BACK TO SCHOOL

There is so much potential and anticipation at the beginning of a new school year.

I’ve been preparing for students to return. I’ve repainted my office and cleaned the carpets (we have a lot of hot cocoa during the year and my carpets suffer, from the spills and the foot traffic).  I resurfaced the chalkboard wall for the question of the day to be posted each afternoon. I’m starting fresh with a clean slate--literally.  The snacks are stocked for the next couple of weeks. We’re putting together our calendar and looking at exactly what it is that God wants me to share throughout the year.

With all of my preparations, though, I know that God has been preparing for this season for a long time, too. He knows exactly who will be coming to Flandreau Indian School to be our students this year; the challenges that they’re bringing with them and I know He’s been preparing the hearts of those that He wants to meet Him here, some for the first time. 

I look forward to the opportunities that He is placing before us and want to be responsive to appointments that He is making. It’s going to be a great year! 

‘In their hearts humans plan their course but the Lord establishes their steps.’  Proverbs 16:9

WINDING DOWN

The school year is winding down here in Flandreau. We start a series of events honoring our seniors, many of whom who have overcome all kinds of obstacles in order to graduate. Some have been homeless or abandoned by families that just don’t care. Some are the ‘stable adult’ even at 13 or 14 years old. Some have been the parent to brothers and sisters. Many have lost significant people in their lives due to death or jail or a multitude of other reasons. When they are reaching the point of graduation, many have already lived a lifetime.

This past weekend was Senior Honoring Walk/Run and Pow Wow. It’s a time prior to graduation for the campus and community to come together and celebrate. It is a time of reflection of what has passed and a time to reconnect with Native traditions and ancestry. There is so much potential in this group of young people and hopefully enough has been built into them during their time at FIS for them to continue on and succeed in reaching their goals.