Did you know that St. Joseph’s Indian School is home to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center?
St. Joseph’s annual powwow will be held September 12-13, 2014.
Preserving and sharing the Lakota (Sioux) culture is a core part of our mission at St. Joseph’s. In addition to Native American Studies classes for our students and our annual powwow, the museum is located on campus for students and visitors alike to broaden their knowledge of the Lakota culture.
Lots of reading! I am Linea, and I teach reading to our sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students at St. Joseph’s.
Linea, St. Joseph’s reading teacher for sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
We are already at the halfway mark of the third quarter at St. Joseph’s Indian School! This school year is going by really fast – I can hardly believe it. In our reading classes, the Lakota (Sioux) students are currently finishing up a unit on nonfiction. We will take our test next week.
Everyone has done well with the informational text such as news articles, science articles and web pages. They also studied types of visual media such as photographs, illustrations, charts, diagrams and maps. It’s important that our students are able to comprehend these types of nonfiction because it will help them succeed in their everyday lives.
Next, we will be entering the world of poetry.
In other campus news, the boys are in the middle of their basketball season. Sometimes I think I have as much fun watching them as they do playing!
St. Joseph’s sixth graders worked with Linea on a unit about nonfiction writing.
We just finished up Catholic Schools Week and provided our Native American students with a few extra activities for them to enjoy. One activity was Academic Game Day in where the teachers provided a game for the students to enjoy. There was a wide variety and the students moved from classroom to classroom so they could enjoy them all. In my class, we played Language Arts Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I was pleased with the number of millionaires I had!
Thank you for being part of our tiyospaye – extended family!
Good Day! I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend and the week is going great so far.
The Lakota students choose basketball and other sports instead of doing drugs!
On Friday, St. Joseph’s students participated in one of our many annual sobriety celebrations. This is a real celebration for the Lakota (Sioux) children, as most have been faced with these adult choices at a very young age in their communities on South Dakota’s Indian Reservations.
The evening began with the children sharing how they have or will turn away from the temptation to use alcohol. Many mentioned sports, hanging out with friends and playing video games as their safe choice. The fun was complete with dinner, games, a movie and prizes.
Saturday, St. Joseph’s Indian School hosted Lower Brule, Miller and Pierre Indian Learning Center (PILC) in an eighth grade boys’ basketball tournament. The St. Joseph’s Braves squared off against the Lower Brule Sioux, coming out on top. The Miller Rustlers and PILC Warriors matched up in the second game with Rustlers claiming the win. The SJIS Braves came up short in the championship game against the Rustlers and the Chieftains secured a third place finish over the Warriors.
The fourth, fifth and sixth grade teams will take part in the Chamberlain tournament this Saturday. It was great to cheer on the older boys – they are great role models for the up-and-coming players!
You’ll recall that the Chamberlain High School’s one-act play, The Afghan Women, qualified for state competition. They performed this weekend with more than 30 other South Dakota schools this past weekend. Chamberlain High School was one of the four schools to earn a SUPERIOR rating. It is a wonderful compliment to the actors, crew and school staff to achieve this rank again this year. It reflects a real commitment to the arts and great opportunities for our high school students.
Sunday, four of our students traveled to Highmore, South Dakota to compete in the advancing level of the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest, along with the son of two of our houseparents, Ian.
St. Joseph’s students advanced to the regional round of the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest. Back: Rudy and Richie. Front: Keshaume and Pearl. Not pictured: Ian, son of St. Joseph’s houseparents.
Keshaume and Ian won first place in their age group. Rudy and Pearl came in second in their groups. Richie tied for first, hitting 16 out of 25 but came up short in the shoot-off by just one free throw. We are proud of our students and their efforts! Keshaume and Ian will progress to the State Finals in the next few weeks.
May God’s blessings be with you this week. We keep you and your intentions in our prayers. Thanks again for your generosity.
It’s that extraordinary time of year when Mother Nature’s emotions run from the peace and beauty of gently falling snow to the terror of a blizzard to the dreary, chilly
The Lakota children create prayer flags in their Religion class.
in-betweens when melting snow gives way to drab patches of brown and grey.
Last year, we struck upon an idea to help brighten the winter landscape at St. Joseph’s Indian School – prayer flags. The Lakota (Sioux) students created colorful flags bearing messages of hopes and dreams, grief over lost loved ones, wishes for a better world and any other prayer imaginable.
It was a wonderful success, so we decided to do it again this year.
We begin the process with a short video teaching about how prayer flags originated in Tibet. We also discuss different forms of prayer: petition, intercession, adoration, blessing and thanks.
Our Native American students answer questions about their hopes, dreams and the most important things in their lives. Next, they choose a theme for their flag and draft a pattern on paper. The final flag is painted on fabric using special markers that won’t fade in the weather.
Some interesting flags emerged; some are memorials, many are dreams for the future, many more honor family.
When the flags are finished, they are ironed to set the colors and then hemmed to string on clothesline.
The most treacherous part of the project involves getting out the tall ladders and hanging the flags.
The prayers of our Native American students float on the South Dakota wind.
Religious Studies Associate Joe bravely mounts the ladder to string the flags from tree to tree along the front walk to the school. There they will fly through May carrying the students’ prayers on the wind.
Greetings from a snowy St. Joseph’s Indian School!
The weather continues to bring excitement in that you never know what will be next… We had relatively warm temperatures (almost 40) on Sunday and then 4 inches of
St. Joseph’s Polar Plunge team – the Dunk’n Go Nuts – raised $1,500 for the Special Olympics. Go team!
snow to wake up to Monday. Ice and wind – plenty of wind – have also been plaguing the South Dakota prairie.
Comedian Steve Martin is noted for saying “I’m a wild and crazy guy” and, this weekend, ‘wild’ and ‘crazy’ things took place at St. Joseph’s. The ‘craziest’ was the polar plunge that took place before a large crowd on Saturday. Local communities in central South Dakota have been hosting a ‘plunge’ as a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.
Four of St. Joseph’s staff, calling themselves “Dunk’n Go Nuts,” joined with 56 others to plunge into the Missouri River when the temperature was just 11 degrees with a wind chill of -5! Together, participants from Chamberlain and surrounding communities raised over $29,000.00! The announcer said this is the most money ever raised in this part of South Dakota for a first time event. The good news helped warm up all those polar plungers after their chilly swim!
The Sheehy home hosted a Super Bowl party for our Lakota high school students and eighth graders.
The ‘wildest’ was the Super Bowl party hosted by Sheehy Home (high school boys). The young men in the home invited staff as well as high school and eighth grade students to come to watch the big game on Sunday and have some fun.
The home is divided into two living rooms. Normally, one is for television and one is for studying or reading. But on Super Bowl Sunday, it was divided into those supporting the Denver Broncos or the Seattle Seahawks! For those who preferred socializing over football, other activities were available, along with good old fashioned chatting. Of course, there were also great snacks and even a few door prizes! The score may not have come out exactly as everyone hoped, but fun was had by all.
As you may be aware, St. Joseph’s took part in Catholic Schools Week last week. During that time, a video was taken asking our Lakota (Sioux) students what they have
learned so far this year.
Several mentioned they felt safe, some enjoyed learning about their Native American culture and learning that God loves them. Of course, some simply said they have learned to swim and play basketball. But, most often, the Lakota children said they have learned respect – for themselves, others and elders – at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
What wonderful news!
I believe this reflects the positive impact of the Olweus Anti-bullying program that has been implemented on campus this year.
There was also a touch of sadness over the weekend as we received word that one of three remaining students who were part of the founding student body back in 1927 had passed away. Mr. Orville G. Webb was 97 and had been married to his wife, Irene, for 74 years. Sadly, she had just passed away about a week ahead of Orville. Please keep Orville and Irene in your prayers, and also lift up the family who lost their mother and father in such a short time. Mary Jane, our Director of Alumni, and I were honored to attend the funeral and represent St. Joseph’s.
Did you attend St. Joseph’s Indian School? Let us know!
Hope all of you have a great week. Thanks again for your generosity to the Lakota boys and girls!
Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain
P.S. Chamberlain High School’s one act play, The Afghan Women, qualified for state competition which will take place this coming weekend. Several of our high school students are involved. Break a leg, kids!
At St. Joseph’s Indian School, we work to give our Lakota (Sioux) students the same opportunities enjoyed by children in any
St. Joseph’s Braves took on Crow Creek, a school on a nearby Indian reservation.
school. Basketball, volleyball, football and track are a few of the sports teams they can join during the school year.
Our girls’ basketball season wrapped up just before Christmas break. Now, the boys are in full swing and St. Joseph’s Braves have had a busy schedule!
Basketball News from Joe: The seventh and eighth grade boys traveled to Lower Brule, South Dakota, on Tuesday and played two hard fought games. The boys had fun and split the pair.
The seventh grade displayed toughness on defense and won by a score of 43-26. Joe, Wankiya, Ben and Cameron all played hard on the defensive end. On offense, Louie, Alan, Jered, Pat and Ben all contributed to our scoring. It should be noted that Louie scored 29 points! A hard effort overall was displayed by Nathaniel and Duran.
The eighth grade Braves played a hard fought contest but came out on the losing end with a score of 41-30. Jay and Trenton led our scoring with 7 points each. Keayton also scored three baskets.
Team sports teach the Lakota children important leadership and teamwork skills.
Defensively is where these eighth grade Braves excelled. Ethan and Caden led the defensive attack, which kept us in the game for three quarters.
We look forward to Thursday and our game against Pierre Indian Learning Center!
Basketball News from Bryan – The fourth and fifth grade basketball teams tipped off their 2014 season this past week. On January 20, both teams were in action against Chamberlain.
The fourth grade boys came out in their first game very excited and that showed on the floor. They jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The defensive effort was great and the boys showed great presence on the offensive side as well as they won 36-4. All of the boys contributed in the win and they were proud of their first victory.
The fifth grade boys also took on the Cubs that day. They played hard against a good Cubs team, but came up on the short end losing 31-20. The boys all played well and it was a good learning experience for their first game of the year.
The fifth grade team was back in action Monday night against Lower Brule and got things rolling early. The boys jumped up by 4 points right away and held that lead all through the game, winning 20-14.
Looking to pass.
On Tuesday, the fourth and fifth grade teams hosted Crow Creek. It was the second time the fourth grade took the floor. Once again, they came out pumped up and took care of business, taking control from the tip. The Braves showed great teamwork as several nice assists lead to most of our points. They stayed strong to win 29-6.
The fifth grade boys were up next and came out a little flat. Some of the shots weren’t falling that normally do, but the boys hung in there and kept shooting. They came to life in the second half, playing much harder and with great confidence. Crow Creek was just a little too much, however, and the Braves were on the short end of the score, 38-20.
Overall, the boys have showed steady improvement throughout the season. They all show up to practice excited and ready to learn. Great attitudes and cooperation have made the season a success so far!
Thanks to you, Native American youth are learning valuable lessons about leadership, teamwork and healthy lifestyles. Wopila tanka – many thanks – for your support!
Hello from St. Joseph’s sixth, seventh and eighth-grade homes, where we are working on our Olweus program. We kicked off our anti-bullying campaign back in
Claire
September, and we are currently in full swing.
Once a week, our Lakota (Sioux) students go to their homerooms for a class meeting on bullying prevention. They have similar meetings in their homes as well. They start off by going over the four rules:
We will not bully.
We will try to help students who are being bullied.
We will try to include students who are left out.
If we know someone is being bullied, we will tell and adult at school and at home.
These simple rules are posted in homes and classrooms as steady reminders of our commitment to making St. Joseph’s Indian School a safe, bully-free zone. Meetings are used to talk about how things are going in the community and to deal with issues as they come up. They are also times to build skills like recognizing bullying situations and intervening.
I wish I could say that we don’t have bullying at St. Joseph’s, but we do. Here, as in other schools across the country, we face the challenge of kids with more power antagonizing kids with less power (“power” can mean size, age, status, ability or social skill). Bullying is a result of our Circle of Courage values getting out of balance.
The Circle of Courage is based on the traditional Lakota values of Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity. These are the core values we focus on with our students:
Beloging – I am loved, I have a place, I am a part of the community.
Mastery – I can do things well, I can complete tasks.
Independence – I can think on my own, I am reliable.
Generosity – I have something to offer, I can share my gifts and talents.
The value of Generosity can become skewed so that one person takes advantage of another. When the value of Independence gets off kilter, we forget that we need other people and that other people are as valuable as we are. If we lose sight of Mastery, we don’t work on the skills we need to manage our relationships in a healthy, fair way. Bullying mostly tears a hole in the fabric of Belonging, where we feel like we are part of something greater than ourselves.
Fostering these values is what will lead us back into right relationships with others. In home and class meetings, we talk about the subtle signs of bullying and how to tell if another student is having trouble Belonging.
We encourage students to be Independent and stand up for a student who is being bullied. It takes a lot of courage to do this, especially if the situation is ambiguous or if peers seem to approve of the behavior by laughing or minimizing. It also takes some skill (Mastery) to know what to do or say when something isn’t right. Something as simple as saying, “[That behavior] is not ok and it needs to stop!” is hard at first. It takes a lot of practice before it becomes comfortable. Role-playing in meetings gives kids a chance to try out skills and get ideas from each other.
Finally, we encourage Generosity, so our students can reach out to each other and include everyone. “Put yourself in his or her shoes… what would you want someone else to do for you?”
This week’s topic is cyber bullying. Our junior high students do not have regular, easy access to the internet and cell phones while they are at St. Joseph’s. However, many of them have access to Facebook and other social media sites when they are “home home” with their families.
Soon, many of them will go on to be part of our high school program, where they will have to deal with the added responsibility and freedom of having a laptop. Now is a good time to talk about the hazards of over-sharing on the web. It is so much easier to be cruel in the faceless world of the internet, than it is to be hurtful face to face in real time. It is also hard to tell when someone is “just kidding” in a brief text or comment, without the benefit of body language, tone or facial expression.
If you are reading this blog post, you are probably cyber-savvy enough to know what I am talking about. It is a whole different world online.
Thank you for your support of St. Joseph’s and our efforts to make our campus a safe place for Native American youth. It takes everyone in our community working and praying together to create the kind of school that we all want to be part of.
What’s a kid to do? It’s so cold outside that you can’t stay out very long. Cabin fever is starting to set in. The TV is getting boring. “I know! Let’s go to the Rec!”
Here’s what it looks like on a cold winter day when our Lakota students need to leave their outerwear in the hallway before entering the gym!
The Recreation Center at St. Joseph’s is the place to be in any season, but especially during these short winter days in the cold of South Dakota. The gymnasium and the pool are the most popular destinations, but the Recreation Center offers a whole lot more. In fact, when I started working there this fall, I was amazed at the variety of things to do and services they offer our Lakota (Sioux) students!
Hello, my name is Anita and this is my sixth year at St. Joseph’s Indian School. For the first five years, prior to my “second retirement” last June, I worked as a houseparent at the Sheehy Home for high school boys. Before that, my husband and I raised three sons while he worked as a teacher and I as a social worker. Even though we’d been in our professions for 30 years, we weren’t ready for the rocking chairs! That’s when we discovered St. Joseph’s and their mission.
But, back to the Rec Center…starting with the gymnasium. Besides being available for individuals to come down and shoot some hoops, the gym is used on a regular basis for activities for the Lakota children:
Boys’ and girls’ basketball leagues, for grades 4-8. Each team is complete with two coaches, uniforms, and a schedule to play schools from nearby communities. This fosters team play, cooperation, and good sportsmanship. In addition, the connection to the local communities is very important to fulfilling our mission for the Native American children we serve. We want people to come here to see what we’re about and for our students to interact with other children from other areas. The girls’ teams finished their season in December and the boys teams are just getting started. In conjunction with boys’ basketball season, some of the girls are now involved in cheerleading.
Enrichment night is fun and games for everyone!
Wednesday Night Enrichment Activities for everyone in grades 1-8. The groups are lead in an activity appropriate for their age by two of the Rec Center’s staff members, usually Mark and Andy. Houseparents are on hand to help out if needed. Our Rec Center staff focuses Enrichment on activities that EVERYONE can participate in (not everyone is a volleyball or basketball player) in order to promote physical and developmental skills, cooperation, exercise and grow a strong body, and to simply have FUN!
We also have a Concession Stand that is open during certain events, like basketball and volleyball games. St. Joseph’s high school students often volunteer to help Rec staff operate the stand during those events.
When the gymnasium is not being used for programmed activities it is available for any of St. Joseph’s homes to use. It is also used for other St. Joseph’s student events such as school dances, Halloween and Valentine parties, sobriety celebrations and powwow. Plus St. Joseph’s staff utilizes the space often for staff training or gatherings. There have also been numerous occasions where the local community reserves the gym for an activity, plus the Chamberlain High School athletic uses it for practice when there is a conflict in their facilities.
Everyone loves the concession stand!
That’s only the gymnasium usage in our Recreation Center! In upcoming weeks I’ll be updating you on all the other things that we having going on here—stay tuned!
We Serve and Teach. We Receive and Learn. This is our motto at St. Joseph’s Indian School. Here we are dedicated to lifelong learning and nurturing the whole child. That is why teaching and learning expands well beyond the classroom.
The Native American children at St. Joseph’s learn life skills, like teamwork and problem solving.
Today is Wednesday night, so typically that would be an Enrichment night, except that our Lakota students have gone home for Thanksgiving break. Every Wednesday night, St. Joseph’s homes have activities to round out student learning.
The skills students learn can be intangible—like building healthy relationships and dealing with peer pressure— or more concrete tasks—managing money or addressing envelopes. The activities are age-appropriate. High school students have Sons and Daughters of Tradition, a culturally based group with a talking circle and visiting Lakota (Sioux) elders. The younger homes have workbooks chock full of lessons and activities.
I love doing activities with the kids. One week we talked about hygiene: why we work so much at keeping homes and bodies clean, and some of the issues that come up with poor hygiene practices. For example, sharing eyeliner can cause an outbreak of pinkeye. L
Another week we talked about the difference between being assertive and aggressive. The lessons tied together pretty well – if you have to approach a peer about a hygiene issue, how can you do that it in an assertive, non-shaming way. “Umm, would you like a breath mint? Or perhaps some perfume?”
Honestly though, the Masters of Enrichment are our Rec center staff. It is one thing to talk to kids about cooperation. The students can brainstorm lists and fill out worksheets in the home, but when it comes to actually practicing the skill, no one makes it more fun than Brian, Andy and Shoney.
I remember one particularly rough week with the 6-8th grade girls. We had done some worksheets on friendships and qualities we look for in a friend. This didn’t stop them from bickering and foot-dragging when it came time to help a peer with a kitchen task. “It’s not myyy joooooobbbbb!”
After our designated hour of class time in the home, we had a special hour of learning at the Rec center. Shoney and Andy took them outside for some friendly competition. They were given the task of standing shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot, and walking about 10 yards while keeping their foot touching their neighbor’s. It was the Stevens girls versus the Pinger girls in a race against time. They shouted encouragement. They strategized. They coaxed. They urged. They kept it together.
The next task was to fit all 12 girls into the circumference of a hula-hoop without touching the ground outside the hoop. Suddenly their differences became assets, and their ability to get close to each other became critical. The tallest girl stood in the middle and the smaller girls hung off her like a maypole. The others squeezed and tugged and balanced on one foot to make it work. In less than 20 seconds, they accomplished what an hour of “talking” about friendship failed to do. The girls pulled together. They didn’t leave anybody out of the circle.
At prayers that night, the girls shared that they liked doing the activity. Did they realize it was all about learning? No. I think it was more like putting cheese sauce on broccoli. All they knew was that they liked it, and that they would try it again if it were offered again. Works for me.
Last night we cleaned the homes as the kids prepare to go home for break. Laundry! Dusting! Cleaning out the fridge! Not as exciting as relay races, but important things to learn nonetheless.
We have so much to be thankful for in the upcoming days. We’re looking forward to a nice break and visits with family and friends. I hope that all the friends of St. Joseph’s also have an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Wopila tanka – many thanks! Claire
From all the students and staff here at St. Joseph’s Indian School, best wishes to you and yours for a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Each of us has so much to be grateful for. May you have the chance to share the day with family and friends!
The Lakota boys and girls made “trees of thanksgiving” to take home to their families.
St. Joseph’s students are getting in the Thanksgiving spirit as they took part in the National Family Week project this past Wednesday. They joined with siblings and cousins to make decorations to take home for their families on Thanksgiving. You can see our photos on Facebook!
They created a “tree of thanksgiving,” with leaves the students wrote messages on, expressing what they are grateful for. Thanks to a grant from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Minnesota, each family receives a gift card for their local grocery store to help provide food for the Thanksgiving meal. In the past, students took food boxes home with them, but the new system works wonderfully.
Three of our Lakota (Sioux) students had the chance to visit Washington, D.C. last week. Their family was honored by the United States for the role their great-grandfather played as a code-talker during World War II. As you might know, during that time Native American radio operators spoke in their native tongues so that German or Japanese troops listening would not understand what military information was being passed from one unit to another.
While these students were in Washington, D.C., another group of our students and staff were in the Houston, Texas, area to take part in a donor luncheon this past weekend. Kayla and Hope, two of our eighth graders, made the trip to share the impact St. Joseph’s has had on their lives. Our next two luncheons are January 18-19 in Los Angeles, California and February 22-23 in Cocoa Beach, Florida. If you would like to attend, you can register here.
I attended an ecumenical Thanksgiving prayer service held at St. James Catholic Church in downtown Chamberlain. It was nice to gather with others and be thankful. On Thanksgiving Day, the parish will host a Thanksgiving meal for anyone in the Chamberlain area who wishes to attend.
On Friday night, the day after Thanksgiving, there will be a presentation on Thanksgiving from a Native American viewpoint. The presenter will be Deacon Bud Jetty’s son, who is an educator from Montana. Deacon Bud serves on St. Joseph’s Board of Directors, and he and his wife are long-time friends of the school.
Last week we received word that 129 visitor-related businesses in South Dakota had been awarded the Great Service Star. The program is sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Tourism to recognize South Dakota businesses that show exceptional customer service to guests, customers or visitors. I am happy to inform you that St. Joseph’s Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center received the award. Visit their Facebook page to congratulate them!
Have a great Thanksgiving! May the holidays bring many blessings to you and your loved ones!
