St. Joseph’s Indian School – Page 34 – St. Joseph's Indian School

An update from St. Joseph’s Facilities Crew

Summer break at St. Joseph’s Indian School is half over, which means St. Joseph’s Facilities Crew is full speed ahead! The facilities crew schedules most of their larger projects during the summer months, when most of the Lakota children are home with their families. Here are a few of the projects we are working on:

Cement work was done to solve drainage issues on St. Joseph’s campus. — St. Joseph’s Health Center was one of the key areas with drainage issues to be repaired this summer.

ü Phase II Drainage Project – Those of you who read the blog on a regular basis may remember that Phase I was completed last summer. There are three key areas on campus where new concrete will be laid to help with some of the drainage issues we have – around the Health Care Center, the school building, and Central Offices. The work began in mid-June and will be completed by the first part of August.

As we come to the home stretch of the Alumni and Historical Center addition to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, the grounds crew has begun landscaping around the building.

ü They have added some planters with flowers and some large river rocks as an accent to the base of the Medicine Wheel Garden of Healing. They continue to smooth out areas that were torn apart due to construction and will begin planting grass and more landscaping designs.

If you happen to be on campus, you may notice things are a little dusty around Central Offices!

ü We are doing some tuck-pointing on the building. This requires the seams in the brick to be ground out where there is cracking and then refilled with new mortar. Due to the dust floating in that area I think we should of offered a car wash service for our employees! J

The facilities crew has also started the last phasing of St. Joseph’s home renovations.

ü The Afra (first through third grade girls) and Raphael (first through third grade boys) Homes are the last to be worked on. These two homes are located in the Benedictine Building. Demolition work began at the end of the school year. The facilities staff has met with the home coordinators and the plans have been set in place for the home.

Some of you may also remember the school getting new carpet last summer. Again this year we have carpet projects taking place!

The Medicine Wheel Garden of Healing at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is nearly complete. — Large river rock was placed around the outside of the Medicine Wheel Garden of Healing.

ü Tipi Press Printing and Central Offices received new carpet this summer. Both buildings are already completed, and the projects took approximately two weeks.

Another major project the crew has been working on is the renovation of our old thrift store building.

ü This building is now our Personal Care Center! The crew did some basic cosmetic work on the interior and now the building is ready to house some additional office space for St. Joseph’s Indian School. A ribbon cutting with the Chamberlain/Oacoma Area Chamber of Commerce will be held at the end of July.

Pilamaya – thank you – for helping us take care of our campus so we can provide the Lakota boys and girls a safe place to live and learn!

Greetings from Fr. Anthony

By now, you have probably heard that with Fr. Steve’s election to be our new Provincial, I have been asked to oversee operations until a more permanent replacement can be found. I have been in touch with you before, when Fr. Steve has been away on donor luncheons. We may also have crossed paths at St. Joseph’s powwow celebrations over the last four years. I look forward to sharing what is happening here on campus at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

This past Thursday was Independence Day and we had lots of visitors in our South Dakota town, camping and fishing out on the Missouri River. Many also stopped by to visit the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, and our new addition, the Tokéya uŋkí nájiŋpi Alumni & Historical Center. A few alumni stopped by as well.

The big event of the evening was the fireworks display over the river. Fr. Jose and I had intended to watch them from our residence here on campus, since we have a beautiful view of the river, but the bugs and mosquitoes had other ideas! We went up to the rest area out on Interstate 90, which overlooks Chamberlain, and sat in the car to avoid being eaten alive. While there were some beautiful explosions during the 20-minute program, the locals also were putting on a great show before and after.

Every year, the Race on the River is part of the 4^th of July activities in Chamberlain, and it usually starts here on campus and then heads into town. We had to re-configure the route this year since much of the campus is undergoing some repair and fix-ups, which required our roads being torn up at this time. As a result, there was no way to make a complete circle around campus. We hope to have everything up and running by the start of the school year on August 12.

Fr. Anthony takes a break on the playground with the Lakota children. — Fr. Anthony visits with St. Joseph’s summer students on the playground.

The Lakota students still on campus for our summer program went to Mitchell, South Dakota, last week for an outing and decided to stay for the double feature at the local drive-in theater. When trying to enjoy such a treat, we pay for it by being at the end of the line for the Central Time Zone. The Mountain Time Zone is about a hundred miles west, so our evenings tend to stay light for a long time. Sunset comes around 10 PM and the movie had to wait until the skies darkened completely. They saw Monsters’ University and Despicable Me 2; but they did not get home until nearly 3:00 AM since Mitchell is over an hour away. Needless to say, there was a sleep-in the next day.

While I was home for a brief vacation about two weeks ago, I had the chance to concelebrate Mass at the parish nearest to where my mother resides in the San Antonio area. The people were very friendly and asked where my parish was, but when I told them I was from South Dakota and served as chaplain at St. Joseph’s Indian School , several said ‘I’ve been there’ and/or ‘I contribute to your school.’

They are excited to meet someone in the flesh from St. Joseph’s, and I am happy to interact with some of our benefactors and answer any questions they may have and assure them that our students and staff our very grateful for their generosity and that we keep you all in our prayers.

Speaking of prayers, a benefactor from Oklahoma recently sent in a request that we keep the people of Norman in our prayers due to the destruction from the tornadoes that went through the area recently. I feel it is important to pass along since, as I was driving down and back from Texas, I went through the Norman area on Interstate 35 and you could still see the effects of the storm. It was amazing to see some homes gone completely and other homes right nearby that had very little damage at all. Please say a prayer or two that we can rally to help support and encourage our fellow citizens who have a long road to recovery ahead of them.

I hope your 4^th of July weekend went well and that you enjoyed whatever activities you and your family and friends took part in! May we not just celebrate, but also be good citizens and help our country be the best it can be as a model of freedom, justice and peace.

Have a great week ahead and may the Great Spirit bless and reward you.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

PS Fr. Steve made it home from his most recent donor luncheons in Michigan and Indiana. He also had some time to squeeze in a brief visit with his family. Please continue to keep him in your prayers that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen him as he prepares to assume the responsibility of guiding our Province into the future for the next three years.

A visit to Michigan and Indiana

We just finished our donor luncheons in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Merrillville, Indiana! Our two Lakota (Sioux) students who told folks about their life at St. Joseph’s were Selena, who just graduated from eighth grade and will enter Chamberlain High School in the fall, and Chandler, who just finished her seventh grade year.

St. Joseph’s students and staff visited Chicago after a donor luncheon. — On the shores of Lake Michigan.

When I asked the girls to share about their hopes and dreams for the future, Selena spoke about going into law enforcement to help make life better for the people at home – the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.

Chandler shared that she wanted to go into nursing, possibly as a midwife. Then she added that a dream of hers was to attend college at the University of Notre Dame. On the way from Michigan to Merrillville, we took a slight detour, and went to South Bend!

The university was a lot bigger than she imagined. Rather than scaring her off, this excited her more!

Whether or not Notre Dame becomes her final decision, when our Native American youngsters talk about college, we try to encourage them to think big and then to prepare themselves by working hard.

We took a few pictures by the Golden Dome, and bought some souvenirs in the bookshop.

Our time in Michigan included a visit to the Gerald Ford presidential museum, just a few blocks from our hotel. In the evening, we ate at a fun family center that included a pizza buffet, go-carts and bumper car rides. Selena was the daring racer who lapped everyone else, flying by with the biggest grin on her face!

After our luncheon on Sunday, we headed up to Chicago. My religious community’s formation house is in Chicago, and with students gone for the summer, there was plenty of room to make that our home base. We spent the next day touring the Windy City.

I attended college and graduate school in Chicago, so know and love the city well. It’s always fun to see the sights anew through the eyes of newcomers, and Selena and Chandler were enchanted everywhere they turned. We spent the evening touring the Hyde Park neighborhood, including the University of Chicago and getting our feet wet in Lake Michigan. Even on a hot summer’s day, the water is always icy cold. Then, we picked up some deep dish Chicago pizza and came home to enjoy the feast.

Monday, we made our way around the loop, and up the Magnificent Mile. As we walked past a silver statue, the street performer came to life and jumped up next to Selena, who almost jumped over the Wrigley Building!

They laughed and got their picture taken with him. Lunch was at Ed Debevic’s. At first, the girls didn’t know what to make of the intentionally rude waiters. But they laughed and enjoyed the outing, especially when our server sang and danced on the table. We made our way to Lincoln Park Zoo. Our staff members were surprised that such a nice a zoo could be free, and enjoyed the lovely scenery and animal antics.

The Native American students took in all the sights of the city, including street performers. — Selena and Chandler were startled by a street performer.

Besides the girls’ first plane ride on the trip out, they also experienced their first city bus and subway/el rides, and then took a spin on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel for a great view of the city. The best view we had was standing by Buckingham Fountain in the evening, with patriotic music playing, the mist shooting high into the night, and the city lit up all around us.

These were my last two donor luncheons. Most folks have gotten word via email that I will be moving on at the end of the month, so the days were nostalgic and bittersweet. I got so many hugs and congratulations, and cherished the people who care so much about St. Joseph’s Indian School and want to make sure the good work continues. With our committed, passionate staff, I assured them that it would. There are no doubt greater and more exciting things to come after I’ve completed my time there.

I have truly loved and enjoyed the chance to meet the people across the country who make the work we do at St. Joseph’s Indian School possible. So many folks make great sacrifices that allow us to run our programs. So many people have never gotten the opportunity to visit up close and personal, so it is a joy to let them meet the students and find out more about all we’re doing.

Besides being a blessing to the school, our donors have been a blessing to me personally.

Many folks have been praying for my health. A week ago, I was back at Mayo Clinic for my 6-month check in with the oncologists. I’m happy to report a continuing clean bill of health. After running the comprehensive battery of tests, the doctor told me that I can now wait a full year before needing to come back – thanks be to God!

The Lakota students took in the sights and had Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. — The girls get their first glimpse of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza!

A project inspired by St. Joseph the Worker

In honor of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, the older Lakota children at St. Joseph’s Indian School used their Religion class to take on a building project.

The Lakota tradition teaches that we are all related. In the Catholic tradition, this truth is called the communion of saints. For the Lakota (Sioux) people, this concept extends to all of creation. Our brother St. Francis and the Catholic Celtic tradition of Ireland also affirm the belief that God is present in earth, wind, fire, water and indeed all of creation.

When Jesus went to return to the Father, he unleashed his Holy Spirit in the world in a new and remarkable way. And through that Holy Spirit ̶ present in each and every one of us ̶ we share in a special communion. In the same way, we share in that togetherness with all of the people who have gone before us. We are all related.

Because of this wonderful connection, Catholics turn to the holy ones who lived before us, like St. Joseph, and we ask them to pray for us. We also keep their memories alive and look to them as role models. Our role model, St. Joseph, understood that all people were his relatives, too, and worthy of love and respect.

So, when he could have, by law, had Mary punished for being with child, he chose not to. And when he was encouraged by an angel to take her in, he did not hesitate. Because of his generous heart, he opened his life to her and her unborn son. He became the foster father to Jesus and I imagine that, while he taught him his trade as a carpenter, he also schooled him in seeing all people as related to him and worthy of love and respect. Perhaps that became the foundation of Jesus’ teaching, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Inspired by St. Joseph’s trade as a carpenter and his generosity, we built a shed, which we donated to the Missouri Valley Crisis Center in Chamberlain. The center responds to the needs of our brothers and sisters in the world who find themselves in need of special help, not unlike Mary when she faced uncertainty in her life before Joseph took her in.

What started with picking up trash…

Hello everyone! My name is Kelli, Planned Giving Summer Intern at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Lakota boy imitating snake — A Lakota boy imitates his favorite animal—a snake!

A few days ago, I was able to spend some time with the youth of the Lower Brule Indian Reservation at the St. Joseph’s Rising Eagle Day Camp here in Chamberlain, South Dakota. On this particular morning, they were imitating animal movements and practicing summersaults and cartwheels on the football field. Their giggles and smiles made me take a trip down memory lane to two years ago when I was a camp counselor at the St. Joseph’s Rising Eagle Day Camp.

Although every day brought many joys and wonderful experiences, one day in particular still stands out in my mind.

On this particular day, one of our St. Joseph’s staff was reading a Native American children’s story to the kids. While The Rough-Face Girl was being read, nearly all of the children were listening quietly, but one little boy was not following the rules and was being disruptive to everybody else.

Feeling like he may need to burn some energy, I grabbed a plastic bag and told him to follow me outside—we were going to go pick up some trash.

For the first few minutes, the young boy was quite unruly. However, when he saw how much fun he could make the situation, he began to laugh, smile and run around—the first time I had ever seen this young boy so alive and carefree.

His smile and laugh were contagious and I began to get into the game he created out of his own imagination. “Kelli, hold the trash bag really high!” I would hear, so I would hold it above my head and he would aim, shoot, and SCOREEEEEE! A silly celebratory dance and lots of cheering would always follow.

Two girls partner log roll — Two young Lakota girls practice partner log rolling.

After about 20 minutes or so, I asked the young boy if he would like to go back inside and be on his best behavior.

He replied yes, gave me a huge hug, began to cry, and thanked me for spending time with him because “no one ever spends time with me.”

This little boy was my best friend the remainder of the Rising Eagle Day Camp. He was usually one of the first ones on the bus bright and early and one of the last to walk back to his house. He was my right-hand man and was often given certain ‘duties’ to help me with.

The young boy who had multiple disciplinary problems on his first day never had an issue again.

Thank you for allowing me to pick up trash and spend quality time with young Lakota Sioux children. Although picking up trash is a messy and sometimes stinky job, I am so grateful for this young boy and the opportunity I had to make a little friend that changed my life forever.

Summer Day Camp with LaRayne

Hi everyone! LaRayne here, St. Joseph’s Native American Studies teacher. Each year, I work into the summer, providing Native American Studies for the Lakota children who attend day camp.

The Lakota students love playing outdoor games at day camp! — Erika and the other girls line up for dodge ball.

Giving and Receiving is going around St. Joseph’s Day Camp. I wish that you could all see the relationships building between our campers and staff at St. Joseph’s Indian School! The whole group is like a sponge; taking in the learning, loving and living that happens all day long.

The staff and kids get to eat breakfast together and answer questions like “what’s your favorite movie?” and “Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?”

The kids are eager to get to know our young camp counseling staff, and staff members are just as eager to make the day’s experience meaningful for all. After breakfast, the kids play games together or learn about more of their Lakota culture through Native American Studies.

This year, the kids are playing Lakota hand games and we are reading several books that pertain to the daily lesson, like creating star knowledge constellations, painting horse designs. We are also touring the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center on our campus and learning about dream catchers, hair braiding, Lakota songs, colors, numbers, and ledger art. Through all of these activities, the campers and counselors learn a little bit about each other and even about themselves. Sharing in learning, arts and crafts, swimming, playing and eating are great ways to spend the day!

Visiting the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is a great educational experience for the Native American children who attend day camp. — The boys and girls learn about their Lakota (Sioux) culture as part of day camp as well.

I especially like that three of my four daughters have been able to give back to our organization by being a part of our day camp. To watch my girls spend time with our day campers is good for my spirit and drives me to understand why we are here doing the work we do.

We are striving to create a great day for our day campers and, in the middle of it all, we get to feed our spirits with the gifts the Lakota children bring each day as well.

Openness to the Spirit

Last week in Wisconsin was both affirming and emotional. My religious order, the Priests of the Sacred Heart, held our election assembly for new leadership, and my brothers in the community asked me to become the next Provincial Superior.

I was honored to be chosen, though know the position also carries a lot of responsibilities. The hard emotional part for me is that this means finishing up my time at St. Joseph’s Indian School as Director. By August, I will be leaving South Dakota and no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the school. I will become a member of the Board of Directors, however, which will give me good reason to come back to visit a couple times each year and help set direction in a broad way.

So many of our staff were praying I would NOT be elected, but religious life calls for openness to the Spirit. When I first came to St. Joseph’s eight and a half years ago, I was sad to leave parish work on the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Indian Reservations. But I trusted, and my time at St. Joseph’s has been such an amazing blessing in surprising and unexpected ways.

I will enter into the new role with the same faith and trust and enthusiasm.

One of my main responsibilities will be personnel. My first difficult task will be to call forth good leadership to follow here at St. Joseph’s. We don’t have a successor named yet, and it will take some time to get the right people in place. In the interim, I know staff here have a clear sense of our mission and purpose, and lots of work and vision still to be done with our strategic plan. They will press on in the right direction regardless.

Today at mass, I saw the Native American students who are in the summer High School Prep Program, and I got teary-eyed thinking about the day I will have to say goodbye to them. A couple of them were first graders when I arrived, and we have so many memories together.

Every year we say goodbye to our students as they move on, hopefully prepared to make their way in the world. It will be so different with me doing the leaving… But, the Lakota people don’t really say goodbye. They say doksa, which means until we see each other again. During the time between, they will be kept close in my heart and prayers.

I will also miss the incredible interaction with our donors. A few stopped by the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center today, tickled to finally see campus and get a better idea of what we do at St. Joseph’s. We have a wide and generous circle of friends that make what we do possible. Their interest, support and prayers inspire all of us to work hard to make the difference we believe we are making.

Finally back on campus!

After being on the road for most of the past two weeks, I planned to park in my office and answer a slew of letters and emails, and attend to the various projects that are in progress right now. But, the building that houses my office is getting new carpets after perhaps 30 years, and this was the day they decided to install. So I was “homeless” for the day. But it gave me a great excuse to walk around campus and touch base with St. Joseph’s staff and students!

People ask me if I enjoy the pace of summer when school is finished, assuming it is low key and slow. If it’s possible, I think June gets even busier at St. Joseph’s Indian School than the regular school year!

I saw our recent eighth grade graduates leaving for Chamberlain High School to attend the classes that will help them adjust to the teachers and expectations at the new school. Shortly after, the bus doors opened and 53 Lakota children from the Lower Brule Indian Reservation spilled out for their first day of Rising Eagle Day camp.

On the maintenance front:

– Rocks and landscaping are now surrounding the new Medicine Wheel Garden

– The old thrift store has been painted and remodeled into office space

– The Afra and Raphael Homes are gutted as part of our last phase of renovation

– The picnic building where we host our powwow supper is getting a new roof to replace hail damage

– Central offices is getting new carpet and tuckpointing to preserve the aging brick exterior

– Surveyors have flagged the north side areas of campus for the next phase of our drainage improvement plan

– Curb and gutters have been poured to expand the museum parking lot

Several of our Native American high school students are working summer jobs here, either at summer camp, giving museum tours, or helping with maintenance. Erika is a camp counselor, and will start college in the fall. She is trying to be very frugal and save as much as she can.

She is anxious because her family has almost no income, and she knows that she will have to sacrifice and get by on scholarships and part time jobs. While I encouraged her, I was also inspired by her trust and daring in pursuing her dream.

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Health Center!

The last couple of weeks before school was out for the summer, the Lakota children weren’t sick much, which meant not many children staying at the health center for the day. We find more time in the spring to get our work done.

The health center staff is wrapping up for the school year and ready for a two-month break. For the most part, the students who stay at St. Joseph’s Indian School for the summer program stay healthy and rarely see the physician. We have a physician come in a couple days a week for an hour or so, just in case.

Nurse Ronda rounded up eyeglasses to keep over the summer. We do this for the children who tend to lose them frequently or those who don’t wear except for school and study. In the fall, when students check in through the health center, we give the glasses back to them. This makes life so much easier for everyone. They have their glasses and are ready for learning again.

I’m busy setting up eye and dental appointments for next fall already. We want to make sure that there are openings ready to go when the Lakota children return to campus this fall. If a student has an eye or dental issues we need to address right away, we’ll be sure to have an appointment!

Hope you all have a safe, fun-filled and blessed summer!

God Bless

Nancy

School Nurse

Cody, a 2006 graduate of St. Joseph’s Indian School

Eighth-grade graduation at St. Joseph’s brings another school year to a close. It is fun and joyful, nostalgic and emotional. Most of the Lakota students will return to campus after the weekend to begin a three-week transition program to high school, but others will leave to pursue their high school education elsewhere, which leaves a bittersweet feeling.

St. Joseph’s alumni often return to share their stories and encouragement with younger students. Cody gave the eighth-grade class of 2013 a few words of advice. — Cody, a 2006 high school graduate, attended St. Joseph’s from first grade through twelfth grade.

Cody, who graduated from St. Joseph’s High School Program in 2006, returned to give our students her advice and comments in a commencement address. She told them that St. Joseph’s Indian School can give them lots of opportunities, but that won’t matter unless they make the commitment to want a better education and better life for themselves.

Her dad died when she was only two, which made it a huge struggle for her family to provide the basics. There were times school got hard, and being away from her family on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation even harder. When she cried and called home and wanted to leave, she is most grateful now that her mom told her to stay, and work hard.

That support from her mom and the St. Joseph’s community enabled her to go on to college, start a career and a family.

I so enjoy making the rounds and reconnecting with the Native American families I’ve gotten to know over the years, and making some new acquaintances. They were so proud of their graduates, and many were honored with traditional Lakota (Sioux) star quilts during the ceremony. All were also give a medicine wheel hair tie, pinned on them by alumni and staff.

About 14 children are staying in the break homes, and will be with us for the next seven weeks of the summer, so campus isn’t completely quiet. But, there was a quite lull after the ceremony concluded and the luncheon was served; most of the families had packed up student belongings, and headed into the four directions.

The Lakota students at St. Joseph’s attend Chamberlain High School after completing eighth grade. — Fr. Steve presented each eighth-grade student with their certificate of completion.