The 42 donors on the 2010 tour received quite a treat when they arrived on campus on September 24, a crisp autumn morning in Big Sky Country.

The group was taken to the construction site where the new dorm is taking shape, where they witnessed a blessing of the site with prayers and ceremonies from tribal elders and a Catholic prayer service led by Father Paschal Siler, OFM Cap, the St. Labre pastor.

Groundwork, plumbing and electrical lines are being laid and some foundation walls have already been poured. The dorm is scheduled for completion and dedication about this time next year, about the same time that our 2011 Donor Appreciation Tour will be in progress.

Clementine Heard, a donor from Chicago, summed up her feelings when asked about her experiences on the tour. “I feel blessed to be a part of everything that takes place at these schools. May God’s blessings continue to be on everyone here.”

In the meantime, you can track the progress of the dormitory on any day by going to www.stlabre.org and following the prompts to the webcam.

This past September, 42 St. Labre benefactors were just finishing up their tour of the three campuses of St. Labre Indian School and other iconic locations in Big Sky Country of Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota.

This year’s tour took place in Yellowstone National Park; historic Cody, Wyoming; Pompey’s Pillar along the Yellowstone River; Deadwood, South Dakota; Crazy Horse Monument; Mount Rushmore and, of course, the schools. The tour bus arrived at the St. Labre campus on American Indian Day where the donors were treated to Native American customs, food, pageantry and much more.

Next year’s tour will cover approximately the same itinerary with the tour arriving again at St. Labre on American Indian Day. Give Jeff Peterson or one of his associates a call at 1-866-313-2577 and reserve your place on the 2011 tour. Along with over 300 other St. Labre supporters who have made this trip, (some more than once) you will say it was an unforgettable, life-changing experience.

If traveling excites you, here’s a chance to win a trip (airfare not included) to St. Labre and other points of interest in September, 2011. This eight-day journey will approximate the itinerary noted in the article above. Raffle tickets are $20 for one and $50 for three. Use this link to enter now. This drawing will take place on Friday, January 28, 2011. For more information about the tour, contact Jeff Peterson’s office, toll-free at 1-866-313-2577 for a complete itinerary.

Or, if you are more of a homebody, you can enter our raffle to win a beaded blanket with gorgeous Native American imagery created by five St. Labre students. This drawing will take place Friday, December 3. Tickets are $20 for one and $50 for three. The blanket measures 72" x 70", big enough to keep you warm all winter long. Please use this link to enter now.

If you happened to see Linda Pease-Brien, St. Labre Academy principal (Grades 5-8) in the hallway of the school and asked her to discuss the reading program, her face would light up, her voice would become animated and she just might start skipping down the hall with some of her students.

And with good reason. Last year’s testing reports for the seventh and eighth graders were something to “crow” about (only if you are a member of the Crow Tribe of Indians, which Linda is). Others, including students, teachers and parents have bragging rights.

The tests are based on the No Child Left Behind legislation. Of 24 eighth graders tested last spring, 96 percent tested as proficient and advanced.

Of 23 seventh graders, 96 percent tested as proficient and advanced. Such scores can only be classified as outstanding for schools in Montana and elsewhere.

Linda attributes the students’ success to a reading program designed around independent reading of fiction and non-fiction works.

“Once they are tested,” she says, “they begin reading independently at their level. They read at home, on the bus, at lunch, weekends—whenever and wherever they can.”

Testing involves the use of technology, something nearly every student loves. Once the book is read, the test is taken on a computer and instant feedback is provided.

“The kids love this part,” Linda observes. “They get to see their scores immediately, and they can go on exploratory sites on the computer that feature other activities for the novels they read.”

“In addition to the high level of self-motivation this program incorporates, we provide incentives through the school, too.” Linda continues, “Students earn points for reading a certain number of books and passing the tests. Once they reach 100 points, they receive a $10.00 gift card to a book store (120 miles distant in Billings), and they make a trip there to buy books and have a field day.”

Toby, a seventh grader who has excelled with the program, says, “I like reading because we get to read a lot of books.” When asked how many he might have read last year, he thought a moment and answered, “At least twenty.”

Considering the fact that most of the books are 200-300 page novels, that’s a good amount of reading in addition to other subjects, activities and sports students are engaged in.

Linda says parents are pleased with the program, too. Proof of that occurred the first day of school back on August 26. Linda had ended last school year with 89 students in attendance at the Academy. She began this school year with 115 students, positive proof that area parents want their kids to obtain the same kind of success that last year’s students have demonstrated.

As for the future, Linda’s goals are many and varied. First, she is implementing a program for lower level readers in fifth and sixth grades proven to increase reading skills.

Dear Friend,

Times are exciting here at St. Labre: We’ve started the new school year and our hallways are teeming with hundreds of happy Native American children.

They remind me of the tremendous debt of gratitude that I owe to you, because without your love and support our schools simply could not exist.

I’m also excited because we have begun construction on the new student dormitory. You may remember that we began the drive to build the new dorm way back in 2003. It has been a long road to get here, but we are on the way thanks to the generosity of so many people.

Two of those generous people are Andy and Betty, who live in New Jersey. On hearing that we are still about a quarter of the way from having enough funds to complete the dorm, they put out a challenge: they will match dollar-for-dollar any gift for the dormitory project, up to a total of $50,000. I was floored by their generosity, but I also let them know that I wasn’t worried.

I know that St. Labre has the best donors in the world and I told them that I am absolutely confident that you will come through for the children yet again and that Andy and Betty will be writing a check for $50,000. (Gladly, I might add. They really do want to give the money to help make the dorm a reality.)

What can one say about Velma but, “WOW.” This tremendous young lady has overcome huge adversity to make it to an Ivy League school like Dartmouth. But that’s not what makes her special. What makes her special is that she is a wonderful human being with a kind heart and a generous spirit. Thank you for your support that made it possible for her to get a life-changing education.

That life-changing education is evident in the reading scores demonstrated by students in our middle school academy. The talented staff and administrators whose salaries you make possible work diligently each day to give the students the best education possible.

In closing, let me thank you again for all that you do for the Indian children served by St. Labre. In addition to your contributions, please continue to keep them in your prayers. And if you ever are in our area, please visit us and see what is possible only because of your love and sacrifice.

Sincerely,

Curtis Yarlott

It would be an understatement to say I was enjoying my drive through Crow country to visit Velma and her family: it’s the kind of country you don’t mind getting lost in, which was good, because I was lost, or at least I hadn’t correctly followed Velma’s directions.

Here vistas become mesmerizing as folds of golden grass roll across the landscape, and the distant horizon is punctuated by the dark line of the Wolf, Big Horn, or Pryor Mountains. It is impossible to get entirely lost, though, because a landmark here can always be found: the Little Big Horn River. Green stands of cottonwood trees mark its course as it winds its way northwest to the confluence with the much larger Big Horn River.

So I wasn’t so much lost as I had just driven to the wrong house along the river. I backtracked down the gravel road and found Velma’s house moments later.

There is plenty to talk about as I sit at the kitchen table with Velma and her grandparents, Lloyd and Elvenia Pickett: five of their grandchildren are students I work with. Ashley and Alayna both attend nearby Little Big Horn College. Jeff, a junior at St. Labre last fall, just returned from a summer leadership camp in Virginia. Sam, whom I taught in the late 90s, is away at a rodeo.

But the conversation quickly gravitates toward two topics – the obvious pride they feel about Velma and the gratitude they hold for St. Labre School.

Elvenia starts the conversation. “I overheard two women in Hardin talking about this girl who had lost her mother recently and was still attending Dartmouth,” she says. “I heard one of them say to the other that she must be a strong girl. I wanted to say, that’s my granddaughter you’re talking about, but I didn’t, because they were strangers to me, but it made me proud to hear it.”

“We are very proud of her to be attending such a prestigious school. She is a role model for all the kids in her community,” Lloyd adds. “It sounds like she is more than a role model just for Indian kids,” I say. I tell them how proud we are at St. Labre of Velma.

Working with such fine people as Velma and her family, it’s hard to imagine a job more rewarding than assisting our graduates to be successful in college.

Silly question, you may think, since this is only mid-November, but Christmas has a way of sneaking up on all of us. Now is a good time to think about helping Santa by sending a few extra dollars to make sure his St. Labre children receive a present or two to take home for vacation. In some cases, these might be the only ones they receive.

Thank you for helping to brighten Christmas for the children.