Tag: Chamberlain

Celebrating Native American Day, returning from a visit to Atlanta

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s Indian School,

The weather is a big topic of conversation on the South Dakota prairie lately.  Deep snow in the Black Hills caused havoc with ranchers’ cattle herds.  The melting snow joined with this weekend’s rain and wind caused flooding in some areas.

St. Joseph’s students celebrated Native American Day on October 14.
The Lakota children played a variety of traditional games to celebrate Native American Day.

We had hoped to have good weather to celebrate Native American Day on October 14.  Elsewhere, it is called Columbus Day, but in 1990, the late Gov. George Mickelson, signed legislation that changed the name and put the focus on promoting reconciliation between the Native Americans and other citizens of South Dakota.  We kicked the day off with a prayer service geared to reminding our students of their Lakota (Sioux) heritage and asking the Great Spirit’s guidance in the second quarter of the school year.

Over the weekend, Chamberlain hosted the 13th Annual River City Band Festival, welcoming high school bands from miles around.  It was cool and windy, but the band members did a great job.  After a parade through downtown, the field competition was held on the high school football field.  We were also honored to have South Dakota State University’s THE PRIDE marching band make an appearance.  St. Joseph’s students took part in the parade by carrying banners thanking local businesses for their sponsorship of the event.

St. Joseph’s students and staff are just returning from donor luncheons in the Atlanta, Georgia area over this past weekend.  Our Homecoming King, Cody, and classmate, Errol, were excited to share a few words of thanks with the donors.

– St. Joseph’s hosts donor events around the country where benefactors can meet the Lakota students.
Errol and Cody visited St. Joseph’s benefactors in Atlanta, Georgia.

Our next two luncheons are in Houston, Texas, on November 23-24 and Los Angeles, California, on January 18-19.   If you would like to attend, visit our website or call 1-800-584-9200.

I hope you all have a great week.  Be assured of our daily prayers for you and those dear to you, especially in our monthly novena of Masses offered from the 11-19 of each month.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Spared the snow and power outages

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.

The Lakota children joined Kevin Locke in a flute recital.
St. Joseph’s students performed with Kevin Locke at the South Dakota Indian Education Conference last week.

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!!

Cody is crowned Homecoming King!

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s Indian School,

What a difference a week makes!  Last week, we were coming down from a great powwow and lots of visitors. This week, things have calmed down and returned to normal. If you haven’t seen our powwow video yet, please check it out! Thank you again for coming and making it a wonderful weekend.

St. Joseph’s high school student Cody is the Chamberlain High School Homecoming King for 2013.
St. Joseph’s very own Cody was crowned Homecoming King 2013! Queen Marilyn also has ties to St. Joseph’s – both her parents work here! Congratulations to all!

Chamberlain High School kicked off their Homecoming Week last night with the coronation of Homecoming Royalty tonight.  One of St. Joseph’s high school students, Cody, was crowned Homecoming King.  We’re so proud!

I just got back from a meeting at our headquarters in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, where Canadian and American SCJs met with our Superior General who was finishing up his visit to North America.  I had the chance to see Fr. Steve; he asked me to thank those who were at the powwow and took part in the prayer and honor dance for him.

Our German exchange students are on their way home.  They visited South Dakota and made a presentation to our students regarding what life and school is like in Germany.  For the past few years, 2-4 students and chaperones have visited Germany to share what life and school are like at St. Joseph’s.

We had some unexpected ‘guests’ on campus yesterday – some local cattle broke through a fence and showed up on St. Joseph’s football field!  Our maintenance crew sprang into action to round them up and do some ‘pick up’ to get the field ready for tonight’s football game against Chamberlain.

I hope your week is filled with much joy and happiness.  May God’s blessings continue to be yours!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Lakota students take part in youth triathlon

Good morning from South Dakota!
All I can say is ‘God bless whomever invented air conditioning!’
The Chamberlain area is facing some extremely hot weather. Saturday was in the mid-90s, but luckily we had a bit of a breeze to “cool” things down. Sunday was so hot that, when I crossed campus about 1:30 PM, not a single Lakota student was outside! I’m sure the swimming pool was full, and that several St. Joseph’s homes went to American Creek beach to cool off in the Missouri River. It was still over 100 as late as 6:30 PM, and it is supposed to be hot again today.
On Saturday morning, 60 or so youth between the ages of 7 to 15 took part in the 6th annual Chamberlain Youth Triathlon, which involved a swim, bike ride and run. St. Joseph’s Indian School was well represented, with at least one of our Native American students winning medals in each age category. The Raphael Home (1st-3rd grade boys) and Summerlee Home (4th & 5th grade girls) had most of their entrants bring home a medal. We’re so proud of everyone who participated!
The Development Office passed along a number of prayer requests they have received from you and those who have visited our Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center. I’ll divide these up and pass them along to our students so they can keep your requests in their home prayers each evening. You are always remembered at our Mass on Sunday as we ask God to bless and reward you for your generosity.
Stay cool and let’s keep the fire fighters who are dealing with all the forest fires in the West in our prayers, that the Lord will keep them safe and provide some beneficial weather to help them get the blazes under control.
Sincerely,
Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain

Quality Time and Positive Risk-Taking

Can I just say I love working on the weekend? I know most people would hate to come to work on the weekend, so I don’t want to make anyone jealous of my job.  But really– I LOVE WORKING ON THE WEEKEND! This is because weekends are full of quality time.  I find that, the more quality time we spend with the kids, the less conflict they have and the more positive their attitude is when they have to take care of their daily responsibilities.

This past weekend we were on duty in the Afra Home (1st – 3rd grade girls) and got to bond with our sweet Lakota girlies. We had SO much fun!  American Island Days was a little festival in Chamberlain at the American Creek Campground, which is just a few blocks from St. Joseph’s Indian School. We took advantage of all the events taking place. The best part is that they were FREE! With 12 kids, costs are always high when going out. It was such a blessing to have so much fun at no cost. The girls had a blast on the inflatables, zip line, and on the boat rides provided by the South Dakota National Guard.

It was interesting to see our girls’ little personalities. Leave any stereotypes at the door if you come to St. Joseph’s! Our kids are not all the same, that’s for sure. Although, one thing I have noticed since coming here is that many of them fear trying new things. In fact, research shows troubled or at-risk youth can be afraid of the unknown and the new.

Most of them had never been on a boat or had no idea what a zip line was. Jachin and I had our “encouragement switches” on the whole time. The girls needed lots of reassurance and were rather apprehensive. As we waited in line, I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone would back out at the last minute. I am delighted to tell you that all girls participated in the boat ride and all but two got on the zip line!

I’ve been doing some reading on positive risk taking.  Studies also reveal that young people who take positive risks are more likely to avoid destructive behaviors than are those who do not. They are also more likely to describe themselves in positive terms and to say they often feel happy. This is why this weekend I was especially proud of our girls. I was really proud that they were able to step outside of their comfort zones to take positive risks.

Here’s a video and some pictures highlighting some of the fun we had:

At dinner, we always go around the table and we each share what the best part of our day was as well as the worst part. On that day, nearly all the girls said their best part was the zip line and the boat ride (what they were originally most afraid of). Go figure! They also loved when Jachin was wearing a velcro suit (seen on the video) and he made us laugh.  I have to agree. I laughed obnoxiously hard.

P.S: the girls are so excited about our upcoming annual powwow! More on their dancing next time : )

What a weekend!

Activities were taking place all around the Chamberlain area this weekend, as well as on St. Joseph’s campus.

Many of St. Joseph’s Lakota students participate in powwow.
More than 1,000 people attended the powwow on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation this weekend.

The high school students returned Sunday and are now taking part in an orientation to get them ready for the first day of school at Chamberlain High on Wednesday, August 21.  We are excited that we’ll have 50 Lakota students in our program this year. High school sports practices have also begun.

The biggest event of the weekend was the powwow on the Crow Creek Sioux Indian Reservation, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of Fort Thompson, South Dakota.  They had a big turnout, with nearly 1,000 people on Saturday alone.  Many dancers, singers and drum groups took part in the celebration. A good number of our Native American students come from the Crow Creek Reservation and they were happy to be able to spend time with family and friends.

St. Joseph’s upcoming 37th annual powwow is right around the corner! This week began with a planning meeting for the celebration, which is scheduled for September 21. We hope you’ll have the chance to visit St. Joseph’s Indian School for the event!  You can look over our schedule at www.stjo.org/powwow.

Have a great week and enjoy the last remaining days of summer.  May God’s blessings continue to be with you, and gift you with health and happiness.

Sincerely,

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

All-Staff Orientation begins!

Things are a bit NOISY in Chamberlain this week as bikers come through the area on their way out to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota’s Black Hills.  The annual rally starts today and runs the entire week.  It is impressive to see so many cycles out on the highway.  Many stay in the Chamberlain-Oacoma area on their way and stop to visit the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center.

A prayer service kicked off our All-Staff Orientation this morning, as preparations continue for the return of the Lakota boys and girls on August 11 and the first day of school on August 12. It’s hard to believe the summer has gone by so quickly!  We miss our veteran staff members from past years, but are also happy to welcome 20 new staff to St. Joseph’s tiyospaye – extended family.  While I’m not sure yet how many students we’ll have this year, there will be around 55 new students.

St. Joseph’s Indian School recently hosted our local Relay for Life event, which remembers those who have died from or are dealing with cancer.  Fr. Steve was the honoree, and the event raised about $30,000.00!

Of that, St. Joseph’s staff contributed nearly $6,600.00!

Every week, staff members participate in the ‘jeans because’ program that allows staff to wear jeans on Friday. This activity alone raised approximately $1,200.00 for Relay for Life! The contributions are used for a variety of charities who work for the cure of cancer.

St. Joseph’s staff member Bryan is being honored for his success in athletics at Chamberlain High School.
Bryan, St. Joseph’s Athletic Director, is a new inductee into Chamberlain High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Congratulations Bryan!

Some good news for a St. Joseph’s employee was in the local paper this last week.  Our Athletic Director and Recreation Coordinator, Bryan, has been selected by the Chamberlain Booster Club to become a member of the high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.  During his high school years, Bryan was very successful in basketball, football, power lifting and baseball.  Congratulations, Bryan, on this achievement!

I hope you all have a great week!   Keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare to open the new school year.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Visiting Alumni

Good morning from the banks of the beautiful Missouri River!!

Chamberlain was a bit crowded last weekend as the local high school welcomed home alumni for their annual reunion weekend.  The classes honored were those of every five years from 1943 through 2003.

One special event for the weekend was an Art Expo at the South Dakota Hall of Fame located in Chamberlain.  It honors people from around the state who have made a positive impact in South Dakota in a variety of areas, including business, the arts and humanitarian causes. St. Joseph’s Founder, Father Henry Hogebach, SCJ, is one of those honored.

The theme of returning alumni was in effect here at St. Joseph’s too. Mr. Casmir LeBeau from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, came to visit. Mr. LeBeau was one of St. Joseph’s first students in 1927! He heard Fr. Steve has been elected Provincial and would be leaving at the end of the month to assume his new responsibilities in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Though a little hard of hearing, his health and memory are in fine working order and he enjoyed sharing several stories with us at lunch and then went over to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center to meet with Dixie, our  Museum Director, and Mary Jane, our  Director of  Alumni  Outreach.  He was able to help put names to some of the faces in various pictures from the early years of St. Joseph’s.

I received a phone call from a benefactor this week asking a question several of you may be wondering about as well.  She asked if St. Joseph’s had Mass on Sunday that guests could attend.  I was happy to tell her that we have Mass each Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. in Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel here on campus.  This is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Mass is not held when the Lakota students are away on a break – Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, Easter or summer vacation. The first Mass this year will be on August 18.  Please feel welcome to come and celebrate with us if you are in the neighborhood! Mass on our annual powwow weekend, September 20-22, will also be at 10:00 a.m.

May God’s blessings, guidance and strength remain with you always.  Thanks again for all you do on behalf of St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Sincerely,

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Adding that personal touch

The day is finally here!

After a lot of planning, five staff members of St. Joseph’s Indian School have left their office space in the Nagel Business Office and relocated to a new Personal Care Center at 111 S. Main Street in Chamberlain. The space was previously the home of the St. Joseph’s Thrift Store, which moved further north on Main Street into a much larger space with adjacent receiving space for donated items.

The staff members include our first four Personal Care Specialists and our first Major Gift Officer, but we know them simply as Tina, Marge, Shirley, Shawn and Brian. They are excited to start this new adventure!

St. Joseph’s has four new Personal Care Specialists and a new Major Gifts Officer.
Shirley, Tina, Brian and Marge are looking forward to visiting with you!

The addition of the Personal Care Center is another step in the development of our Major Gifts Program and an important part of our Decade of Transformation and strategic plan.

The Personal Care Center staff will focus their efforts (phone calls, letters, e-mails, personal visits) on St. Joseph’s top donors.  Each and every gift counts, but the efforts of the staff at the Personal Care Center will focus on top donors who have made, or may have the ability to, make larger gifts.

To continue to meet the needs of the Native American students at St. Joseph’s and plan for the future, we need to focus on developing deeper relationships with these donors.  Our first step will be to reach out to these generous supporters to let them know their support is appreciated and is making a difference in the lives of our Lakota (Sioux) students!

The Personal Care Center has room for 12 staff but, for right now, five is a great start. We’re looking forward to visiting with you!

An update from St. Joseph’s Facilities Crew

Summer break at St. Joseph’s Indian School is half over, which means St. Joseph’s Facilities Crew is full speed ahead! The facilities crew schedules most of their larger projects during the summer months, when most of the Lakota children are home with their families.  Here are a few of the projects we are working on:

Cement work was done to solve drainage issues on St. Joseph’s campus.
St. Joseph’s Health Center was one of the key areas with drainage issues to be repaired this summer.

ü  Phase II Drainage Project – Those of you who read the blog on a regular basis may remember that Phase I was completed last summer.  There are three key areas on campus where new concrete will be laid to help with some of the drainage issues we have – around the Health Care Center, the school building, and Central Offices.  The work began in mid-June and will be completed by the first part of August.

As we come to the home stretch of the Alumni and Historical Center addition to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, the grounds crew has begun landscaping around the building.

ü  They have added some planters with flowers and some large river rocks as an accent to the base of the Medicine Wheel Garden of Healing.  They continue to smooth out areas that were torn apart due to construction and will begin planting grass and more landscaping designs.

If you happen to be on campus, you may notice things are a little dusty around Central Offices!

ü  We are doing some tuck-pointing on the building.  This requires the seams in the brick to be ground out where there is cracking and then refilled with new mortar.  Due to the dust floating in that area I think we should of offered a car wash service for our employees! J

The facilities crew has also started the last phasing of St. Joseph’s home renovations.

ü  The Afra (first through third grade girls) and Raphael (first through third grade boys) Homes are the last to be worked on.  These two homes are located in the Benedictine Building. Demolition work began at the end of the school year. The facilities staff has met with the home coordinators and the plans have been set in place for the home.

Some of you may also remember the school getting new carpet last summer.  Again this year we have carpet projects taking place!

The Medicine Wheel Garden of Healing at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is nearly complete.
Large river rock was placed around the outside of the Medicine Wheel Garden of Healing.

ü  Tipi Press Printing and Central Offices received new carpet this summer.  Both buildings are already completed, and the projects took approximately two weeks.

Another major project the crew has been working on is the renovation of our old thrift store building.

ü  This building is now our Personal Care Center! The crew did some basic cosmetic work on the interior and now the building is ready to house some additional office space for St. Joseph’s Indian School. A ribbon cutting with the Chamberlain/Oacoma Area Chamber of Commerce will be held at the end of July.

Pilamaya – thank you – for helping us take care of our campus so we can provide the Lakota boys and girls a safe place to live and learn!