News

Chamberlain, S.D.) – Four students from St. Joseph’s Indian School traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 7-12 to participate in the annual Summer Institute, a program offered through the Schools in Collaboration partnership with other Priests of the Sacred...

Ten seniors supported by St. Joseph’s Indian School graduated from Chamberlain High School on Saturday, May 16, in the school’s competition gym.  The graduates are Armand “Tre” of Pierre, Ava of Wagner, Delante of Lower Brule, Donald “Gabe” of Okemah,...

St. Joseph’s Indian School marked the conclusion of its winter sports season with an awards ceremony at the school’s recreation center, recognizing student-athletes in boys and girls basketball, archery and gymnastics. A total of 79 students participated in the 2026...

Joe Tyrell, Director of Mission Integration at St. Joseph’s Indian School, has recently become a Dehonian Associate. Through this commitment with the Priests of the Sacred Heart, he has pledged to live out and promote the mission and spirituality inspired by Fr. Leo...

St. Joseph's Indian School recently honored first through eighth-grade student-athletes who participated in fall sports. This included cross country, volleyball, and football. A total of 95 students were involved in fall sports. “We are incredibly proud of the...

St. Joseph's Indian School was named a "2025 Top-Rated Nonprofit" for the ninth consecutive year by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits. Jenny Renner-Meyer, Chief Operating Officer at St. Joseph’s Indian School, says, “The...

St. Joseph’s Indian School has been awarded the School Achievement Through Libraries (SATL) Award for 2025-2028 by the South Dakota State Library, a division of the Department of Education. The award honors the outstanding work of school librarian Claire Nehring, with...

The 49th Annual St. Joseph’s Indian School Wačhípi is September 20. The royalty competition kicks off the powwow activities. This year’s Miss St. Joe’s is Persais Swift Hawk from Ft. Thompson, Junior Miss St. Joe’s is Arihanni Archambeau-Quiver from Sioux Falls, and...

The Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center opens Voices of the Plains, a new exhibition drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, curated by David A. Meyer II. Showcasing a diverse group of artists connected to the Northern Plains, Voices of the Plains...

(Chamberlain, S.D.) The opening three episodes of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s Hóčhoka podcast Season 8 address the organization’s move into the future with new leadership. Listen to thoughts from departing President Mike Tyrell. Meet the school’s first Chief...

On Friday, May 23, 17 students were honored as they finished their grade school years at St. Joseph’s Indian School. One of the most joyful events of the year, graduation is always a celebration of thiyóšpaye (extended family) among relatives, staff and students of...

During the summer months, St. Joseph’s bookmobile travels to communities throughout South Dakota to distribute free reading material for all ages and interests. For the fifth year, the venue will have Native American books by Native American authors onboard, one for...

St. Joseph’s Indian School students in first through twelfth grades and staff gathered for a solemn event. The gathering was a ceremony to pray, raise awareness and request healing and resolution around the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives...

During the St. Joseph’s Indian School board of directors meeting on April 10, the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart announced new leadership appointments. Jennifer Renner-Meyer will be Chief Operating Officer and Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ will be President.

Beginning January 26, St. Joseph’s Indian School joined other Catholic schools across the country in celebrating Catholic Schools Week.

Hóčhoka season 7 wraps up with an exciting episode with St. Joseph’s alum Hope McCloskey.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism has recognized two employees and programs of the Aktá Lakota Museum and Cultural Center with the two 2024 Great Face designations, as well as a Great Place designation. Great Faces Greet Akta Lakota Museum Goers Wanda Bunker,...

Second-grader Jozayah Comes Flying shops for jewelry for her mother.

Today President Biden apologized for “the U.S. government’s role in running hundreds of Indian boarding schools for a 150-year period that stripped Native American children of their language and culture” in an effort to assimilate them into mainstream society. This is...

Because one day isn’t enough and one activity can’t say it all, staff and students at St. Joseph’s Indian School extended the cultural celebration of Native American Day from Sunday to Friday. Each day unveiled more of the richness and diversity of their Lakota,...

Taivin Fallis will graduate this spring from Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, S.D., as a Build Dakota Scholar. Fallis is in the school’s Building Trades Technology Program. A 2023 graduate of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s High School Program, Fallis is one of...

Dakota stood tail-wagging on her hind feet to receive her blessing

St. Joseph’s alumni Danisha Cutt and Diamond Left Hand Bull display the Lakota Star Quilt.

  Interested in learning more about Indigenous evaluation? What about a conversation with two Lakota Elders? Find out about these topics and much more during St. Joseph’s Indian School's sixth season of Hóčhoka podcast beginning on Monday, August 26. The endeavor aims...

The 48th Annual St. Joseph’s Indian School Wačhípi is September 21. Students have been hard at work practicing dance and drum group since their August 11 return to campus. As is the tradition, a royalty competition set the final days of preparation for the event in...

School is back in session at St. Joseph’s Indian School, and staff and students are hard at work preparing for the powwow of the wakhaŋeža (the blessed little ones). Annually on the third Saturday of September, the school hosts the powwow, which is open to the public....

For nearly a decade, Native Hope, an outreach of St. Joseph’s Indian School, has been in attendance at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally – on a mission. The event is popular with motorcycle enthusiasts from around the word. It is also “grand central” for human trafficking....

A now four-year tradition borne of the pandemic requirement for social distancing continued at St. Joseph’s Indian School on Tuesday, August 13. Nearly 200 students and dozens of staff from across the campus celebrated the fourth annual outdoor back-to-school parade....

The St. Joseph's Indian School Bookmobile wrapped up a busy summer mid-July. The tour broke records in every category. The outreach made stops in 44 communities, crisscrossing South Dakota to serve nearly 2,300 children and adults. The Bookmobile crew distributed...

St. Joseph’s Indian School hosted a national training for the OK Corral Equine Therapy Red Series on July 9 through 11, 2024. Attendees included 10 of the school’s counseling staff, three attendees from nearby Lower Brule Reservation and seven others from around the...

https://youtu.be/6MDGu1KJaVw On Saturday, April 20, students at St. Joseph’s Indian School workshopped and put on the aptly named Thiyóšpaye (extended family) Native American Fashion Show. Professionals in the Native fashion Industry and dozens of staff members joined...

St. Joseph's Indian School was recently named a "2024 Top-Rated Nonprofit" for the eighth year running by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits. President Mike Tyrell says the recognition acknowledges the entire...

On Friday, May 24, 17 students were honored as they finished their grade school years at St. Joseph’s Indian School. One of the most joyful events of the year, graduation is always a celebration of thiyóšpaye (extended family) among relatives, staff and students of...

On Thursday, May 16, the 21 seventh-grade students of St. Joseph’s Indian School prayed and smudged before embarking on the trip that has become a rite of passage. The journey, which comprises five days traveling to important cultural sites and reflecting upon the...

During the summer months, St. Joseph’s bookmobile travels to communities throughout South Dakota to distribute free reading material for all ages and interests. For the fourth year, the venue will have Native American books by Native American authors onboard, one for...

On an afternoon in early May, a bit cooler than seasonal and under cloudy skies, students in first through twelfth grades and staff gathered on the lawn of the Wisdom Circle on the campus of St. Joseph’s Indian School for a solemn event. The gathering was a ceremony...

St. Joseph’s Indian School announces the graduation of five seniors from its high school program, which partners with Chamberlain High School. Graduation is on Saturday, May 11, at 2 p.m., at the Chamberlain Armory. “It is an honor and privilege to be a part of these...

Haircut brings smile to St. Joseph’s Indian School Student

Keeping family connections strong is a priority at St. Joseph’s Indian School, and it plays out in various programs and relationships from the day-to-day conversations between houseparents, family service counselors and other staff with guardians to the campus housing...

St. Joseph’s alum earns law enforcement certification