Tag: Indian reservation

More time listening than talking

People sometimes imagine administrators as spending much of their day talking, presenting, or even telling people what to do. Today was fairly typical with meetings and encounters around St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus for me, and it struck me that I spend far more time listening than talking.

Donors on the phone have concerns and questions. Sometimes they just want someone to listen and care. This morning one of the priests who visits me for spiritual direction stopped by for a session. An important part of spiritual direction is listening to the person sitting in the chair across from me, and also to how the Holy Spirit is working in their life. When I keep the attention where it should be, on the directee, I am usually more blessed and inspired by what they share than I am able to give them. In the afternoon I had a visit from one of the sisters who works in the nearby Indian reservation parishes. She will be moving on at the end of the school year and I was moved by her reflections as she looked back over the ministry she has given so much of herself to.

During the weekly Monday finance meeting, I heard not just numbers and reports, but ideas about how we can move forward. Planned Giving filled me in on plans for future luncheons, and how we can improve those events by listening to the evaluations from our guests who attend.

After school I stopped in at Carola and Sheehy, (both high school boys homes) to see what the guys had been up to. Then I ventured over to Dennis Home (1st-3rd grade girls) for supper. Two sisters, Dejah and DeOnna made their First Communion on Sunday, and I listened as they relived those memories of the celebration.

It’s also important to listen to your body. After a full day of sitting and listening, I hit the treadmill hard this evening, and am look forward to a good night’s sleep so I can start off on the right foot with the new day and new people the Lord will send my way tomorrow.

Students demonstrating our core values

Our morning prayer service to begin Catholic Schools Week was an opportunity for us to introduce our new strategic plan campus wide. Aaron, in our marketing department, filmed different events on St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus, and created an effective visual of staff and students demonstrating our core values in everyday life – Faith, Collaboration, Integrity, Stewardship, Respect and Excellence. I’m proud to be a part of St. Joseph’s Indian School, and viewing the video with all our staff and students made me even more proud of what we are working on together as a community.

Before introducing the new vision and plan, I thanked everyone for the work they’ve done over the past four years to bring much of our current plan to fruition. The work we do now will lay a stronger foundation for future generations of students and staff, so that they can build on what we do today, and take St. Joseph’s forward in creative and exciting new ways.

All of St. Joseph's Indian School's youth durning Catholic Schools Week.
All the students smiling big during Catholic Schools Week.

After the staff went back to work, the students remained behind so we could take a school picture with everyone on the bleachers. Emily, our photographer, is good with the kids, and after everyone is well-behaved and she gets the pictures she needs, she lets everyone get a little wild for a fun snapshot, which the students love.

We had 5th and 6th grade basketball games after school against Crow Creek, which is the Indian reservation where perhaps 20% of our students are from.  There were families in the stands rooting for kids on both sides of the ball. After the games, I was slated to visit Cyr Home (4th-5th grade boys) for supper. One of the students, Ben, invited his family to stay for supper, so the ranks were swelled by six more guests. Paula, the houseparent who was cooking, found out just a few minutes beforehand. She has learned to be very accommodating and flexible. She took out a container of leftovers, opened up a couple more cans of fruit, and served smaller portions, but it stretched around to satisfy everyone at the table and the family had a nice visit.

Some of our students see their families regularly. For others, it doesn’t happen all that often. But we try our best to make families welcome whenever they are able to stay.

A smile to a kid’s face

The kids studying at St. Joseph's Indian School.
The kids have learned that studying hard pays off in the long run!

Today at school, academic certificates and attendance awards for the first semester at St. Joseph’s Indian School were handed out. We have a very large number of our Native American students who get perfect or outstanding attendance, since they all live on campus within a few hundred yards of the school. We try not to be guilty of grade inflation and the academic honor role is somewhat challenging to make. In fact, for this grade level, only one girl, 8th grader Jalynn, maintained straight A’s. As each student received their certificate, they also got to choose a little memento – a gel pen, ring or hacky sack.

Sometimes it’s the simple little things that bring a smile to a kid’s face.

Our Junior Miss St. Joseph selected at our last St. Joseph’s Indian School’s annual powwow has gone back to her home on the Indian reservation to live with her family and attend school there. While we miss the students who move on, we are pleased when they are able to make a successful transition back home. At the awards presentation, Mary, the runner-up Miss St. Joseph’s, was called to the front of the assembly and presented with the beaded crown and banner she will now proudly wear. Mary will now represent St. Joseph’s Indian School at other powwows and events. When we have visiting dignitaries, we usually ask our royalty to be among the first to welcome them.

Preperation at St. Joseph’s Indian School

In a couple of weeks, we will celebrate and kick off the beginning of our new strategic plan. Aaron is filming a video to give some visual images about our mission, vision and core values. Graduation is one of our highest values, and we gathered up the 8th graders who will be receiving their diplomas in just a few months. They got excited as they put on cap and gown and mugged for the camera. They dreamed about what will be the next goal they set their minds to.  A few of the American Indian students were here as tiny first graders when I first started here eight years ago.

The actual filming took only a couple of minutes. The set up, with lighting and equipment took much longer. And before the setup, Aaron had to have an idea of what he wanted to show and get everyone’s schedules arranged to be together at that particular time. It reminded me that so often in life, preparation time we put in beforehand really determines if something we do will be successful or not.

I stopped in for supper at the Crane Home (high school girls). It’s hard to find a night when most of the high school students are home at the same time, but Wednesday’s the local schools don’t schedule evening activities so the churches in the community can have religious education time. Still, I visited the young women in shifts as they came and went from other activities – basketball practice, play practice and tutoring appointments. A few of the students are preparing to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation soon, and had scheduled interviews with Fr. Anthony. They ate in shifts, and I did get a little time with each of the students. The time with any individual was too brief. I just hope that being present and letting them know I’m interested in how school and life is going, builds a rapport for a time when they might want to talk or share more.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

The youth at St. Joseph's Indian School had so much fun with Santa!
The youth at St. Joseph's Indian School had so much fun with Santa!

While we haven’t had much snow this December, it is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Today was the day for our Christmas store. Our staff pulls aside many new or like new items that are donated and our Native American youth get a chance to “shop” for presents for their family. Each child has a book of tickets, some good for baby clothes, others for jewelry, toiletries, books and games etc.

Staff and other volunteers help wrap a few of the gifts and Santa makes his appearance to find out who has been naughty and who has been nice.

The High School Native American club held an Indian taco sale outside of our downtown Thrift Store. They are raising money for their annual powwow and other activities. I went downtown for lunch, and the food was all mouth-watering. But while our young entrepreneurs were great cooks, they forgot some of the other essentials, like paper plates to put the tacos on, or even utensils to dish out the food. Luckily our Thrift Store was able to come to the rescue until reinforcements arrived.

Our 7th and 8th grade basketball teams traveled to South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. They attended a men’s and women’s college basketball double-header. Hopefully seeing life on a college campus gets a few of our students thinking along those lines.

Tomorrow is the Dancing Dolls and Dudes recital, so I had a special evening mass for the four younger girls homes so they could have extra time to get hair and makeup ready in the morning. The students seemed to enjoy the smaller, more intimate liturgy, and I had plenty of willing volunteers for the help I needed. Appropriately, our closing song was “Lord of the Dance.”

Personal renditions

December 6 is the Feast of St. Nicholas. When Fr. Guy came to the chapel for morning prayer, he brought us little red stockings filled with a few holiday treats. St. Nicholas is a nice reminder of being generous to others, and doing so in a fun and festive way. The St. Nicholas story I remember from childhood, was how he secretly put gold coins on a man’s doorstep so his three daughters, who couldn’t afford the dowry, could get married.

When I stopped by the Native American Studies Class, the Lakota (Sioux) youth were drawing their tribal flags. There are nine Sioux tribes in the state of South Dakota and this particular class had students from Rosebud, Cheyenne River, Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux tribes. I learned something about the symbolism and colors in each flag as the students meticulously worked on their personal renditions.

Mary Jane, our Alumni Director , was getting a care package ready to send out to Lolita, an alumni in the Navy stationed in Japan. I was glad to drop off a letter of encouragement and wish her well.

The Braves had a great basketball season!
The Braves had a great basketball season!

Some of our students have emotional struggles that may lead to acting out in self harmful ways. I stopped by one of the counselor’s offices and saw a student just back from a week long in patient treatment placement. Lots of times, I see our students coping so well, but I’m reminded that at times we have to go the extra mile to meet their needs. They did well with the program and are glad to be back on St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus again.

Our 5th grade girls basketball team was back in action for their last home game of the year. After Christmas break, it will be the boys turn to play other schools and our girls will shift to the inter-city league, which is more like intramurals. Their weeks of practice paid of nicely and they played well as a team to hold on for a four point victory. After the game, the kids and coaches enjoyed a pizza party in the game room to celebrate the end of their season.

Harsh reality of Native American health

St. Joseph’s Indian School’s Personal Living Skills (PLS) class is taking it up a notch!

The class has been exploring the relationship between diet and exercise.  PLS class promotes good health, emphasizing ways to reduce sugar, salt and fat in the diet.  Our Lakota (Sioux) students learn healthy snack options and how to make healthy choices when eating out.  They also learn why fitness is important and what they can to do maintain a healthy weight in order to live a healthy and productive life.

Health Facts

Chronic diseases, such as obesity and type II diabetes persist in Native Americans at rates that are significantly higher than those in other ethnic minority populations.  A primary cause of this epidemic outbreak can be linked to the shift of tribal traditions.   With a culture that once solely survived off of the crops they harvested, Native American’s diets are now filled with processed foods high in fat and sodium with limited intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  In addition, the average physical activity level is significantly lower than the recommended amount.  The poor quality of the current diet and lifestyle of Native Americans is endangering their quality of life.

Type II diabetes is one of the most serious health problems for Native Americans in the United States.  According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Indian Health Service, Native Americans are 2.2 times more likely to have diabetes compared with non-Hispanic whites.

95% of Native Americans with diabetes are diagnosed with type II diabetes.

Just as type II diabetes can be the result of  inadequate diet and insufficient physical activity, it can also be managed and potentially cured by diet and lifestyle modifications.

Another health condition that is seriously affecting the American Indian population is obesity. Native American obesity is a major risk factor for both type II diabetes and heart disease.

On average, 30% of all Native Americans are obese.

Both males and females are consistently more overweight and obese than the total U.S. population.  The primary contributors to obesity also include poor diet and insufficient exercise.

Native Americans face a surplus of unfavorable socioeconomic factors which contribute to the rise of obesity and type II diabetes.  Among the list are economic stresses, reduced access to affordable healthful foods, opportunities for safe and varied physical activity, overexposure to targeted advertising and marketing of calorie-dense foods.  Despite these inopportune circumstances it has become critical that Native Americans make significant alterations to their current diet and lifestyles in order to protect their past, present and future legacy.

Becoming role models

The work is progressing on our Akta Lakota Museum expansion. I spent a lengthy phone conversation reviewing some of the text panels for our displays that will tell the history of St. Joseph Indian School. I thought I knew a lot about our history from the books and journals I’ve read, but as alumni and workers fill in details, I’m learning more all the time.

In the classrooms during study hall, I noticed several 8th graders in the rooms helping younger children. The school has started a mentoring program for those students doing well and caught up. It gives them a chance to give something back and be a role model. It also helps the younger kids feel a sense of connection and a goal to reach for when they see older friends and relatives mastering the material.

I stopped in for supper at the Carola Home (high school boys). Mike, the houseparent had made his famous Texas fried chicken, with spuds and white gravy and sweet tea to wash it down. It’s one of the boys’ favorites, and rather than just eat and run, they sat around the table a bit longer to talk of school, sports, and give a good-natured teasing to one another – a good atmosphere in the house.

Lakota (Sioux) youth basketball

Our mail room is a busy place as lots of holiday mail starts streaming in. I am so grateful that people think of us as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach. I realize this is a tough time for many people out there, which makes the generous sacrifices all the more meaningful.

I finished off a day of meetings by relaxing with girls basketball at the gym after school. Our 6th grade girls came alive in the 4th quarter, scoring 10 of their 16 points then, and coming from behind to defeat Pierre Indian Learning Center. I took in the action on the court part of the time, but sitting in the bleachers surrounded by 1st and 2nd graders, I had a whole group crowded around wanting to talk and tell me things. Tayron in particular had question upon question that reminded me of my baby brother Dan.

Every answer I gave, was always followed up with another, “How come?”

 

Listening to our kids

Today’s gospel reading was from Matthew 25, about the wise and foolish virgins preparing for the wedding procession. I often ask our students what are some of the issues they and their peers face. Teen pregnancy is high on that list. I used the occasion to talk about preparing for the future, and the value in waiting until marriage to have children of their own. A lot of our students come from single parent families, or are being raised by grandparents or another relative. I hope they will be the generation that waits and prepares for that special someone who they can commit their entire life to, and are able to be there for their children.

Clare, who teaches one of our high school religion classes after church, said that it led to some lively discussion with her group. They remarked that they don’t often get to talk about premarital sex and its consequences, and had lots of thoughtful things to say, as they think about and prepare for their future.

I ate lunch with Raphael Home (1st-3rd grade boys). Around the table there was never a lull in the conversation, as each child had something “urgent” they had to share. It’s important to take time to listen when kids are young and full of questions and stories. If we don’t when they are young, they won’t open up as they get older.

The priests in my our local SCJ community gathered for our monthly meeting. Fr. Vincent works on the Indian reservation in Lower Brule and told me how much the parishioners there enjoyed having William Home (4th-5th grade girls) join them for mass. For the William Home service project, the girls baked muffins and invited the parishioners to stay after mass for breakfast. Who can turn down such an invitation from a smiling 10-year-old with a muffin?