St. Joseph’s Indian School – Page 47 – St. Joseph's Indian School

Guest Blogger: Julie H

Over the last few weeks, St. Joseph’s campus has been noisy with construction. But campus has begun to ring with a new and happy noise… The noise of students returning to campus!! I had the opportunity to visit many of the students I work with over the summer and most of them are ready to come back to campus and go back to school. What a great thing to hear! The students are excited to return and staff is just as excited to see them.

I have worked at St. Joseph’s Indian School for close to 11 years. I have often been asked “What brought you to St. Joseph’s Indian School?” or “Why have you stayed at St. Joseph’s Indian School?” The answer is really pretty simple. I came to St. Joseph’s Indian School because I was excited about the opportunity to work with Native American youth. I have worked with kids since I was in college and that is where I found my niche. I love working with kids. So the opportunity to work with Native American youth was something I just could not pass up.

Why have I stayed? Well, that answer is pretty simple too. What brings me back to St. Joseph’s Indian School, as well as most staff you will ask, year after year, is the students and the families I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with. I have the opportunity, each year, to work with some of the greatest kids on the planet. They are creative, fun, out-going, resilient and all around good kids.

I grew up in a wonderful environment and I feel God has called me to help be a part of the great environment we offer the students and families we work with here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. Every day is not great, sometimes our students struggle, but being able to be a positive role model and helper for our students and families, humbles and honors me.

As we come to the close of summer, I would ask for prayers for our students and their families, as well as the staff of St. Joseph’s Indian School, as we return to school. We will all keep you in our thoughts and prayers as well! Have a wonderful rest of the summer and if you are ever in the area, stop by and say hello!

Julie

Family Service Counselor

Bikes, ABCs and peaches

Today, I again visited the first grade classroom, where I have the most new names to learn. I was confused, and got a few of the names switched around. The first graders were also confused about my name.

“Are you really our teacher’s Father?” one asked!

They were reviewing the alphabet, and learning the letters by learning a chant and clapping pattern. While there are some things kids learn that we forget over the years, I was still pretty solid remembering my ABCs, and joined along to help them review. While most of our students have returned and breathed new life and energy into the campus, something was missing, and I couldn’t identify it until today. After school I saw the procession of the bicycles from their storage place in the picnic pavilion. The children parked them in their rightful places in front of the homes, and now the place is looking more like it should. It does my heart good to see the smiles of glee on youngster’s faces as they pedal around Wisdom Circle.

While on my way across campus, I came across a kickball game among the Afra Home (1st-3rd grade) girls. They got excited when I jumped in to take a turn. I kicked the ball over their heads, but ran slow enough for them to throw at me and get me out between second and third bases, before I went on my way toward another meeting. While I can’t always spend long blocks of time with the students, it’s those brief moments for a little fun and joy in life that create lasting memories and give meaning to my role here.

For our school lunches in the dining hall, as well as in meals served in the homes, we have been trying to emphasize more fruits and vegetables. Parts of South Dakota, especially Indian reservation communities, are often classified as a “food desert,” which is an area where choice and variety are limited and located more than one mile from the nearest grocery store. That point was brought home to me tonight in the Speyer Home (6th-8th grade boys). One of our new students was really enjoying the bowl of freshly frozen mixed fruit set before him.

“These orange things are pretty good – what are they again?” – the answer was peaches!

It was his first experience with peaches. If we’re going to help the next generation stave off diabetes and other health issues, we need to get them to try a variety of foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Without too much homework to rush off to yet, and sports practices still a week away, the guys sat around the table without rushing off, and talked about fun things they got to do over the summer.

The first day of classes at St. Joseph’s

The first day of classes! I enjoyed looking out my office window and seeing the playground, full of laughter and playfulness again.

I waited until later in the day to make rounds of the classrooms. The teachers need some time to get students settled and organized. The first graders especially will take some time to feel at home here and get used to the routine. As I walked into each classroom, I had our returning students help me meet and greet our new kids. I welcomed them and worked on remembering a few more names. We still have a few students who haven’t arrived, but know they’re on their way. By the end of the week when our high school students return, we should have everyone in place.

For supper I joined the girls of Stevens Home (6th-8th grade). They are enjoying the brightness and spaciousness of our newest remodeling job. The five 8th grade girls remember living in the home two years ago before the upgrades, and proudly showed off what they had done with the new spaces. While few of the students particularly enjoy cleaning, the houseparents, Frank and Wanda, told me the students have a little more pride and put in a little extra elbow grease to keep things looking nice.

After school the houseparents took the girls to Central Receiving, where all the new clothing that generous donors have dropped off or mailed in has been sized and sorted. They got to “shop” for a half hour, and were showing off their fashion finds. They were especially pleased to find a nice, dressy outfit or two for “church clothes”.

As I walked back to my office, I saw groups of the younger children playing in Wisdom Circle. I noticed that a good-sized group of Dennis Home (1st-3rd grade girls) were seated at the picnic table. Three were on the bench, and four others were sitting on the table, hovering above them and combing their hair.

A fair number of kids have returned from summer with head lice. It’s so commonplace here that it isn’t embarrassing, but a back-to-school routine that we have to plan for. Their housemates were gently and carefully combing and pulling nits out of hair. It seemed to build a sense of care and community among the girls, and they were enjoying the great outdoors, talking and getting to know the new students.

The 1st day back at St. Joseph’s Indian School

The day our Lakota students return for the start of the new school year is among my favorite days of the whole year.

Siblings Anthony (5th grade) Samantha (4th grade) and Nevaeh (2nd grade) were the first students back on campus a little before 11:00 this morning. Anthony asked his houseparent Luke, “Are we the only ones here?”

Since the homes don’t officially open until noon, Luke replied, “Yes, but we’re ready for you and excited that you’re here.”

The rest came trickling in throughout the day. Central offices were abuzz with Family Service Counselors on the phone with families having trouble getting in – for instance, car trouble, no gas money or family events. Lower Brule Powwow is still going into the night, so we expect those students late or even possibly not until tomorrow.

We’ve heard of a few families changing their minds about having their children enroll here, so we go to the waiting lists and invite the students we have prioritized, and whom are happy to be told of the opening.

I made an early round of visits, and saw some of the families arriving with suitcases, tubs or plastic garbage bags with clothes for the new school year. All their clothes are inventoried when the kids arrive. Next stop is the health center for a checkup which includes an eye exam, check of any medications the students have been prescribed over the summer, checks of hair for head lice and notation of any cuts or bumps and bruises. The Health Center staff will be especially busy these first few days making sure all the health care needs are attended to.

Once settled in, I saw lots of game playing. Some tossed a baseball or shot baskets. The tetherball post was crowded. Other kids checked out inside play like building blocks or computer games. Older siblings got passes to other homes to check in on younger brothers and sisters.

As of right now we are bringing in 39 brand new students to our program. As I stopped in the homes, I started the ongoing task of learning names, and a little about their family or home community. Since I see students in the homes, classroom, playground and in church throughout the week, it really doesn’t take all that long to link a name to a face, and make them feel that much more welcome and accepted.

The first night is often the most difficult in terms of homesickness. While that is always sad when a child feels so lonely, our houseparents are prepared and try to build the comfort and trust that will help a youngster grow and flourish as the year goes on.

New staff, new school year at St. Joseph’s Indian School

New staff are continuing their orientation, with everything from how to calm an out of control child to working our email system. One day they had a scavenger hunt to get acquainted with campus and start to find useful and needed things. I hope our new co-workers will feel welcome and an important part of the St. Joseph’s mission. Today the SCJs hosted them for lunch at our house.

As folks finished eating, I asked each person to introduce themselves with a short “job description” of their role. Present among us were houseparents and teachers, custodians, food service worker, an electrician and a bookkeeper. I asked folks who came from a distance how they heard about St. Joseph’s Indian School. Several were from families who supported us with donations, and through the mail have known about the school since they were little. Others saw an ad in their area newspaper, or found job information online. The people who grew up in the area were asked to share a favorite memory of St. Joseph’s Indian School. Two people whose parents worked here fondly remembered the family picnics we have for staff. One woman recalled her own elementary school days when she played basketball and volleyball against our kids. I trust the good spirit of camaraderie and sharing, the hope and enthusiasm they bring will enrich us all.

Fifteen of our staff sat in on a teleconference with a group of researchers. Child Trends conducted interviews with our students and their families and presented their findings. Overall the report was affirming. Like any organization, we look for ways to improve, and there were areas to look at in that light as well.

One area we need to review is our vast array of rules. Students grudgingly admit that the rules are overall a good thing that point them along the right path. Still, few of us really like so many rules. Just because we’ve always done something that way, it’s still worth a fresh look. Celia, one of our residential coordinators pointed out that we have a rule limiting student outgoing long distance calls to the weekend. That was put in place years ago partially because that was when calls were cheapest. Our phone services now costs the same per minute all the time. As we look at improving communication with families, that’s an example of a rule that probably needs to be revamped. While students also complain about homework and house chore rules, those are the kinds of things that we’ll undoubtedly keep in place.

Beautiful art around St. Joseph’s campus

When you rebuild and renovate, it’s a messy job. With all the construction and remodeling projects going on around St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus, I see organized chaos. I tell myself things have to get worse before they get better. The students will arrive in less than three weeks, and we will get our house – and campus – in order by then. The improvements so far this summer have been of good workmanship and much needed.

Part of the afternoon was spent with a film crew from South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Through a grant from the Endowment for the Arts they are producing a piece about stained glass windows to be aired early next year. Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel has stained glass windows with some traditional Lakota geometric shapes that depict the seven Sacred Lakota ceremonies and the sacred pipe. We also have windows of significant moments in South Dakota Catholic Indian history,

Black Elk and other Native Catechists
The first ordained Native priest and Deacons
The establishment of the Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Native women who felt called to religious life.

We also have a morning star on the east wall of the chapel that lets in the vibrant morning sun. A window of a Native Holy Family graces the doors above the Benedictine Homes, where the first, second and third grade students live.

I don’t often make the time to stop and observe the beautiful art that’s around campus. As the film crew went to each window to get a good shot, I took a longer and more meditative look at the windows and reflected on the meaning and history behind them.

Peace to All Who Enter Here

I’m back on St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus after a few weeks on the road. I combined vacation, Priests of the Sacred Heart jubilees and assembly and my annual retreat.

One of the 60-year jubilarians was Fr. Bernie, who is retired and lives with us at St. Joseph’s. While retired, he is more active now than ever. With no administrative duties, he enjoys the freedom to read, study, pray and work on projects he is passionate about. I enjoyed meeting his relatives who made the journey to Wisconsin for the celebration. I also got to reconnect with some mutual friends of ours who also came to honor him.

On one of our continuing education days the staff from Guest House, a program that treats alcoholic priests, brothers and sisters, gave us a sobering (no pun intended) and excellent overview of what body, mind and spirit go through in the addiction process. We also spoke of intervention and how to help those we care about who suffer. In my years of parish work on the Indian reservation, that was constantly the biggest problem facing families. It’s also a factor in the lives of many of our students’ families, and we try to be supportive and help our young people through those rough spots.

Laughter is the best medicine, and a good balance to the heavy topics. A group from Comedy Sportz came to our Monastery and led us in an hour of improv that had me holding my side laughing. Two of our priests and one of the seminarians were called up on stage, and added so much of their wit and personality to make it a memorable evening.

My retreat was spent at Blue Cloud Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery in Northeastern South Dakota. I had arranged the retreat a while back, and a month ago the Abbey announced that due to aging membership and too few vocations, after 60 years of prayer and work (Ora et Labora), they will have to close in August.

There was an unexpected grace for me being with these monks at this time of transition. They all took a vow of stability, seeing themselves remaining on those ground until the end of their days. Now down to 13 members, they will be splitting up and joining at least six different Abbeys. During my days there are a steady stream of visitors stopped to make their last visit, recalling how retreats or workshops or the lives of the Monks made a lasting difference in their lives. A sign outside the church reads “Peace to All Who Enter Here.” Their hospitality to me and to so many others was inspirational.

My life at St. Joseph’s Indian School can get hectic and busy. It was refreshing to go to chapel four times each day to partake in the sung chants of the psalms, and pray the liturgy of the hours. Sometimes I rush through prayers, but there the pace was measured, deliberately slow and reflective. At the end of each day, they voiced a prayer asking God to be their guide and helper during the time of such dramatic changes in their lives. While difficult, they are working through the closure with grace and dignity.

This Benedictine Abbey sent missionaries to four reservations in North and South Dakota. At the cemetery grounds I recalled many of the priests and brothers who dedicated so many years to serving the church in Indian Country. Many of them worked on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation, where I later served as pastor, and I heard many parishioners stories of affection and appreciation from their presence.

Guest Blogger: Shana

Hello! It’s me, Shana, High School Residential Director blogging again. I hope everyone’s summer is going well!

It’s been incredibly hot here at St. Joseph’s Indian School, but our facilities crew is working hard to make sure everything is ready for our students’ return in three weeks. We truly appreciate their hard work during these hot days. We’ve kept busy this summer as our summer program for first through eighth grades ended last week; our High School Summer Transitional Living Program ends next week, July 27.

The high school students have been working at their summer jobs in order to earn extra money. One student even took some time to go with our Transition Specialist to visit the community college she plans to attend next year. The students have also made some time for fun! With the heat, going to the movies has been the entertainment of choice. Our students are very ready to go home and have a few weeks’ vacation before they need to return to campus for our upcoming school year. It doesn’t seem possible that school is right around the corner!

Our Admissions Board met this week to review applications and select new students for our upcoming school year. This is always a time consuming and heartfelt process as we learn about the needs of both the student and their family. It’s difficult to know that we don’t have room for everyone, but we do our best. It’s wonderful to learn that so many students are very eager and excited about the possibility of coming to St. Joseph’s – many have family or friends who are current or former students, and have received great recommendations about our school and home living programs.

Currently we’re busy getting things ready for both our houseparents and students. New Staff Orientation is less than two weeks away! We have some great new staff coming to our St. Joseph’s family.

We’re also getting our homes ready for students; our High School Program offers a ‘Sports Home’ for those students who need to return before school begins in order to start their fall sports practices. We have several boys and girls involved in football and volleyball and a few who run cross country. We have a home for the boys and one for the girls – it’s a relaxing week for the students before they have to get back to the ‘grind’ and start doing homework again.

I hope everyone is keeping cool and enjoying their summer!

Guest Blogger: Lori

Greetings to everyone from St. Joseph’s Indian School! The technology department has a very busy schedule during the summer months. Many hours are spent setting up and installing new computers, rebuilding older computers and making sure everything will work when the students and staff return for the new school year.

The ever-changing world of technology can be very exciting but it can also be very frustrating. There is always new software that needs to be learned and integrated into our network. Working through “kinks,” “bugs,” and the like can take many complex hours of intricate design and development. It’s very important to us that everything works well once it gets to our end users (students and staff), and we work diligently to make sure this happens.

Along with computer changes, there are many software changes that need to be made over the summer. We write a lot of our own computer programs here at St. Joseph’s Indian School. The programs range from keeping information on each student to tracking their educational progress. Creating our own computer programs enables us to tweak the program to our exact needs. The summer is the time to make these changes. The list seems to grow each year with minor changes to some programs, adding a few reports to other programs or creating a whole new application for staff to use in the fall.

Don’t forget the training on these new programs – we’ll be preparing for that as well!

We have been putting off moving to Windows 7 but now seems to be the time. Windows XP has been a great operating system for us and we stuck with it a long time. We are just starting to rotate out XP and move in Windows 7. With this change will also come additional support. We provide technical support for the entire campus, which means days filled with nothing else.

This can make our days very interesting and also very satisfying – we enjoy it very much! We strive to be a very user-friendly technology department.

Guest Blogger: Julie S.

A Circle of Courage School works to meet the belonging, mastery, independence and generosity needs of the students.

Research shows that the quality of human relationships in schools may be more influential than the specific techniques or interventions employed. Every child needs at least one adult who is irrationally crazy about him or her!

St. Joseph’s provides a summer home to approximately 13 students (in grades 1-8). Summer home acceptance is based on family need. While students attend school each weekday morning (approximately 2.5 hours), they are provided with many opportunities for social and emotional growth through the program as well.

The local swimming pool and beach have provided hours of fun and social interaction with peers from St. Joseph’s and the local community. Students have additional opportunities for one-on-one time with staff, assisting with home chores, such as cooking or just visiting. Given the varied ages of students in the home, natural opportunities for mentoring and role modeling have been captured as well.

We’ve been blessed with another wonderful summer! As the program concludes on July 11, the students look forward to returning home for a few weeks before the school year begins. Many memories have been made, leaving unforgettable smiles … but most of all, these students have been provided with a safe environment with numerous opportunities for academic, social and emotional growth because of your support – thank you!