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For every plant there is a purpose. Sage is one of the most important Native American ceremonial plants, used by many Native American tribes as an incense and purifying herb.

Because of its popularity, sage can also become costly to get your hands on, which is why St. Joseph’s Indian School takes pride in growing sage right here on campus. From a seedling to adult plant, students can witness the lifespan of sage and take part in another ritual: the harvesting of sage. Continue reading “Students practice the cultural ritual of harvesting sage”

To kick-off the 2019 school year, the St. Joseph’s Indian School hosted a youth triathlon at the Rec Center to help welcome back students. Our triathlon consisted of three consecutive events – swimming, biking and running. Students had the option of running all three events on their own or competing as a team of three. Continue reading “Sixty Students Run, Pedal and Swim into New School Year”

St. Joseph’s Indian School Rec Center staff were able to show a little love to two neighboring reservations in July. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Delivers All the Right Ingredients for Summertime Fun!”

Every summer, St. Joseph’s Indian School flies four students and two staff members to Germany as part of an exchange program with Gymnasium Leonium in Handrup, which is another school founded by the Priests of the Sacred Heart.

The following is a personal reflection written by Jacie, who attended the Germany trip in June.  Continue reading “Student Reflects on Overseas Trip to Germany”

They did it, and so did you! Our high school seniors collected their diplomas in May and now, because of generous people like you, they’ll have a Senior Suitcase stashed with essentials to get their next chapters started off right!  Continue reading “Supporters Help Graduates with Season of Change”

The Lakota language is dangerously close to extinction.

According to the Lakota Language Consortium, recent linguistic surveys and anecdotal evidence reveal there are only 2,000 first-language Lakota speakers remaining, on and around the reservations of North Dakota and South Dakota. This number represents less than 2% of the total Lakota population.  Continue reading “Joining the Fight to Revitalize the Lakota Language”

The following is a reflection written by two St. Joseph’s Houseparents, Mike and Bette, who participated in St. Joseph’s Indian School outreach program: The Bookmobile. This is their experience in their own words.

We were happy to be chosen again this year to participate in the Bookmobile program for St. Joseph’s Indian School. We had the honor of accompanying the rest of the team, Andy and Julie. For three days, we traveled a route taking us to the South Dakota reservation communities of Wanblee, Potato Creek, Kyle, Porcupine, Manderson, Pine Ridge, Oglala, and Lower Brule and its surrounding area. Continue reading “‘An Attitude of Gratitude’ Surrounds St. Joseph’s Bookmobile Tour”

Roll out your mats and stretch your limbs – today is the International Day of Yoga!

According to the 2016 Yoga in America Study, the top five reasons people start yoga are: flexibility (61%), stress relief (56%), general fitness (49%), improve overall health (49%) and physical fitness (44%). Continue reading “Happy International Day of Yoga!”

St. Joseph’s Indian School students embarked on a six day, five night cultural trip in May to visit important and sacred sites of their ancestors. It gave them the opportunity to walk where their ancestors once walked, and pray where they once prayed. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Cultural Trip: Where the Past and Present Collide”

St. Joseph’s Indian School is pleased to announce Dr. Billie Kingfisher, Jr. has received the 2019 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Names Kingfisher as Distinguished Alumnus”