Tag: Helping Native American youth

Have you been to a St. Joseph’s Indian School donor luncheon?

After all the excitement over the weekend, today was back to the normal pace, which included taking care of those regular things, like a trip to the dentist. While reading in the waiting room, the door opened and Dorian and Araya, two of our St. Joseph 2nd graders came in for their appointments. The fact that I was being worked on too seemed to put them more at ease. When I got done with my appointment and passed the children’s room, they were even giggling because of the way the Novocain was making their  mouths tingle. Our healthcare center tries to be thorough in making sure students’ health needs are attended to.

We have an upcoming donor appreciation luncheon in Denver next month. I met with Kaitlyn and Danielle, both 7th graders who were selected from the many student applicants to represent our school there. We discussed what they hope to see in the big city, and practiced what they wanted to tell people about life here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Have any of you been to a St. Joseph’s Indian School donor luncheon?

I hope there is one near you in the future, because both students and donors get a lot out of them.

Guest Blogger: Dave B.

Classroom

My name is David B. and I teach the sixth through eighth grade Social Sciences here at St. Joseph’s. In sixth grade, they are learning about world history. The students just finished learning about the Ancient Mesopotamians and the next chapter is Ancient Egypt.

The seventh grade is learning about the Five Themes of Geography, the Six Elements of Geography, and the 18 Standards of Geography.  Next the students will begin learning about the different hemispheres of the world starting with North America.

The eighth grade is learning about American History, starting with exploration of the world and ending the year with the Civil War. During the middle of the year, the eighth grade will be learning about the US Constitution and before the end of the year they will complete a research paper on an event or person in US History, which also includes an oral presentation.

Football

In addition to the classroom, I also coach football here at St. Joseph’s.

This year our football games have been suspended because of lack of numbers in the male population of our seventh and eighth graders. With only 12 students participating, the safety factor for our players is our main concern. We are also in need of better safe equipment for our players, which our school will be addressing during this down year. Because of the nationwide concern for concussions, especially with our youth, the subject of safer equipment is a priority for St. Joseph’s.

Never fear, however! We are still having a modified season for the players. We will have two scrimmage games with the Chamberlain Cubs, which are scheduled for the last week in September and the second week in October. So the players are still practicing like normal to prepare for this modified season.

Go Braves!

Reconnecting with the Native American youth

Since the high school students have returned, I’ve tried to spend some time in their homes, catching up on their summer activities and looking ahead to what they hope to accomplish this year. Since school is just beginning and there’s not yet a lot of homework or ballgames, it’s a good time to catch more of the students at home.

The other night at Hogebach Home (HS girls) we enjoyed a home cooked meal around a full table, with no one having to rush off. Erika, one of our seniors, was at the kitchen counter with job applications from four different fast food restaurants and two retailers in town. She is ambitious about trying to find a part-time job that will help with extra-curricular expenses now and begin to put some money away for college.

Another one of the students was feeling very overwhelmed thinking of all that she had to accomplish between now and graduation. Our houseparents and counselors are aware of such feelings and support our students through it all, encouraging them to work at projects slow and steady, in manageable chunks.

Our powwow committee had its first full meeting of the year. We’ve been doing this for 36 years, and have the routine down pretty good. When Tom, our head of facilities, was asked during the maintenance report/ update if he had any concerns, he simply said, “I hate to brag, but our guys got it all covered.” And they do. It takes a huge amount of work and lots of cooperation from every department on campus. It is a special duty and definitely worth the effort for staff, students and our visitors.

With all our Native American students now back, we enjoyed an opening school liturgy and picnic. Our picnic pavilion is still filled with furniture from our remodeling projects, so we decided to hold it in the dining hall. With the temperature at 92 degrees the air-conditioned area definitely worked out better. Some of the homes did choose to eat outside on the picnic tables. Seeing the students in small groups of about 8 to a table gave me the chance to walk around and visit. Between seeing students at school, church, in the homes and on the playground, it reinforces my memory and makes it easier to learn who each of the new kids are.

At school the 1st graders are still learning the basics. Teachers have their own system to get them to line up and move to a different activity, be it art, recess, lunch or Native American Studies. But it takes a while for them to settle down and they take a lot more time to get between point A and B. Given time and practice, they’ll soon settle into the routine.

The construction at the Akta Lakota Museum took an interesting turn as the workers used a crane to install the granite slabs that will be part of the water wall in the Medicine Wheel Garden. We hope that by the end of the month all the outside work will be completed.

High school orientation

Hello again; my name is Shana and I’m the High School Residential Director here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. We’ve had a great two days for our HS Student Orientation on Monday and Tuesday!

All of our HS students returned Sunday in order to participate in our HS Student Orientation and get ready for the upcoming school year. Students are happy to be back on campus; seeing their St. Joseph’s friends and staff that most of them didn’t get to see over the summer months (after our HS Summer Program ended in June). It’s great to see all of our high school staff and students get together for a welcome back, announcements and a full two days of reminders, learning and new program items. These days can get long, but they are stress free since no one is worrying about studying or doing homework (YET!).

The ninth and tenth graders meet with our Transition Specialist to talk about College Visits and Career Explorations, and also meet with our tutor to review study skills. The juniors and seniors meet to discuss Senior Planning and Transitional Living. These older students (along with tenth graders) meet with our garage staff to review car care and maintenance. A representative from Wells Fargo comes to campus to talk to all of our HS students about bank accounts. I review Internet Safety and new program changes for the upcoming year and, finally, all of our students go up to Chamberlain High School to get their laptops.

The students are eager (and nervous) for the first day of school on Wednesday! And after several weeks of preparation, all our staff are eager to begin another great year in the High School Program!

This weekend, high school fall sports kick off with the first football game on Friday, followed by the first volleyball game and cross-country meet on Saturday. Our student athletes are pumped up and everyone is full of school spirit! The motivation and inspiration at the beginning of the school year is amazing!

I would like to say a big thank you to all of our donors that make our High School Program such a success!  We couldn’t have such amazing staff, homes, resources (not to mention happy, successful students) without the generosity and care we receive from all of you.

God Bless!
Shana
HS Residential Director

Guest Blogger: Aaron

My name is Aaron and I have the most interesting job on campus (in my humble opinion) and if you read this, I feel you will agree by the end. I am the videographer here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. My job is to make short videos that tell the stories of our students and campus events. I consider it an immense privilege and responsibility to be handed the task of telling another’s life story.

The balance of a story involved in this job would surprise most, as even I was unaware that it would become my biggest hurdle. What do I mean? The high-dynamic relationship between such young kids’ trials and their victories propositions me with a critical decision. If the story focuses on the blunt reality of their hardships, I fear coming across exploitive. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, these kids’ stories NEED to be told and people need to realize the truth of just how amazingly difficult their lives are. How disclosing should one be? Long answer made short…I let the kids and families obviously tell the story, not me, and my job then becomes to make sure it is captured and edited in the most honoring way and approved by them before sharing.

An outsider cannot be motivated to help unless a problem is announced…but to obtain the proportionate amount of help needed to match the gravity of the situation requires some very tender information to be publicized. Striking this appropriate balance is a daily decision I do not take lightly. These students have a huge chunk of my heart and I can’t imagine ever doing anything else. Our campus is a family covered by prayer and protected by the help of donors all over the world. It is the most diverse, yet harmonious organization of which I am aware.

Watch some of the videos representing St. Joseph’s Indian School now!

Guest Blogger: Mike

The heat is on … as the saying goes.

It looks like the temperatures are high throughout the US, and it is no different here in Chamberlain, South Dakota at St. Joseph’s Indian School.  Even though the thermostat has topped out over 100 degrees every day this week, our facilities staff are working hard to have the campus ready for students’ arrival on August 12th.

Hi, my name is Mike T. and I am the Executive Director of Child Services.  I have been here at St. Joseph’s Indian School for 27 years.  Each summer I am amazed what our facilities crew is able to accomplish.  From home renovations to street repair; from keeping the grounds looking great to dealing with a variety of summer maintenance requisitions (small jobs that need to be done in offices, homes and classrooms), there is no shortage of work to be finished.  And although it is hot, our staff continue to work hard to get the campus ready.

In terms of programs we have one home still open including two high school students living here as they maintain summer employment.  Our counseling staff have been on the road visiting our students, making sure they are doing well and getting paperwork for the upcoming school year.  Also, our administrators are busy preparing for staff, then students to arrive in August.  So, as you can see, even the summer is a busy time here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

We appreciate all your support that allows us to upgrade our campus and prepare for our students to arrive.  All of the above helps us to provide a quality environment and first-rate programming to work with our students who are never far from our thoughts …

We hope you had a good Fourth of July!  God Bless!

Rising Eagle Day Camp comes to an end

Native American boy getting on to school bus.
See you next year, camp friends!

It’s been a great month with kids from the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation and then kids from the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation. For our two weeks with Crow Creek, 428 students attended. Added to the 455 from Lower Brule, we were able to serve 883 Native American children through Rising Eagle Summer Day Camp! Wopila tanka – many thanks – for your generosity in making this program possible!

Monday was a very hot and beautiful day with 38 children for today’s camp.

We had outside fun with Mark and arts & crafts with the group from Scranton Prep today. We swam in the afternoon and had snacks before we headed back to Lower Brule. The staff is doing a super job!

Tuesday started out cool in Lower Brule but ended up very hot!

We had 34 children for camp today. The children had a nice nature walk with Mark this morning before it got too hot. This afternoon we enjoyed a nice swim and watched a movie in air conditioning.

We had our usually healthy snacks and a special ice cream cone treat. Thanks to the dining hall staff for the ice cream! Camp staffers even enjoyed an ice cream cone, as everyone was very hot.

Wednesday turned unbelievably cool for this time of year! 26 children joined us for camp today. Mark had them inside the gym today because of the cool weather. We played dodge ball and other games.

LaRayne and April had Lakota Studies for the kids in the afternoon, followed by swimming as usual.

Thursday was the first real full day of summer; it was beautiful outside!

We picked up 35 children today, which gives us a total of 414 children so far from Lower Brule. Sticking with our routine, we had outside fun with Mark followed by arts & crafts with the Scranton group. After lunch came swimming; the pool has definitely been used to its potential! 

Friday was our last day of camp for 2012.

Guest Blogger: Scott

Hello blog world!  My name is Scott and I am a family service counselor.  I work with 6th-12th grade boys and will begin my 19th year at St. Joseph’s Indian School (SJIS) this fall.  During the school year, I help provide individual and group counseling services to the boys and also act as a go-between for the school and the children’s families.

Right now, though, it’s summer and I’m adjusting to a little more life on the road.  I’ll be traveling this month to visit families and students I work with here at SJIS.  It’s a nice way to connect with all of them.  I enjoy seeing the beautiful landscapes of South Dakota and getting to see the home turf of the kids.  They always enjoy showing off their towns and telling stories connected to their home environment.  It’s a great way to continue to build the relationships we work on during the year.  Plus, it’s laid back because they aren’t stressed out by the rigors of homework and other scheduled activities, like we have during the school year.

I also travel to conduct interviews with potential students when we have vacancies in our homes.  I always enjoy meeting new children and new families and I look forward to establishing new connections with them when the school year begins.

In the last few years, I have had quite a few more kids remain on campus in June as summer programming increases for the age group that I work with – especially in the high school age group.  I have many older boys who are still here for awhile, working summer jobs, attending the high school transition program and officially learning how to drive.

I enjoy the pace of the SJIS summer routine and also look forward to time off in the summer to re-charge and prepare for the next school year.

Field days and math tests

Great throw Miles!

The school was unusually quiet when I visited yesterday. Grades 1-5 were up at the high school track for their field days.

As this school year ends, I was involved in meetings with staff about next year’s schedule and our long-range maintenance and planning needs, so I didn’t make the festivities. When I caught up with the students after school, they proudly displayed the ribbons they won for 100 meter dash, softball throw or a score of other events.

Our middle school students were in the classrooms. One very quiet room was finishing up the last math test of the semester. The 6th grade language arts students had finished their Literature reader and were taking off dust covers and cleaning up the books to prepare them for next year’s classes. All the classrooms are scheduled to get a clean coat of paint over the summer. As the teachers put things away, the walls are starting to look especially bare to prepare for that work.

Today was the last faculty meeting of the year. Kathleen, our principal ordered the makings for banana splits and I helped dish out ice cream and thank the teachers at the close of another successful year. Some of them will work for parts of our summer program. Some will take the summer off or do something completely different to renew themselves for next year. Richard and Vaye Jean are retiring, and Kathleen presented them with a small gift as a token of our affection.

Human Resources (HR) updated me that we’ve filled most of our school positions, but are still interviewing for four more positions. Our advertising and word of mouth seems to be working as there are a good pile of resumes to review and references to call. HR is one of the busier groups on campus over the summer as we try to get new staff trained and in place for a smooth start in the fall.

Most of our donations are small, regular sacrificial gifts in the $20 range. Larger gifts usually come in the form of a bequest or a charitable gift annuity. But today I was surprised by the biggest unannounced donation I’ve seen this year – enough to pay 3 teacher’s salaries, or help with special projects wherever it is needed! When I made a personal call to thank the donor, he was a man of few words, but just wanted the money to benefit our students and our programs. I am humbled and grateful for people’s generosity, and committed to running good programs that use these resources to make a difference.

Summer preparation at St. Joseph’s Indian School

When I finished morning mass I ran into 2nd grader, Dorian on his way back from the Health Center. Dorian had bruised his forehead and was coming back with an ice pack. He smiled about the frozen gel pack with a colorful picture of Garfield the Cat on one side. I remember the old days when nursing our owies meant ice cubes wrapped up in a wash cloth. Our nurses have created a child friendly area to help the youngsters through life’s bumps and bruises. We work with the local hospital to provide a doctor or physician’s assistant each morning for checkups and to make sure our students’ health needs are addressed. If kids are too sick to go to school, they stay in the health center with our two school nurses. After school, evenings and weekends, our houseparents take charge, just as you would do with your own kids at home. With spring in full bloom and outdoor activity increasing, the health center is less about colds and coughs this time of year than it is about healing cuts and scrapes from the playground.

A couple of college students that have worked here in the past summers showed up today to begin another round of summer work. With colleges already letting out, our graduations are not far away at all. Our facilities crew has an ambitious summer schedule that includes finishing two home renovations and beginning another two, in addition to all the ongoing maintenance, painting, landscaping and preventative work that keeps St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus looking beautiful. The extra help is already hard at work.

As our 8th graders prepare for the transition to Chamberlain Public High School next year, two of the coaches from high school visited with our aspiring athletes to get to know them. Students had a chance to learn about expectations and practice schedules. Some are excited about the chance to play on a bigger stage, but most are nervous and wondering if they are up to the competition.

It will take dedication and lots of practice, but I know many of the kids do have it within them to succeed not just in sports, but in life.