What We Do

What We Do

Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.

Nicholas Black Elk

About Our Work

The mission of St. Joseph’s Indian School guides our work and is hardwired through extensive training and the selection and implementation of evidence-based programs. All staff learns and utilizes our holistic and strengths-based approach to guiding our children, educating for life – mind, body, heart and spirit.

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Community Outreaches

Community outreaches, off-campus and in towns throughout South Dakota, are part of what we do in addition to St. Joseph’s Indian School’s educational work with Native American children and families.

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St. Joseph's Powwow

Since 1976, St. Joseph’s Indian School hosts our annual Powwow (wachipi) weekend on its Chamberlain, S.D., campus. The three-day event, usually around the third Saturday of September, is bolstered with tours of the school and homes; cultural foods, activities and demonstrations; and an all-day powwow dance competition for children from tiny tots to teens.

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Strategic Plan

Our St. Joseph's Indian School Strategic Plan, "Decade of Inclusion 2020-2030" outlines a bold vision with four primary strategies.

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