll leave you with a silly picture of Jachin and me from All Staff Orientation.

All-Staff Orientation begins!

Things are a bit NOISY in Chamberlain this week as bikers come through the area on their way out to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota’s Black Hills.  The annual rally starts today and runs the entire week.  It is impressive to see so many cycles out on the highway.  Many stay in the Chamberlain-Oacoma area on their way and stop to visit the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center.

A prayer service kicked off our All-Staff Orientation this morning, as preparations continue for the return of the Lakota boys and girls on August 11 and the first day of school on August 12. It’s hard to believe the summer has gone by so quickly!  We miss our veteran staff members from past years, but are also happy to welcome 20 new staff to St. Joseph’s tiyospaye – extended family.  While I’m not sure yet how many students we’ll have this year, there will be around 55 new students.

St. Joseph’s Indian School recently hosted our local Relay for Life event, which remembers those who have died from or are dealing with cancer.  Fr. Steve was the honoree, and the event raised about $30,000.00!

Of that, St. Joseph’s staff contributed nearly $6,600.00!

Every week, staff members participate in the ‘jeans because’ program that allows staff to wear jeans on Friday. This activity alone raised approximately $1,200.00 for Relay for Life! The contributions are used for a variety of charities who work for the cure of cancer.

St. Joseph’s staff member Bryan is being honored for his success in athletics at Chamberlain High School.
Bryan, St. Joseph’s Athletic Director, is a new inductee into Chamberlain High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Congratulations Bryan!

Some good news for a St. Joseph’s employee was in the local paper this last week.  Our Athletic Director and Recreation Coordinator, Bryan, has been selected by the Chamberlain Booster Club to become a member of the high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.  During his high school years, Bryan was very successful in basketball, football, power lifting and baseball.  Congratulations, Bryan, on this achievement!

I hope you all have a great week!   Keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare to open the new school year.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Greetings from Human Resources!

Hello to all! This is Allyssa, St. Joseph’s Human Resource Associate. Although it is summer, the Human Resource Department at St. Joseph’s has been busy recruiting staff for the new school year.  Last Friday, we begin the massive HR paperwork session with most of our 23 new Child Services Staff.   These employees face three weeks of intense training before the Lakota students arrive back on campus August 11.

It seems like just yesterday that the children were packing up to go home for the summer and we said farewell to staff who are moving on from St. Joseph’s Indian School. Now, we are welcoming new staff to our mission and preparing for the students to return!

Hiring has been our number one priority this summer. We had 18 houseparent vacancies, one teacher and four training/support staff positions to fill… and that was just in Child Services!  The interview process for houseparents is lengthy.  After a successful phone interview, the candidates come to South Dakota for face-to-face interviews with up to seven different St. Joseph’s employees.  The applicants have tours of campus and join our students for supper. This gives candidates a better overview of what it’s like to be a houseparent.

Summer also finds our maintenance crew working hard to prepare for the upcoming school year. The big maintenance projects are undertaken, homes remodeled and vehicles checked over.

As they say “Times flies when you’re having fun!” There is no doubt about it; the HR Department here at St. Joseph’s has fun. In June, we were able to attend the annual Society for Human Resource Management conference in Chicago. It is a great opportunity to meet others in the HR field and learn the latest innovations in the industry to help us meet the needs of staff. We came back with new ideas to implement, energized to take on new challenges, whatever they may be.

As we gear up for another school year, I hope each of you have had a wonderful summer!

Hellos and good-byes

Happy Tuesday to you all!

I write with mixed emotions today, since we’ve said good-bye and hello at the same time this week.

You may remember Fr. Steve sharing with you that we had a visiting Portuguese SCJ, Fr. Jose, staying at St. Joseph’s since April as he worked on his thesis.  He really got into the swing of things on St. Joseph’s campus and throughout South Dakota.  He went with Fr. Steve and Lakota (Sioux) seventh graders on their cultural trip to the Black Hills and other important places to Native American heritage in neighboring states.

Fr. Jose also went to Hales Corners, Wisconsin, to observe the election assembly that chose Fr. Steve to be our new Provincial.  I think the only thing we may have missed while he was here were the lawn mower races in Pukwana, South Dakota!  Father Jose left about 10 days ago to visit our SCJ confreres in Houston, Texas and see the work that is being done there at Our Lady of Guadalupe.  He’ll head back to France in mid-August.

The other ‘good bye’ was for Fr. Steve as he headed out for Hales Corners early Sunday morning. On August 1, he will take over as our new Provincial.  He reminded me that he‘d be coming for St. Joseph’s powwow in September, so you will have the chance to see him then if you can attend.

Hellos were said to our new staff members who are on campus this week for orientation.  Right now, they are on a scavenger hunt, which will take them around the campus to find various sites they need to know about.  They’ll be taking classes on First Aid, fire safety, adult and child CPR and use of the AED, and learning how to fill out various forms they will need for school, in the homes or kitchen for supplies.

St. Joseph’s new teachers and houseparents undergo extensive training before students return to campus.
New staff are trained in everything from paperwork to how to safely deescalate a situation with a child who may become aggressive. Safety for St. Joseph’s students and staff is our top priority!

We are very grateful to have them! Their willingness to blend their talents and skills with our veteran staff will help us provide our Native American students with the best, safest and most rewarding program possible. Of course, all this is thanks to your generosity.

Next week, St. Joseph’s returning staff will begin orientation. On August 11, students will return and class begins Monday, August 12. As you can see, things will be busy for a while!

Thank you again for your support of St. Joseph’s, both financial contribution and prayers – we are grateful for your friendship! Have a great week and may God’s blessings continue to be with you now and always.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s Indian School

PS.  Please keep Fr. Steve in your prayers this week as he prepares to be installed as Provincial on Thursday, August 1, 2013!  If you could say a prayer for him that day, I’m sure he would appreciate it so that God’s strength and guidance will be with him as he leads our community into the future.   Thank you!

Fr. Anthony

The countdown begins!

The countdown for the start of the new school year is underway.  The Lakota (Sioux) students who were in our summer home have returned home to their families for a break. St. Joseph’s staff will have a brief time of relaxation before we kick things off for the new school year.

Student applications are reviewed by St. Joseph’s team.
Our Admissions Team reviews the files of the Lakota students who have applied to come to St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Today, we begin orientation for all our new staff members. All staff return to St. Joseph’s Indian School for orientation August 5.

This week of special training for all houseparents, teachers, counselors and staff working with our students helps ensure that everyone is on the same page. That way, all the staff can be supportive of one another and help each other get comfortable with the procedures to be followed to keep everyone safe – especially the Native American boys and girls in our care.

The students begin arriving on August 11 when the homes open and we begin the school year on August 12.  It seems like we just had graduation and here we are getting ready to kick things off for the 2013-2014 school year!

We appreciate your prayers for a great start and a wonderful year.

Sincerely,

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Supplies are ready for the start of the year at St. Joseph’s!
Cases upon cases of vegetables, cereal and other food items are waiting to stock the pantries of St. Joseph’s campus homes!

A final farewell

Sunday, July 28

My bags are packed and it is time for me to leave St. Joseph Indian School. I move on to new challenges and adventures that await me in the role of Provincial Superior of the Priests of the Sacred Heart.

Last week, I met a few of the new staff taking part in the LSCI (Life Space Crisis Intervention) training. All the new staff will be on campus Monday for their weeklong orientation. All our Child Services staff gathers on August 5 for training and preparation for the school year. Then comes my favorite day of the year (this year Sunday August 11)… when the homes open and the Lakota students begin returning!

I enjoy reconnecting with students and hearing about their summer. I check in with St. Joseph’s teachers and houseparents after their break. I will miss that day very much. I’ll miss getting to know the 40-something new students we’ve accepted into our program. I’ll miss working with our creative and passionate staff.

A college football coach was talking on Sportscenter the other night about his efforts at rebuilding. He had a great senior class, and this year’s incoming freshmen will have some big shoes to fill

“Seniors graduate every year . . .  but the legacy continues”

The same is true here. Students and staff will move on, but St. Joseph’s Indian School not only endures, it thrives. We have a great tradition and legacy here. I am grateful and blessed to have been part of it for the past nine years.

My last events were a mass Saturday evening and a social afterward in the Rec Center. I’ve had a host of farewells these past couple of weeks, and shed more than a few tears. The tears are both sadness at parting and joy from all that we’ve experienced and accomplished together. I felt a sense of joy for a last celebration, hug, or memory with people I’ve shared so much with.

We wrapped up shortly before 10. The sky outside was still a warm red and purple, lingering colors from a gorgeous sunset over the Missouri River. I will miss those spectacular sunsets. The fountain in front of the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center was still running, and the sound of water very soothing.

Our SCJ Founder, Leo John Dehon had a favorite scripture – Ecce Venio – Behold, I come to do your will O God.

In the quiet of the night, alone in the parking lot with just me and the Creator, I felt a deep sense of peace.

Difficult as it is to leave, I’ve come to a place of acceptance. I am ready to move on, looking forward to the next time I’ll return to enjoy all the amazing staff and students who grace this campus.

God Bless you always!

Fr. Steve

A Summer Day at St. Joseph’s

Hello friends of St. Joseph’s Indian School!  I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying your summer!  Summer is in full swing here at St. Joe’s and it is keeping us all very busy!  I am a Family Service Counselor and wanted to share a little with you about what summer is for me.

St. Joseph’s counselors visit their students during the summer, traveling to their homes on South Dakota Indian Reservations.
Julie and one of the Lakota students she works with, Chelsea.

During the summer, the Family Service Counselors hit the road and go visit our Lakota students and their families.  We check in to see that the students and families are doing well, as well as ask if there is anything they need from us during the summer.  The students and families are usually happy to see us and are very welcoming.

We also complete interviews for prospective students during the summer.  Part of the admissions process is gathering records for a student, but perhaps the most important part of the admissions process is meeting the child and their family.

We go to their homes and complete an interview to see if they would be a good fit for St. Joseph’s programs. We also take time during the interview to explain St. Joseph’s Indian School, the programs offered and the schedule in the homes and school.  The interview process usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half to complete.

It is always wonderful meeting new families!

Other things counselors complete during the summer include paperwork, getting ready for the upcoming school year, attending workshops and trainings, and other tasks that pile up during the school year.

While there are a few Native American students on campus during the summer, it is much different from during the school year.  Most of a Family Service Counselor’s summer is spent on the road traveling to various locations around South Dakota to check in with students and families.

We get to see a lot of beautiful country and it is always a pleasure seeing students and families.  One of the students I have seen this summer is already anxious to come back for the new school year! J

We miss our students during the summer, so getting to see them is a bonus.  We are all ready for them to come back and to start a new school year in August.

Enjoy your summer, and as always, thank you for the generous support you give to St. Joseph’s Indian School.  Without your prayers and support, we could not do the wonderful work we do!

Blessing to all of you!

Visiting Alumni

Good morning from the banks of the beautiful Missouri River!!

Chamberlain was a bit crowded last weekend as the local high school welcomed home alumni for their annual reunion weekend.  The classes honored were those of every five years from 1943 through 2003.

One special event for the weekend was an Art Expo at the South Dakota Hall of Fame located in Chamberlain.  It honors people from around the state who have made a positive impact in South Dakota in a variety of areas, including business, the arts and humanitarian causes. St. Joseph’s Founder, Father Henry Hogebach, SCJ, is one of those honored.

The theme of returning alumni was in effect here at St. Joseph’s too. Mr. Casmir LeBeau from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, came to visit. Mr. LeBeau was one of St. Joseph’s first students in 1927! He heard Fr. Steve has been elected Provincial and would be leaving at the end of the month to assume his new responsibilities in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Though a little hard of hearing, his health and memory are in fine working order and he enjoyed sharing several stories with us at lunch and then went over to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center to meet with Dixie, our  Museum Director, and Mary Jane, our  Director of  Alumni  Outreach.  He was able to help put names to some of the faces in various pictures from the early years of St. Joseph’s.

I received a phone call from a benefactor this week asking a question several of you may be wondering about as well.  She asked if St. Joseph’s had Mass on Sunday that guests could attend.  I was happy to tell her that we have Mass each Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. in Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel here on campus.  This is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Mass is not held when the Lakota students are away on a break – Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, Easter or summer vacation. The first Mass this year will be on August 18.  Please feel welcome to come and celebrate with us if you are in the neighborhood! Mass on our annual powwow weekend, September 20-22, will also be at 10:00 a.m.

May God’s blessings, guidance and strength remain with you always.  Thanks again for all you do on behalf of St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Sincerely,

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain