And that’s certainly what they were doing when I peeked into gymnastics practice with the first and second graders the other day! Forward rolls, back bends, and the
Anita, rec center
splits…YIKES!
Our Native American girls are learning all this under the watchful eyes of Coaches Mark (Recreation Center staff) and LaRayne (teacher at our elementary school). Yes, the girls are definitely having fun while they are being active, learning coordination, body awareness and image, plus persistence and perseverance!
There is an active gymnastics program at the middle and high school levels in Chamberlain; in fact, two members of the high school team (and the children of St. Joseph’s staff members) were at the state finals in Aberdeen, South Dakota last weekend.
St. Joseph’s first, second and third grade girls practice basic tumbling skills.
Watching the younger girls on the mats, you can see that we’ve got some good potential developing at St. Joseph’s Indian School!
Another thing our young Lakota (Sioux) girls enjoy is the CHEER TEAM! This program has been underway for several years. Besides having fun, learning cooperation and the responsibility of being a team member, they provide leadership and LOUD cheering during our basketball games here on campus!
The groups are coached by former cheerleaders Melissa, Jona & Amanda. These ladies come from very different areas: Jona works in St. Joseph’s Development office, Amanda is a Family Service Counselor and Melissa is the wife of a staff member.
St. Joseph’s Cheerleaders get the crowd fired up!
That’s it from the Rec Center for today…but we’ll be back soon with more updates!
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.
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.
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!
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.
Hundreds of geese have taken up residence in Chamberlain’s marina.
The weather in South Dakota cannot make up its mind – wind, snow, wind, cold temperatures, wind, sun and more wind! It has really been blowing these past few days and has taken the temperature down with it. Yesterday, I had to make a quick run to downtown Chamberlain and the wind decided to blow some falling snow into a mini blizzard.
As I cross the little bridge from downtown back toward campus, I feel like I’m on the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” Several hundred Canada geese are still on in an inlet of the river that has not frozen over. They are everywhere!
Two of our high school girls just returned from a donor luncheon in southern California. They said there was a BIG difference in temperatures! Our Lakota students enjoy having the chance to travel – some of them for the first time – and visit with benefactors who support St. Joseph’s.
It is a great way for members of our tiyospaye – extended family – to see firsthand how they directly help Native American children. Our next luncheon will be in Cocoa Beach, Florida on the weekend of February 22-23, and then Atlantic City, New Jersey on the weekend of April 5-6. If you wish to attend, you can find more information here.
Three of our high school girls recently took part in campus visits to schools they might like to attend after high school. Stewart School of Beauty in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, offered a Senior Day experience. The girls were able to explore the world of cosmetology, tour the campus and were treated to pedicures or manicures at the end of the day. Pam, St. Joseph’s Transition Specialist, said two of the girls feel this could be a good fit for them.
Visits to colleges and technical schools are an important part of preparing our students for the future, and your support makes this possible. Pilamaya – thank you!
Monday held a special treat for St. Joseph’s students. Our teachers had an in-service day. While most schools would not be in session, it’s a little different at St. Joseph’s because of our residential setting. Instead of going home, students took a trip to the local movie theater for a screening of ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: 2.’
Hope each of you has a wonderful week and are able to stay warm! Thanks again for your generous support and prayers on behalf of our Native American students. May God’s blessings continue to be with you and your loved ones.
