Tag: South Dakota

Visiting with a St. Joseph’s alum

Greetings from South Dakota!

First of all, our thoughts and prayers are with those in the Midwest who experienced such awful weather over the weekend.  The loss of life and destruction are truly tragic.

Chamberlain High School presented their annual play this past weekend, Father of the Bride.  Two of St. Joseph’s high school students were in the cast and four were part of the stage and lighting crew. As an added bonus, St. Joseph’s students Amber and Ashley created the set designs! In Dramatic Arts class, the director divided students into teams of two and let them come up with design ideas for the play. Amber and Ashley’s design was chosen – way to go, girls!

Basketball season is underway at St. Joseph’s, and the Lakota girls in 4th through 8th grade have taken to the hardwood courts.  On Saturday, the 4th, 5th and 6th graders played their counterparts from Chamberlain Elementary.  There was a good turnout of family and friends on both sides to cheer them on.

The Chamberlain girls had some tall players, but St. Joseph’s girls had some real spunk and a ‘never say die’ attitude that helped them come back from early deficits and secure victory in the 4th and 6th grade games by one point each.  The 5th graders, unfortunately, came up just 4 points short.  This week, all our teams will be on the road playing schools in the local area.

I had a nice surprise during the basketball games on Saturday. I got to visit with the mother of a current student who was a student here herself in the late 1990’s.  Fancee was a star basketball player at St. Joseph’s. Now, she is married with four children and works as a police detective on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.

She shared that her time at St. Joseph’s Indian School really prepared her for working with the Native American youth whom she now encounters in her profession.  It was truly great to visit with her and hear how her years at St. Joseph’s helped her prepare for the future!

I hope each of you has a great week and that God’s blessings remain with you. Pilamaya – thank you – for your concern and generosity towards the Native American students at St. Joseph’s Indian School.  Know that you and your intentions have been remembered in our Novena of Masses, November 11-19.

Thank you to our Veterans

Good afternoon from a snowy South Dakota!

We had a little dusting of snow early this morning.  With the leaves still on the ground, it makes for a slippery situation.  I’m sure the students were not in mad dashes across St. Joseph’s campus today.

First of all, Happy Veterans Day!  A big pilamaya – thank you – to all who made the commitment to serve in the Armed Forces of our country to keep us protected and free.

There is a Veterans’ Day powwow in Lower Brule today.  LaRayne, our Native American Studies teacher, took 10 drummers and 5 dancers to take part.  The Summerlee Home (4th and 5th grade girls) went up yesterday to join in the festivities and enjoy a meal with the community.

Friday night, several of our staff represented St. Joseph’s Indian School in a fundraiser for the Chamberlain School District Foundation.  It was loosely based on an Old Fashioned Community Spelling Bee.  Nine different teams took part in the event at the city civic center, which was recently rebuilt.

It was an open house for the new facility and a chance to raise some money for an outdoor classroom for the Chamberlain school system.  The teams had fun as they competed in spelling, puns, scrabble and penmanship.  While the MC stated ‘this might be the first and last spelling bee,’ it seemed everyone had fun and even the audience was able to take part.

I hope you all have a great week.   We continue to keep you in our prayers, asking God to bless and reward you for your generosity to the Lakota children at St. Joseph’s.
Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Changing Weather, Changing Activities

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

I hope everyone had a great week and lots of fun on Halloween.  The Lakota students capped off their celebration of Red Ribbon week — a time focused on reminding them of the danger of drugs — with some spooky fun, wearing costumes to school and trick-or-treating on campus. The students then gathered in the rec center for the Grand March and judging of costumes.  There were awards for scariest, funniest and most creative costume, along with awards for pumpkin carving and home decorations. Check out the fun on our Facebook album!

The Lakota children enjoyed decorating and dressing up for Halloween.
St. Joseph’s students capped off Red Ribbon Week with Halloween fun!

Our High School Academic Advisor, Tara, announced the members of the 2013 Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) Knowledge Bowl team. LNI is an annual event held before Christmas each year in Rapid City, South Dakota.  It gathers members of the Lakota nation from all over the state and surrounding areas to compete in a wide variety of events — basketball, archery, an art show, Native American hand  games, language contests and the Knowledge Bowl.  Our students, Erica, Ashley, Michael, Cody, Kyran, Liliana, Jacob and Angela will meet every Sunday night until the competition to practice. 

The CHS volleyball team – including some St. Joseph’s students – hosts Cheyenne-Eagle Butte on Tuesday in the state playoffs.  This will be a tough one to watch since I spent five years in Eagle Butte serving on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation; but since I’m now in Chamberlain, I have to say ‘Go Cubs!’ 

As the weather is changing and cooling down, St. Joseph’s students are spending more time indoors.  We recently held sign up for archery and wrestling. The younger students are also getting ready for Dancing Dolls and Dudes. 

With the end of the first quarter, we acknowledged our honor roll students in grades 1-8. Students received certificates and a special prize for A and B Honor Roll and for perfect attendance. 

Have a great week.  Know that you and your intentions are remembered in our prayers. Thank you for your generosity!

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

A little snow on the way?

Dear Benefactors,

It looks like our Indian Summer may be over in South Dakota – that dreaded word ‘snow’ is in the forecast.  It won’t be a lot, but it does remind us we are moving later into the year and our warm, sunny days will not be around for a while.  We saw some evidence of snow and slush yesterday up in Fort Pierre on my way to a board meeting in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.  We visited the abused women’s shelter and residential care center for Native American youth in that community, both sponsored by St. Joseph’s Indian School.  They are doing wonderful work as they reach out to the local community on a variety of fronts.

Several of the homes for St. Joseph’s older students got together and headed to Mitchell, South Dakota to go through a haunted house and pay a visit to McDonald’s as well.  They had a great time!  With our Halloween party and costume contest coming this Thursday, it may have given them some ideas for costumes.

Last Wednesday, I was invited by the local Kiwanis to be their guest speaker. I shared an update on recent happenings on campus, encouraging them to visit our new Alumni and Historical Center. I also filled them in on Fr. Steve’s new role as Provincial for the Priests of the Sacred Heart.

Our students worked with an artist in residence last week to create Christmas ornaments for the National Christmas tree in Washington, DC! Currently 48 ornaments are nearly ready to go. St. Joseph’s Indian School is the only school in South Dakota to take part in decorating the tree, so this was a very special opportunity indeed. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting project!

On the sports front, the Chamberlain High School football team has qualified for the State playoffs! The first game will be tonight. They are hosting Todd County, whom they recently beat. We hope they are able to repeat the victory.  Several St. Joseph students are contributing their talent and skills.  Go Cubs!

Sunday, our inter-city basketball league got started. This program gives St. Joseph’s Lakota students and local 6th, 7th and 8th graders the chance to play basketball on Sundays.  They play together on four teams and compete against each other every Sunday afternoon.  We see it as an important way for the students to meet each other now so that when they enter high school they’ll know each other a bit better.

The experience of playing together also helps them to be aware of each other’s talent, which is great in high school.  The upcoming boys’ varsity basketball team for Chamberlain High School should be a good team this year. Last year, the “C” team was undefeated; it had several St. Joseph’s players on the team, so we’re looking forward to an exciting year!

 

I hope each of you has a great week.  May God’s blessings be with you now and always.

God bless,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Enjoying Fall Activities

Good afternoon tiyospaye – extended family,

The pheasant hunting season opened in South Dakota over this past weekend and it sounded like the hunters were out doing their best.  I heard several shots across the river as we finished Mass Sunday morning.

We are in a period of transition at St. Joseph’s Indian School now, as the fall sports wrap up and the students get ready for the indoor basketball season. Yesterday, the girls in fourth through eighth grades signed up for their basketball teams.

The boys will start having their inter-city league on Sundays.  This program blends students from Chamberlain with St. Joseph’s Lakota students on teams that are made up of sixth, seventh and eighth grade boys.  It is a way for the students to make new friends before they meet up as classmates in high school.  The first game will be Sunday, October 27. The girls will have their inter-city season after the holidays.

Several of our seventh and eighth grade boys have joined the local Explorers Club in Chamberlain, which gives them the opportunity to be part of a service group. They do various community projects throughout the year to raise money – raking leaves, shoveling snow and a car wash, to name a few. Then, the boys decide as a group who or what cause would be a worthy recipient of the funds.  Last year they donated their money to several local people who were dealing with cancer.

They also remember to have some fun! The group has taken trips to a Minnesota Vikings football game and a Colorado Rockies baseball game.

Students who are new to St. Joseph’s are taking part in a program called ‘co-pilot,’ which matches them with another student to help them belong, enjoy and develop relationships at St. Joseph’s. It parallels our big brothers/big sisters program.

From my office, I can see the students playing outside after school. Kids will be kids, and it warms my heart to see them play games like Red Rover, Red Rover and tetherball. With Halloween just around the corner, many students are also busy getting their costumes ready.

Hope you all have a great week.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Native American Day Activities

Monday, October 14, St. Joseph’s Indian School – along with the rest of South Dakota – celebrated Native American Day. We, along with several other schools around our area, embraced the opportunity to have a “teachable moment” while having fun reliving a part of our rich Lakota/Dakota/Nakota culture.

The Regalia Relay was one of many games St. Joseph’s students played in celebration of Native American Day.
In the Regalia Relay, the Lakota boys put on girls’ regalia and vise versa to dance their way back to their teammates.

The morning greeted us with a line of colored banners carried by students who read a brief description about the corresponding color and direction of the medicine wheel.  Bridges were built between the Catholic and tribal spiritualities by centering ourselves with prayer and singing the hymn “There is a Well.”  Our drum group offered up two prayer songs to honor the day and what it might mean to our people.

During the afternoon, classes circulated around eight game stations to compete against themselves, others and groups.  Our stations included:

  • Lakota bowling
  • Hackie sack
  • Regalia relay (switch dressing – the boys put on girls’ regalia and girls put on boys’ regalia)
  • Leg wrestling
  • Arrow toss
  • Hand games
  • Musical chairs (with drum songs)
  • Cat’s cradle yarn art
  • Storytelling

Each game was explained with its historical significance and natural place in our world.  A plethora of adults helped to make the day possible by guiding, encouraging, and even taking part with the group as the students scurried through the rain and mist between the recreation center, the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center and the skating room.

I hope our St. Joseph’s students went home knowing why this day was set aside for our tribal people to be honored for our place on this North American Continent, rather than focusing on someone who thought they had found India.  We love the land and the culture that respects our footprints upon it.

LaRayne, Native American Studies teacher

The Lakota students learned to leg wrestle during Native American Day activities.
Leg wrestling was one of many games played in traditional Lakota (Sioux) culture.

Celebrating Native American Day, returning from a visit to Atlanta

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s Indian School,

The weather is a big topic of conversation on the South Dakota prairie lately.  Deep snow in the Black Hills caused havoc with ranchers’ cattle herds.  The melting snow joined with this weekend’s rain and wind caused flooding in some areas.

St. Joseph’s students celebrated Native American Day on October 14.
The Lakota children played a variety of traditional games to celebrate Native American Day.

We had hoped to have good weather to celebrate Native American Day on October 14.  Elsewhere, it is called Columbus Day, but in 1990, the late Gov. George Mickelson, signed legislation that changed the name and put the focus on promoting reconciliation between the Native Americans and other citizens of South Dakota.  We kicked the day off with a prayer service geared to reminding our students of their Lakota (Sioux) heritage and asking the Great Spirit’s guidance in the second quarter of the school year.

Over the weekend, Chamberlain hosted the 13th Annual River City Band Festival, welcoming high school bands from miles around.  It was cool and windy, but the band members did a great job.  After a parade through downtown, the field competition was held on the high school football field.  We were also honored to have South Dakota State University’s THE PRIDE marching band make an appearance.  St. Joseph’s students took part in the parade by carrying banners thanking local businesses for their sponsorship of the event.

St. Joseph’s students and staff are just returning from donor luncheons in the Atlanta, Georgia area over this past weekend.  Our Homecoming King, Cody, and classmate, Errol, were excited to share a few words of thanks with the donors.

– St. Joseph’s hosts donor events around the country where benefactors can meet the Lakota students.
Errol and Cody visited St. Joseph’s benefactors in Atlanta, Georgia.

Our next two luncheons are in Houston, Texas, on November 23-24 and Los Angeles, California, on January 18-19.   If you would like to attend, visit our website or call 1-800-584-9200.

I hope you all have a great week.  Be assured of our daily prayers for you and those dear to you, especially in our monthly novena of Masses offered from the 11-19 of each month.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Spared the snow and power outages

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s,

As you may have heard from watching various weather reports over the last few days, western South Dakota was blasted with over 30” of snow! It is being called one of the worst storms in South Dakota history.  We received some heavy rain in the Chamberlain area on Friday and Saturday, but thankfully were spared the snow and power outages.   The rain wiped out the Chamberlain High School Homecoming Parade, but the game was still played, despite a torrential downpour.

You may recall that both the Homecoming King and Queen elected last week were close to many hearts at St. Joseph’s Indian School. King Cody is one of our high school students, and Queen Marilyn is the daughter of two staff members. In addition, several other St. Joseph’s high school students were selected to be part of the honor court.

The Lakota children joined Kevin Locke in a flute recital.
St. Joseph’s students performed with Kevin Locke at the South Dakota Indian Education Conference last week.

Last week, our community was also the site of South Dakota’s Indian Education Conference. Our Principal, Kathleen, and several teachers attended.  A group of St. Joseph’s students, along with Kevin Locke, gave a flute recital and did a great job.

Today, members of St. Joseph’s Parent Advisory Council met on campus. Parents and guardians of current students and some former students themselves, these folks generously give their time to help us improve our programs. They provide feedback from a parent’s point of view and help us better understand their children’s needs and hopes.

At today’s meeting, they were brought up-to-date about our new anti-bullying program, the latest criteria for admissions and insight into a wellness program for the Lakota children.  They also had the chance to visit Chamberlain High School to get an idea of what a day is like for our high school students.

We are grateful for these parents and guardians giving of their time to listen and give responses as to how we can keep making things better and safer for the Lakota boys and girls entrusted to our care.  The council meets twice per year and membership rotates, so there is a good mixture of parents and guardians involved from different Indian reservations in South Dakota and Nebraska.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

P.S. During our recent powwow, we had slips of paper for guests to jot down prayer requests for our students and staff to remember in their evening prayers.  As I was going through them to pick out some intentions for October, I came across a slip that asked a question:

“Since the government gives the Indian nations money, what percentage does St. Joseph’s get for subsidies, if any?”

Thank you for the question! Federal money is given to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which then distributes the money to the various Native American groups; however, as St. Joseph’s is not affiliated with any tribe or reservation, we do not receive any money from the government.

St. Joseph’s does get some financial aid for the school lunch program and Title program, which provides specialists to help with the education of our students.   However, the bulk of St. Joseph’s financial resources come through YOU and your generosity!   Your kindness and support make all our programs possible.  Pilamaya—thank you!!

A Picnic in the Park

St. Joseph’s Children Count mentor program is up and running strong again this school year! Currently, we have 43 Lakota (Sioux) students

St. Joseph’s mentor program has 43 matches.
The Lakota children enjoyed a beautiful day and a picnic in the park with their mentor matches.

matched with staff members. We’re working on a few more matches to add to the count!

Our first mentor gathering was held September 24.  It was a beautiful fall day in South Dakota – perfect for a picnic at the park alongside the scenic Missouri River.  The students and their mentors enjoyed a scavenger hunt, lawn games and even a watermelon seed spitting contest! Our dining hall staff provided a wonderful meal for everyone to enjoy and everyone had a wonderful time!

This school year, we are looking forward to highlighting a few of our mentor matches and sending this information to all staff on campus, and you! We will also be exploring some new mentor activities and will share our adventures in a future blog post!

Until then—

Dee and Celia

Mentor Committee Co-Chairs

A beautiful day for a football game

Last Saturday was a beautiful fall South Dakota day – perfect for a football game!  We loaded up 12 of St. Joseph’s seventh and eighth-grade football players and headed down the road to Brookings South Dakota, home of South Dakota State University’s Jackrabbits.

The Lakota boys at a South Dakota State football game.
St. Joseph’s seventh and eighth-grade football players took in a college game at SDSU.

We left in the morning and arrived early for game time.  We found great seats!  The house was packed, as the Jacks took on the #1 rated North Dakota State Bison.  The Bison are from Fargo, North Dakota.  The crowd was intense, as there was about as many Bison fans in attendance as there were Jacks fans!

We have been taking the football boys on this trip for last several years. It isn’t just about watching football… that’s just the excuse we use to extend our classroom and provide real-life learning to the Lakota boys and girls.

With this trip, the boys get to experience a college atmosphere and see a college campus. Along with soaking up college, the boys get to practice skills we teach and role model for them every day – everything from basic social skills like starting a conversation to using good manners and being accountable for themselves and their actions. Extending our classroom into the world allows our students develop Mastery on these skills and gives them a sense of Independence, which are two of the primary components of the Circle of Courage.

After a hard battle, the Jacks were defeated 20-0.  We left Brookings and stopped in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for supper.  The boys were all starving and we found buffet that we knew would fill them up.  This was another opportunity for the boys to practice their social skills.  The boys ate their fill and finished off with ice cream before we hit the road back to St. Joseph’s.

We arrived back to campus just in time for bed. The boys got off the bus and thanked us for taking them to a football game, never suspecting we actually took them to a “classroom” so they could learn something.

The boys may have thanked us for taking them but they should thank the donors who make such trips possible.  So, on behalf of the St. Joseph’s Indian School Jr. High Football team, thank you for your support!

Frank W., Residential Coordinator

The football field and stadium at South Dakota State University.
The stands were packed as South Dakota State Jackrabbits took on their northern rivals – the North Dakota State Bison!