Fr. Steve’s updates – Page 2 – St. Joseph's Indian School

Finally back on campus!

After being on the road for most of the past two weeks, I planned to park in my office and answer a slew of letters and emails, and attend to the various projects that are in progress right now. But, the building that houses my office is getting new carpets after perhaps 30 years, and this was the day they decided to install. So I was “homeless” for the day. But it gave me a great excuse to walk around campus and touch base with St. Joseph’s staff and students!

People ask me if I enjoy the pace of summer when school is finished, assuming it is low key and slow. If it’s possible, I think June gets even busier at St. Joseph’s Indian School than the regular school year!

I saw our recent eighth grade graduates leaving for Chamberlain High School to attend the classes that will help them adjust to the teachers and expectations at the new school. Shortly after, the bus doors opened and 53 Lakota children from the Lower Brule Indian Reservation spilled out for their first day of Rising Eagle Day camp.

On the maintenance front:

– Rocks and landscaping are now surrounding the new Medicine Wheel Garden

– The old thrift store has been painted and remodeled into office space

– The Afra and Raphael Homes are gutted as part of our last phase of renovation

– The picnic building where we host our powwow supper is getting a new roof to replace hail damage

– Central offices is getting new carpet and tuckpointing to preserve the aging brick exterior

– Surveyors have flagged the north side areas of campus for the next phase of our drainage improvement plan

– Curb and gutters have been poured to expand the museum parking lot

Several of our Native American high school students are working summer jobs here, either at summer camp, giving museum tours, or helping with maintenance. Erika is a camp counselor, and will start college in the fall. She is trying to be very frugal and save as much as she can.

She is anxious because her family has almost no income, and she knows that she will have to sacrifice and get by on scholarships and part time jobs. While I encouraged her, I was also inspired by her trust and daring in pursuing her dream.

Cultural Trip Day 6 – Heading Home

Our cultural travels with St. Joseph’s seventh graders came to a conclusion last Friday, with a day driving home through Badlands National Park.

Fr. Jose was enthralled by the unique landscapes and asked for many stops along the way to take pictures. He thought he’d like to spend a week there to contemplate and take it all in.

The last two years, we’ve had drought conditions across South Dakota. This year, however, May brought about five inches of rain to our area, and the grasslands on the prairie and buttes were about as green as I’ve ever seen. The fresh new grass contrasted with the earth tones of the jagged peaks, whimsical sand castles and colorful mounds along the road. The mix of cloud cover and sunshine brought out the natural colors and beauty – a wonderful sight to behold.

When I travel, I make a game of looking for license plates from different states. In our 1500-mile journey, we found 47 states and the District of Columbia! The only ones missing were Connecticut, Delaware and Hawaii. If you’re from those areas, make sure you come visit us out in South Dakota in the near future!

Today we gathered all our traveling pilgrims in Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel back on St. Joseph’s campus for a prayer service. We gave each of the students a chance to share some of their reflections about the trip.

At first, they were reluctant and shared only a few words, but then a few started in with more stories. My favorite was when Hope spoke about explaining the significance of the prayer ties to a visitor at Bear Butte. The visitor was unfamiliar with the practice. Explaining it to her gave Hope greater pride in her Lakota culture, and while many years younger than the woman, hope became the teacher.

Hearing her story assured me the main goal of the trip was accomplished.

The students’ families joined us for lunch, then took their kids home for the summer.

Last Friday was also my birthday. Staff at the development office treated us all to cake and Marina’s homemade maple nut ice cream. I had plenty of cards and calls and well wishes. I looked on our St. Joseph’s Facebook page there were almost 200 messages – thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! I spent the evening doing laundry and getting ready for the next set of travels.

Cultural Trip Day 5

I had never been to Wind Cave before and appreciated making the connection with the place that figures so prominently in the Lakota (Sioux) peoples’ origins stories. The natural entrance is just a small hole in the ground, about as big as a basketball… but over 400 miles of cave lies just below.

St. Joseph’s students visited Custer State Park during their cultural trip. — The Lakota boys saw buffalo at a safe distance in Custer State Park.

The air in the cave is like the earth breathing as winds rush in or out to equalize the barometric pressure. The winds can reach up to 70 mph, and make a whistling sound. This is thought to be the place the earth breathes. As the story goes, the buffalo nation gave birth to the Lakota Oyate in this place.

Our students can be a bit shy, so early on I encouraged them to think of a question or two they would like to ask when we toured a site. I appreciated how they were growing more and more comfortable opening up, and I learned a lot from questions I never would have thought to ask.

On our way to the next campsite we drove through Custer State Park, and encountered several buffalo. At one point, we had to stop the bus as a half dozen crossed the road. One was a little too interested in our bus. Nate said he’d have a hard time explaining that damage to LeRoy in St. Joseph’s Maintenance Shop if the magnificent animal had gotten feisty.

At our campsite, the boys enjoyed skipping rocks in the gurgling stream, balancing on a fallen tree that served as a bridge to cross and scaling the hills and dreaming of adventure.

We visited the Crazy Horse memorial. Over 60 years in the making, the mountain will be twice the height of the Statue of Liberty when it’s finished. The four faces of Mount Rushmore could fit in the horse’s head. The site also includes a museum of the American Indian, which is a treasure.

One of my favorite activities at Crazy Horse is visiting the workshop where Native American artists work at their craft – a showcase of numerous tribes from South Dakota and beyond. There are plenty of beautiful pieces for sale, but you can also just observe and appreciate their craftsmanship. They are also good about answering questions. A highlight for Craig was running into his grandfather who frequently paints there.

The Crazy Horse Monument, still in progress, was another important stop on the trip. — Caden and Trenton enjoyed the Crazy Horse Monument on a cool day.

While we were in the neighborhood we also took in Mount Rushmore. While it’s a very different kind of cultural experience, we didn’t want to miss it. Fr. Jose is visiting us from Portugal, and it was high on his list. I was surprised that half of our students had never been there either.

We returned to camp and roasted hot dogs and hamburgers over an open fire. One highlight of my time on this trip is the talking circle where each student shared observations and what they learned from the day.

Cultural Trip Day 4

When I was traveling with the girls, they were usually coming to the bus at the last minute, or fashionably late. The boys, however, packed up the bus and were ready to roll 20 minutes early, so we got a head start on our 350 miles to Fort Laramie.

St. Joseph’s Indian School seventh graders are taking part in a trip to visit cultural points in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. — The Lakota boys had the bus packed and ready to go 20 minutes early!

Nate, a St. Joseph’s staff member, had been talking with various site officials along the way, explaining that we were trying to give our Lakota (Sioux) students a better sense of their tribal history and culture. The Fort Laramie staff was especially helpful. The park superintendent and a seasoned ranger both came out to greet us. They spent over two hours walking us through the buildings and helping us to imagine the hustle and bustle of the Fort during the 1800’s.

Fort Laramie was strategically located one-third of the way on the California and Oregon trails, and at the halfway point of the Mormon Trail. Thousands of wagons passed through at the height of the drive westward. Settlers and their livestock disrupted the migration paths of the buffalo and took up precious resources as they grazed, hunted and gathered along the trail. This lead to inevitable conflict.

I was surprised that the fort had no stockade fence around the perimeter, and was open like any town would be. The ranger compared it to a modern shopping center, where people traded and mingled freely. She told us, “no one would want to burn down the Walmart of their day.”

The boys were enthralled by military things – barracks and cavalry uniforms, shackles and ball and chains placed on those in the guardhouse. An armory displayed the weapons used by the frontier army. A strong sadness overcame me when I saw the type of Hotchkiss canons that were opened up on Native American women and children at the Wounded Knee massacre.

Three tipis were set up in the pasture near the fort. That was likely the general area the treaties of 1851 and 1868 were signed.

We drove another three hours back into South Dakota and camped in Hot Springs for the night. After a day of travel and touring, our teenagers were ravenously hungry. It was too wet to cook outside, so we settled for a Chinese buffet. That wasn’t available in the 1800’s, but it sure was tasty and hit the spot before we called it a night.

Cultural Trip Day 3 – Little Big Horn

Last Monday was a memorable Memorial Day on many fronts.

St. Joseph’s students met a young Cheyenne drum group on their cultural trip. — A group of young Native American drummers invited us over and shared a few songs.

Along with the seventh graders on their cultural trip, we started the day at the Dull Knife Tribal College in Lame Deer, Montana.

We met Mina, who has done extensive work interviewing elders and bringing together the history of the tribe in an organized way. She spoke of how preserving the language and stories help the next generation move forward with pride.

We also met Leroy, who put our St. Joseph’s students at ease with his joking and teasing, while also teaching some important lessons about life. The Lakota (Sioux) people have a tradition of Heyokas and the Cheyenne have a similar tradition of Contraries. They can play the clown and teach by humor and joking.

A Memorial Day celebration on a Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. — After the parade, St. Joseph’s students followed the crowd to the cemetery to pay respects to those who have given their lives in battle.

Rain prevented us from going to the site of the sun dance Sitting Bull held before the Battle of Little Big Horn, but Leroy brought it to life in our imagination with his vivid description of what went on there.

Clara also crossed our path that day and shared some of her poetry, especially recounting the occasion that she received her first eagle feather. Since she also edits the local newspaper, she made sure to take our picture and promised our kids they would be included in next week’s edition.

The clouds parted and the sun came out just in time for the Northern Cheyenne Memorial Day parade. The powwow royalty rode on floats, and different organizations threw the ever-popular candy to kids as they passed by. Several horseback riders also graced the route.

The Lakota students visited the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. — Chandler, a Minnecoujou Lakota, found a grave marker for a warrior who died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

One float had a group of second and third grade drummers. We were at the end of the parade route, and they called us over and sang a few more songs just for our group. We laughed heartily when they included a fun powwow song about SpongeBob Squarepants!

We followed the crowd to the cemetery for the posting of colors and laying of a wreath. Much of the instruction was in the Cheyenne language, but the emotion and honor transcended words. We paid respects at Chief Dull Knife’s grave.

The Cheyenne were a strong warrior society, and paid special tribute to the many who currently serve in our country’s armed forces, and those who did not return from distant battlefields. We received this recounting of bravery in battle on one of the very hills that marked some of the last battles of the Indian Wars.

Afterwards, we went to powwow where a delicious meal was offered to everyone in the community.

The Little Bighorn Battlefield is always a moving place for me to visit. This being Memorial Day, remembering all the fallen on both sides took on an even more special meaning.

In the time since I first visited 20 years ago, there has been an effort to include the sacrifice of Native American Warriors who fought to save their families and to preserve a way of life.

Besides the white grave markers where the 7th Calvary fell, the battlefield is now also marked with red gravestones where Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors died. I noticed Chandler, who is from the Minnecoujou band of the Lakota, next to a marker for a warrior from her band…probably a not-too-distant relative.

The interpretive movie and talk with the rangers moved me to tears several times, as I thought of the history of our students’ ancestors. We drove and walked around the vast fields, remembering, imagining, learning and sharing.

Cultural Trip, Day 2 – Big Sky Country

Driving more than three hours down Highway 212 to Lame Deer, Montana, gave us a good sense of why this area is called Big Sky country. We picked out a couple of buttes on the horizon and tried to guess the distance we could see.

Everyone underestimated the 15 miles before we got to that spot, and the hills in the distance were over twice that far. We had long stretches between towns. We stopped along the way to chronicle the students’ crossing into Wyoming and Montana, many for the very first time.

Crossing the Powder and Tongue Rivers reminded me of traditional Lakota hunting grounds as well as several battles during the Indian Wars of the 19th century.

We arrived in Lame Deer in time to take in the powwow sponsored by the local Boys & Girls Club. Much of the ritual and ceremony was familiar. One unique aspect of the Cheyenne dance was the Native American men rattling gourds while they danced in a transfixing beat.

During the afternoon break, the tribal health office sponsored a fun walk around the community. We got to enjoy a sunny afternoon, take a stroll, and take home a lovely souvenir T-Shirt from the Northern Cheyenne tribe for our efforts.

We hoped our girls group of St. Joseph’s girls could take part in an inipi (purification or sweat lodge) ceremony, but winds and rain canceled our plans. After taking in the evening Grand Entry at the powwow, we headed to the campground, grilled some hot dogs and hit the bunk tired but satisfied.

During their cultural trip, the Lakota (Sioux) girls took in a powwow and Fun Walk in Lame Deer, Montana. — During a break in the powwow, St. Joseph’s students participated in a Fun Walk hosted by the Cheyenne Tribe.

Becoming “Brothers of Heritage”

St. Joseph’s seventh graders have embarked on their annual trip to learn more about Lakota (Sioux) culture. Fr. Jose and I gave them a day’s head start, and then caught up with them in Sturgis, South Dakota, after they had climbed Bear Butte with prayer ties – a cultural and spiritual pilgrimage.

Fr. Jose hails from Portugal, and this is his first visit to the Black Hills. He has read much about the history and culture of the Native American people in this area while working on his thesis – he is excited to take in as much as he can.

After he saw so many billboards along the way, we had to stop at Wall Drug for him to experience that piece of Americana. He had his picture taken by the 20-foot jackelope and had a 5 cent cup of coffee – I had a signature free ice water – and we continued on the journey west.

Bear Butte is the northern gateway to South Dakota’s Black Hills. — The Lakota students hiked to the top of Bear Butte, an important place for prayer and reflection.

We met one of St. Joseph’s white mini buses pulling into the grocery store in Sturgis. The boys told us of their time on Bear Butte, a sacred prayer hill that is the northeastern gateway to the Black Hills. The journey helped bind them more closely together and they were calling themselves “Brothers of Heritage.”

It’s our hope that bonding like this helps prepare them for leadership as they begin eighth grade next year.

Kevin Costner, the actor, was planning to build a hotel and resort in Deadwood that never came to fruition. He commissioned huge and magnificent bronzes of the tatanka (buffalo) showing Native American hunters chasing them over a buffalo jump, so their people could have food to live and grow strong.

Instead of a resort, Costner built a visitor center that tells the story of these magnificent creatures. It was my first time visiting.

A guide spoke to us about the medicine wheel. It’s a symbol we’re very familiar with at St. Joseph’s Indian School. However, she expanded my understanding by explaining some of those values that people learned from observing tatanka.

Bravery – when hunters tried to decimate the historic herds with rifles, they thought the buffalo were stupid because the ones in the front of the herd did not flee. What they were doing was standing their ground, protecting the ones behind them. They would not back down, but faced the danger with courage.

She also told of how during a blizzard, mother buffalo would dig though up to four feet of snow to find the grass underneath and provide food for the herd. Again, they persevered with great fortitude and did not give up during hard times – a good lesson for us all to learn.

We came back to the campground for a meal with the girls, and then celebrated mass in one of the cabins. Fr. Jose teased that it was the smallest chapel he’d ever celebrated mass in. It made for a more homey, intimate setting and each of the girls added their own personal prayers during the petitions.

We have the students take quiet time to journal each day of the trip. Besides preserving memories, we want them to reflect on their experience and see what they have learned. As the sun set, we gathered around picnic tables outside the cabins and had a talking circle. The girls shared things they remembered from the day, lessons learned, and why they are on this trip.

Some of the girls also spoke of anxiety about going home for the summer due to family struggles. Knowing that is part of what they face in life, giving them a strong grounding in the values that can see them through hard times is even more critical.

One of the stops on the cultural trip was to learn about the buffalo or tatanka. — The Lakota students learned more about the tatanka – buffalo – at the visitors’ center built by Kevin Costner.

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.

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!