Tag: youth

Hello, my name is Dixie. I am the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center Director here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Are you planning your summer vacation?  Take in one of South Dakota’s best kept secrets and visit the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center . . . more than just a traditional museum, the Akta Lakota Museum provides visitors with a living lesson on the Native American way of life – both past and present.

Each year, over 25,000 guests take time to visit the our on-site museum! In addition to folks from countries throughout the world, every state in the union has been represented by visitors to the museum. You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity to view one of the most fascinating highlights of the Chamberlain area!

With over 14,000 square feet of display space, a culturally aware layout, color-coded time lines and a gift shop boasting Native American-made items, there is truly something for everyone at the Akta Lakota Museum!

From the minute you arrive on St. Joseph’s Indian School’s beautiful campus, you know you are in for a treat. So, whether you’re out with the family, in town with a large group or passing through by yourself, you won’t want to pass up an opportunity to visit. Hop to see you here! Check out our website  for driving directions to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center!

The Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is located on the campus of St. Joseph’s Indian School, 1301 North Main Street, in Chamberlain, South Dakota.  The museum’s current hours are 8-6 Monday – Saturday and 9-5 Sunday.  For more information call 800-798-3452 or visit www.aktalakota.org.

Hello everyone, Jenny here. I am the High School Residential Coordinator here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

The High School Summer Program has been busy! We had 25 kids join us on May 30^th for our many summer activities. Ten freshmen students are taking part in a three-week orientation program. During this program, they attend classes at Chamberlain High School (CHS) in the morning. These classes allow them to get comfortable with the layout of the  school and get to know some of the teachers as well as become familiar with the expectations at CHS. Once classes are over, the students return to campus for lunch and then head to the Rec Center to burn off some energy. In the afternoon the freshmen attend ‘Expanding the Circle’ classes taught by several rotating program staff. The ‘Expanding the Circle’ curriculum offers culturally relevant activities that allow Native American youth to explore who they are, what skills they need, and what their options are for life after high school. Along with all of this, the freshmen take part in three college visits as we start preparing them for the future.

In addition to the freshmen we have 11 students here for driver’s education classes. This class is typically offered through the public school, but was discontinued in recent budget cuts. In response to this St. Joseph’s Indian School offered to host this class on campus. Some of the kids were nervous to get behind the wheel and some were very excited!

We have two high school girls and two high school boys assisting with the Rising Eagle Day Camp, they have said that they enjoy working with the kids who are attending camp, but they are tired at the end of the day! Two boys are working with maintenance, gaining skills and helping out. One student is working as an intern in the Development Office, she has stated that she really enjoys her work and has been keeping busy. A student who is interested in culinary arts has been helping at the dining hall to get an inside look. Another student is working at the Thrift Store part-time and at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center part-time. He said recently that he enjoys talking with the visitors and donors. All of our students have gotten great reviews from their supervisors; what a great sense of accomplishment for everyone involved!

Needless to say, our houseparenting staff have been keeping busy as they keep track of everyone’s work schedules, activities and recreation. It takes a dedicated set of people to keep the homes running smoothly when everyone’s going in different directions!

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.

 

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.