What a difference a week makes! Last week, we were coming down from a great powwow and lots of visitors. This week, things have calmed down and returned to normal. If you haven’t seen our powwow video yet, please check it out! Thank you again for coming and making it a wonderful weekend.
St. Joseph’s very own Cody was crowned Homecoming King 2013! Queen Marilyn also has ties to St. Joseph’s – both her parents work here! Congratulations to all!
Chamberlain High School kicked off their Homecoming Week last night with the coronation of Homecoming Royalty tonight. One of St. Joseph’s high school students, Cody, was crowned Homecoming King. We’re so proud!
I just got back from a meeting at our headquarters in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, where Canadian and American SCJs met with our Superior General who was finishing up his visit to North America. I had the chance to see Fr. Steve; he asked me to thank those who were at the powwow and took part in the prayer and honor dance for him.
Our German exchange students are on their way home. They visited South Dakota and made a presentation to our students regarding what life and school is like in Germany. For the past few years, 2-4 students and chaperones have visited Germany to share what life and school are like at St. Joseph’s.
We had some unexpected ‘guests’ on campus yesterday – some local cattle broke through a fence and showed up on St. Joseph’s football field! Our maintenance crew sprang into action to round them up and do some ‘pick up’ to get the field ready for tonight’s football game against Chamberlain.
I hope your week is filled with much joy and happiness. May God’s blessings continue to be yours!
St. Joseph’s recently hosted the Superior General of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Fr. Jose Ornelas, SCJ. He was accompanied by Fr. John van den Hengel, SCJ. Father Ornelas visited Canada and the United States to meet with all the SCJ priests and brothers and see our various ministries in action. St. Joseph’s Indian School was founded by the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1927.
Their visit began with a community meeting of the SCJs here in South Dakota. Fathers Jose and John then toured St. Joseph’s campus, visited the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, as well as the Tokéya uŋkí nájiŋpi Historical and Alumni Center. They watched some of the Lakota (Sioux) students practice their dancing for the upcoming powwow, looked in on classrooms to see the students in action and helped with homework in several of the homes before having supper with our high school boys in Sheehy Home.
Tuesday, they visited the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservations, where the SCJs began their ministry to the Native American people back in 1923. They met with members of the pastoral team and drove around the area to get a feel for the land and work being done.
We also kicked off the Olweus Anti-Bullying Program last week at St. Joseph’s. As part of the program, the Lakota students will meet each week and discuss the effects bullying can have on people. We want to encourage a positive environment for our students, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Teachers, house parents and staff will also take part, and students’ families will be involved as well.
The powwow is on the horizon! We find ourselves in a ticklish situation as we are praying for rain for those areas of the country that are suffering from drought or fires, yet we also want good weather here at St. Joseph’s so that our guests will have an enjoyable (and dry) experience as powwow activities unfold on September 20-22. One guest we look forward to welcoming is Father Steve!
Have a great week and may God’s blessings and strength continue to be with you. Pilamaya – thank you – for your support of St. Joseph’s!
Good morning from South Dakota!
All I can say is ‘God bless whomever invented air conditioning!’
The Chamberlain area is facing some extremely hot weather. Saturday was in the mid-90s, but luckily we had a bit of a breeze to “cool” things down. Sunday was so hot that, when I crossed campus about 1:30 PM, not a single Lakota student was outside! I’m sure the swimming pool was full, and that several St. Joseph’s homes went to American Creek beach to cool off in the Missouri River. It was still over 100 as late as 6:30 PM, and it is supposed to be hot again today.
On Saturday morning, 60 or so youth between the ages of 7 to 15 took part in the 6th annual Chamberlain Youth Triathlon, which involved a swim, bike ride and run. St. Joseph’s Indian School was well represented, with at least one of our Native American students winning medals in each age category. The Raphael Home (1st-3rd grade boys) and Summerlee Home (4th & 5th grade girls) had most of their entrants bring home a medal. We’re so proud of everyone who participated!
The Development Office passed along a number of prayer requests they have received from you and those who have visited our Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center. I’ll divide these up and pass them along to our students so they can keep your requests in their home prayers each evening. You are always remembered at our Mass on Sunday as we ask God to bless and reward you for your generosity.
Stay cool and let’s keep the fire fighters who are dealing with all the forest fires in the West in our prayers, that the Lord will keep them safe and provide some beneficial weather to help them get the blazes under control.
Sincerely,
Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain
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 (1st – 3rd 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 : )
Activities were taking place all around the Chamberlain area this weekend, as well as on St. Joseph’s campus.
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 150th 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 37th 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.
Hello from the Mathias Home, where we are starting off our new year with a bang! We have eleven Lakota (Sioux) girls in 6-8th grades. Two are new students at St. Joseph’s, and two have moved up from the 4-5th grade homes. On top of that, we have four new staff in the home!
Claire has worked as a houseparent at St. Joseph’s for five years.
I am new to the 6-8th 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: Sowhat 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!
Things are a bit NOISY in Chamberlain this week as bikers come through the area on their way out to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota’s Black Hills. The annual rally starts today and runs the entire week. It is impressive to see so many cycles out on the highway. Many stay in the Chamberlain-Oacoma area on their way and stop to visit the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center.
A prayer service kicked off our All-Staff Orientation this morning, as preparations continue for the return of the Lakota boys and girls on August 11 and the first day of school on August 12. It’s hard to believe the summer has gone by so quickly! We miss our veteran staff members from past years, but are also happy to welcome 20 new staff to St. Joseph’s tiyospaye – extended family. While I’m not sure yet how many students we’ll have this year, there will be around 55 new students.
St. Joseph’s Indian School recently hosted our local Relay for Life event, which remembers those who have died from or are dealing with cancer. Fr. Steve was the honoree, and the event raised about $30,000.00!
Of that, St. Joseph’s staff contributed nearly $6,600.00!
Every week, staff members participate in the ‘jeans because’ program that allows staff to wear jeans on Friday. This activity alone raised approximately $1,200.00 for Relay for Life! The contributions are used for a variety of charities who work for the cure of cancer.
Bryan, St. Joseph’s Athletic Director, is a new inductee into Chamberlain High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Congratulations Bryan!
Some good news for a St. Joseph’s employee was in the local paper this last week. Our Athletic Director and Recreation Coordinator, Bryan, has been selected by the Chamberlain Booster Club to become a member of the high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. During his high school years, Bryan was very successful in basketball, football, power lifting and baseball. Congratulations, Bryan, on this achievement!
I hope you all have a great week! Keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare to open the new school year.
Hello to all! This is Allyssa, St. Joseph’s Human Resource Associate. Although it is summer, the Human Resource Department at St. Joseph’s has been busy recruiting staff for the new school year. Last Friday, we begin the massive HR paperwork session with most of our 23 new Child Services Staff. These employees face three weeks of intense training before the Lakota students arrive back on campus August 11.
It seems like just yesterday that the children were packing up to go home for the summer and we said farewell to staff who are moving on from St. Joseph’s Indian School. Now, we are welcoming new staff to our mission and preparing for the students to return!
Hiring has been our number one priority this summer. We had 18 houseparent vacancies, one teacher and four training/support staff positions to fill… and that was just in Child Services! The interview process for houseparents is lengthy. After a successful phone interview, the candidates come to South Dakota for face-to-face interviews with up to seven different St. Joseph’s employees. The applicants have tours of campus and join our students for supper. This gives candidates a better overview of what it’s like to be a houseparent.
Summer also finds our maintenance crew working hard to prepare for the upcoming school year. The big maintenance projects are undertaken, homes remodeled and vehicles checked over.
As they say “Times flies when you’re having fun!” There is no doubt about it; the HR Department here at St. Joseph’s has fun. In June, we were able to attend the annual Society for Human Resource Management conference in Chicago. It is a great opportunity to meet others in the HR field and learn the latest innovations in the industry to help us meet the needs of staff. We came back with new ideas to implement, energized to take on new challenges, whatever they may be.
As we gear up for another school year, I hope each of you have had a wonderful summer!
Hello friends of St. Joseph’s Indian School! I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying your summer! Summer is in full swing here at St. Joe’s and it is keeping us all very busy! I am a Family Service Counselor and wanted to share a little with you about what summer is for me.
Julie and one of the Lakota students she works with, Chelsea.
During the summer, the Family Service Counselors hit the road and go visit our Lakota students and their families. We check in to see that the students and families are doing well, as well as ask if there is anything they need from us during the summer. The students and families are usually happy to see us and are very welcoming.
We also complete interviews for prospective students during the summer. Part of the admissions process is gathering records for a student, but perhaps the most important part of the admissions process is meeting the child and their family.
We go to their homes and complete an interview to see if they would be a good fit for St. Joseph’s programs. We also take time during the interview to explain St. Joseph’s Indian School, the programs offered and the schedule in the homes and school. The interview process usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half to complete.
It is always wonderful meeting new families!
Other things counselors complete during the summer include paperwork, getting ready for the upcoming school year, attending workshops and trainings, and other tasks that pile up during the school year.
While there are a few Native American students on campus during the summer, it is much different from during the school year. Most of a Family Service Counselor’s summer is spent on the road traveling to various locations around South Dakota to check in with students and families.
We get to see a lot of beautiful country and it is always a pleasure seeing students and families. One of the students I have seen this summer is already anxious to come back for the new school year! J
We miss our students during the summer, so getting to see them is a bonus. We are all ready for them to come back and to start a new school year in August.
Enjoy your summer, and as always, thank you for the generous support you give to St. Joseph’s Indian School. Without your prayers and support, we could not do the wonderful work we do!
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!
