Guest Bloggers – Page 35 – St. Joseph's Indian School

Poetry from the Lakota students

Before the end of the school year, we learned about the poetry the Lakota students were working on in Linea’s classroom. You asked to see their work, and here are some “I Am” poems.

St. Joseph’s eighth grader Deavontay learned about writing poetry — Deavontay

Deavontay and Melvina both graduated with St. Joseph’s eighth-grade class in May and will attend Chamberlain High School next year.

Stay tuned for more poetry later this week!

I Am Poem

I am Quiet and Intelligent

I wonder about my own future

I can hear my grandchildren laughing

I see the future

I want to be forever youthful

I am Quiet and Intelligent

I pretend to be old

I feel as young as a newborn foal

I touch the warm sun

I worry about world peace

I cry for my people

I am Quiet and Intelligent

I understand the hardship of the world

I say Wakan Yeja (Children are Sacred)

I dream of tomorrow

I try and try again

I hope to be successful

I am Quiet and Intelligent

by Deavontay

I am…

St. Joseph’s eighth grader Melvina learned about writing poetry — Melvina

I am creative and a dreamer

I wonder what it is like to be famous

I hear fans yelling mine and Chandler’s names

I see millions of people in the crowd at our concerts

I want to be famous

I am creative and a dreamer

I pretend I am a superstar when I’m alone

I feel excited about the future

I touch the sky and let my dreams take me where they may

I worry about child abuse and people that have to suffer

I cry when I think about Shauntae

I am creative and a dreamer

I understand it takes hard work to get to the top

I say “Thank you America!” when I get done singing to myself

I dream about someday performing at Madison Square Garden

I try to do my best in everything I do

I hope people learn to keep their promises

I am creative and a dreamer.

by Melvina

A project inspired by St. Joseph the Worker

In honor of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, the older Lakota children at St. Joseph’s Indian School used their Religion class to take on a building project.

The Lakota tradition teaches that we are all related. In the Catholic tradition, this truth is called the communion of saints. For the Lakota (Sioux) people, this concept extends to all of creation. Our brother St. Francis and the Catholic Celtic tradition of Ireland also affirm the belief that God is present in earth, wind, fire, water and indeed all of creation.

When Jesus went to return to the Father, he unleashed his Holy Spirit in the world in a new and remarkable way. And through that Holy Spirit ̶ present in each and every one of us ̶ we share in a special communion. In the same way, we share in that togetherness with all of the people who have gone before us. We are all related.

Because of this wonderful connection, Catholics turn to the holy ones who lived before us, like St. Joseph, and we ask them to pray for us. We also keep their memories alive and look to them as role models. Our role model, St. Joseph, understood that all people were his relatives, too, and worthy of love and respect.

So, when he could have, by law, had Mary punished for being with child, he chose not to. And when he was encouraged by an angel to take her in, he did not hesitate. Because of his generous heart, he opened his life to her and her unborn son. He became the foster father to Jesus and I imagine that, while he taught him his trade as a carpenter, he also schooled him in seeing all people as related to him and worthy of love and respect. Perhaps that became the foundation of Jesus’ teaching, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Inspired by St. Joseph’s trade as a carpenter and his generosity, we built a shed, which we donated to the Missouri Valley Crisis Center in Chamberlain. The center responds to the needs of our brothers and sisters in the world who find themselves in need of special help, not unlike Mary when she faced uncertainty in her life before Joseph took her in.

Summer Day Camp with LaRayne

Hi everyone! LaRayne here, St. Joseph’s Native American Studies teacher. Each year, I work into the summer, providing Native American Studies for the Lakota children who attend day camp.

The Lakota students love playing outdoor games at day camp! — Erika and the other girls line up for dodge ball.

Giving and Receiving is going around St. Joseph’s Day Camp. I wish that you could all see the relationships building between our campers and staff at St. Joseph’s Indian School! The whole group is like a sponge; taking in the learning, loving and living that happens all day long.

The staff and kids get to eat breakfast together and answer questions like “what’s your favorite movie?” and “Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?”

The kids are eager to get to know our young camp counseling staff, and staff members are just as eager to make the day’s experience meaningful for all. After breakfast, the kids play games together or learn about more of their Lakota culture through Native American Studies.

This year, the kids are playing Lakota hand games and we are reading several books that pertain to the daily lesson, like creating star knowledge constellations, painting horse designs. We are also touring the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center on our campus and learning about dream catchers, hair braiding, Lakota songs, colors, numbers, and ledger art. Through all of these activities, the campers and counselors learn a little bit about each other and even about themselves. Sharing in learning, arts and crafts, swimming, playing and eating are great ways to spend the day!

Visiting the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is a great educational experience for the Native American children who attend day camp. — The boys and girls learn about their Lakota (Sioux) culture as part of day camp as well.

I especially like that three of my four daughters have been able to give back to our organization by being a part of our day camp. To watch my girls spend time with our day campers is good for my spirit and drives me to understand why we are here doing the work we do.

We are striving to create a great day for our day campers and, in the middle of it all, we get to feed our spirits with the gifts the Lakota children bring each day as well.

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Health Center!

The last couple of weeks before school was out for the summer, the Lakota children weren’t sick much, which meant not many children staying at the health center for the day. We find more time in the spring to get our work done.

The health center staff is wrapping up for the school year and ready for a two-month break. For the most part, the students who stay at St. Joseph’s Indian School for the summer program stay healthy and rarely see the physician. We have a physician come in a couple days a week for an hour or so, just in case.

Nurse Ronda rounded up eyeglasses to keep over the summer. We do this for the children who tend to lose them frequently or those who don’t wear except for school and study. In the fall, when students check in through the health center, we give the glasses back to them. This makes life so much easier for everyone. They have their glasses and are ready for learning again.

I’m busy setting up eye and dental appointments for next fall already. We want to make sure that there are openings ready to go when the Lakota children return to campus this fall. If a student has an eye or dental issues we need to address right away, we’ll be sure to have an appointment!

Hope you all have a safe, fun-filled and blessed summer!

God Bless

Nancy

School Nurse

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!

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!

Cleaning, packing, preparing for the move

Hello again from the William Home’s fourth and fifth grade Lakota girls!

It has been an exciting time recently as we have been packing, cleaning, and preparing for our move back in to the newly renovated William Home. We are in and the girls are so excited!

It is bittersweet for the fifth graders, since they will only get to be in for a short time before summer break begins. Next year, they will move to the older community of sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students on St. Joseph’s campus.

We recently took our annual home trip to Rapid City, South Dakota and visited and indoor water park. These girls can go up and down those stairs on the slides for hours! Oh, the joy of youth…

As we wind down the year at St. Joseph’s Indian School, we would like to thank all of our benefactors who make the work we do with Native American children possible. God bless and have a great summer.

St. Joseph’s Indian School recently completed renovations on the William Home. — The girls in the newly renovated William Home do their homework at the kitchen counter.

Giving back to the community

Earlier this year, St. Joseph’s Daughters of Tradition group was given the task of coming up with ideas for a service learning project as a way to give back to the community. The Native American youth in the group decided they wanted to raise money for the Humane Society in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Recently, they headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to complete the project!

Our Lakota (Sioux) girls decided to donate to the Humane Society. To raise money, the girls planned a walking taco and bake sale. The girls did all of the baking for the bake sale and group leaders assisted in getting the taco meat ready for the walking tacos. The girls had two different sales and raised over $200.00 to donate to the Humane Society. They were very proud of themselves!

While at the Humane Society, the girls were able to tour the facility, walk dogs and spend some time with the cats. The girls really enjoyed themselves and if they had been able to, I think a few of them would have come home with new pets! They did a great job and represented St. Joseph’s Indian School very well. The Human Society was very pleased with their generous donation.

St. Joseph’s Daughters of Tradition group meets two times per month. This is a great place for the girls to talk about any issues they are having. The group begins with a “Talking Circle,” which gives every girl a chance to talk about how they are doing and voice any issues or concerns they have. The girls are very engaged in the group and enjoy the time they get to spend together and the opportunity to share concerns with their peers.

As one of the leaders of the group, I am so very pleased with the girls and their effort in the service learning project!

Julie

Family Service Counselor

Field Trip!

On Friday, May 10, St. Joseph’s third grade students went to the Buffalo Interpretive Center on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation, near

St. Joseph’s students visited the Buffalo Interpretive Center on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation. — Using a telescope, the Lakota boys and girls watched the buffalo herd grazing in the pasture.

Pierre, South Dakota, for our field trip!

At the center, students had the opportunity to sit on real buffalo skins, examine real artifacts made from the buffalo, and learn how each of the different parts of the buffalo were used traditionally by the Lakota (Sioux) people.

They loved the hands-on experience of looking at the different artifacts and tools!

At the end of our tour, we watched a movie about the buffalo. As part of the exhibit,

The Lakota children enjoy cultural field trips as part of their education at St. Joseph’s Indian School. — St. Joseph’s students learned about a traditional Lakota campsite on their trip to the Buffalo Interpretive Center on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.

students could look through a telescope and find the buffalo grazing near the Interpretive Center. In all the times St. Joseph’s third graders have traveled to the Interpretive Center, the buffalo have been next to the exhibit only one time. Every other time, students have needed to look through the telescope.

It’s always fun to see the excitement the students have to learn about the traditional culture of the Lakota and the way of life their ancestors practiced.

Heather, third grade teacher

St. Joseph’s students learn about traditional uses of the buffalo. — The Lakota children got to handle tools and artifacts made from different parts of the buffalo.