I had a scare on Friday

Our newest board member, Doug grew up here in Chamberlain, South Dakota and has been on campus countless times for events at the Rec Center, museum and chapel and even had his wedding reception in our Dining Hall. But there were many areas of campus he never toured before. We started in the Development Office. He asked great questions about our business practices, but also insightful ones about our educational approaches and student population. He assumed a lot of the mailing, design and computing was all jobbed out. But Doug quickly learned that  most of  it is done right on site with our own locally grown “experts” who have been on staff for many years. Doug knew most of the people we met along the way, but hadn’t known exactly what kind of work they do here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. It takes so many people working together, to make St. Joseph’s Indian School successful.  Though the staff in the Development Office doesn’t have as much direct contact with our students, they are just as committed to the program and kids as the teachers and counselors.

The Lakota (Sioux) kids at St. Joseph's Indian School love the pool!
The American Indian kids at St. Joseph's Indian School love the pool!

I had a scare tonight as I drove back on campus from downtown Chamberlain. When I went by the pool in our Rec Center I saw an ambulance outside, and a group of people huddled around someone poolside. I raced inside with my heart beating with worries that something had happened to one of our students. What I didn’t’ know was that it was a scheduled ambulance training, and all the area EMT’s were doing their continuing education on how to work with people on backboards. After the wonderful sense of relief wore off, I was thankful that we can make our facilities available to the community to help train people for the times there really are accidents.

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.

One thought on “I had a scare on Friday”

  1. How wonderful that it was “only a training drill”! Those training drills are vital to the skills and abilities of our First Responders and kudos to St. Joseph’s for being a resource for them to acquire those skills. That is being part of the greater Chamberlain community, for sure. And, again, Thank God it was “only” a training drill.

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