South Dakota – Page 41 – St. Joseph's Indian School

Today’s guest blogger: Scott

Hello everyone from Scott, Family Services Counselor at St. Joseph’s Indian School for 18 years and first-time blogger. I provide counseling services and am a primary family contact during the school year for 6^th-12^th grade boys. Once the school year ends however, I change hats and become part of the admissions department and get to travel the state to visit with families I work with during the school year.

I enjoy the change of pace during this time of year. It keeps the job interesting. After 18 years, the relationships with kids and their families make me look forward to each year here.

Last week, I traveled to Yankton, South Dakota to interview a family of four kids between grades second and seventh. They are being raised by their grandmother. I always enjoy meeting new kids and families at interviews. It doesn’t take long to become attached and have hope for the kids to come to school here. This family will wait for our mid-July admissions meetings to find out if the kids have been accepted.

Tomorrow I will travel to the Rosebud Indian Reservation to visit five young men and their families. I’ll get to visit most of the towns on the reservation and will take the boys to the Buffalo Jump in downtown Mission. It’s a classy little restaurant/coffee shop and most of the proceeds go back to education on Rosebud’s Indian Reservation.

The next day, a colleague and I will make our annual trip to Lower Brule/Crow Creek reservations to visit our kids and families there. In all, we usually visit about 10-12 kids on this trip. One other nice thing about these trips is that we always run into former students and families on these trips, so it’s always fun to re-connect with friends on the summer trips.

I work with the high school boys and several of them are still on campus, either in driver’s education classes, the high school preparatory program, or working in different jobs on or off campus, so it’s nice to run into them from time to time when I happen to be on campus in the summer.

Today’s guest blogger: Maija

Meet today’s guest blogger, Maija!

Here’s what’s been happening in the high school world at St. Joseph’s Indian School …

The freshmen–Claire, Nate and I–took our annual trip to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, along with one senior, Erin. We visited Red Cloud High School, Oglala Lakota College and attended the powwow at Pine Ridge. The trip is always an adventure, as we drive through some beautiful areas in our state. We watched horses play, saw plenty of deer and elk and watched eagles and hawks fly free.

The visit to Red Cloud is a special treat. The freshmen toured the grounds of the high school, visited the chapel, enjoyed the wonderful art exhibit and hiked up to Red Cloud’s grave site to pay respects to the great Sioux leader. Our tour guide Ron, is very knowledgeable about Lakota (Sioux) culture and history, and readily shares stories and facts with our group. He quizzed our students about Lakota history and culture and although he had them stumped a few times, they did well!

We also stopped for a visit at Oglala Lakota College. They have a “walk-around” museum which covers over 200 years Lakota history. The tour ends with a video about the importance of continuing education for Native American people and encourages young people to find a positive path in life and help others. Our guide Marilyn, shared stories of Oglala Lakota College’s students success’ as well as stories about her children and grandchildren.

The weather for the Pine Ridge Veteran’s Powwow was beautiful, with a warm breeze blowing and plenty of sunshine. We visited some former students and met several relatives of current students. The dancers and drum groups were amazing to watch and hear. Our senior Erin, talked about the regalia her relatives made for her and how she can’t wait for St. Joseph’s Indian School’s powwow. Kyran said he wished he had brought his regalia so he could dance at the powwow. Everyone honored the veterans with a special prayer and dance as well. We would have loved to have stayed for the whole event, but we had to get back to Chamberlain, which was a good thing, as about an hour into our drive, the weather changed, the sky grew dark, and there was a tornado warning!

We made it home without any problems, safe and sound.

Today’s guest blogger: Foster

Hi, I’m Foster, today’s guest blogger and groundskeeper here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Besides myself, I have 6 more people helping me with the grounds maintenance (5 are seasonal help). We have had a cool wet spring; bad for me, but great for anything green and growing.

We just finished up planting flowers, trees and re-seeded bare spots in the turf. We are busy keeping up with mowing, trimming, weeding and watering. On rainy days, we are helping with the remodel of the Stevens and Mathias home, tearing out walls and pulling up carpet. I guess you could say we are helping with the destruction, not the construction!

A view from above - St. Joseph's Indian School

I look forward to this time of year since our peonies are just coming into bloom and our linden trees will soon follow. I get lots of inquiries from visitors on our linden trees, their sweet fragrance is noticed all over campus!

The irrigation system for our turf is taking some time in getting it up and running. We didn’t turn it on at all last year, as we had so much rain. We pump water from the river to irrigate our turf. It is quite a feat to place the pump in the river each spring. Due to the high water level of the Missouri River, and the possibility of it going even higher, our pump house could be flooded. What a contradiction, we might not be able to irrigate due to flooding!

In addition to those duties, we are also responsible for street and parking lot maintenance. Crack filling and seal coating of our asphalt areas will be a big job later this summer. I hope those of you reading this will get a chance to stop by our campus and checking us out. Take care and have a great summer!

An update from Rising Eagle Day Camp

We have had nearly 250 kids attend the Rising Eagle Day Camp so far this year, and their three favorite things this year are swimming, eating and arts and crafts.

One of the afternoons sessions is spent swimming and this seems to be our little Lakota campers favorite pastime.

The kids told us that their next favorite part of the Rising Eagle Day Camp is all the great camp food they get to eat. The kids receive a hot breakfast and lunch and a snack at the end of the day. Yummy!

Activities done in Lakota Studies/Arts and Crafts help the Native American children continue their growth and knowledge about their culture. At the start of these sessions, a book is read and kids are able to ask questions. Books read so far has included: Rough Faced Girl, When God Made The Dakotas and Bad River Boys. Crafts created have been: Ledger Art, Moonsticks, Warrior shield and Wintercounts.

Watch Kyra’s video now! She was last week’s Featured Camper of the Week!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Confidence in continued healing

Crazy Horse Memorial is a colossal carving project that has been ongoing since 1948 to pay homage to the courageous Lakota Warrior. To get an idea of the scope, when finished the four presidential faces on Mt. Rushmore could fit in the Horse’s head of this sculpture.

Fr. Steve at Crazy Horse Monument. — Fr. Steve at Crazy Horse Memorial.

Crazy Horse has a wonderful museum of the American Indian, and a workshop for artisans who will answer your questions as they work on their crafts. It’s my favorite place to take visitors in the Black Hills because it combines natural beauty, culture, history and a visionary undertaking.

One weekend a year, the memorial is open for a 10K Volksmarch, and after a scenic wooded walk you work your way onto the actual arm of the sculpture, directly in front on the 5 story head of Crazy Horse. With many others on the path with us, the atmosphere was fun and festive, but the climb required patience and perseverance.

The view of the countryside far below was breathtaking. It was a pilgrimage for me in many senses, not knowing exactly how my foot would hold up with the distance and altitude. But completing the trail gave me a great sense of accomplishment and ongoing confidence in continued healing.

Jack McCall sneaking up on Wild Bill

Sturgis and Deadwood were our ports of call today. My sister-in-law Connie had to get a 2011 Sturgis Rally shirt for her brother and take a few photos of the fairly empty streets that will soon be filled with hundreds of thousands of motorcycles.

None of us gambled, but instead took a tour of the oldest town in that part of the state, where the discovery of gold kicked off a boom town. At Boot Hill Cemetery we visited the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, and learned more of western lore. History is fun and interesting to learn firsthand like that, and stays with you much longer.

At Saloon #10 we watched a reenactment of Jack McCall sneaking up on Wild Bill during a poker game, where Bill met his untimely demise.

South Dakota attractions

Yesterday my family was off to Mitchell, South Dakota to see the World’s Only Corn Palace, a site visitors of our area often stop to visit. I spent a day in the office, with no excitement and lots of paperwork, but such is the life of an administrator.

Today we traveled West to see two of South Dakota’s most memorable sights, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. Parts of the Badlands look like sand castles built by giants. Abundant moisture has made the fields and mesa tops a brilliant green, further highlighting the layered earth tone colors of the exposed soil. We stopped at many of the scenic pull offs to explore the unique landscape.

At the end of the scenic Badlands Loop is Wall Drug. After seeing literally hundreds of signs along the way, my niece had to experience it for herself. We quenched our thirst with the free ice water and took home the free (one per family) bumper sticker to further spread the word. John climbed up on the same giant jackalope statue he rode on as a kid 34 years ago when we visited as a family, and I sent the picture on to the rest of my brothers and sisters.

I’ve been to Mount Rushmore many times. It’s a joy to be with someone experiencing it for the first time. When I visit National Parks, I’m always impressed by the knowledge of the Rangers. On the tour we took, besides learning a lot about the four presidents, there was a good overview of Lakota (Sioux) culture and the land disputes over the Black Hills that are still unresolved.

Tours with family

Last year on my birthday I was in the hospital, still not eating solid food. When my brother Dan brought me a Twinkie with a candle in it, I could only eat about a third of it! Today Cathy baked a delicious cake and the rest of the development staff provided a festive atmosphere to help me celebrate in a little more style. The ad goes that what cancer patients wish for more than anything else is one more birthday. I’ve come a long way and am grateful for the caring folks who have supported me on the journey.

Fr. Steve and his family enjoy some birthday cake!

As we toured the Development Office, my brother John kept me humble in ways only a brother can, pointing out how our staff handles so much of the day-to-day work and teasing, “What do you do?” As people explained their areas of responsibility, John remarked how much pride they took in their job, and he could see how much they really enjoyed their role here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Our Rising Eagle Day Camp started today! 38 children rode the bus from Fort Thompson to take part in educational and recreational activities and enjoy a good breakfast and lunch.

After lunch, I took my family to visit the Indian Reservations. In Crow Creek, two of our High School students, Erika and Lucinda, helped give the tour. They are the same age as my niece Clare, who enjoyed their company. One stop in Fort Thompson was the pow wow grounds, where the girls talked about their dancing and the ritual and ceremony that pow wows entail.

In Lower Brule we hiked to the Narrows, a spot with a panoramic view of the Big Bend of the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark stood on that site during their exploration of the area. It was my first visit since the tribe constructed a Mandan Earth Lodge, reflecting the culture of one of the earliest tribes to inhabit the region. Reaching the top of the Hill called for some pictures, but also a shared silence just to contemplate while gazing over the vast horizon.

My family arrived

My brother John and his family arrived to spend a week of their vacation in South Dakota. After 10 hours of driving on Sunday, today was a low-key day spent around Chamberlain and on St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus. The Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is a great place to get an introduction to the Native American history and culture, so they began their orientation there. The I-90 Rest Stop has an informative Lewis and Clark display and one of the best views of the Missouri River valley anywhere.

We spent the afternoon touring our campus. While only a few folks are around, the 8^th grade and high school summer programs opened today. The 8^th graders will spend three weeks attending classes at Chamberlain High School and familiarizing themselves with the campus and teachers to ease the transition. They’ll also enjoy more privileges and freedom in the HS program, but more responsibility as well, and these days are a chance to get used to the new rules and guidelines.

Robb and Cheryl are houseparents for Hogebach Home, and gave my family an overview of the joys and challenges they experience in guiding our teenage girls.

A day in Fort Thompson

I invited the two seminarians who are with us for the summer – Anthony and Justin and our summer intern from Notre Dame – Anna, to accompany me to church at Fort Thompson. We left early so we could drive around the community and explore a bit. What’s striking to people seeing the Indian Reservation for the first time is how many homes are sadly in need of repair. I explained about the complicated system of land ownership and tribal housing authority. As we passed the Tribal Council headquarters, and Bureau of Indian Affairs office, it presented an opportunity to teach about the governmental structure.

Going by the memorial flags near the river led to a lesson about the history about the 1862 Minnesota Uprising and how the families of those 38 Dakota Sioux who were publicly executed were sent to Fort Thompson, hundreds of miles west of their homelands.

Later in our travels, when an inebriated man started to talk their ear off, they got an idea of one of the biggest challenges of working on the “Rez”. When people are drinking, I try not to be enabling, but do try to be kind and understanding; hoping it opens doors to hope and help later on.

Church was a joyful event as seven children from Fort Thompson received their first Holy Communion today. After Church, the families of the first communicants provided a meal for the whole parish – soup and frybread, which was tasty and a nice introduction to the hospitality within the culture. Our interns got to make the rounds and visit with many people at the gathering.