powwow – Page 6 – St. Joseph's Indian School

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 (1^st – 3^rd 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 150^th 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 37^th 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

Starting the year off with a Bang!

Hello from the Mathias Home, where we are starting off our new year with a bang! We have eleven Lakota (Sioux) girls in 6-8^th grades. Two are new students at St. Joseph’s, and two have moved up from the 4-5^th grade homes. On top of that, we have four new staff in the home!

St. Joseph’s students love having Claire as a houseparent! — Claire has worked as a houseparent at St. Joseph’s for five years.

I am new to the 6-8^th grade community, but have worked for five years in St. Joseph’s high school program. My partner Cathy is fresh from Chicago. Today is the first day of work for the 6-day house parents, who just arrived in South Dakota this week from out East. We are all going through some changes as we try to figure out who we are, where everything is, and how we are going to work together.

The first week is usually pretty frenetic as we get all of our students checked in, get their medical and clothing needs taken care of, and get their belongings squared away. Once we have the external details in order, we start with the internal ones.

The students need to know if new staff are trustworthy. Do we mean what we say? Are we going to be hurtful? Are we going to give up on them? Are we going to keep them safe? Are we going to stop them if they go too far?

The student’s job is to feel out the limits, and our job is to be very clear where those limits are. Over. And over. And over. And over.

My partner and I are pretty on top of things, so students don’t get confused by conflicting messages. And so the students don’t “confuse” us with conflicting stories.

I have been feeling the learning curve as I learn a new set of rules and expectations, and as I find my way around a new home and a new group of kids. I think I am getting the hang of it.

The other night on duty, I decided to check in with one of my “veteran” students, Jillian, who has been at St. Joseph’s Indian School for several years. She is actively trying to figure out what the limits are in the home, now that there are different staff people here.

I told her I was writing a blog post for the donors and friends of St. Joseph’s, and I could use her help. She seemed to like being interviewed, and took a serious tone that I hadn’t seen from her before. She tried to read me, and give me the “right” answers at times, but mostly she was amazingly candid.

ME: So what is good about being back at school?

JILLIAN: Having a good time playing basketball with my friends [who I haven’t seen all summer].

Anything else? There is always something good to learn.

Like what? Umm. Math…reading. Mostly all my subjects. Anything else? I like when we go on trips. Like Lifelight. [a Christian Music Festival]. There was a girl rapper last time.

Anything else? There is always something good and healthy to eat.

Hm. What have you liked so far? Breakfast pizza!!

ME: Tell me about what is hard about being back.

JILLIAN: I’m used to being with my sisters and brothers.

And you don’t see them as much when you’re here? Yeah…my brother is somewhere else.

But your sister is here, right? [Makes a face.]

Anything else? New house parents. [Makes a face].

ME: Tell me about your dreams for this year.

JILLIAN: Meet new people. Try to get along with everyone in the home. Try to get good grades. Be a good role model. [Pause.] I would like to be Miss St. Joseph’s [for powwow.]

That’s right, you’re a dancer. Fancy shawl, right? Tell me about that. Well, when I dance…it’s like there is no one there. Just me. There is no sound.

Do you feel anything? Just the beat on the ground. Like big horses. Or a big heartbeat. There are no colors. Everything is white. Going in circles. When the drum stops, then everything goes back to normal.

[Dumbstruck.] Whoa. That is so cool. [Shyly] I dance for my ancestors, who have done it in the past.

[Over the summer, Jillian said she lost that feeling of being connected to her ancestors. She seemed pretty sad when she talked about it. I asked if there was someone on campus who could help her with this. Her face brightened when I mentioned LaRayne, her Native American Studies teacher. Yes! LaRayne would know what to do! ]

ME: Anything else you would like to share?

JILLIAN: It is hard living on the Rez! Stay in School. Stay out of trouble! Don’t give up on work!

Anything else? [Pause] I think that’s all.

Thanks for helping me with my homework, Jillian!

Wow. It has been a long week of sorting, folding, washing, talking, telling, urging, cleaning, cooking, mopping, nit-picking (literally), running, walking, shopping, teaching, writing, reminding, consequencing, listening, learning, setting limits, setting limits, setting limits, setting limits…

I am very grateful for these moments when these precious Native American girls – my girls – remind me why I’m really here.

Thanks to everyone who makes these kinds of connections possible. Your support and prayers are making it possible for us to have another great year at St. Joseph’s!

Hellos and good-byes

Happy Tuesday to you all!

I write with mixed emotions today, since we’ve said good-bye and hello at the same time this week.

You may remember Fr. Steve sharing with you that we had a visiting Portuguese SCJ, Fr. Jose, staying at St. Joseph’s since April as he worked on his thesis. He really got into the swing of things on St. Joseph’s campus and throughout South Dakota. He went with Fr. Steve and Lakota (Sioux) seventh graders on their cultural trip to the Black Hills and other important places to Native American heritage in neighboring states.

Fr. Jose also went to Hales Corners, Wisconsin, to observe the election assembly that chose Fr. Steve to be our new Provincial. I think the only thing we may have missed while he was here were the lawn mower races in Pukwana, South Dakota! Father Jose left about 10 days ago to visit our SCJ confreres in Houston, Texas and see the work that is being done there at Our Lady of Guadalupe. He’ll head back to France in mid-August.

The other ‘good bye’ was for Fr. Steve as he headed out for Hales Corners early Sunday morning. On August 1, he will take over as our new Provincial. He reminded me that he‘d be coming for St. Joseph’s powwow in September, so you will have the chance to see him then if you can attend.

Hellos were said to our new staff members who are on campus this week for orientation. Right now, they are on a scavenger hunt, which will take them around the campus to find various sites they need to know about. They’ll be taking classes on First Aid, fire safety, adult and child CPR and use of the AED, and learning how to fill out various forms they will need for school, in the homes or kitchen for supplies.

St. Joseph’s new teachers and houseparents undergo extensive training before students return to campus. — New staff are trained in everything from paperwork to how to safely deescalate a situation with a child who may become aggressive. Safety for St. Joseph’s students and staff is our top priority!

We are very grateful to have them! Their willingness to blend their talents and skills with our veteran staff will help us provide our Native American students with the best, safest and most rewarding program possible. Of course, all this is thanks to your generosity.

Next week, St. Joseph’s returning staff will begin orientation. On August 11, students will return and class begins Monday, August 12. As you can see, things will be busy for a while!

Thank you again for your support of St. Joseph’s, both financial contribution and prayers – we are grateful for your friendship! Have a great week and may God’s blessings continue to be with you now and always.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s Indian School

PS. Please keep Fr. Steve in your prayers this week as he prepares to be installed as Provincial on Thursday, August 1, 2013! If you could say a prayer for him that day, I’m sure he would appreciate it so that God’s strength and guidance will be with him as he leads our community into the future. Thank you!

Fr. Anthony

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

Cultural Trip Day 3 – Little Big Horn

Last Monday was a memorable Memorial Day on many fronts.

St. Joseph’s students met a young Cheyenne drum group on their cultural trip. — A group of young Native American drummers invited us over and shared a few songs.

Along with the seventh graders on their cultural trip, we started the day at the Dull Knife Tribal College in Lame Deer, Montana.

We met Mina, who has done extensive work interviewing elders and bringing together the history of the tribe in an organized way. She spoke of how preserving the language and stories help the next generation move forward with pride.

We also met Leroy, who put our St. Joseph’s students at ease with his joking and teasing, while also teaching some important lessons about life. The Lakota (Sioux) people have a tradition of Heyokas and the Cheyenne have a similar tradition of Contraries. They can play the clown and teach by humor and joking.

A Memorial Day celebration on a Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. — After the parade, St. Joseph’s students followed the crowd to the cemetery to pay respects to those who have given their lives in battle.

Rain prevented us from going to the site of the sun dance Sitting Bull held before the Battle of Little Big Horn, but Leroy brought it to life in our imagination with his vivid description of what went on there.

Clara also crossed our path that day and shared some of her poetry, especially recounting the occasion that she received her first eagle feather. Since she also edits the local newspaper, she made sure to take our picture and promised our kids they would be included in next week’s edition.

The clouds parted and the sun came out just in time for the Northern Cheyenne Memorial Day parade. The powwow royalty rode on floats, and different organizations threw the ever-popular candy to kids as they passed by. Several horseback riders also graced the route.

The Lakota students visited the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. — Chandler, a Minnecoujou Lakota, found a grave marker for a warrior who died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

One float had a group of second and third grade drummers. We were at the end of the parade route, and they called us over and sang a few more songs just for our group. We laughed heartily when they included a fun powwow song about SpongeBob Squarepants!

We followed the crowd to the cemetery for the posting of colors and laying of a wreath. Much of the instruction was in the Cheyenne language, but the emotion and honor transcended words. We paid respects at Chief Dull Knife’s grave.

The Cheyenne were a strong warrior society, and paid special tribute to the many who currently serve in our country’s armed forces, and those who did not return from distant battlefields. We received this recounting of bravery in battle on one of the very hills that marked some of the last battles of the Indian Wars.

Afterwards, we went to powwow where a delicious meal was offered to everyone in the community.

The Little Bighorn Battlefield is always a moving place for me to visit. This being Memorial Day, remembering all the fallen on both sides took on an even more special meaning.

In the time since I first visited 20 years ago, there has been an effort to include the sacrifice of Native American Warriors who fought to save their families and to preserve a way of life.

Besides the white grave markers where the 7th Calvary fell, the battlefield is now also marked with red gravestones where Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors died. I noticed Chandler, who is from the Minnecoujou band of the Lakota, next to a marker for a warrior from her band…probably a not-too-distant relative.

The interpretive movie and talk with the rangers moved me to tears several times, as I thought of the history of our students’ ancestors. We drove and walked around the vast fields, remembering, imagining, learning and sharing.

A weekend update

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s,

I have the privilege of sharing what’s been going on at St. Joseph’s Indian School over the last few days since Fr. Steve is away on a donor luncheon to Dover, Delaware and the northwest side of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near King of Prussia and Valley Forge.

Last Wednesday, a severe weather drill was held for the whole State of South Dakota.

We work hard to keep the Lakota boys and girls safe. It’s important to be aware of what sounds would be used should an actual tornado be in the area. We also practice fire and lockdown drills with our Native American students to keep everyone prepared for any situation.

Friday was our 18^th Annual Sobriety Walk and the weather was perfect. The program started with a presentation by Sheltered Reality, a group founded in 1996 to help young people. After their fine presentation, the students and staff made their walk through downtown Chamberlain urging everyone to say NO to drug and alcohol abuse.

Saturday was also busy as Chamberlain High School’s Native American Club sponsored their 6^th Annual Powwow in the Chamberlain Armory. They had a good turnout with royalty and drum groups. The event began with 55 dancers and kept growing! Several St. Joseph’s students and staff took part. CONGRATULATIONS to St. Joseph’s high school students who are officers in the club and did a great job in organizing and running the event.

Sunday was also a beautiful day and gave everyone the chance to get outdoors after a long winter that did not seem to want to end. We had over 10 inches of snow in the last two and a half weeks, so warm, sunny days were a welcome change.

Fishermen were out in force on the Missouri River. There were so many boats in the water that it looked like airplanes in a holding pattern as they came off the water to load their boats.

Chamberlain was hosting a baseball game downtown and some of our older students were active in a softball game here on campus. The younger students had gotten their bikes out and were pedaling all over the campus. I think everyone is ready for warmer weather.

Over at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, the new displays are in place. Thanks to the effort of Split Rock Studios, the overhaul of the displays in the museum and the addition of our historical and alumni center are now complete. We hope you’ll have the chance to visit and see all the changes!

Hope your weekend went well too. We keep you in our prayers and are very grateful for the generosity you show the Lakota children attending St. Joseph’s Indian School. May the Great Spirit bless you and yours this week and always. Pilamaya!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s Indian School

Building Relationships through a Community Hair Shop!

The older Lakota girls fixed hair for the younger girls. — Listella ties Araya’s hair for curls.

We invited our inter-city girls basketball players from the Chamberlain School (6-8 grade) to what we called a community hair shop. The purpose of this time was to share our talents and to learn a hair style – braiding or rag tie curling – so that when our St. Joseph’s students take part in a powwow or a dance event, they will have more people who can fix their hair the way they like it done.

We started with seven of our high school girls fixing the hair of our inter-city girls. In return the, the inter-city girls fixed hair for St. Joseph’s girls in grades one through five. We also invited staff and their families to take part in this exciting event.

We had about 60 girls (maybe more!) take part in our hair shop. Everyone had a grand time!

At St. Joseph’s community hair shop, the girls wait for their styles to set. — After having their hair tied for curls, Shawna, Alyssa and Freddie let their styles set.

Guest Blogger: Mike P.

Greetings everyone from Mike and the William Home (4^th and 5^th grade girls)!

This is my tenth year working in the William Home and it is hard to believe that we are finishing up the first quarter of school this week. As always, St. Joseph’s Indian School’s powwow was very enjoyable and our Lakota kids love showing off their homes, campus and dancing.

The girls are now getting excited for the start of basketball season. We signed up October 18 and our first game is November 5!

If you have followed the William Home activities from last year, you may recall that we set a goal to walk 500 miles (10,00 laps in the gym) as a group. Well, this year the girls have a new plan. We have worked to find the mileage to all the girls’ hometowns and have set up a map to track our walking. Our tour is set to take us 760 miles or 15,200 laps around the gym. So far, we have made it to Fort Thompson and Lower Brule and are headed to Winner, South Dakota next.

Thank you for all you do to help the children of St. Joseph’s, and we will keep you updated on where the William Home is on our walk!

Guest Blogger: Facilities Team

These Native American girls can't wait to see their new home! — These four ladies can’t wait to play in their new home!

School is in session and powwow week is here! Every department is hard at work to make sure everything is ready. Here is an update of our largest projects:

Summerlee Home Renovations:

We have about 95% of the exterior work completed, which includes new siding, shingles and windows. As for the interior of the home, we have completed all the rough-in plumbing and electrical work, and just finished the first coat of taping joints. When the taping and texturing are finished, we will begin painting. It is very exciting to see the layout changes that were made in the home come to life.

William Home Renovations:

The demolition process is still underway in the William Home. We are considering a possible change in the floor plan, which would incorporate the entrance to the lower lever and to the adjacent office area. Once walls are removed, we will have a better idea of how we will proceed with this possible change. We enjoy putting our heads together and seeing what will best work for the students and their home and other staff who work in the Benedictine building.

Now, for a few tidbits of some to the day-to-day activities that are taking place around campus:

Grounds department:

The grounds department is checking out all the sprinkler lines and repairing or replacing any bad sprinklers. They are also removing trees on the west side of Akta Lakota Museum to better accommodate some of the work being done there and at the Summerlee Home.

Carpentry department:

The carpenters are completing a few minor finishing touches to the Stevens and Mathias Homes – our most recently completed renovations. New railings are being added at both entrances of the homes. They are also installing new carpet in the Human Resources and Facilities Management offices.

Electrical department:

The electricians are in the Human Resource and Facilities Management offices installing new lighting to help brighten up the work space. They recently finished wiring in the Summerlee Home.

Plumbing department:

The plumber is keeping up with everyday plumbing RQ’s and also helping with the demo work being done at the Thrift Store.

This week, everyone’s main focus will be getting ready for the powwow.

Thanks – Facilities Team