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.

Cody, a 2006 graduate of St. Joseph’s Indian School

Eighth-grade graduation at St. Joseph’s brings another school year to a close. It is fun and joyful, nostalgic and emotional. Most of the Lakota students will return to campus after the weekend to begin a three-week transition program to high school, but others will leave to pursue their high school education elsewhere, which leaves a bittersweet feeling.

St. Joseph’s alumni often return to share their stories and encouragement with younger students. Cody gave the eighth-grade class of 2013 a few words of advice. — Cody, a 2006 high school graduate, attended St. Joseph’s from first grade through twelfth grade.

Cody, who graduated from St. Joseph’s High School Program in 2006, returned to give our students her advice and comments in a commencement address. She told them that St. Joseph’s Indian School can give them lots of opportunities, but that won’t matter unless they make the commitment to want a better education and better life for themselves.

Her dad died when she was only two, which made it a huge struggle for her family to provide the basics. There were times school got hard, and being away from her family on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation even harder. When she cried and called home and wanted to leave, she is most grateful now that her mom told her to stay, and work hard.

That support from her mom and the St. Joseph’s community enabled her to go on to college, start a career and a family.

I so enjoy making the rounds and reconnecting with the Native American families I’ve gotten to know over the years, and making some new acquaintances. They were so proud of their graduates, and many were honored with traditional Lakota (Sioux) star quilts during the ceremony. All were also give a medicine wheel hair tie, pinned on them by alumni and staff.

About 14 children are staying in the break homes, and will be with us for the next seven weeks of the summer, so campus isn’t completely quiet. But, there was a quite lull after the ceremony concluded and the luncheon was served; most of the families had packed up student belongings, and headed into the four directions.

The Lakota students at St. Joseph’s attend Chamberlain High School after completing eighth grade. — Fr. Steve presented each eighth-grade student with their certificate of completion.

So many reasons to celebrate!

Wednesday

We had two fun celebrations last Wednesday. St. Joseph’s Thrift Store, in downtown Chamberlain, held its Grand Opening. The store has been in operation at the new downtown location for several weeks, but today was the ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The Chamber of Commerce and local papers were on hand to help us bless and dedicate the remodeled building. The checkout counter held a “Wheel of Fortune,” where folks spun the wheel and earned an additional discount of 25% – 60%. A small space on the wheel was FREE. While I was there, one man hit it. He saved only $3.00, but he was tickled anyway!

In the evening, our honors banquet included all the A and B honor roll students in first through eighth grades. Staff put together a circus theme, with peanuts and popcorn and animal crackers on the tables, serving as both decoration and a snack before the meal. The Lakota boys and girls enjoyed carnival-type games – popping balloons with darts, ring toss, rubber ducks floating in a tub, where they could win bouncy balls, beads, stuffed animals and the kinds of prizes kids treasure.

The Lakota children enjoyed a carnival-themed banquet to celebrate their hard work in school. — Jennie, St. Joseph’s Student Coordinator, dressed as a clown to emcee the evening’s festivities.

I was in charge of the basketball shooting contest, and had great fun both encouraging and teasing. We want to provide incentive and encouragement, but also extra fun for our Native American students who take their studies seriously, since that is the core of what school is about.

Thursday

St. Joseph’s eighth graders preparing for graduation spent the morning in retreat, looking back over their past years at St. Joseph’s Indian School and looking ahead to the future, wherever it will take them.

Most will stay with us and continue on the Chamberlain High School, and a few will return closer to home and continue their high school education there. Our counselors presented information about how high school will be different, and listened to their questions and concerns, hopes and fears. At the end of that time, letters from staff members to individual students were passed out – always an affirming and emotional time.

Next, we moved on to graduation practice. A goal of mine is that practice is never longer than the actual ceremony, and we moved through it fairly smoothly. We had a festive lunch and presented students with their eighth grade portraits Class of 2013 t-shirts.

Two of the girls have been at St. Joseph’s since first grade, and we acknowledged them with “Lifer” gifts – a gift certificate to a local clothing store. Congratulatory cards from our donors decorated the tables, along with a computer print out of the many wishes and prayers sent to them online.

As the students finished and prepared to go to the movie theater, our staff in the development office stopped in to congratulate them. It gave our kids a chance to thank them for the work they do behind the scenes to make their education and all our programs possible.

For our younger students, this was our last regular school day. At 3:00, all the kids gathered in the gym for the attendance awards. Using soup labels and box tops sent by St. Joseph’s donors, we are able to provide special incentives for students to make it back from breaks on time and not miss out on learning opportunities with truancy or absences. The Lakota students earned bicycles to take home with them for the summer, a clothing gift certificate, camera, or MP3 player for their favorite music. Several parents joined us for the awards and picked up their children as we said goodbye for the summer.

Fifth graders visit dig site

Earlier this month, St. Joseph’s fifth grade students, teachers Brock and Ron, and three extra chaperones ventured to Mitchell, South Dakota to visit the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village and Archeodome!

The Archeodome covers the dig site the Lakota children visited. — A walkway suspended over the dig site allowed the Lakota children to look down on what used to be a prehistoric Indian village.

The Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village is the only archaeological site in South Dakota that is open to the public. The Village is an active research center and National Historic Landmark.

Visitors to the site can see many artifacts that have been excavated during annual digs. Tours of the dig site itself are enclosed in the comfort of the Thomsen Center Archeodome. There are plenty of hands-on activities for children to partake in. St. Joseph’s students sorted through pieces of prehistoric bones, walked through a replica of a traditional lodge, and ended the tour with a chance to throw an atlatl or spear thrower, which was used as a hunting device.

St. Joseph’s students sort through artifacts trying to distinguish between bone and rock. — St. Joseph’s students loved the hands-on activities!

St. Joseph’s students learned about ancient hunting techniques on their field trip. — The Lakota fifth graders got to try their hand at throwing an atlatl or spear thrower.

A break from textbooks

School is not over yet…especially not without the end-of-the-year fun days at St. Joseph’s Indian School! Earlier this week, our sixth, seventh and eighth graders enjoyed a day away from textbooks and got to spend a day of fun with their

St. Joseph’s students went bowling and enjoyed other activities for field day. — Older students enjoyed bowling in downtown Chamberlain.

classmates and teachers.

The Lakota students started the day off with Monte Carlo bowling at the Chamberlain Bowling Dome. We had lots of laughs and witnessed some amazing bowling talent. One student hit a split that a professional bowler would not be able to knock down! That accomplishment won her a $15 cash prize.

We gave 40 prizes away to students that hit a strike with a colored pin showing. The music and pizza made the morning even more memorable! The afternoon consisted of a movie at the State Theatre downtown. We watched “Crooked Arrows.” Students cheered for this feel-good sports thriller about Native Americans playing lacrosse and learning about loyalty to their tribal heritage.

The Lakota students had a great time during field day! — Younger students played team games in the gym.

St. Joseph’s younger students enjoyed the morning with some bingo, team challenges, and inflatables. The inflatables will not be forgotten! The kids had a blast with Extreme Basketball, Jurassic Bouncer, Giant slide, and Jumbo Course inflatable. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun!

Students got quite a workout and were ready for lunch. We ended the afternoon with a trip to the State Theatre to see the movie, “Rise of the Guardians.” Students were excited about the movie; popcorn and a soda only added to the excitement.

The day was a great success and students finished their year out at St. Joseph’s with something to remember until we see them back when the new school year begins!

Step Up Day

We’re hitting a much needed rainy spell in South Dakota. We’ve been in a drought, and the rains softly falling on the fields are a sign of hope. While we are extremely grateful, it has put a damper on some of our scheduled activities here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Last night, our student vs. faculty softball game was rained out. With an already crowded end of the year schedule, there are no free times left for a makeup date. We also had Field Day activities planned, though many of them were able to be moved indoors.

All St. Joseph’s students gathered in the Rec Center after school on Monday for the announcement of the spring sports awards. Trophies and medals were passed out for bowling, archery, track, softball and t-ball.

Thanks to the coaches and umpires who give so generously of their time! The way some of those kids clutched their trophies I could tell it meant a lot.

In school, we had “Step Up” day. Our Native American students spent time in the classroom they will be in next year and spent some time getting to their teacher and vice versa. Teachers reviewed some of the new materials or subjects the kids will tackle, and talking about rules and expectations.

Currently, we have one second grade class, which will be split into two as they reach third grade. The fourth graders who are moving to fifth physically move from the middle floor of the building to the top floor.

I asked them if that was going to be a big adjustment. Since they go to the top floor for library, they didn’t think it would be a big deal.

“The biggest difference,” their teacher Brock explained, “is that there are no longer bathrooms attached to the classrooms – you have to ask for a hall pass!”

I walked past the computer lab and peeked in on what the students were doing. Seventh grader Jay was playing a racing car game. When I was about to tease him and ask how that was educational, I looked closer and saw that it was actually a lesson from Nitro typing! The faster and more accurately he typed the words on the screen, the more power and speed his car had around the racetrack. There’s lots of ingenuity in the latest generation of learning games!

Graduation Celebrations

Sunday, five of our St. Joseph’s students and 65 of their Chamberlain High School classmates celebrated graduation as the Class of 2013. It seemed the whole community was packed into the armory.

St. Joseph’s Indian School provides education and residential care for Lakota children in grades 1-12. — Five St. Joseph’s students graduated with the Chamberlain High School Class of 2013.

The school choir and band performed some nice selections. The main event, however, was simply these youth proudly walking up the aisle accompanied by flashing cameras and rolling camcorders to mark this transitional time in their lives. We pray and hope for a wonderful future where their gifts and abilities can help meet the world’s needs.

We had some controversy with this year’s graduation. Chris, one of our St. Joseph’s seniors presented a petition to the school board to add a Lakota Honor song to the graduation ceremony to add a cultural element and to honor all the graduates.

Disappointingly, the school board turned it down. Community members from town and the nearby reservations held signs of protest across the street, gathered around a drum to respectfully played an Honor Song as their tribute to graduates filing out of the auditorium.

Afterwards, I attended some of the many receptions held all over town. Besides our St. Joseph’s students, several staff had children graduating, and I wanted to offer special congratulations to them.

Coleman’s parents have been houseparents on campus for many years. While Coleman didn’t attend St. Joseph’s Indian School, I watched him grow up with our kids in the Pinger Home. It truly felt like one of our own had reached this milestone.

I also knew some area graduates from the parishes I used to pastor. Kids I knew as first graders have now received diplomas and are preparing to go off and make their mark on the world.

I couldn’t help but feel like a proud parent

St. Joseph’s alumnus Leighton returns to visit with current Lakota students. — Maija, Leighton and Andy

When one has worked in residential care for a considerable amount of time, there comes an opportunity to see and hear about the growth of a child who was once in your care.

I’m Maija and I was recently blessed to experience such an opportunity here at St. Joseph’s Indian School when former student, Leighton, visited. He spoke with St. Joseph’s high school students during the Sons & Daughters of Tradition group.

Back in the 1990’s, I was a houseparent with Andy in the Speyer Home. Our home was filled with the energy and enthusiasm of twelve seventh and eighth grade Lakota (Sioux) boys! They filled our lives with joy, challenges, and sometimes angst! Leighton was one of those boys.

Leighton spoke to St. Joseph’s current students about his time here; how he learned about discipline, making good decisions, and being cared for by good people. He shared some stories of his enlistment in the Army – exactly thirteen days before the tragedy of 9/11.

He told them about being in Iraq and serving as a guard at the funeral for Saddam Hussein’s son. He recalled the time an explosive device meant for his convoy was run over by a bus instead… a bus that had cut in front of them just minutes before. He spoke of how we take so much for granted in the United States. Things like running water, electricity, freedom. He spoke with the students about the importance of staying in school, getting a good education, and serving their country.

The students had many questions for Leighton. They asked what sports he played while he was at St. Joseph’s, what his favorite memory was. They asked about the war and his job while he was in the Army, and about where he lives and his family.

When we wrapped up things for the evening, I couldn’t help but feel like a proud parent. It took courage for Leighton to open himself up to a group of high school students who are just waiting for the school year to end. It was apparent they felt a connection with him and appreciated his openness, sincerity, and honesty.

Leighton has had many ups and downs since the time he attended St. Joseph’s. He lost a sibling in a car accident, served his country, struggled with the after-effects of witnessing some horrific events during wartime and is the proud father of two small children.

He is finding himself and looking for an opportunity to do meaningful work and give back. Whatever he does, whatever direction he goes, he will always know he has the support of his family here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

A day in Pierre, South Dakota

St. Joseph’s fourth graders took their class trip to Pierre, South Dakota. Each year, Pierre puts on a South Dakota History Adventure with a grant from the South Dakota Humanities Council. In the past, we have gone to the Casey Tibbs Museum and the Buffalo Interpretive Center operated by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. This year, the trip’s focus was on water.

After leaving St. Joseph’s Indian School and making the 85 mile trip to Pierre, we began our day on the river. We were the first boat ride on the Missouri for the day! It was a bit chilly, but fun. Our guide talked about tributaries, the change of the river since the 2011 flood, and pointed out different landscapes along the way. In years past, we have had it rain (and even spit snow) so sunshine was good, despite the chill. For a few of the Lakota boys and girls, it was their first boat ride, which always makes the day more special!

St. Joseph’s fourth graders spent a day in Pierre, South Dakota. — The day began with a boat ride. For some, it was their first!

From the boat, we did outdoor activities. Our class was split into two groups. My group got to look in water pulled from the river for bugs! The students used spoons and a tiny syringe. They found worms, a snail, and many other bugs on her list. They concluded that the water they pulled the samples from was not healthy water because the bugs that live there are the ones that can live in unhealthy water. The other group hiked along looking for things in nature that depend on water. They got to use magnifying glasses and then wrote about what they saw.

Our third activity was the Planetarium at the Pierre Discovery Center. Afterwards, it was Pizza Ranch pizza in the park. Again, sitting in the sunshine was a real treat!

After lunch, our last event of the day was the Cultural Heritage Museum. After an activity about landscapes, we had free time to look around the museum. Students could milk a cow, ride a train, listen on an old operator station, or view the many displays. It was hard to round them up to leave!

St. Joseph’s students learned about water and everything that depends on it during their trip to Pierre, South Dakota. — Students hiked along the Missouri River, using magnifying glasses to spy bugs that rely on water.

Most slept all the way home. It was a great day, with lots of activities and fun!

Feathering ceremony honors Native American seniors

Chamberlain High School hosted a feathering ceremony for Native American graduates at St. Joseph’s Indian school. — Thirteen Native American graduates were honored in a feathering ceremony at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Friday
Chamberlain High School used St. Joseph’s Rec Center for a feathering ceremony honoring 13 Native American students enrolled in area tribes who will graduate this weekend. Five were our own St. Joseph’s students. Wayne Two Hawks, a Crow Creek elder, gave some instructions to the graduates about what an honor it is to receive an eagle feather, and now it was up to them to wear it proudly by choosing a good path through life.
After a ceremonial blessing song, everyone in attendance filed past our young graduates and shook their hands or gave hugs to wish them well. St. Joseph’s drum group, the Chalk Hills Singers, sang an honor song as well. The students presented Allan, the principle, with a lovely Lakota star quilt to thank him for the support he’s been during their years at the high school.
Our five high school homes have emptied out, and all the students are gone for summer vacation. For most, it will be a short one, as many of our students will return after Memorial Day for driver’s ed, summer camps, or independent living where they stay on campus and take care of their own cooking and meals and work a job to put away some savings for the future.
Saturday
The Cyr Home (4th-5th grade boys) invited me to tag along with them on their last outing of the year. We loaded up one of our white St. Joseph’s mini buses in the morning and headed east to Mitchell, South Dakota. Instead of a video to pass the time, houseparent Odis pulled out his I-Pad, which had some games loaded on it. Six of us passed it around and played the computerized version of Risk, a game I would often play with my brothers and cousin into the wee hours of the morning, trying to conquer the world. It was fun to relive those times and not have to worry about wooden pieces falling off the board in a moving vehicle.
We ate at a Chinese buffet. Paula, one of the houseparents, encouraged the boys to try some new things. She recommended just taking small amounts, and if they liked it, go back for more. Two students were brave and followed Odis’ lead by slurping down an oyster, but the faces they made while

The Lakota boys enjoyed a trip to Mitchell, South Dakota. — Boys in the Cyr Home enjoyed trying new things at the Chinese buffet.

swallowing them showed they were not interested in seconds at all. They boys had fun trying to get their fingers to work the chopsticks. I’ve never seen anyone eat orange jello or ice cream with chopsticks before!
We watched the new Star Trek movie (I’ve long been a fan of all the Enterprise and crew), then enjoyed a nice afternoon at the park. Mitchell has a Frisbee golf course, which I’d never tried, but we had lots of fun. The first couple of holes took forever, but then we decided to play best ball rules – everyone getting a chance from wherever the best throw landed. That moved things along better. No one worried about keeping score and everyone had some best throws.

St. Joseph’s boys finished their trip to Mitchell with a round of Frisbee golf. — After lunch, the boys played Frisbee golf.

A few days before graduation…

Wednesday

When I come out of morning mass in the winter and walk past Wisdom Circle, the playground is empty. With the warmer weather, however, it has been filled with the laughter of the Lakota children squeezing in some play time before the school day starts.

Spring has finally arrived on the South Dakota Prairie! The flowers and bushes on campus are filled with fragrant and colorful blossoms. We seemingly went from winter to summer, skipping spring altogether, though we know our temperature swings will still be wild for some time to come.

Our Native American students from fifth through eighth grades have a chance to learn to play musical instruments. Yesterday, we gathered in Our Lady of the Sioux chapel to hear the fruits of their practice as they held a recital. Their skills are still pretty basic, but I admired their courage to get in front of their peers and risk hitting the wrong chord or note. We heard six piano solos, four guitars, two flutes, and clarinet and a drum. Some of the songs were very short. I was disappointed one of my old folk favorites, Oh Suzanna, finished before the rousing chorus. But you’ve got to love the kids for trying!

The Lakota children at St. Joseph’s have the opportunity to take music lessons. — Caden and Richie worked hard on their guitar pieces for the music recital.

After that, we held a farewell gathering in the Rec Center for St. Joseph’s Child Services staff who are retiring or moving on to new things. Huge cardboard greeting cards were laid out for everyone to sign, while looking over pictures and remembering. After everyone grabbed some refreshments, each of those staff were called forward, given a gift, and the opportunity to say a few words.

Steve started as a houseparent, but since I’ve been at St. Joseph’s Indian School, has been the lead tutor at our High School Learning Center. With a concerted effort from students and staff, the collective grade point average of St. Joseph’s high school students has gone up almost a full point over the last four years!

Gary and Marty guided high school girls for the past two years, and Anita has mentored our young men for the past four.

Frank and Wanda have been houseparents for 26 years!!! They are retiring to spend more time with their own children and grandchildren. Over the years they’ve parented so many St. Joseph’s kids who consider them family. They were each wrapped in a Lakota star quilt as a sign of honor and appreciation. Many tears and tons of hugs followed. We pray for all those moving on to new adventures.

St. Joseph’s high school students finish classes at the end of this week. Elijah, one of our seniors, had high enough grades to be exempted from his finals and is completely done. This evening, our houseparents organized a back yard end-of-the-year cook out. Hot dogs and hamburgers taste mighty good when shared in the beautiful outdoors with good friends, conversation, and a few games thrown in to boot.

With the help of the local ministerial association, Chamberlain High

School organized their Baccalaureate Ceremony this evening. We hosted the service in our Lady of the Sioux Chapel. Area pastors offered some words of prayer, but all of the readings and music were organized by the students. The evening was uplifting as we prayed for God’s help for all the youth of our community who are transitioning on to the next stages of their education and careers.