Tag: St. Joseph’s

Time flies when you’re having fun!

I can’t believe March is here already and we have started the fourth quarter at St. Joseph’s Indian School. WOW, time really flies when we are having so much fun!
We had a lot of fun when we celebrated Read Across America Day on March 1.

The Lakota students and Fr. Steve read in the hallway to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
Fr. Steve joined the Lakota children for reading.

The Lakota students loved the time they were able to spend reading to each other and to Fr. Steve in the school hallways. They also enjoyed ice cream treats at the end of the day.

The Lakota students had lots of fun reading to each other.
We had so much fun celebrating Read Across America Day!

Our eighth grade girls were able to miss a day of school last week and attend GEMS (Girls Engineering Math and Science) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They enjoyed not being in school for a day, but the real enjoyment was being able to attend a session on makeup. Imagine that with teenage girls! They also were able to visit other booths related to engineering and science.

Our Native American girls in eighth grade learned about careers in math and science.
Our eighth-grade girls attended GEMS and learned about GIS mapping.

Staff and students are gearing up for St. Joseph’s Spring Break which will start on March 22. We are looking forward to having an educational morning at the Recreation Center doing a Science/Weather program called Tornado Alley, which features a 3D movie! This will be a great start to Spring Break.

When the students return on Easter Monday, they will return to an Easter Egg hunt for the younger students (Grade 1-5) and the older students (Grades 6-8) will have a picnic dinner in the Fisher Home driveway, weather permitting. Considering our weather the past few weekends has been snow and rain, we will hope and pray for better weather on Easter weekend.

The staff would like to thank all of our donors for the help, support and encouragement that our students receive throughout the year.
“Experience Jesus’ presence each moment. Pray as you enter each place, welcoming Christ to touch and to heal. Embrace God and the way God touches your life again and again.”

Sharing enthusiasm, spirit

Most managers and supervisors tell you that 10% of their staff causes 90% of their grief. Today, our management team had the opposite problem – choosing some of the best staff members nominated by their peers for our annual employee recognition awards!

We have lots of committed, enthusiastic people at St. Joseph’s who do their job well day in and day out, and make such a difference. Good staff promote the mission, fulfill the vision and inspire others with their attitude. We selected eight people from different areas of campus who will be acknowledged this year for their extra efforts and positive, can-do approach to work. They’ll be honored at a banquet later in the month.

I stopped by the Rec center after school where the fourth and fifth grade cheerleaders were enjoying an end-of-the-season pizza party. Our Native American girls have so much spirit, pep and energy! They were having fun with a few cheers even though they were the only ones around to hear.
In the evening, many of us went to another pep rally – this one at the high school to send off the Chamberlain High School girls’ basketball team, who finished 21-1 and will advance to the state tournament this weekend.

We don’t have any current St. Joseph students on the team, but several staff have daughters on the team, and we always want to cheer the efforts of the young people of our community.

Another reason I love St. Joseph’s Indian School

The Lakota students and their teachers took a break to read a Dr. Seuss story.
Who can go to work in their pajamas, then sit in the hall and read Dr. Seuss with kids? ME!

There is much testing going on at St. Joseph’s at this time of year, especially in my area. Individual Education Plans are wrapping up for this year, but new students coming in need to be placed in the appropriate setting. I have been using Key Math to see where our holes are in Math and this has become a very useful tool! I learned something new this year! 🙂

Winter is teasing us right now. It will be nice outside one day and then it turns ugly cold! It is creating cabin fever! We do go outside with the Lakota boys and girls if it is above zero and the wind chill is above zero. Even though the kids might complain when they go out, they enjoy getting a breath of fresh air and running to keep warm.

Basketball is a hit here at our school – both boys and girls! Even our little ones are pretty good at basketball! They take on the bigger kids when they get the chance. It is nice to see the care the older students show the little ones. Lifting them up to make baskets, stealing the ball and giving it to a little one, pretending that the little ones stole it from them, and “trying” to block the shot!

Have I mentioned this time, how much I love it here at St. Joseph’s? Well the basketball story is just one reason. There is a ton more reasons. Who can go to work in their pajamas, then sit in the hall and read Dr. Seuss with kids?

ME, that’s who! We are reading “Cat in the HAT!”

The kids loved it! It was so much fun, especially when we started reading in unison!!! Imagine that! What a magical time it was! And then we got treats afterwards!!!

There are still many more reasons I love it here – stayed tuned!

The Lakota children love their teachers at St. Joseph’s Indian School!
Samantha, Robin and Kyla read for Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

Eighth graders visit State Capital

The Lakota students found the Senate chambers very interesting.
Cassidy, Melvina and Vilencia look down to the Senate floor.

Last Friday, St. Joseph’s eighth graders went on their cultural trip to Pierre, South Dakota. We left school about 8:10 A.M. and traveled west on the interstate to Vivian and proceeded north to Pierre.

Upon arrival in Pierre, we toured the State Capital Building. The students were impressed with the beauty and grandeur of the building, and all the old features. The aspect of the tour that held their attention the most was looking for the blue and heart shaped tiles. The Capital building has a tile floor; when it was installed, the workers were given a limited number of blue and heart-shaped tiles to place throughout the building as a mark of their own.

St. Joseph’s eighth-grade students had a great time visiting Pierre!
St. Joseph’s eighth-grade students take a group picture on the steps of the Capital Building.

From there, we went to Pizza Ranch and enjoyed lunch. After lunch, the day brought us to the Cultural Museum. The museum exhibits items from the different eras of South Dakota’s people. The students seemed to enjoy looking at how people lived in the past.

On the way home, we took the road that follows the east side of the Missouri River. They were all looking forward to going down the stretch of road with the bumps!   It was a fun, educational experience for the Lakota eighth graders to get to see some country, take in some government and experience the history of South Dakota’s various cultures.

St. Joseph’s Graduates – giving back

St. Joseph’s graduates can apply for scholarships to help them further their education.
Shay graduated from St. Joseph’s High School Program in 2011.

We have been looking toward the future of the high school program, both short and long term, and thinking about what our Lakota students need to succeed. Of course, we have a lot of thoughts, ideas, and opinions on that, but we decided to go to the source: our graduates.

We were fortunate enough to round up three former students; Roz graduated in 2008, Stefen in 2009 and Shay in 2011. We met over dinner to catch up, and they had a lot to share with us!

Much praise was given to Pam, our Transition Specialist. She works with St. Joseph’s high school students on independent living skills and life after high school. All the kids agreed that, thanks to their work with Pam, they knew what to wear to an interview and how to fill out a job application, among many other things. They also suggested that we spend more time doing mock interviews with the kids to give them more experience in that area.

St. Joseph’s High School Program helps 50 Native American students each year.
Stefen graduated from St. Joseph’s High School Program in 2009.

Each of the graduates also agreed they were very glad that skills like how to answer the phone and “no technology” meal times were enforced. Roz said that in every job she’s had, her supervisors have complimented her phone skills. Stefen concurred.

After noting another table in the restaurant where several teenagers had their phones out and weren’t participating in their table conversation, Stefen said he liked that his houseparents didn’t allow any phones at the dinner table, “because that was our time together as a family.”

The graduates also talked about how some things just have to be learned the hard way.

They’ve all had their challenges since graduating St. Joseph’s, but each of them have plans for their future and are moving forward. They also agreed they are glad they attended St. Joseph’s Indian School.

St. Joseph’s graduates often return to share their experiences with the Lakota children.
Roz graduated from St. Joseph’s High School Program in 2008.

Roz said, “If I could tell the current students just one thing it would be this, in capital letters: BE GRATEFUL.”

She went on to say that life is hard. Sometimes when you’re surrounded by so many opportunities, and all of your basic needs – food, shelter, and clothing – are taken care of, it can be easy to start to expect those things. However, once you leave St. Joseph’s, you’re quickly reminded that those good things in life are not a given.

Roz has accepted our invitation to come and talk with our current high school students. We are thankful that she is willing to share her wisdom with the kids and believe it will make a positive impact on them.

Do you remember leaving “home” and discovering that things were different than you thought they would be?

Music & Sweet Snacks

Have you ever seen those colorful commercials begging you to order a Kids Bop CD? You know, the ones with a bunch of kids singing, jumping, and dancing? Well, that pretty much sums up what the Lakota girls in the Afra Home consider an ideal day. They love music!  They love singing, dancing, playing instruments, and making their own choreography; they could literally do it for hours.

Imagine having 10 little girls (grades 1-3) who all want to take a turn at “playing” one keyboard. Sure, I have a massive headache by the time it’s all over, but it makes me happy to see them happy, so that’s what we do.

All the kids at St. Joseph’s have to tidy up their rooms every morning as well as take care of their chores and responsibilities. As an incentive, the order in which the girls finish determines the order in which we pick songs to dance to later in the day.

Here is a homemade music video of one of their recent and awesome picks:

The differences between what motivates our girls versus what motivates our boys are really interesting. Among other things, the boys LOVE food. I really enjoy cooking for them. Here at St. Joseph’s we never withhold food as a punishment or give them food as a reward. Obviously, food should be something all children should have no matter what. However, sometimes I will cook things that take extra work in the kitchen if the boys have had a good day.

On Sundays after church, if the boys were good, I won’t make a “boring” lunch. I make brunch, which includes homemade chocolate chip pancakes and a special peanut butter sauce to go with them rather than syrup. I love seeing Jachin and the boys sitting at the table waiting in anticipation. They get so smiley and excited. I can’t explain it but my heart does a little dance when they exclaim “Thank you for cooking Luleisa!!!”

We are also doing a health challenge, which entails eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies with every meal. The word “challenge” is an understatement. Sometimes the boys just don’t want to eat vegetables. However, if they don’t eat their fruits and veggies at supper, then they don’t get “sweet snack” in the evening.

Fridays are a very important day for the Ambrose Home boys. Everyone has only one goal in mind: I. MUST. MAKE. SWEET. SNACK.

Dinner is their mission. They take it very seriously because on Fridays we give them a can of pop and a full sized candy bar. Of course, if you don’t eat your supper, you’ll chomp on fruit as you watch everyone else guzzle down their pop.

Ladies and gentlemen, if this video doesn’t inspire you to eat your veggies, there is no hope for you! Here’s Paite vs. Food: Friday Green Bean Challenge

Pizza & a movie for a job well done

After school today, we loaded up St. Joseph’s 24 A and B honor roll students and traveled to Pierre, South Dakota for pizza and a movie as a reward for their achievement. The younger kids played games with action figures and dolls, while the junior high students mostly slept. Funny how at that age they can sleep anytime, anywhere and in any contorted position. The first and second graders asked every few minutes, “How many more miles now?” After a while, I just deducted one mile from the last time they asked. Since I ended on 15, it meant that in the last 40 miles they asked me 25 times. Patience!

We called ahead and made a reservation at the Pizza Ranch, which serves a buffet with other kid friendly selections like chicken and mashed potatoes. The staff knew our group was coming but the other diners didn’t, and I saw the look of panic on the faces of some diners, afraid our group would be unruly and make their dining experience unpleasant. But, the Lakota boys and girls were polite and well behaved and one woman even came up as she was leaving and complimented us on their behavior. My table was with first, second and third graders. I helped them with foods they couldn’t reach, made sure they only took a little at a time and ate what they took before going back for more.

We had some extra time before the movie, and parked by the State Capital. The fresh air and walking around gave them a chance to burn off some energy after the long bus ride. We took a walk along the artesian lake and saw the bronzes dedicated to veterans, as well as the wild mustang bronze in memory of the group of state public servants – including Governor George Michelson – who were tragically killed in a plane crash several years ago.

Our legislature is in session, so the capital was open. The representatives were on supper break, so we got to see the house and senate chambers without disturbing any of the action. A third grade girl dreamed that maybe she would have a desk there one day, and I told her she will have my vote when she gets old enough to run.

The movie was a so-so cartoon, “Escape From Planet Earth” but the kids enjoyed it. I didn’t realize theaters carry booster seats, but several of our kids asked for them so they could see better. When it was all finished, we made sure everyone got in line for the bathroom before we began the journey home.

The Reality of Poverty

I wasn’t on campus for Sunday mass, but covered masses in town this past weekend at St. James parish in downtown Chamberlain. I enjoy preaching to people from all ages and walks of life. While I’ve been faithful to the duties of school administration, there are times that I miss the more spiritual focus that I had as a parish priest and directing seminarians in formation. Leading the community in prayer was a nice way to reconnect.

The Associated Press ran an article about poverty among Native American tribal members in South Dakota. With 65,000 Native Americans in the state, 48% live in poverty.

And it’s not just confined to Indian Reservations.

In Rapid City, our state’s second most populous city, 50.9 % of Lakota people live below the poverty line.

It’s a long uphill climb to combat those kinds of numbers, but we hope the education we provide the Lakota children at St. Joseph’s helps give them a solid foundation to fulfill their potential and rise above poverty.

…

I traveled 360 miles to Eagle Butte and back for the Sacred Heart Center’s Board of Directors meeting. We approved budgets and personnel plans for the coming year. One potential project with a lot of promise is a joint effort with Habitat for Humanity.

The shelter for victims of domestic violence is often filled to capacity, and families who need to make major changes in their lives aren’t usually able to do so immediately. Transitions take time, and there is great need for transitional housing where a family can be safe and rebuild their shattered lives. The Sacred Heart Center is in discussions with Habitat to help create some housing for that purpose.

Lynette, the cook, treated us to fresh, warm fry bread and corn & bean soup for a traditional lunch – delicious! In her work with youth who have been victimized by violence, she noted that it is usually easier for them to forgive the ones who hurt them than it is to forgive themselves… Violence is a difficult cycle to break, but that is at the heart of the Center’s mission.

Lanae, the new outreach coordinator for Sacred Heart Center remembered singing in the children’s guitar choir when I first served in Eagle Butte as a young seminarian. I enjoyed the reunion with her as an adult now, and the chance to catch up on where she’s been. One of her first fun projects was to have the youth in the shelter make Valentine cards for the elders. They brightened the elders’ day by making the rounds delivering the handcrafted greetings.

In town, I ran into Catherine, another youngster I remembered from parish CCD classes. She is now a Registered Nurse in charge of opening the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s new nursing home. She gave me a tour of the facility, which includes both a chapel and circular room for Lakota ceremony.

Currently, the elderly who need assisted living or nursing care must move off the reservation – at least 90 miles to Pierre or Mobridge, the nearest communities large enough to offer these services. The state of South Dakota had a moratorium on nursing homes, and the tribe had to apply for a special exemption. The building went up several years ago, but it took longer to get funding set up for ongoing operations. When it opens in April, it will provide needed jobs in the community and allow families to have much easier access to their respected elders who want to be close to home.

Today was an office day, catching up on phone calls and e-mails. As in any institution, some days there are stressful issues with staff or students. I bumped into one of our staff going home after a trying day. I asked if it was hard to leave the tough stuff at work. She told me of her ritual to help make the transition: she gets in her car, brushes her arms off in a symbolic gesture, cranks the radio up loud with her favorite song and sings at the top of her lungs on the way down the driveway.

I smiled, seeing the wisdom in physically giving yourself a break from what, at times, can be a stressful and demanding job. Staff who pay attention to their own needs, and get breaks and proper rest and diversion, are the ones who stay happiest and healthiest in the long run.

A beautiful moment for the community

At the end of the school day, we handed out attendance and honor roll awards to recognize St. Joseph’s students for their efforts during second quarter and first semester.

I cried at least a couple of times during tonight’s Chamberlain High School boys basketball game, but they were happy and sentimental tears. This was the last home game of the season, and senior night. All of the JV and Varsity players were introduced and went into the stands to give their parents a rose. The seniors were given special honor and had their photos taken with family at center court. A good number of our students’ parents were able to attend. For the ones who could not, due to many different circumstances, our houseparents filled in and were honored. In their years here, our Lakota students develop some strong family-like relationships with our staff.

The Junior Varsity rolled to an easy victory. Eleven of the 17 players on the JV are St. Joseph’s students, although two were injured during the season and weren’t able to play. That younger group had an undefeated, 17-0 record, which bodes well for the future of Chamberlain basketball.

The varsity game wasn’t close either, with the Cubs 30 points ahead in the fourth quarter. Everyone on the bench saw a good deal of action, including a couple of promising eighth graders.

Brady, who has served as student manager throughout high school, is also a senior. He loves basketball, but has cerebral palsy, so he’s fulfilled his dream to be part of the team in a support role.

The coaches asked him to dress tonight.

With about two minutes to go, the student body began chanting his name, and gave him a standing ovation when walked haltingly onto the court and entered the game.

Instead of having him try to run the floor, the coach stationed him along the baseline. A teammate drove the lane to draw defenders, then kicked the ball back out to Brady. He let fly a 15 footer, which rattled around the rim and dropped in. The stands erupted in more cheers.

What a beautiful moment for everyone in the community!

People with physical limitations so often inspire us by the strength of their spirit, and challenge us to always look beyond appearance, and see the goodness, heart and potential within.

Our one senior, Elijah, had a couple of stretches of playing time during the game, but hadn’t scored, so coach put him back in, hoping he would get a bucket. Three times, players who had a clear shot of their own unselfishly passed it to Eli. Each time the ball was in his hands the fans yelled “SHOOT” but he kept passing it to others.

I laughed at the game of hot potato. Finally as the clock was winding down he got the hint and drove for the basket. He was fouled before he could get the shot off, but it was a non-shooting foul, and time expired before he got another chance. I appreciated the way teammates worked together throughout the night and all year.

Children Are Always Watching

We started the day with an appreciation breakfast for St. Joseph’s staff. Instead of eating breakfast in the homes, everyone on campus was invited to a shared meal at the dining hall. I was surprised when I took a bite out of what I thought was a sausage patty and it turned out to be an oatmeal breakfast cookie. I liked it a lot, but sure wasn’t expecting that taste.

Human Resources had a three-question trivia contest about the weather. They realize that many people just use smart phones to look things up, so Donna joked with an adult that she handed a quiz to, “cheating is encouraged!”

One of our Lakota first graders coming through the line at that time had a perplexed look on her face.

Donna had to retrace her steps and assure the child that no, cheating is not good, and it is not encouraged, especially in school, and we were only joking. We must be careful what we say and do around children because they remember our words and most definitely notice our actions.

One of our family service counselors accompanied students to the South Dakota Women’s Prison in Pierre for a visit to see their mom. Those kinds of separations are hard on a family and particularly the children. They are hopeful her upcoming parole hearing will allow the family to be united once again.