Call 866-753-5496 for more information on naming opportunities
at the new St. Labre Indian School Dorm.
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The 2011 Spring Newsletter
A Matching Opportunity for You!
For the past three years, the St. Labre 8th graders from all three campuses have taken
year-end trips to Washington, D.C., and surrounding attractions like Gettysburg, Mount
Vernon and Williamsburg. Previous students have said this trip broadened their outlook
and opened doors to new educational opportunities for them. This year’s group is no
different.
As Shaylee observes, “I’ve always wanted to go to the Library of Congress and see what
they have in their Native American section.”
The National Museum of the American Indian, one of the Smithsonian Museums on the
Mall, was also high on the list of places the students want to visit.
“Going there will help me understand my own history better,” Sampson said. “I’ve heard it is a really neat museum.”
To make this trip, the students must raise 25% of the cost themselves, which amounts to about
$375 for each of them. That might not seem daunting in a medium to large city where there are more fundraising opportunities, but out here in Ashland, Montana, with a population of 500, raising funds is no easy task.
This year something wonderful happened. The Board of Directors of the O.P. & W.E. Edwards
Foundation awarded a $12,000 grant for the trip with the stipulation that every dollar be matched one for one. It is open to anyone who cares to help meet the goal.
The students are working their hearts out cooking burgers, hotdogs and popcorn for
concessions at ball games and selling seasonal items from catalogs. In fact, their principal
Linda Pease-Brien, observed: “This group has worked hard since they were in 6th grade, cooking, cleaning up and doing anything they could to earn money for their class. And that hasn’t changed. They are always here and ready to work to help pay for the trip.”
The trip commences in early May. If you believe educational trips like this one are valuable
to our students, please help them reach the match. You may use the envelope provided
on page 7 to make your contribution. Every penny will go toward meeting the match.
The students and staff also would like to thank the Board of Directors of the O.P. &
W.E. Edwards Foundation for providing the $12,000 challenge grant.
And thank you for your help in making this trip possible for these deserving young
people.
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Heartwarming Basketball Game
Sports stories are about cliffhanger games and heroes, but St. Labre’s home game with Hysham the evening of January 29 didn’t quite fit that mold. The team was aware that two team members from Hysham, a non-Indian community about 90 miles northwest of St. Labre, had lost their father to a heart attack the week previously.
St. Labre Coach Clayton Small Jr. puts it into context: “One of our Cheyenne traditions is that when people are mourning, we stand with them and mourn, too.”
In this case, that took the form of a Northern Cheyenne Blanket Ceremony. Coach Small, Coach Andy Elk Shoulder from Hysham and August Scalpcane of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal School organized the event. During the blanket ceremony, a Pendleton blanket was circulated through the crowd of spectators. As it was passed around, money was thrown in. Then the blanket was folded up and presented to the mourning boys as the spectators came
down from the stands to shake hands and hug them.
“It was pretty special,” observed Andy Hollowell, athletic director at Hysham High. “Everyone in the entire crowd came down to shake the boys’ hands and the cheerleaders gave them a star quilt.”
Jake Gion, assistant boys’ basketball coach and career counselor, thinks it was just as
meaningful for our kids as for the ones being honored. “We simply wanted
these two boys to know they have support from here. Our kids were behind the idea one
hundred percent.”
This act of caring by the team, the coaches and the community, reflects the values that
are integral to St. Labre Indian School.
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St. Charles Mission Schoolteacher wins regional award
The moment you meet Barb Garritson, veteran teacher at St. Charles Mission School
since 1985, you get the sense that she is probably pretty good in the classroom.
Recently, she received a regional award called One Classroom at a Time. Sponsored by KTVQ-TV and First Interstate Bank, Billings, MT, the award is for innovative teachers who demonstrate superior teaching skills through projects that motivate children to learn.
On January 31, she invited area artists to meet with her middle school students to discuss their work. Her goal was to create more community involvement at the school that would lead to some mentoring by the artists.
Barb used her award money of $250.00 to purchase a camera and a computer photography
program to facilitate the project. About a dozen artists responded to the invitation
to meet with the students. Barb couldn’t have been more pleased to see the interaction
going on between her students and the artists.
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An Easter Message from The Most Reverend Michael Warfel
Prior to becoming the Bishop of Great Falls-Billings, I lived in Alaska for over 30 years. My life in Alaska allowed me to experience the richness of Native American peoples and cultures since the Native American population of Alaska is 18%. During the years I lived in Alaska, I was brought into contact with a heritage that traced itself back 10 millennia.
I learned about the traditional ways of the Aleuts in Kodiak, the Yupik and Inupiat in Western
Alaska, the Athabascan peoples of the Interior and the Tlingit, Haida and Shimshian of Southeast Alaska. With my arrival to Eastern Montana three and a half years ago, my appreciation of Native American traditions and culture has expanded to include the tribes of the High Plains.
In my years as a Catholic priest, I have encountered many diverse cultures. This diversity
is the face of the Church. When the Church has an appreciation of the diversity of peoples, the
Church is at its best. Each and every culture can carry the Gospel and do so in a way that is unique to itself. This is true in the way in which Native American cultures carry the Gospel. While all cultures are in need of evangelization, the contrary is also true. All cultures have a way of portraying the Gospel that is particular to them.
At St. Labre, in addition to a solid academic education, students are also able to learn about
and celebrate Native American traditions. Also, students are presented the values of Christian
faith within a Catholic context. The hope is that all students will receive the kind of formation
that will allow them one day to be responsible and mature adults and an asset to society.
As a supporter of St. Labre, you have a special opportunity to help the students in
achieving this goal. Your prayers and financial contributions do much to serve these students,
the majority of whom live on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations. There is no
doubt that the children who receive an education at St. Labre are better off for having had the experience. It is people like you who make it possible for St. Labre to continue to provide a quality education and a program of formation that enables these students to be successful in life.
As we celebrate Easter, we remember that Christ overcame sin and death for all people.
He now continues to share his risen life through the people who have received him in faith and
have been formed as members of his body. It is my prayer that you may know, not only his personal love for you, but also just how important and unique a role you play in sharing
his life with others, especially the students of St. Labre.
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A Message from Curtis
Dear Friend,
March 21st, the first day of spring, was beautiful. The day dawned bright and clear, the sun was shining, the temperature rose to nearly 70 degrees, and my wife said to me, “I hear birds!” Spring, it seemed, was here at last. After a long, cold and snowy winter, we were ready.
March 22nd, the second day of spring, was overcast and cold. When I went out to check the horses at midafternoon, the temperature was 38 degrees, just 6 degrees above freezing, and a cold wind was blowing. I had learned from the news that I-90, west of Billings, Montana, had been closed for a period of time due to weather and that up to 20 inches of snow was expected
that night. Snow was starting to fall as I made my way to the corrals.
My sons tease me because I am always telling them to be prepared - “Yes, I know it’s nearly 70 degrees. Here, take your jacket. It’s springtime in Montana. You have to be prepared.”
In life, as with the Montana weather, children, including the beautiful Indian children whom you
love and support, are growing up in a world that is changing all too quickly. Such was the case many years ago when the old way of life began to change for the Indian people.
Visionary leaders such as Chief Plenty Coups of the Crow and Chief Dull Knife of the Northern
Cheyenne lived through this cataclysmic change and sought a better life for the children who would come after them. Chief Dull Knife, knowing that things were changing forever for his people, said, “We can no longer live the way we used to. We have to learn a new way of life. Let
us ask for schools to be built in our country so that our children can go to these schools and learn this new way of life.”
Chief Plenty Coups said, “My whole thought is of my people. I want them to be healthy, to become again the race they have been.” Into this world came three Ursuline nuns and the
many others, religious and lay people, who would follow, to become a part of the miracle that we call St. Labre. You are a part of that miracle. It is your love and sacrificial giving that keeps the miracle alive for the Indian children who count on us each day.
As you read through this latest issue of “The Morning Star” you will see the smiling faces of a few of the hundreds of Indian children whose lives you touch each day. It is only because of you that St. Labre can offer the life-changing education that the chiefs knew the children would need for an ever-changing world – to be prepared to become again the race they have been.
And for that I am eternally grateful.
The coming Easter Season, as with spring, is a time of renewal and rebirth. I wish for you all the hope, joy and anticipation that this season brings. And, please, if you are traveling in our area, include a stop at the school that you make possible.
Ahó (Thank You),
Curtis Yarlott
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A+ for America’s Catholic Schools
Catholic Schools Week, January 31–February 4, 2011, was a celebration of the honored position Catholic education has in America.
Father Paschal Siler, OFM. Cap, St. Labre Parish priest, noted this at the Catholic Schools
Week Mass on February 3. “I know some of you aren’t Catholic,” he observed. “But this is an opportunity for us to come together and pray. This week provides a chance for
all of us to examine our own faith, history and traditions and let God move in our lives.”
Sister Bernadette Helfert, SCL, Director of Mission and Ministry for St. Labre, pointed out that Catholic Schools also reach beyond the borders of America on a consistent basis. This year was no different.
“We view ourselves as part of the global community,” she explained, “and all of us at
St. Labre will share this expanded vision with our fundraiser tomorrow on behalf of the
Haiti earthquake victims.”
And share we did! “Hats for Haiti” got off to a rollicking start. Everyone was encouraged
to wear hats in school (normally forbidden). For this right, students and staff had
to contribute one dollar to the Haiti fund. The dollars rolled in, over 800 of them for
this good cause.
When you consider that over 97% of our students qualify for reduced-price or free meals at
school, you begin to understand that even a dollar is a sacrifice for many family. But
this outpouring of concern among our students and their families is no different than
other years. They want to help people in need—a testament to the Catholic faith and
experience of the St. Labre family
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Two Donor Tours on Tap for Early Fall 2011
Great North Tour, August 27-September 3
If you’ve never experienced the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park, your tour is a mere four months away. Jeff Peterson and his crew have received requests from several people who
have come on the St. Labre Discovery Tours to expand the itinerary and include some of the
other wondrous natural attractions here in the Intermountain West.
This tour begins in Calgary, Alberta, and ends in Billings, Montana. You will have the
opportunity to visit our St. Charles campus in Pryor, Montana, and also tour the Chief
Plenty Coups Museum. In between Canada and Billings, you will, among other
attractions, visit Waterton National Park and Glacier National Park. From there you will
travel to Great Falls, Montana, where the Charles M. Russell Art Museum and the Lewis
and Clark Interpretive Centers are located. For a complete itinerary and cost information,
call toll-free 1-866-313-2577 and talk to Jeff or one of his associates.
St. Labre Discovery Tour September 18-25.
This has proven to be our most popular donor tour and the upcoming one should be no different. In addition to visiting Yellowstone National Park, historic Cody, Wyoming, and
the Black Hills of South Dakota, you will be on the St. Labre campus for American Indian
Day, September 23. That is also when the new dormitory will be dedicated.
You may have contributed to this project, and now you can see how your dollars were spent. Better yet, you’ll be able to visit with the dormitory students and learn how excited they are to finally be in a dormitory that affords them a good measure of privacy. Again, make that toll-free call, 1-866- 313-2577 for an itinerary and pricing.
We look forward to seeing you in September!
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News You Can Use from the Major Gifts and Planned Giving Department
Last December 17, Congress passed long anticipated tax legislation to extend many of the tax laws of 2001 that were scheduled to sunset at the end of the year. Among these tax laws are some that pertain to charitable giving.
• The Charitable IRA Rollover law has been extended through 2011.
If you are 70-½ or older, you can instruct your account custodian to make direct distributions from your IRA up to $100,000 to St. Labre Indian School completely free of taxes to you. Depending on your particular circumstances, giving in this manner could cut your tax bill and mitigate the taxes you pay on your Social Security. Write for a free brochure that explains the law in more detail. Please remember to have your plan manager write a memo as to the nature of this gift or call us to let us know it’s coming. It’s important that we acknowledge it correctly.
• You may be aware that the Federal Estate Tax disappeared in 2010, but was scheduled to reappear in 2011 at the 2001 level. That did not happen; however, there are ongoing discussions in Congress about the future of this tax. In the meantime, St. Labre will keep you updated on any pending legislation that could bring about giving opportunities with significant tax benefits.
• The stock market has made slow but steady gains over the last year and a half. Normally,
people consider stock donations at the end of the year, the traditional giving season. You
might want to consider donating some stock now to lock in tax advantages for yourself and to
maximize your gift to St. Labre Indian School. Or consider using stock to create a charitable
gift annuity, which will return a guaranteed rate of return to you for as long as you live. (See
chart for rates.)
• In most cases, people make their most generous gifts through their final plans.
These can include specific bequests from your will or trust, a disbursement from
your life insurance, gifts from retirement accounts, bank accounts, and other
Payable upon Death (POD) assets. If you have or are considering including St. Labre in your final plans, let us send you our will kit along with the brochure, The St. Labre Legacy Society. The only requirement for membership is including the school in your final plans.
This department has been renamed the Major and Planned Gifts Department. The
director, Marge Rath, can be reached at 1-406-784-4593. Working with her, primarily
on major gifts, is Karl Little Owl who graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University
last spring and is a St. Labre alumnus. If you have questions about planned giving, you
can contact the department toll-free at 1-866-652-0959. Lucy Maldonado, a
St. Labre alumna, or I will be happy to assist you. In sum, the overarching goal of this
department is to assist you in making the type of major or planned gift that will best suit
your needs and desires.
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Daniel Finds His Inner Expression
When asked how he came up with the colorful likeness of the St. Labre Church, Daniel explained that he went outside to draw something and headed over to
the Church because he really likes it.
“I got the shape and then started adding color," Daniel reveals. “It turned out really good.”
No one could argue with that statement, especially Daniel’s art teacher, Ms. Samman. “Daniel has extraordinary artistic ability,” she says.
Otherwise, Daniel, a senior, enjoys his Spanish classes and his role as a starting forward on the St. Labre basketball team. As for his time out of school, well, Daniel has never been too far from St. Labre. Raised by his grandparents, he has lived with them since 2nd grade at their residence near the school. He enjoys helping them out around the house. “It keeps me out of
trouble,” he jokes.
At this point in his educational career, Daniel is planning to attend the United Tribes
Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota, for certification as a heavy equipment
operator. He enjoys building things and believes construction would be a good career choice.
We support that, but we hope he won’t forget his newly discovered artistic
talent either.
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