St. Joseph's Indian School

It’s funny when things just work out …

Before the beginning of December, St. Joseph’s Indian School staff members were looking at the calendar and noticed something interesting: we had exactly 12 school days on the December calendar before students left for Winter Break. It’s hard to hear the phrase, “12 Days …” without your brain automatically filling in the blank with “of Christmas.”

And so, by this seemingly perfect chance of fate, that’s exactly the theme St. Joseph’s has embraced this December. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Indian School Celebrates the ‘12 Days of Christmas’”

Recently, St. Joseph’s Indian School eighth-grade students and staff set out through the morning fog for the Crow Creek Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources.

Why? A Buffalo Harvest.  Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Indian School Students Experience Traditional Buffalo Harvest”

A new beginning was marked for freshman and sophomore students at St. Joseph’s Indian School as they embarked on the first-ever Wičhóni Wašte (Good Life) Retreat. After consulting with Mount Marty University and the University of Notre Dame regarding similar experiences those schools provide, St. Joseph’s developed the retreat day in response to student feedback. Continue reading “First Wičhóni Wašte Day Builds Connections for Students at St. Joseph’s Indian School”

The week of November 13 has been “busyness” as usual at St. Joseph’s Indian School. Rock Your Mocs Week began with Lakota Mass on Sunday.

Following the culturally infused liturgical celebration, staff distirbuted moccasins to “rock” throughout the week. Rock Your Mocs is a national annual event that creates a positive cultural experience, promotes unity and celebrates tribal individuality by wearing moccasins to honor ancestors and Indigenous people worldwide. It is the centerpiece of the celebration of Native American Month. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Indian School Students ‘Rock Their Mocs’”

Shay, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at a veteran’s hospital, was working a night shift when she heard an alarm sound. The alarm was to signal that a patient was in need of help, so she quickly went to assist.

Shay said, while the male patient who needed help is typically independent, he had just been moved into a different section of the hospital and hadn’t quite gotten situated yet. After she assisted him and was getting him settled, she noticed some mail sitting on a nearby wheelchair. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Alumna and Veteran Share Serendipitous Moment in Chance Meeting”

The ability to connect with others, each in their unique way, is the gift shared by four from St. Joseph’s Indian School that made them standouts to win Catherine Hershey National Awards. Continue reading “Four from St. Joseph’s Indian School Receive National Honors”

Friday, October 22, marked the beginning of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s annual observance of Red Ribbon Week. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Indian School Students are Proud to be Drug Free!”

Students gazed over the mountain of pumpkins in search of what they deemed to be the perfect pumpkin. Some were on the hunt for the common orange and round pumpkin. Others wanted a misfit – a pumpkin with discoloration, and maybe a couple of bumps and warts for a spookier or unique look.

Whatever it was, they sure found it at the first-ever St. Joseph’s Indian School Pumpkin Patch event. Continue reading “St. Joseph’s Indian School Hosts a Pumpkin-Picking, Hot-Chocolate-Sipping Day”

Fourth through seventh-grade students at St. Joseph’s Indian School let their imaginations loose in the wonderful world of comics led by visiting artist Dylan Jacobson the week of October 17. Continue reading “It’s “Comics 101” with Visiting Artist at St. Joseph’s Indian School”

With the start of the 2022-23 school year, St. Joseph’s Indian School began celebrating our 95th anniversary!

Ninety-five years is quite a triumph, and we are humbled to know we have been caring for Native American children and families for over nine decades — especially considering our very humble beginnings. Continue reading “Celebrating 95 Years of Service to Native American Families”