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.

Guest Blogger: Gina

Fr. Steve and two Native American students working on the computer. — Who is teaching who?

What a year our students have had! The biggest change was me!! My name is Gina and I teach computer class.

I came to St. Joseph’s in September fresh out of the business world. Together, the students and I grew by leaps and bounds. Among a lot of new skills acquired , the first and second graders now know what a CPU (central processing unit) is, what the letters stands for, and what it does. Besides improving their typing skills every class period, they delved into programs such as KidPix and MS Word making graphic pictures and posters.

The best part of helping kids at this level is the moment when they “get it” and they realize they do. There was one young boy who consistently had a LOT of trouble just signing in to the computer with his name and password. Shortly after Christmas break, he was in class and I heard a big shout out from behind me, “I DID IT ALL BY MYSELF!!” and he threw up his hands in triumph!

He had finally mastered signing in without help from me or his neighbors. I went over and high-fived him, and the ear-to-ear grin on his face said it all! That was worth every struggle he had weathered, just to see the sense of accomplishment and pride he had at that moment.

The third graders learned many new things in Word and KidPix also, but their final project was learning an internet based program called Little Bird Tales where they wrote a book titled “All About Me.”

They had fun drawing scenes from their lives and writing a sentence about it. When they finished their project, the stories were printed and bound so students could take them home and share with their families.

Monster's at St. Joseph's Indian School. — Joe’s monster he drew for the Monster Exchange!

The fourth and fifth graders did a Monster Exchange project where they drew a “monster” in the Paint program and then wrote a description of it to exchange with the other class. They then had to try and draw the other class’ monster from the description. The results were quite interesting to say the least! They learned that drawing from the description was not as easy as it seems.

The upper classes (sixth through eighth) learned a lot about Microsoft Office and its programs. For one of their projects, each student made a PowerPoint presentation about themselves and their life at St. Joseph’s. They learned all about the bells and whistles of the program. They LOVED to have the computer applaud for them as they started their presentation!

One of the best projects we did this year was with the eighth graders in collaboration with the Social Studies class. They are required to write a research paper and present it to the school, so we worked together to complete the project. We did assignments that would benefit them not only in computers but would also be some of the work they had to do in Social Studies. I really enjoyed doing this as it showed the kids that the stuff we do in class does have an actual real life purpose. I really hope next year I can do more projects like that.

All in all it has been a very productive year for us. I am looking forward to finding new and fun ways for them to learn all about technology.

Guest Blogger: Julie H.

And the summer begins…

Eight grade graduation at St. Joseph's Indian School. — Jarrad and Fr. Steve at this weekend’s eight grade graduation ceremony.

On May 25^th, 2012, St. Joseph’s Indian School was proud to watch 21 eighth grade students process into Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel and graduate from eighth grade. It was a wonderful day, full of celebration. We, the staff of St. Joseph’s Indian School, are always humbled and honored and to be able to spend such a special day with our students and their families. While it was a bit cool, the day went off without a hitch and the graduation ceremony was truly lovely.

So what does it mean to graduate from eighth grade? For many of our Native American students, they will return to St. Joseph’s Indian School in the fall to be a part of our High School program. For others, they will begin a new journey in a new place. No matter where they are going, it is a new chapter for our eighth grade students as they begin their high school career. Some are nervous, some are excited, some a bit scared, but in my opinion, all of them are ready to take on this new challenge.

For those returning to St. Joseph’s Indian School this fall for the high school program, they will come and spend three weeks on campus, beginning on May 28, 2012, to go through our transition program which will help get them ready to attend Chamberlain High School this fall. It is just a preview of what they will be experiencing at a new school. The students will get to meet some of the Chamberlain High School teachers, tour the Chamberlain High School, and begin to the learn ropes of being a freshman. It is a great introduction to what they can expect this fall.

While the eighth grade students are preparing for the fall, the Clinical Services Department is doing the same. This summer, the Clinical Services Department will spend a great deal of time traveling. What do we do while we are traveling? We visit our current students and their families and we work on admissions for the fall. Part of the admissions process is to interview the student and their families to learn a bit more about them and to see if their needs can be met by St. Joseph’s Indian School. It is a great time to start building relationships with new students and families. Traveling to see our current students and their families is just another part of building relationships with those already a part of St. Joseph’s Indian School as well.

While summers can be a bit quiet around St. Joseph’s Indian School, there is always someone around, so if you are in the area, make sure and stop by to see us! We are always willing to give a tour, talk about what we do and share what a great place St. Joseph’s Indian School is. So come and see us, you are always welcome!

Julie H.
Family Service Counselor

Guest Bloggers: Jennie & Sarah

Hi, I’m Sarah and I’ve been at St. Joseph’s Indian School for 11 years.

And I’m Jennie; I’ve been at St. Joseph’s Indian School for 17 years.

We’d like to give you an inside look into one of the biggest days here at St. Joseph’s: 8^th Grade Graduation. Continue reading to hear about our exciting day!

St. Joseph's Indian School's graduating class of 2012. — Congratulations graduating class of 2012!

As the year comes to an end, the eighth graders become extremely excited, but also anxious. They are anticipating their eighth grade graduation and all of the banquets, ceremonies, and special gifts that go along with it. Along with all of these great things, there can also be some nervousness for our Native American students. It may be the students are envisioning their first day of high school at a new school, or they may still be unsure of where they want to go to high school. This is my seventh year of eighth grade graduation. One would think I would be used to this chaotic order of the end of the year… However, I too, as an adult, still get caught up in the excitement and anxiety.

St. Joseph’s does something special for our kids in these last few days. We offer them what we call our Eighth Grade Retreat, where all eighth graders spend some time together, along with a few staff, and discuss high school and the future. We reinforce what a wonderful time of their life they have ahead of them, but also that they may experience struggles along this way. We encourage these students and remind them that, during those times of trouble, they must remain confident in themselves, keep their faith in God strong, and also that they can lean on their St. Joseph’s family. We then give students special letters that have been written for them from the staff and faculty of St. Joseph’s. These letters are a surprise to the students. Sometimes the letters bring tears and sometimes they bring laughs, but most of all they offer the students support. They show someone here at St. Joseph’s will continue thinking of them even though they may not see the student as often.

The students have an opportunity to say, “Thank you” to family and friends.

The day continues on with a pizza lunch, where staff are invited to give their congratulations to the graduates and a trip to the movie theatre with their fellow eighth grade classmates. The day is full of emotion. I have asked students in the past what their favorite part of the day was. Most students respond with reading the letters. For me, this affirms the purpose of the retreat and most definitely the personal letters to the students. It validates the time spent doing them and most of all I go away feeling as though I have given the students my best. I’ve taught them Science, I’ve attempted to teach them social skills, but most important of all I’ve told them I care.

Then on Friday the big day is finally upon us! Students are with their families and friends in the morning getting dressed up, sharing breakfast and having pictures taken. They report to the chapel around 10:45 am for final instructions and line-up in preparation for the 11 am start. This is a fun time as the students are excited and nervous and are just enjoying the moment. Once the actual graduation begins there is some nervousness as they walk down the aisle in front of family, friends and staff. The students generally relax once every one is in and seated and the actual ceremony begins. The students participate by doing the prayers of petition, thanking our guest speaker and reading a friendship poem usually written by one of our eighth graders.

Their faces truly begin to beam when it is time to receive their eighth grade certificate. Again the nerves show a bit as they walk up in front of everyone and pose for a picture but the pride is evident. Next the Rose Ceremony, a favorite time for our students, begins. They are given two roses which they present to their families as a thank you for all of their support and love throughout the years. They also write thank you notes to family and staff that are delivered during this time as well. Then the most fun moment of all is the slide show. Each student is represented by baby pictures progressing through their eighth grade graduation picture and then they personally share their favorite memories in a short video clip. The students then proceed to the receiving line where everyone greats them with congratulations and good luck!!

Family and friends congratulate the recent graduates.

Our students then officially begin their transition home and onto the next steps into their futures. This is a very bittersweet time for all of us who work with these students. We are so very proud and excited for each of them but a little saddened as we know we will need to let go as they move on.

It is truly our pleasure to be a part of these young lives and appreciate the families giving us the opportunity to Serve and Teach, Receive and Learn. Honestly, it’s the greatest gift in the world! 🙂

Authors of their own destiny

Graduation packed our chapel with students, families and our staff. When St. Joseph’s only went up to eighth grade, several traditions were started to make a big deal about this level of graduation. Now, we tell students we hope this is the first of several graduations, but we still celebrate with lots of pomp and circumstance. Twenty-one young men and women proudly walked down the aisle of the chapel, while their houseparents read a brief bio of their home and tribe, favorite memories of St. Joseph and future plans. Most (18 or 19) will stay with us next year and continue in Chamberlain High School.

Marcel Felicia at St. Joseph's Indian School's graduation. — Marcel Felicia congratulating one of the recent graduates.

Marcel Felicia, who graduated in the same place in 1975, was our graduation speaker. He just completed a Master’s degree in Public Health Administration.

He told the Native American students that while there are a lot of chapters of their book of life yet to be written, they are in large part authors of their own destiny.

The next chapters depend on the choices they make, so he urged them to make good and wise ones. Due to generosity of donors, we had scholarship money available to help Marcel further his education. He told me that it had long been a dream, but the scholarship helped make that dream a reality.

A candle burned on the altar, symbolizing our many donors whose generosity makes a good education here possible. We ran an internet campaign where folks could light a candle for their hometown and include an inspirational message of support to our students. When I last checked, something like 3,400 people from across the country had logged in with heartfelt messages of congratulations!

A slide show montage of students’ childhood pictures brought back memories. When I first started at St. Joseph’s this group of youngsters was in the first grade. One student has no childhood pictures from early years, which is sad. We put together happier memories of his school days here.

Native American student saying, "Pilamaya - thank you!" — “Pilamaya – thank you – for making a difference in my life!”

Each student passed out two roses and several cards to family or staff members who have made a big difference in their lives. I’m always touched to see one of our teachers, counselors or houseparents who frequently are the recipient of one of the roses because of their care and guidance.

I enjoyed meeting and celebrating with the students families. Some have been very involved in campus activities, but some I met for the first time. I hope to see all of them throughout the high school years, and especially in another celebration four years from now.

Guest blogger: Claire

Today is the day! After months of preparation, it is finally time to leave for the cultural trip with the 7^th graders. The boys and girls travel in separate groups, visiting significant cultural, spiritual and historical sites of the Lakota people. I will be traveling with the girls, and we will be making a large loop through South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota.

The purpose of this trip is to introduce the students to places that are important to their Native American culture. More than just reading about things in a book, they can experience the power of these places up close. An important component of this trip is daily journaling, so they can record their feelings and impressions for later. If there comes a time in their lives when they need spiritual strength, they will know some of the places and traditions that can sustain them. And it’s not all just “serious stuff.” We get to do goofy camping stuff too, like cook out, tell ghost stories and chuck rocks into the crick. This is an amazing group of kids, and it is great to spend time with them.

Dan looks like george Custer! — We think Dan might resemble George Custer a bit!

My companions on this journey will be April, a counselor here and a Dakota elder, and Dan, a houseparent and forensic anthropologist. We will be accompanying 6 teenage girls on a 7 day, thousand mile quasi-camping trip. In a mini-bus. For those of you already moaning in sympathy, it is ok. We are professionals. We can handle this. We will be mostly cabin camping, which removes the logistical nightmare of pitching tents in the dark, or in a flood plain, or other such creepy things, while still being close to the great outdoors. (Let the boys sleep under the stars or pitch tents on the prairie, or whatever.) We will be doing a lot of hiking. Did I mention I used to be a Girl Scout? That means I can use a compass. Of course Dan has GPS on his phone, so that’s a moot point.

The trip covers a lot of territory, but I will share some of the highlights. On Saturday we will be climbing Bear Butte in the Black Hills. This is very sacred site for many Native American tribes, and is a place where people may go for a hanbleceya – vision quest. April will teach the girls how to make prayer ties for the climb, and will carry a canupe – sacred pipe for a ceremony at the summit. Fr. Steve will be joining us for this part of the trip, and will celebrate Mass with us when we get back to town.

We will visit another sacred site, Devil’s Tower, on our way to see the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Dan has done some analysis of artifacts from this site, and has lots of “really cool stuff” to share. (Normally, if Dan has “cool stuff” to share, you better not be eating, but this will probably be an exception.) Other sites along the way are: Painted Canyons of North Dakota, On-a-Slant Village, Fort Abraham Lincoln, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Pipestone National Monument.

This is a big undertaking, and an incredible opportunity for these kids. All you campers out there know what I mean. I am so grateful to have the support of donors and benefactors so that we can make this happen. I am also thankful for all the prayers from friends and supporters for our safe travels. Pilamaya! Doksa!

Claire

A group of Native American girls on the top of Bear Butte! — Here’s a picture of last year’s group on the top of Bear Butte!

Producing teary, but appreciative eyes

Today was the last full day of school here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. At day’s end the students gathered in the school gym for the perfect and outstanding attendance awards. Thirty-eight children made it to school every day (which is made a bit easier when you live on campus) but still, that meant getting to and from breaks on time and showing up to learn day in and day out.

As an incentive to get students to make such an effort, we take a portion of the Box Tops for Education that donors send to us, and buy some nice end-of-the-year prizes. Bikes are always a favorite, and eight children took home a bicycle. Some students chose a camera or MP3 player as an alternative. Most of the older students opted for a gift card to the local clothing store to supplement their wardrobe with something new and in style.

Our eighth graders had a morning retreat led by Fr. Anthony. Many of the staff wrote them letters of support and memories. They had a half an hour to read through those, producing several teary but appreciative eyes. When you live at a school 24/7, the memories of the many things students and staff share are even stronger.

Afterwards, we practiced for tomorrow’s graduation, so everyone knew where to sit and process and receive. Lunch brought a pizza party for the graduates-to-be in the gym. The students went on to an afternoon matinee, while I opted to go back to the office and take care of the paperwork that is the constant part of an administrator’s job.

Those students who have relatives graduating will stay another day. Most of the other students headed home shortly after the school bell rang. We’ll still have about 50 students next week as summer programs begin, but others said goodbye next August 12, when we start all over again.

Field days and math tests

The school was unusually quiet when I visited yesterday. Grades 1-5 were up at the high school track for their field days.

As this school year ends, I was involved in meetings with staff about next year’s schedule and our long-range maintenance and planning needs, so I didn’t make the festivities. When I caught up with the students after school, they proudly displayed the ribbons they won for 100 meter dash, softball throw or a score of other events.

Our middle school students were in the classrooms. One very quiet room was finishing up the last math test of the semester. The 6^th grade language arts students had finished their Literature reader and were taking off dust covers and cleaning up the books to prepare them for next year’s classes. All the classrooms are scheduled to get a clean coat of paint over the summer. As the teachers put things away, the walls are starting to look especially bare to prepare for that work.

Today was the last faculty meeting of the year. Kathleen, our principal ordered the makings for banana splits and I helped dish out ice cream and thank the teachers at the close of another successful year. Some of them will work for parts of our summer program. Some will take the summer off or do something completely different to renew themselves for next year. Richard and Vaye Jean are retiring, and Kathleen presented them with a small gift as a token of our affection.

Human Resources (HR) updated me that we’ve filled most of our school positions, but are still interviewing for four more positions. Our advertising and word of mouth seems to be working as there are a good pile of resumes to review and references to call. HR is one of the busier groups on campus over the summer as we try to get new staff trained and in place for a smooth start in the fall.

Most of our donations are small, regular sacrificial gifts in the $20 range. Larger gifts usually come in the form of a bequest or a charitable gift annuity. But today I was surprised by the biggest unannounced donation I’ve seen this year – enough to pay 3 teacher’s salaries, or help with special projects wherever it is needed! When I made a personal call to thank the donor, he was a man of few words, but just wanted the money to benefit our students and our programs. I am humbled and grateful for people’s generosity, and committed to running good programs that use these resources to make a difference.

Guest blogger: Facilities Team

Summer is approaching fast and St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus is looking nice and green! The kids are in their last week of school and we are all busy working to get campus in tip top shape for our Eighth Grade Graduation on May 25.

Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel at St. Joseph's Indian School. — St. Joseph’s Indian School’s Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel

We are in the process of updating our landscaping and planting some colorful flowers to brighten up our campus. Our grounds crew has fixed up the yard around Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel where the graduation ceremony will take place. We are also adding a special touch to the front entrance of our campus: a flag pole with some rock landscaping around it. This will help add that special touch to the entrance and also help in giving family members and visitors directions to our campus.

Our renovation of the Stevens and Mathias Homes is still progress. All of the major work is complete in the Stevens Home and the students have already started moving some of their home items back to help in getting ready for next year when they return from summer break. The Mathias Home is, for the most part, completely painted except for some minor touching up. They have started installing the ceramic tile flooring and have also started hanging the cabinets in the kitchen.

Welcome to St. Joseph's Indian School. — The new flag pole at the entrance of St. Joseph’s Indian School.

The entire facilities crew is busy laying out the schedule over the summer months and setting up future projects that will be taking place on campus here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. We will be working on doing some updating in the school, start our next home renovations with the Summerlee and William Homes, and many more!

As always, we continue to keep busy doing our best in making the campus feel like home to all the kids that are here over the school year.

Until next time,

Facilities Crew

Expectations and sore muscles

Today was “Step Up Day” at school, which means students spend the last hour of the day in the classroom they will move up to next year. Teachers spoke to their soon-to-be students about expectations and answered questions to help students feel more comfortable with the move.

The first graders were excited about the desk configuration in second grade, where they will each have a free-standing desk instead of being grouped together on a table. The fourth graders learned they will get an assignment book – and have to take responsibility for writing down their homework instead of the primary teachers handing it to the houseparents. Fifth graders physically move up, going from the middle to the top floor. They also get their own locker in the hall. Eighth graders – instead of stepping up – stepped out and got to spend an extra hour on the playground. Life is full of transitions. In preparing for them we find talking through them helps reduce some of the anxiety.

Another day, another cook out! Tonight the Lakota Homes (6^th-8^th graders) got together for a pre-game picnic. This was something like a pot luck as each of the homes brought something different as they use up all that’s in their cupboards and freezers as we approach the end of the year. Even if the front of the line emptied a few of the offerings, there were still many scrumptious dishes to satisfy the taste buds.

Fortified with a good meal, we loaded up the school bus and headed up to the local high school softball field for the annual staff vs. 8^th grade showdown. The staff had to hit a bigger ball that didn’t travel as far, and the 8^th graders got 5 outs per inning to try to even up things a bit. It might have given a talented 8^th grade much of an advantage. The students jumped out to an early lead, and never trailed, prevailing 14-11.

I pitched; my earned run average may not be something to be proud of, but my main goal was to throw strikes and give the students – especially the less athletic ones – a good chance to hit the ball. Everyone had fun, though tomorrow I know that after trying to recapture the game of our youth, this veteran player and a few others will have some sore muscles.

Congratulations class of 2012

With just a week to go in the school year, all the homes are cleaning out their refrigerators. At this point in the year, homes even start trading groceries with one another in an effort to use up as much as they can. Wisdom Circle, in front of the Benedictine Homes (1^st-5^th grades) is a lovely grassy spot in center of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus, shaded by majestic cottonwood trees.

With picnic tables out for the nicer weather, the setting was perfect for a couple of picnic meals. Friday evening houseparents Leonard and Aleece organized a meal for all the t-ball participants. That included all of the 1^st-3^rd graders on campus and the fare was your basic hot dogs and hamburgers, with fruits and vegetables. Today after church, the houseparents all pitched in different specialties for a brunch.

I kicked a soccer ball around for a while with a few students, then got involved in a football game. Kids love to play, but they also need to learn how to play fairly. I noticed that they were spending more time arguing about the rules or if they were actually touched with two hands than the time they spent actually playing. I became the quarterback (and referee) for both teams, and enhanced the speed of play considerably. I remember what it was like to be one of the last ones picked, so I made sure to throw the ball to everyone, and give each child a chance to participate. When one boy started yelling at a teammate for dropping a ball, I stopped the action and told him it was important to encourage teammates to try hard, but not belittle them. When another boy gave a shove after the play was finished, I got his attention by calling an “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” penalty.

“This isn’t real football” he objected.

“But you need to play by real rules, especially the rule of being a good sport,” I told him. Competition is okay, but cooperation is better.

Four students from St. Joseph's Indian School pause for a graduation picture. — Congratulations 2012 graduates!

Today was High School Graduation. Fifty young adults from Chamberlain and the surrounding area received their diplomas in the packed ceremony held at the Armory. Four of the 50 were St. Joseph’s students. Attached to their hats were eagle feathers their families had provided to honor their accomplishment. Watching each of the students walk forward brought back so many memories of the years that I’ve known them and saw them grow up before my eyes.

Blessings and best wishes in the future, and congratulations graduates!