{"id":36766,"date":"2024-02-03T07:12:09","date_gmt":"2024-02-03T12:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/hard-realities-on-rosebud-reservation-hinder-educational-goals-the-cycle-continues\/"},"modified":"2024-02-03T07:12:12","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T12:12:12","slug":"hard-realities-on-rosebud-reservation-hinder-educational-goals-the-cycle-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/hard-realities-on-rosebud-reservation-hinder-educational-goals-the-cycle-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"Hard realities on Rosebud reservation hinder educational goals: \u2018The cycle continues\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Students work on English assignments at Sapa Un Jesuit Academy. \u201cWe\u2019re very student-based, with small class sizes, which allows us to move kids around in spaces based on need,\u201d said principal Stacee Valandra. (Photo: Submitted)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

FRANCIS, S.D. \u2013 When talk turns to preparing more children on the Rosebud Indian Reservation to pursue positive opportunities, Stacee Valandra just nods her head.<\/p>\n

The 41-year-old Lakota educator grew up on the reservation in Todd County, one of the poorest sections of America, where more than 60% of residents under age 18 live below poverty level.<\/p>\n

Valandra was a good athlete who attended public school in Mission and went to college in Nebraska to play volleyball. But she struggled in the new environment and moved back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t make it \u2013 I\u2019m one of those statistics,\u201d said Valandra, now principal at Sapa Un Jesuit Academy in St. Francis. \u201cMost of my teachers were white, and at times I felt stupid, to be honest. I had a lot of reflecting to do when I came back. I found my passion trying to show kids that there are possibilities out there, but you need to be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a daunting task on this reservation in south-central South Dakota, where high birth rates and low household incomes make educational structure a major priority for tribal officials, with limited success so far.<\/p>\n

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Students line up for recess at Sapa Un Jesuit Academy in St. Francis, S.D., on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The K-8 school has about 45 students, with the goal of preparing them to succeed in high school by emphasizing their strengths and interests. (Photo: Stu Whitney \/ South Dakota News Watch)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Todd County School District, a public system with 97% Native American enrollment, had proficiency scores<\/a> of 12% in English and 9% in science on the latest South Dakota Department of Education report card, with an attendance rate of 32%. The state averages were 50% in English, 43% in science and 86% for attendance.<\/p>\n

U.S. Census data shows that 15% of Todd County residents aged 25-plus have a college bachelor\u2019s degree or higher, half the statewide average. Lacking educational standard-setters at home makes it tougher to inspire young people in the classroom, said Cindy Young, education director of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe provide services to help the parents however we can,\u201d said Young, who has also worked in education on the Pine Ridge Reservation and at St. Francis Indian School. \u201cA lot of the time those parents aren\u2019t educated themselves and they live way out in rural areas, so it\u2019s harder to get those kids to school.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Valandra arrived at Sapa Un Academy in 2014, there were only about 15 students and very little formal structure. But the concept of including Lakota culture in the curriculum and engaging parents in the process was paramount.<\/p>\n

The K-8 school now has about 45 students, with the goal of preparing them to succeed in high school by emphasizing their strengths and interests. There are five teachers and one aide, with several of the grade levels combined.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very student-based, with small class sizes, which allows us to move kids around in spaces based on need,\u201d said Valandra, who started as a kindergarten teacher and kept amassing more responsibility. \u201cBut what really makes us special is that we strive every day to focus on Lakota values.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Students huddle up during recess at Sapa Un Jesuit Academy, part of the St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. In the background is St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. (Photo: Stu Whitney \/ South Dakota News Watch)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A recent focus on compassion included hands-on experiences such as shoveling sidewalks for elders, reading to nursing home residents and organizing a blanket drive \u201cto help keep our residents warm,\u201d said Valandra, who enlists parents to help with the outreach.<\/p>\n

The school was founded by the St. Francis Mission as part of the Jesuit nativity model of schools, which includes free or low-cost tuition, longer school days, an extended school year and opportunities for summer camp.<\/p>\n

St. Francis Mission president Rodney Bordeaux, former head of the Rosebud Tribe, said it was important to give reservation families a choice beyond St. Francis Indian School and public-school districts such as Todd County, Winner and White River.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a need for a school setting focused on academic achievement, leadership development and culture,\u201d said Bordeaux, a graduate of Augustana University in Sioux Falls. \u201cParents are a big part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than de-emphasizing Native culture and traditions in favor of religious instruction, Bordeaux said the Jesuit nativity model celebrates Lakota heritage and language while still working to prepare students to succeed in a \u201cwhite dominant\u201d culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt stems back to when we were put on reservations and our chiefs asked the \u2018black robes\u2019 to come and educate our people,\u201d Bordeaux said. \u201cThey knew back then that we had to get educated to compete in the white man\u2019s world, and it\u2019s still the same today. If you\u2019re not academically prepared, you cannot compete in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sapa Un is funded almost entirely by private donations. Annual tuition is $100. Valandra said the St. Francis Mission would like to expand the school facility and offer K-12 instruction in the future, but she\u2019s proud of the progress seen over the first decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a different kind of commitment because we don\u2019t have busing,\u201d Valandra said. \u201cSo parents are responsible for bringing their kids and picking them up every day and being involved in certain functions. We do have that conversation with families. You know, like, \u2018This is our expectation of how you will participate here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The reality of life on Rosebud makes it difficult for many households to fulfill those obligations.<\/p>\n

\"\"Todd County has a median household income of $33,792, less than half the state average of $69,457, according to U.S. Census data<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Residents under the age of 18 account for 41% of the population in Todd County, compared to the state average of 24%.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople always argue for academic attainment as an important vehicle to achieve upward mobility,\u201d said demographer and South Dakota State University professor Weiwei Zhang, who studies population and economic trends in the state. \u201cBut when you\u2019re in a group facing persistent poverty, you could have numerous financial burdens that hinder your path to a good education. So poverty becomes the reason rather than the result, and the cycle continues.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tribal education department started a \u201cBuilding Bridges\u201d program to emphasize the need for parent advocacy and involvement to improve the academic environment on the reservation.<\/p>\n

Much of that is generational, with parents who graduated high school or college passing that knowledge and expectation down to their children. Growing pains are part of the transition.<\/p>\n

Valandra, whose own college experience fizzled before she regained her footing and earned her teaching degree, is proud to see her daughter, Caelyn, attending the University of South Dakota as a track athlete and kinesiology major, hoping to pursue a career in physical therapy.<\/p>\n

Success stories are the ones we should be highlighting, she said. The best way to do that is to make more of them.<\/p>\n

(Contact South Dakota News Watch at info@sdnewswatch.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post Hard realities on Rosebud reservation hinder educational goals: \u2018The cycle continues\u2019<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Students work on English assignments at Sapa Un Jesuit Academy. \u201cWe\u2019re very student-based, with small class sizes, which allows us to move kids around in spaces based on need,\u201d said principal Stacee Valandra. (Photo: Submitted) FRANCIS, S.D. \u2013 When talk turns to preparing more children on the Rosebud Indian Reservation <\/p>\n

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