Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s,
As you may have heard from watching various weather reports over the last few days, western South Dakota was blasted with over 30” of snow! It is being called one of the worst storms in South Dakota history. We received some heavy rain in the Chamberlain area on Friday and Saturday, but thankfully were spared the snow and power outages. The rain wiped out the Chamberlain High School Homecoming Parade, but the game was still played, despite a torrential downpour.
You may recall that both the Homecoming King and Queen elected last week were close to many hearts at St. Joseph’s Indian School. King Cody is one of our high school students, and Queen Marilyn is the daughter of two staff members. In addition, several other St. Joseph’s high school students were selected to be part of the honor court.
Last week, our community was also the site of South Dakota’s Indian Education Conference. Our Principal, Kathleen, and several teachers attended. A group of St. Joseph’s students, along with Kevin Locke, gave a flute recital and did a great job.
Today, members of St. Joseph’s Parent Advisory Council met on campus. Parents and guardians of current students and some former students themselves, these folks generously give their time to help us improve our programs. They provide feedback from a parent’s point of view and help us better understand their children’s needs and hopes.
At today’s meeting, they were brought up-to-date about our new anti-bullying program, the latest criteria for admissions and insight into a wellness program for the Lakota children. They also had the chance to visit Chamberlain High School to get an idea of what a day is like for our high school students.
We are grateful for these parents and guardians giving of their time to listen and give responses as to how we can keep making things better and safer for the Lakota boys and girls entrusted to our care. The council meets twice per year and membership rotates, so there is a good mixture of parents and guardians involved from different Indian reservations in South Dakota and Nebraska.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain
P.S. During our recent powwow, we had slips of paper for guests to jot down prayer requests for our students and staff to remember in their evening prayers. As I was going through them to pick out some intentions for October, I came across a slip that asked a question:
“Since the government gives the Indian nations money, what percentage does St. Joseph’s get for subsidies, if any?”
Thank you for the question! Federal money is given to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which then distributes the money to the various Native American groups; however, as St. Joseph’s is not affiliated with any tribe or reservation, we do not receive any money from the government.
St. Joseph’s does get some financial aid for the school lunch program and Title program, which provides specialists to help with the education of our students. However, the bulk of St. Joseph’s financial resources come through YOU and your generosity! Your kindness and support make all our programs possible. Pilamaya—thank you!!
So happy you were spared the heavy snow and power outages! would have loved to hear the flute recital. Thanks for the information on funding. God Bless you all!
Thank you Toni – blessings to you as well!
I too had been concerned about how St. Joseph’s and Chamberlain fared during the recent snow storms … glad to know all is well and you were spared!