Half of our school year is already over at St. Joseph’s! It seems like it has really
Linea, St. Joseph’s reading teacher for seventh and eighth grades.
gone by fast. In the last quarter leading up to Christmas break, the Lakota students were working with a program entitled “Blueprint for Intervention: Comprehension” by 95% Group. We focused on Determining Importance and Synthesizing in Nonfiction and Fiction Text. Now we are ready to apply our new comprehension skills as we move on to Unit 3 in our text.
In this unit, we will study the different types of nonfiction including autobiographies, biographies and different types of essays. We will also be doing some activities that will help the students in answering essay questions.
In just a few weeks, we’ll have the next round of our spelling bee. The students worked really hard and the contest proved to be very competitive! We have our winners and they will be moving on to the regional contest held in Mitchell, South Dakota, in February.
The Lakota students worked hard to prepare for the spelling bee.
Before that, however, the seventh and eighth grade classes will have their class trip to Pierre – South Dakota’s capital. We will tour the capital building and the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center.
Hello! My name is Patrick and I’m the Academic Advisor at the High School Learning Center at St. Joseph’s Indian School. Recently I had the privilege of coaching four super students – Angela, Lily, R.J. and Trevor – while they competed in the Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) Knowledge Bowl with 14 other high school teams from around the state of South Dakota.
Our team was awesome and can be really proud of themselves and their commitment to preparing for the competition. Simply participating was a tremendous learning experience for all.
First, let me explain the format: Two teams face side by side with the moderator on the right and judges table on the left. The moderator asks a toss-up question from general educational topics such as science, language arts, mathematics, social studies, Native American history and current events. The toss-up questions appear on the large screen in front of the room while the moderator reads them. The competitors have just 5 seconds to buzz in with the answer. If the answer is correct, that team earns two points with a chance to earn one more point by answering a bonus question. If the team misses the toss-up question then the other team has an opportunity to answer. There are two halves, consisting of ten minutes each.
Trevor, RJ, Lily and Angela with Patrick, coach and Anita, chaperone.
The winning team goes to the next round until an eventual champ is crowned. Easy right….Nope….Ever watch Jeopardy? It is pretty easy watching from the safety of your home. No one can see you worry, sweat and doubt yourself trying to remember what you know, hoping not to let down your team all in those excruciating 5 seconds! Nerve wracking…and that is from the coach’s perspective!
With the adrenaline pumping in anticipation of the first match with Cheyenne River, the game began. Within the first 2 minutes we were down 5-0. Ouch! Once the shock and intensity of kickoff was over we got down to business. We were tied 8-8 at half time briefly surged head to 13-10. We had a chance with a few current event and Native American questions, but couldn’t buzz in quick enough and lost 13-17.
Now off to the loser bracket, which means you get to compete as long you win. Our next opponent was Crow Creek — this was a team our students really wanted to win against, since three of our team members are from that area. Now with the first game jitters out of the way, we rolled to a commanding 17-5 victory over Crow Creek.
Phew – we are still in the hunt! The next match would be in two hours against a formidable team.
And what a match that one was! Everyone contributed to the victory. We missed a number of questions to begin with, but answer by answer we roared back from an 8-3 deficit. With everyone answering crucial questions, we won 16-11.
The students were now believing in themselves and beginning to wonder who we would have to beat in order to win the Knowledge Bowl.
Our mantra became “One match at a time.”
The competition was getting more intense. The winner of our last match of the day would advance to the championship rounds. We fell behind early, but by halftime took a two point lead. Each team member contributed in the comeback for a 17-16 victory!
Resiliency! It was great to see their confidence growing.
Day two really tested our mettle. We lost… but we won.
We lost on a technicality. They won on a technicality… we lost. Bummer. Angela, one of our two seniors, gave the answer “inverse,” but the answer they were looking for was “inverse property.” She felt the answer was adequate since “property” was stated in the question. No worries, still 39 seconds remaining. The opposing team tied! Then they answered the bonus question…bell rang…match over… we lost 13-14. Yuck!
Angela was dumbstruck. “Can’t you do anything? You are the coach.” Sadly, I said to her, the captain is the only one who can challenge a question.
“I didn’t know that!”
“Bummer, yeah… but let’s go talk to the judges,” I said. We went over and she pleaded her case with courage and respect. They all agreed with her argument, including the moderator.
“But you didn’t challenge. We’re sorry.”
One of the judges patted her on her back and said “You were right…I am proud of you!”
We were in shock and denial. Then we began commiserating, going over where the areas that made a difference in the final outcome. To watch the students process the experience was remarkable—they had the disappointment, they recovered, they planned for next time.
They learned a valuable life lesson about getting up one more time than you fall down.
We ended on a high note with R.J. placing first on the government exam over all students competing! Our team finished 6th out of 14 for individual exams.
They earned 5th place out of 14 teams, and that’s a lot to be proud of. This will be a sweet memory and gave us a taste of victory. There is something magical about overcoming all odds and doing well. Winning is a potent elixir. We were so close!
We say good bye to our two seniors, Angela and R.J., and are excited to have two strong core members of the team returning for next season’s 39th LNI.
Happy New Year from all the students and staff at St. Joseph’s Indian School!
Fr. Anthony, Terri and Fr. Bernie had a wonderful time during Chamberlain’s Parade of Homes!
I hope everyone’s New Year is off to a great start. Our students and staff are in the process of working their way back to campus as the Christmas Break comes to an end. The weather is making it a bit interesting today – we have snow and 11 degrees outside, along with blistering winds lowering the wind chill to well below zero. Word has already come from the Rosebud Indian Reservation that their bus will not be able to make it to St. Joseph’s today due to the weather. South Dakota could get up to 6 inches of snow or more before tomorrow. Please keep all those traveling in your prayers for a safe journey.
Since things were quiet around campus this past week, I would like to bring you up-to-date on some things that happened just before Christmas.
Pope Francis has dedicated 2015 to be a Year of Consecrated Life —honoring Sisters, Priests and Brothers who have made the commitment to religious life. Our Provincial, Fr. Steve Huffstetter, SCJ, sent out a memo encouraging our Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ) communities to discern ways we could make ourselves visible to the people in our areas so as to give witness and invite them to know us better.
On December 14, 2014, Fr. Bernard Rosinski, SCJ and I, along with our housekeeper, Terri, took part in the annual Parade of Homes in the Chamberlain area. It is a fundraiser for our local Cozard Memorial Library. There were five homes and one local business that people could visit.
We hosted between 60-75 people and had a great time answering questions and showing off our home —beautiful, thanks to Terri’s wonderful sense of decorating.
Later that week, we invited St. Joseph’s staff to come up and see the decorations and enjoy some cookies and hot cider. About 40-50 staff accepted our invite during this busy season. It was a wonderful experience!
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On the calendar for the week ahead is the start of the third quarter at school and our celebration of Christmas with the Lakota (Sioux) boys and girls. The students are looking forward to opening their gifts your generosity provided! I always enjoy visiting the homes and seeing the expressions of joy on the children’s faces as they open their gifts. We’ll be sure to take some pictures so you can see them in next week’s blog!
With 2015 upon us, I also wanted to remind you of the donor luncheons that will be coming up, giving you an opportunity to meet some of St. Joseph’s students and staff:
January 18-19, 2015: San Francisco, California
April 25-26, 2015 : Panama City, Florida
June 7-8, 2015: New York, New York
If you are able to attend and would like additional information, please call 1-800-584-9200. We look forward to spending some time with you!
Enjoy the week ahead. May God’s blessings continue to be with you as in the New Year. Thanks again for your support and encouragement of our Lakota students and all of us. Be assured of our prayers for you and your special intentions.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that Santa was good to you all. Things are still very quiet here on campus as the Lakota (Sioux) students and much of the staff are away for Christmas break. We have only a handful of students staying in the break home.
We got some additional snow overnight and some VERY cold weather has settled in. Local news stations are predicting wind chills of -30. Brrrr!!
Since there is not a lot of ‘current’ news to share, it gives me a chance to pass along some tidbits that we may have missed in Busy December.
RJ (right) took first place in the individual government test! The team took 3rd place in the LNI Knowledge Bowl.
Right before the Christmas break began, several of our students traveled out to Rapid City, South Dakota to take part in some of the events at the annual Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI). What began as a basketball tournament in the 1970s is now a celebration of Native American arts, culture, language and family. The days-long event includes traditional hand games, a language bowl, knowledge bowl, archery competition and more.
Joseph’s sent a Knowledge Bowl team and they captured 3rd place. After the team contest, there are individual tests in a variety of subjects. One of St. Joseph’s team members, senior RJ, took first place in Government. One of those congratulating RJ was Senator John Thune, who was also the speaker at RJ’s eighth grade graduation. Given his interest in government and politics, this was very exciting for RJ!
One of our freshmen, Kaitlyn, took part in the archery contest and came in 2nd out of 30 shooters.
Joseph’s hand games team took 1st place! Their weekly practices really paid off.
Congratulations to all those who represented St. Joseph’s at LNI. You are a credit to our school and we’re so proud of you all!
Frank, our Residential Coordinator for the seventh and eighth grades, came up with an idea at the start of December to have some Christmas fun. Employing the popular “Elf on the Shelf” story, he added a twist – our elves broke the rules!
Each day, students found the elves somewhere in school breaking a rule! These elves had iPods in class.
Each day, students found the elves somewhere in school breaking a rule! Their job then was to submit their name and the rule being broken for a chance to win a prize. In addition to being a lot of fun, the elves helped students remember to follow the rules in the exciting weeks leading up to Christmas break.
Another noteworthy success for a St. Joseph’s student was achieved by Kyran, a high school senior, who is a member of the Chamberlain FFA Marketing Team. His team recently placed second at the State Fall Leadership CDE’s! Also on the team with Kyran is Connor, who is the grandson of our school secretary, Dianne. Congratulations to everyone!
I hope all of you will have an enjoyable New Year’s celebration and that God’s blessings, love and guidance will be with you throughout 2015.
Campus is quiet and most of the students are home for the Holidays. A handful of our Lakota
Claire, Teacher’s Aide & Houseparent
students arrived back today for the break home, though. High school students on the basketball teams are expected to practice over the break. Unlike their teammates who live in town, St. Joseph’s Indian School students must leave their families back home in order to be able to make practices. This shows an extra level of commitment and sacrifice.
The break home provides some structure and support for our winter athletes. That doesn’t mean that things aren’t festive. The mood over break tends to be pretty relaxed—no school during the day and no homework to be done at night. The high school kids who don’t have early morning practices love to sleep in. Evenings are spent socializing or watching movies.
A few years back, I was working in the break home with Craig and we decided to make the 70-mile trek to the closest “big city” of Mitchell, South Dakota, for a trip to the movies. We loaded up the Suburban with seven kids and off we went. All was going so well—the kids enjoyed the movie and an impromptu trip to Wal-Mart. We were heading home when the engine started making strange noises. And then the transmission blew.
There we were, stuck in first gear and unable to go any faster than 3 miles per hour. It was 9:00 at night, we were an hour from Chamberlain and it was a dangerous 17 degrees below zero. Thankfully, we were right at an exit. A passing Sheriff saw our flashing lights and accompanied us up to the ramp. But even he got impatient and after about 15 minutes of us chugging along, he turned tail and left.
Luckily the kids thought this was great fun. They cheered us on, “Go Craig Go!!” and even leaned forward to help us go faster. We headed toward the closest gas station, picking up a little downhill speed until we were careening along at 4mph. One of the kids had to go to the bathroom. He got out, ran to ahead to the station, used the loo, and still beat us to the parking lot.
The kids weren’t particularly stressed or upset. Maybe it was because the heat and the stereo were working. So we were cozy and had our tunes blasting. Maybe it was because they could see the humor in the situation—Craig talking to the engine, urging her on like a racehorse. But I think mostly because St. Joseph’s is a safe place.
One of the awesome things about working at St. Joseph’s Indian School, is that when disaster strikes, there is always someone to call. We were armed with cell phones and help was immediately on the way. Our on-call supervisor and her husband drove 50 miles from Chamberlain with another Suburban and met us at the gas station. We had just arrived, making the 3 mile drive in just under an hour.
In many ways, St. Joseph’s Indian School provides a safety net for our kids. Sometimes it’s a dramatic sub-zero temperature rescue, but mostly it’s the small stuff—a safe place to spend break, a sympathetic ear when the coach is tough and muscles are sore, a few encouraging words before morning practice.
That safety net can mean a lot, especially when the going gets tough.
If you are reading this, then you are part of our safety net too—pulling for our kids, offering encouragement and keeping them in your prayers. Thank you for all you do to make our kids feel safe and supported.
My name is Odis and I am a houseparent for boys in grades 4-6. I work in the Cyr Home at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
Odis, Cyr Home houseparent
As we prepare to send the boys home for the holidays (and they are excited about their break) I am getting introspective about what we have done so far this year. I thought I would write you a short letter about one of our favorites – the South Dakota State Fair trip!
Of course, the highlight of the fair was the midway – the boys spent hours on the rides! The Ring of Fire and the Octopus seemed to be the favorites. But before the rides, the boys had some other places to check out.
After visiting the Goat Barn, dreams of becoming a farmer were cemented by sitting in the tractors!
They visited the Dairy Barn, Rabbit and Bird Barns and the very popular Goat Barn. We all went to the Goat Barn as a home to see and play with the young goats that are called “kids.” I saw a lot of similarities in the energy levels. Ha ha!
More than a few of the boys wanted then and there to be a farmer. This notion was reinforced with a tour of the farm implement row, where the boys loved having their pictures taken on large and small tractors, giant combines and crop sprayers.
My fellow houseparent then took most of the boys to the rides. I took one of the boys to see his favorite part of the fair…the RV’s. He had to go into every single one. He came away from RV row with a long list of them he wanted to buy and live in.
Only one brave soul tried the mechanical bull – he stayed on for almost 10 seconds!
Oh, and I almost forgot about our brave boy who rode on the mechanical bull! He did awesome and stayed on for about ten seconds. All the other boys were jealous, but not enough to try it for themselves. It was a long, fun day and they are already looking forward to next year’s fair.
The boys would like to thank you all for helping them go to activities like this. We pray for all of you regularly!
Season’s greetings from Cyr Home at St Joseph’s! All twelve boys and the houseparents here – myself, Theresa, Laura and Sean – wish you a merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Cyr Home!
After nearly three years of “silence,” the pipe organ in the choir loft at Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel thrilled under
Clare, St. Joseph’s Director of Pastoral Care and Native American Studies
the fingertips of local music teacher and organist Faye S. on December 7, 2014 – the Second Sunday of Advent. It was a special event set in motion by the annual tuning visit of Radanovich & Associates, the company that built and installed the organ. Joseph Radanovich had reminded Aaron (Faye’s son and employee of St. Joseph’s Indian School) that, unlike many instruments that grow out-of-tune by use, the organ must be played.
That reminder led to a collaboration between Faye and me, which resulted in the special Mass. Some 20 students attended a practice with Faye the Wednesday beforehand. The purpose of the practice was not only to polish the Advent music sung only during this season, but also to get past the jitters and excitement of singing from the choir loft – a rare treat.
When Sunday morning arrived, Faye teased powerful, expressive praise from the organ, accompanied by Aaron on the bass. The choir filled the loft with their presence and Our Lady of Sioux with their song: Come, come, Emmanuel; Son of God appear. Heaven and earth rejoice. Salvation is drawing near.
The assembly below bustled with a true sense of rejoicing. Following the celebration, many offered notes and comments of appreciation.
What a joy to have the opportunity to celebrate this season of joyful anticipation in this way! And what a remarkable thing that this organ, which was a gift to St. Joseph’s, can continue to bless and praise through the years.
Of interest: The organ was donated by St. Aloysius Parish of West Allis, Wisconsin, and dedicated on June 22, 1998. Joseph Radanovich was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is owner of Radanovich & Associates. He lists his heritage as Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Hungarian, Russian and Jewish, with a splash of Swedish, Spanish, Irish and North African just for flavor! A Byzantine Catholic, he follows Native American spirituality as well. Adopted into a Lakota Sun Dance family at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, which straddles North and South Dakota, he is a Pipe Carrier and Traditional Dancer.
I was recently blessed to be able to take in this gathering of people from around South Dakota who share a common goal: we want to build a
LaRayne, St. Joseph’s Native American Studies teacher
“Bright Future in Our Schools.”
I learned so much during two days of meetings, meals and mingling! The sessions were interactive with technology, discussions and hands on activities and ideas to help teachers, administrators, vendors, community business leaders, students and parents from all walks of life.
I had several favorite sessions. One entailed hearing ideas from a teacher in our state who gets her students to write while they think they are in an art class. This same presenter shared her passion to teach because, in this generation, she was not taught about the indigenous people who were living on this land before her ancestors came across the ocean. What
All St. Joseph’s students take Native American Studies as part of our regular curriculum and have the opportunity to participate in powwow and other cultural activities.
she is doing can be done by any teacher in any state to help students to learn by indigenous practices and to really care about their own education.
Another favorite group was a program we are using called “Wolakota Project.” This program allows teachers from any school, including St. Joseph’s, to access video interviews on a website. This curriculum will be incorporated into our 1st -3rd grade classrooms, helping adults and students to understand cultural stories, ways and sensitivities to Oceti Sakowin Oyate (Seven Council Fires Nation).
Other sessions I soaked up will help not only with my daily classes but also with the planning and execution of our seventh grade cultural trip, which will be here again before we know it!
I was able to mingle with fellow allies through wonderful meals of buffalo stew and lots of wakalapi (coffee). Creating a network of people with whom to share ideas is always a strong part of the summit. I listened to school board members, parents, community leaders, Tribal leaders, higher education officers, students, professors and family members of students share their ideas, worries, solutions and works as well as personal motivation that keep us all loving what we do every day.
Sharing the culture of our people from the Seven Council Fires is what I have done for the past 12 years here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. It is motivating for me to see that the work we are striving for together is going to help fulfill not only my part in the mission here at St. Joseph’s, but also to build a “Bright Future in Our Schools” for all students.
Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start and your taste buds are ready for turkey and pumpkin pie.
Students gathered in family groups to make table decorations to take home for Thanksgiving.
Last Wednesday, St. Joseph’s students took part in the National Family Week Project. They gathered in family groups (siblings, cousins) so they could make up table decorations to take home for Thanksgiving.
One was a turkey and the other was a big pumpkin which had a slot in it that contained space for small pieces of paper. Students used paper ‘seeds’ to write things they are grateful for. Everyone enjoyed dinner together, followed by some fun playing bingo.
Also last week, we had 19 students from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota on campus for two days. The group was made up of young men and women planning a teaching career. They got some firsthand experience in the classroom and it was a great learning experience for everyone.
Last Wednesday, St. Joseph’s students took part in the National Family Week Project.
After basketball games at home tonight for the fourth, fifth and sixth grade Lady Braves, we will have fall sports awards at the rec center tomorrow. Cross country, volleyball and football players will receive their honors for Most Improved, Best Team Player and Coach’s Choice. Congratulations to everyone involved!
On Sunday, we held a Lakota Mass on campus. Deacon Bud is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band in North Dakota, serves on St. Joseph’s Board of Directors and helps out at St. James Catholic Church in Chamberlain; for Mass, he led us in the Lord Have Mercy in Lakota. LaRayne, one of our Native American Studies teachers and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, led us in reciting the Our Father in Lakota and Happy Birthday to those celebrating their birthdays this week.
Pilamaya – thank you – for your generosity for the care and education of the Lakota (Sioux) students. May your holiday be filled with many blessings and safe travels!
The big winter storm coming moving across the upper Midwest is hitting South Dakota today. Chamberlain is just on the fringe of the storm but we have snow, cold winds and some slush. We are expecting cold temperatures all week.
The Explorers learned the proper way to fold a flag at one of their recent meetings.
The Explorers, a local service group, have been out raking leaves but they may have to switch over to shoveling snow! In addition to community service projects, the boys learn useful life lessons. At one of their recent meetings they learned how to properly fold the flag in preparation for Veterans Day tomorrow.
Our kitchen crew will honor all the veterans on St. Joseph’s staff by inviting them to a free lunch on November 11. This is a small way of saying pilamaya – thank you – to those who protect our country and the freedom we enjoy every day.
Since November starts off with the Feast of All Saints and All Souls, we have put up a Remembrance Tree in Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel. Students and staff were asked to submit names of their loved ones who have passed on that could be put on the tree. It will stay up during November as a reminder to us of those walking their journey back to the Heavenly Father.
Tomorrow, we’ll be starting the Novena of Masses for all our benefactors’ special intentions.
Recently, a new program was introduced to the Lakota boys and girls entitled “I See You.” The purpose is to encourage positive actions all over campus. Staff have been given dog tags inscribed with a positive act such as Hope, Belonging, Independence, Sacrifice, Accepting and Loved, which are written in English and Lakota (Sioux).
Our Remembrance Tree will be in the chapel for the month of November.
When staff members see a student showing one of these positive things, they give the tag to the student to let them know their positive act was witnessed. The students then have the opportunity to pass on the tag when they see a fellow student or staff member doing the act mentioned on their tag. The program’s purpose is to encourage everyone to have a positive attitude and good interaction with one another.
Wishing you a great week, and may you experience God’s blessings in a variety of ways. Pilamaya – thank you – for your support and encouragement of everything we do at St. Joseph’s!
