Guest Bloggers – Page 40 – St. Joseph's Indian School

Building Relationships through a Community Hair Shop!

The older Lakota girls fixed hair for the younger girls. — Listella ties Araya’s hair for curls.

We invited our inter-city girls basketball players from the Chamberlain School (6-8 grade) to what we called a community hair shop. The purpose of this time was to share our talents and to learn a hair style – braiding or rag tie curling – so that when our St. Joseph’s students take part in a powwow or a dance event, they will have more people who can fix their hair the way they like it done.

We started with seven of our high school girls fixing the hair of our inter-city girls. In return the, the inter-city girls fixed hair for St. Joseph’s girls in grades one through five. We also invited staff and their families to take part in this exciting event.

We had about 60 girls (maybe more!) take part in our hair shop. Everyone had a grand time!

At St. Joseph’s community hair shop, the girls wait for their styles to set. — After having their hair tied for curls, Shawna, Alyssa and Freddie let their styles set.

Donor Appreciate Events in Sarasota, Florida

The Lakota youngsters get to see the ocean for the first time. — Elijah and Shawn take their first dip in the ocean!

Very early last Friday morning, Fr. Steve picked up Maria, Elijah, Shawn and myself and off to the Sioux Falls airport we went! Sarasota, Florida was our destination. Our objective was to host two afternoons of appreciation luncheons for those who hold St. Joseph’s Indian School near to their hearts.

After an hour of driving and letting the boys catch a little more sleep, Fr. Steve began to interview them in preparation for the weekend that lay ahead. As I listened and was able to participate, I knew in my heart these guys were going to do great!

After checking in with the airline and going through security, we all had a quick bite to eat, knowing it was going to be a long day of travel. After all, between shuffling through different airports and making all of our connections we may not get another chance for food until later on that night! So before we ate, we all bowed our heads and asked the Lord’s blessing on our day and the days ahead.

Fr. Steve began each luncheon by thanking everyone for their part in St. Joseph’s success in helping Lakota children. Introductions were made and lunch was served, followed by a slide presentation and a short video giving everyone a taste of what life is like at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

The boys did a great job of not only representing St. Joseph’s Indian School and the nurturing they have received here, but they also did a great job of representing themselves. Though they may not have felt like it, they stood out as very confident young men. I, along with all those in attendance, was impressed and very proud of them.

Everyone received a picture of themselves taken with Elijah and Shawn; a little take-home memory representing all the Lakota (Sioux) students here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. I personally met people who traveled four and five hours to attend this event!

And oh… by the way, the Lord certainly did answer the prayer we made on that Friday morning at the Sioux Falls airport because before you knew it, it was time to head back home!

The trip and luncheons were more than beneficial to all. We were a blessing to all we met and they in turn were a blessing to us. We didn’t have much time to do a lot of sightseeing. Sarasota certainly is a beautiful place. The people we met were extremely nice. Each of us came back with very fond memories; I for one will never forget the Italian priest we met Saturday evening at St. Martha’s. “Mamma Mia…”

News from the Health Center

After a little holiday vacation, the health center is back in the swing of things at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

We’ve seen plenty children with strep throat and, to make things more exciting, influenza A has hit! Sound terrible doesn’t it? It really hasn’t been that bad.

We’ve only had about 6 or 8 students with the flu since coming back from Christmas break. All the Lakota children have had a flu shot, so this helps slow the epidemic.

Of course, when the children are sick they don’t go to school. Instead, they come to the health center for the day (sometimes in their pajamas) and hang out with the nurses!

We love to give them special treatment while they are with us: their own room, a small TV to watch, a comfy bed, and let’s not forget a delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup and crackers for lunch. Does soup get boring? Maybe, but it’s great incentive to get well faster. *smile*

At 3 pm, when the school day is nearly over and houseparents return to the homes, we pack up the little sweethearts (with a mask if necessary) and off they go to their home with instructions on what sort of care they need that evening.

Have a Wonderful Day!

Nurse Nancy & Nurse Ronda

Basketball games, one-act plays, and cold weather

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s,

I have the privilege of sharing some insights as to what has happened here at St. Joseph’s over the weekend since Fr. Steve and some students and staff have been at a donor luncheon in Florida.

The weekend began with the Chamberlain High School’s boys’ basketball teams taking on the Mt. Vernon/Plankinton Titans. The schedule offered the chance for the “C” team, junior varsity and varsity to play. The Cubs were able to win all three games with the help of the 11 St. Joseph’s students on the “C” and junior varsity teams, plus two more on the varsity. High school games highlight the impact the inter-city basketball program, sponsored by St. Joseph’s. You can see the interaction that took place in younger grades paying off as the St. Joseph’s and local Chamberlain students now play together.

This was also the opening weekend for the girls’ inter-city basketball program on St. Joseph’s campus. Again, a good mixture of St. Joseph’s students and players from the Chamberlain area played some good games before a good-sized crowd of spectators.

Chamberlain High School also presented its one act play, Mark Twain’s “Is He Dead?,” which will be their entry in the state competition this coming Wednesday. One of St. Joseph’s students, Christopher, had one of the lead roles and several other students were active behind the scenes. The performance lasted about an hour, but we were told at the start that the rules of state competition require that a one-act play must be completed within 45 minutes. They will have to do some further cuts, but they wanted the local public to see the ‘full’ performance, which brought laughter and enjoyment as we watched the play unfold and deal with trying to make an artist ‘famous’ and thus his paintings more expensive by faking his death.

This coming week, the Lakota children in grade school will continue to benefit from the continued presence of our Artist in Residence, Mr. Markus Tracy, who completes his two-week commitment to St. Joseph’s this Friday. He is working with our students to produce a mural in the school.

This past Saturday was the second week of our bowling season. The sixth, seventh and eighth graders sign up and then are assigned to teams headed by various staff members, several of whom are on bowling teams in Chamberlain. We bowl two games and try to help the students learn and improve their bowling skills. It is a popular event.

The weather let us down a bit in that it was forecast to be very cold (single digits and below zero!), which is one reason why I think Fr. Steve scheduled the donor luncheon for Florida (Ha!), but it has not been as bad as predicted, nor did we get any more snow.

What snow we had at Christmas is mostly gone now, which has been frustrating for our Native American students since many of them received snow boards from Santa and our benefactors, but have not been able to use them. During recess, many of the younger students have been sliding down the hill on their stomachs looking like a bunch of seals!

In closing, I would like to say pilamaya – thank you – for your generosity towards the Lakota boys and girls at Christmas. It was a joy to go from home to home to witness the students opening their gifts. There was lots of excitement and many ooh’s and aah’s.

May the Great Spirit continue to bless and reward you as the new year unfolds.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Christmas blessings for the Lakota children

The Lakota boys and girls were blessed to receive wonderful Christmas gifts. — No matter how old they are, the Lakota boys and girls are so excited to receive Christmas presents!

Christmas continues into January at St. Joseph’s! The excitement gets to linger for at least a week after break, extending the students’ excitement about presents to come. It’s always fun to experience the Christmas holiday through the eyes of a child. No matter how old they are, or how much they may try to hide it, they are excited! The first week after break brings excitement and anticipation for Sunday’s big event!

If there is one thing I would wish for in life, it would be that all kids would wake up to at least one present on Christmas Day.

I no longer ask my students what they got for Christmas when they come back… I haven’t for years. It breaks my heart that some experience no family time, or no gifts for this holiday.

It’s so exciting for our students that they have a Christmas to return to and presents to put the sparkle in their eyes!

Over the years, Christmas has changed at St. Joseph’s, not just the date. I remember when I first started working at St. Joseph’s, we looked through used toys to try and find enough to give each of the kids a present.

Sometimes, it was a real stretch.

Many times, the toys had someone else’s name on it. Often, the students were given games with missing pieces. Everyone got socks and gloves and were very happy to receive those items.

I remember one year my dad arranged for a company to send Nerf footballs for all the boys. For the girls he made each their own tablets with their names printed on them (he owned a print shop)! It was something new and exciting.

The Lakota children are so excited to open their gifts! — Ethan peeks into his gift a little early.

Thanks to very generous donors, Christmas gifts are awesome and definitely appreciated.

After the celebration, kids come to school sporting a new sweatshirt or talking about different toys they received. We are blessed to have great donors! One home got rollerblades and went skating Sunday afternoon. They had great stories and, more importantly, great smiles!

This is a time I often spend reflecting on the true blessings I have. Sometimes we forget how good we really have it. I hope part of Christmas at St. Joseph’s and everywhere helps you reflect on what’s important too. I have too many to name here, but my granddaughter, children, husband, job, relationship with God, and living in America would top my list!

May the New Year bring you peace and God’s blessings! May the excitement of a new toy from your childhood spread into the joy of giving and sharing this New Year.

Guest Blogger: Linea, 6-8 Grade Reading Teacher

We completed first semester at St. Joseph’s Indian School and are now well on our way into second semester with the Lakota students!

In our reading classes, we are still focusing on nonfiction work, but have graduated into informational text such as news articles, science articles and web pages. We are also working with types of visual media such as photographs, illustrations, charts, diagrams, and maps.

Our goal is to help students be able to comprehend these types of nonfiction, as it is important for them to succeed in their everyday lives.

The Lakota students at St. Joseph’s use computers to complete their MAPS tests. — St. Joseph’s eighth graders work through MAPS testing.

It is also the time of year where we are doing some testing. This week we will be doing MAPS testing to help us determine the progress of the students. This is done on the computer so we receive immediate results. This kind of broad testing helps us recognize any problem areas.

We are also working on spelling words for our annual Spelling Bee that will be held during Catholic Schools Week. This can be a lot of fun and it is rewarding to see the students get excited.

Guest Blogger: Julie

Greetings friends!!

My name is Julie and I am a Family Service Counselor here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. I hope this wonderful time of year finds you all doing well! Things here at St. Joseph’s Indian School have been very busy over the last few days! The students are getting ready to head home for Christmas break. The weather looks good for their travel, which is truly a blessing.

This past weekend was the annual “Christmas Store.” This is a time when students can pick out gifts for their family members. The items available for gifts come from your generous donations; the students really enjoy being able to pick out gifts for their families! The students also get a chance to see Santa Clause and have their gifts wrapped. It is a fun-filled day that both students and staff enjoy!

Other things that have been happening at St. Joseph’s Indian School include the conclusion of the girls’ basketball season, the students’ Christmas program and a new ceremony called the “Tears Ceremony.” The Tears Ceremony is held at St. Joseph’s when a student loses a loved one. This is a time for the students to remember their loved one and be supported by friends and staff.

Our first Tears Ceremony was held this week and was a beautiful tribute to the students’ loved one. Still in its beginning stages, the Tears Ceremony gives the students one more way to remember and grieve the loved one they have lost. The student who has lost the loved one is an integral part of the planning process for the ceremony. We hope that the Tears Ceremony will assist the students with the grief process and let them know they are supported and cared for while they traverse the grief process.

Houseparents help students choose gifts for their families.

At this time of year, I always think of the generosity of our benefactors. St. Joseph’s Indian School offers so many great things to our students… but without your kindness and generosity, we would be unable to do the great things we do. So at this time I say Thank You for all you do for St. Joseph’s Indian School. May you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Year!

Julie

Guest Blogger: Claire

Three Native American girls showing off their beautiful regalia. — Looking great girls! Juliana, Paite and Grace in their beautiful powwow regalia.

In honor of my Dad’s 70^th birthday (Sunday), I am dedicating three sets of regalia I have sewn for St. Joseph’s powwow. I think this is a fitting tribute. My Dad’s grandfather was born on the Yankton Indian reservation here in South Dakota, before moving to Michigan in the early 1900’s.

Grandpa kept his heritage a secret, probably because of the prejudices of that period. So many of the great things about my dad are things he learned from his grandpa, and these are things he passed on to my brothers—skills in carpentry, camping, fixing things and telling stories. Sadly, Dad didn’t learn about his Nakota traditions growing up, so this wasn’t something he was able to share with us kids. This makes me sad when I think about it.

Later in life, Dad started getting curious about his grandfather’s history, and started learning about Native American traditions and culture. I think this influenced my decision to work at St. Joseph’s Indian School and to participate in the seventh grade Cultural Trip for the past two years. I want today’s kids to know and be proud of their culture.

My family history is important to me. My mother’s family has a proud tradition of sewing. Busha (my great grandma) used to sew vestments for the parish priest, and I learned to sew on her treadle machine. I feel closest to my mom and Grammy when I am sewing. When I make regalia, I feel like I am honoring both of my great-grandmas — my Polish one and my Nakota one.

I am grateful to the donors and supporters of St. Joseph’s Indian School, who make things like powwow, our cultural trip and ceremony possible. In this season of giving, sometimes the gift of memories and pride are the most lasting of all. Thanks again, Claire!

Guest Blogger: Mike P

Happy Holidays from the William Home!

Each year, we host an open house and invite our teachers, mentors and other staff that work with our kids to come over and have some Christmas goodies. This is a great chance for the girls to show off their home and use their social skills and manners in a larger setting.

Kira grabs a loose ball in her last basketball game! — Great hustle Kira!

We just completed our fourth and fifth grade basketball season and the girls went out with a victory in their last game at a tournament in town. This was such a fun bunch to spend time with! It was great to be able to watch the different skills we try to coach begin to appear in the games. At this age, we spend a majority of our time in practice working on basic skills and how to play the game properly from dribbling the basketball, to sportsmanship on and off the court.

The girls also had the opportunity today to go through the Christmas store and pick out gifts for their families. After that, they went to see Santa, wrap their presents and enjoy some treats.

We have also continued our walking program with the girls. We are happy to announce that we are currently at a total of 10,789 laps in the gym, which is a little over 500 miles!

From the William Home, may you all have a very Merry Christmas and all your travels be safe!

Guest Blogger: Julie L

National Family Week is an annual event recognized each Thanksgiving week that celebrates the family and its value to society. The theme for National Family Week is Connections Count, recognizing that strong families are at the center of strong communities. Children live better lives when their families are strong!

At our celebration this year, we tried things a little differently. Instead of dividing the student families up into the homes, we had all of the students gather at the Dining Hall here on campus. Students sat at their family table. They made a poster, writing down all the things they were thankful for and then colored it as a family. Students also received a Christmas ornament on which they each wrote their names.

There was much laughter and talking throughout the early evening. After their poster was complete, they enjoyed dinner together. They enjoyed spending time with their family. After dinner, everyone played Bingo.

All in all, the night was a great success! The students left with gifts to take home for their families and food gift cards to use for their Thanksgiving celebration.