Good day from the staff and Lakota (Sioux) girls in the William Home (4th and 5th grade girls)!
Mike, a St. Joseph’s houseparent
The year has gone by quickly; it is hard to believe, but we will be starting the final quarter next week when school resumes after spring break.
We have finished up our walking program for the year. Each morning, we got up early to go to the rec center and walk laps. As a home, staff and students walked a total of 21,460 laps this year. That is equal to 1,070 miles!
Now, hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can get outdoors and play in our free time. We have our home trip coming up soon and everyone is excited. A fun weekend away from campus towards the end of the year is always a great time to reflect on our school year and the relationships we have built. We are planning on going to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and visit the Butterfly House, the Washington Pavillion to take in some science exhibits and then the Sky Zone for some trampoline time.
Right now, I am working in the spring break home. Some of St. Joseph’s students stay on campus during breaks for a variety of reasons. There is always a place for them here. It is a relaxed time and the kids enjoy recreational and leisure activities.
The Lakota (Sioux) girls in the William Home got up early every morning to walk at the rec center and meet their goal.
Staff members can apply to work one of the shifts in the break home, or just take the time off – it is not mandatory for any staff to work in break homes. Many students in the spring break home are younger and I also have a couple girls from the William Home. It is nice to get to know younger students and spend some extra time with the kids I already know.
We hope you have all survived the winter months! I hate to say it, but I’m done with my shift today and headed out to hit some golf balls – our snow is gone and we’re supposed to get up to 60 degrees!
Things are kind of quiet right now as our elementary school students (grades 1-8) are on spring break. St. Joseph’s high school students attend Chamberlain
Fr. Anthony spends time with St. Joseph’s students.
High School, and they are still in session.
When classes let out on Friday and spring break officially kicked off, I rode along to the Pine Ridge area in southwestern South Dakota to take some of the Lakota students home. We try to send two staff members in each van or mini bus, and it was very helpful to have an extra staff person this time! One of the student’s relatives was late getting to the pick-up spot in Martin, South Dakota. I was able to wait with her while the others continued on to Pine Ridge. As we drove back through the Rosebud Indian Reservation, it was nice to see some of the towns our students come from.
Three of our high school girls recently made a trip to the University of Minnesota in Morris (UM-M). Ashley is already accepted to the college and will take pre-veterinary classes; Amber and Michelle went along to support Ashley and check out the campus. The nice thing about UM-M is that, once a Native American student is accepted, tuition is paid in full. Of course, some expenses still remain, like books, room and board and incidentals, but tuition is a huge help.
Pam, who chaperoned the trip, works with the juniors and seniors to help them find college programs they might consider entering. She makes several of these trips with our students at this time of year.
We are disappointed to report the Chamberlain Cubs’ basketball season is over.
The Lady Cubs went up against the team from Winner last week … the team lived up to their town’s name and defeated the Lady Cubs to knock them out of further contention.
On Monday night, the boys took on Cheyenne-Eagle Butte to see who would be punching their ticket to the Boys’ State Basketball Championship. Chamberlain held its own until the third quarter and then ran into trouble with turnovers, fouls and poor shooting. The Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves were able to win the game at the free throw line and will move on to Sioux Falls for the State A tournament.
Though we’ll be losing some good senior players, we are excited about next year. Those lost will be replaced by Junior Varsity players, and the Cubs’ JV squad has not lost a game in two years!
On Monday, I attended the Board Meeting at Cheyenne River Indian Outreach (CRIO) in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. St. Joseph’s and CRIO are both operated by the Priests of the Sacred Heart and work together in a variety of ways. CRIO operates a shelter on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation for those suffering from domestic violence (the only one of its kind for 100 miles in any direction), a thrift store and a residence for at-risk youth ages 10-17.
Just a few days ago, St. Joseph’s received a call for help from CRIO – their thrift store shelves were nearly bare. They would soon be unable to help meet the needs of the community in terms of clothing and household items.
Thanks to you, St. Joseph’s was able to send a load of clothing and other needed items to help re-stock the shelves.
Your faithful support makes a real difference to so many people in need. Pilamaya – thank you!
May God continue to bless and help you have a reflective and beneficial Lent. You are remembered in our prayers.
The weather is in the news again. It snowed heavily Monday afternoon and is supposed to be cold the rest of the week. Some of the local school districts shut down early
Earlier in the year, the Chamberlain boys varsity team came to St. Joseph’s for a “Red & White” Scrimmage. Coach Allan and Bryan, St. Joseph’s Rec Director, talked to the Lakota boys and girls about what it takes to be a good player and a good student.
to get students home safely, and started late this morning.
The basketball season for the students at St. Joseph’s and Chamberlain High School is winding down.
Our sixth, seventh and eighth grade teams have their final games Thursday at Todd County. St. Joseph’s Inter-city league will end Sunday.
Play-off games for the boys’ and girls’ state basketball tournament are about to begin for our high school players.
Allan, coach of the Chamberlain Cubs varsity boys, invited St. Joseph’s fourth and fifth grade teams to come into the locker room Friday to experience pre-game preparation and the coach’s pep talk to the team. Allan’s wife Shelby is a teacher at St. Joseph’s; we’re grateful for the connection and his efforts to encourage the Lakota students to be part of the high school team.
Friday night was also parents’ night! St. Joseph’s players presented flowers to their houseparents if their own families were unable to attend.
Our Alumni Liaison, Mary Jane, has recently been reviewing scholarship applications and had some great news to share about former St. Joseph’s students and scholarship recipients:
Andrea is working towards her LPN in Lake Andes, South Dakota.
Nicole is studying to be a Paramedic in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Elijah is taking athletic training at SDSU in Brookings, South Dakota.
Keenan is taking Liberal Arts at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, where Sheena is also studying Business.
Cody, one of St. Joseph’s seniors, is on the basketball team.
Savanna is working on a BSN in nursing at the Kramer School of Nursing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Jeannine is taking nursing at Oglala Lakota College in Kyle, South Dakota, along with Michelle who is working on an AA in nursing.
Erika is taking Digital Film & Video Production at The Art Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Marilyn (Health Information Management) and Weylin (Transportation Tech/Heavy Duty) are both looking forward to graduation in May from Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Claudia is taking online courses working on becoming a Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York while she works for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe as a Youth Care Manager.
Pilamaya – thank you – for your generosity! The gifts you give help these Native American students prepare for their futures and develop skills they can bring back to their tribes and communities. You are making a real difference!
May God continue to bless and reward you for your generosity for the ongoing needs of the Lakota boys and girls. Have a great week!
Hi everyone!
As we gear up for the busy tourist season to start in May at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, I’m excited to share some good news!
Charleen, Historical Center Coordinator, welcomes guests to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center.
Charleen, St. Joseph’s Indian School Historical Center Coordinator, was recognized by the South Dakota Department of Tourism and the Governor’s Tourism Advisory Board for her efforts in providing outstanding customer service! For her outstanding effort, she has been awarded the Governor’s Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Hospitality and Customer Service.
Way to go Charleen!
She is the key member of our frontline team at the museum. In most cases, she is the first person our visitors and donors meet when they visit St. Joseph’s campus. So many visitors have shared positive comments about her pleasant and helpful attitude. We are very pleased to have her as part of our organization!
Plan your visit to St. Joseph’s and the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center now!
We recently had a bit of excitement with a mild earthquake in our neck of the woods! It only measured 2.9 on the Richter scale and was located about 17 miles southeast of
Jacquelynne and Alyssa are excited to visit Florida!
Chamberlain. Nobody at St. Joseph’s Indian School felt it, and there was no damage in the area. Thank goodness!
Two of our young Lakota (Sioux) ladies, Alyssa and Jacquelynne, will be joining other staff members traveling to St. Joseph’s next Donor Luncheon in Cocoa Beach, Florida this weekend. Cocoa Beach is in the Cape Canaveral area. They are looking forward to visiting with benefactors and friends who attend.
While they may not make it to any of the Daytona 500 going on up the coast, they are looking forward to the Florida weather, a dip in the Atlantic Ocean and a visit to the Cape Kennedy Space Center. If you are going to be in the Cocoa Beach area and would like to attend, please let us know as soon as you can by calling 1-800-584-9200.
Not going to be near Cocoa Beach? Check our schedule of donor events. We may be coming to an area near you!
St. Joseph’s fourth, fifth and sixth grade basketball teams had the chance to take part in a tournament sponsored by the City of Chamberlain over the weekend. There were teams from communities in the area and even some who came a great distance. There was good play on everyone’s part. Though some of the scores were a bit lopsided, the players had fun. Our fourth grade team captured 3rd place in their age group thanks to a last second, buzzer-beating shot by Keshaume as he was falling out of bounds! You may recall Keshaume recently won his age group at the Knights of Columbus regional free throw contest.
St. Joseph’s staff members – from teachers to houseparents to counselors – make our work possible with the Lakota children!
St. Joseph’s will be holding a Staff Appreciation Breakfast this coming Wednesday morning. The Priests of the Sacred Heart (the religious community that runs St. Joseph’s) does this each year as a special way of saying wopila tanka – many thanks – to our employees.
Their efforts combined with your generosity enable us to offer the programs the Lakota boys and girls need – a safe home, food, clothing, counseling and more. We hope this humble gesture is one way of showing our gratitude and appreciation for those who are part of the team here on campus.
I hope each of you has a great week ahead! We will finish the novena of Masses for you and your intentions on February 19. We offer up a novena each month for all our Benefactors as our way of saying pilamaya — thank you – for your support.
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!
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!
It has been said, ‘if you don’t like the weather in South Dakota, wait a few minutes.’ That was reality in Chamberlain last weekend. Monday’s newspaper mentioned that
Fr. Anthony with the Lakota children
we had the highest reported wind gust at 64 mph in the state on Sunday. The storm brought a bit of everything, starting with rain followed by snow accompanied by high winds leading to blizzard conditions, punctuated by short spats of clear sunny skies.
Monday and today, we dealt with sub-zero conditions. This type of weather brings its own challenges, even without additional snow. Keeping the children inside all day at school and then again all evening requires the staff to be extra creative to keep our Lakota boys and girls from getting stir-crazy.
On a positive note, the pool has re-opened! A mechanical issue caused the pool to be closed for nearly a week. It was nice to see our Native American students filling the rec center Sunday afternoon, some participating in girls’ inter-city basketball and others heading for the pool. Your generosity allows us to operate the recreation center and offer many fun, healthy activities for the Lakota children year round.
All week, St. Joseph’s is celebrating National Catholic School Week with some special activities. There was breakfast for school staff yesterday morning; today was ‘adopt a department’ day. The students will visit different departments here on campus to say pilamaya – thank you – for their work. On Wednesday there will be a prayer service; Thursday students will take part in academic games and Friday we will wrap up with a special treat for all the students.
The Chamberlain High School Theater Production group presented The Afghan Women over the weekend, based on a play by William Mastrosimone. The group, which includes five St. Joseph’s high school students, will perform at the state one act play competition on Wednesday in Pierre, South Dakota.
The story is about an American-Afghani woman who returns to her family estate and finds it has become a refuge for orphaned children. She feels she must stay and help, and is joined by three widowed Afghan women who stumble upon her home seeking refuge. A local warlord and his troops come on the scene looking for supplies and potential fighters as they take over the orphanage. As the play unfolds, various characters relate dramatic events that have taken place over the years of fighting the country has endured.
We wish the cast and crew the best as they perform on Wednesday!
We hope you all have an enjoyable week and are able to stay warm and safe. Thank you again for your generosity. We continue to keep you and your loved ones in our prayers.
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.
