For the first time St. Labre will be honoring two students as salutatorians for the 2010 graduating class. Lacey and Mikayla.

Lacey hails from Lodge Grass on the Crow Indian Reservation, about 100 miles southwest of St. Labre Indian School. Because of the distance, Lacey has been a dorm student during her sojourn at St. Labre, but, in her view, that hasn't been a bad experience. “In addition to all the help my teachers gave me, Jesuit Volunteers were on duty during evenings at the dorm, and they helped me with my homework. Overall, I really learned a lot here at St. Labre.”

For this year, Lacey has enjoyed her statistics class and also her beading class. Her beading projects have included a pair of moccasins and a beaded turtle. Lacey was a member of the St. Labre cheerleading squad and also likes to do anything connected to the outdoors. Additionally, she enjoys spending time with her grandmother, who tells her stories of times gone by on the Crow Indian Reservation.

Although she hasn't determined what branch of nursing she would like to pursue, Lacey feels ready to move on and begin this next phase of her life. We already know one thing about her MSU experience: after enduring the outdated St. Labre dormitory, her college dorm will be a welcome change. We celebrate Lacey's achievements and hard work and wish her a bright future.

As co-salutatorian for the St. Labre Graduating Class of 2010, Mikayla makes no bones about it: “There were people,” she states, “who didn't think I would make it this far in my education. Being salutatorian means a lot to me and my family, and I have my teachers to thank. They have all been very helpful, always there after school when I needed extra help.”

Salutatorian Mikayla.

In spite of some of her challenges during the past academic year, Mikayla has demonstrated initiative and tenacity in order to be ready for college this fall at Montana State University-Billings, where she plans to major in nursing. Her goal is to become a registered nurse and, ultimately, an RN Family Practitioner.

And that's not too difficult to understand since family is important to Mikayla. She grew up with four brothers and three sisters and simply loves the feeling of being a part of a large family.

To get a head start on her nursing classes, she will be working at the local Indian Health Service Clinic during the summer as an intern. And in her spare time she will probably shoot some hoops with her siblings, since she played basketball and volleyball for St. Labre for three years.

In looking back over her time at St. Labre, Mikayla points to a former science teacher, Mr. Andres, who instilled a love of everything science in her. Mr. Andres really helped me get a good foundation in science, she reminisces. “I'll always remember him as my favorite teacher while I was here.”

For a young woman who wants a career in a helping profession, nursing seems perfectly suited to Mikayla, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.