Glacier and Long Travel

We had a great time in Glacier with our guide Kelly. There use to be over 100 Glaciers in the park going back to the 1850's, now thee is 25 and it is estimated by 2020 there will be none. We did not see any bears or moose but did see markings on trees and scat (poop). Kind of hard with 10 kids and 2 adults who were in full recreation mode for the first time in a ask.

We had a nice supper at the Two Medicine's Grill with most of us getting some variety of bison burger (some were too chicken). The train was on time and now here we sit in the Spokane, WA airport where nothing is open and tired teenage boys sleep on top of duffle bags and a teacher kills insomnia by posting to a blog.

See you soon in The Lou

One Last Hurrah

Well, we depart on our long journey home later today and this will mark the last post on the Blog before we arrive back in St. Louis tomorrow afternoon. Today we packed up, cleaned the bunkhouse and they boys are spending their last hours in the classroom with the students.

We will depart from DLSBS right around lunch time (in about 40 minutes) and head to Glacier National Park for a little recreation. It is my understanding that we will go snow shoeing in the mountains for a few hours before we head to the Two Medicine grill for some Buffalo burgers. Our final stop will be the Train Station for an (say a small prayer) on time train to Spokane, WA.

Last night Brother Ray took most of us on a little excursion to see something that I have not seen since I was 14 and some of these boys may have never seen before, MORE STARS THAN YOU COULD EVEN BEGIN TO COMPREHEND. The sky was filled with them and everyone was in awe. We managed to spot a few satellites passing in the sky as well. Brother drove us to a spot that was "off the grid" meaning we had nothing obstructing our view, no trees, no powerlines, nothing. It was a fitting end for our last night.

As the boys finish in the rooms this morning you can see the bonds they have formed and the respect that has been fostered over the course of the week. I don't think anyone will come by back quite the same. The people have been so gracious and welcoming and I can't wait to come back. I have already got the tentative dates for next years trip, so any sophomores who have wandered on to this page or if you know someone who might be interested I will be keeping the blog going.

CBC's MEN FOR TOMORROW, BROTHERS FOR LIFE have made their mark and I think everyone is ready to start their summer vacations.

LIVE JESUS IN OUR HEARTS.....FOREVER!!!

See You Soon
The 2012 CBC Montana Immersion Crew:
Chris Merris, Jim Gerdes, Spencer Holloman, Nico Hundelt, Dan Mikes, Dylan Jacobs, Zach Fischer, Alex Fisher, Collin Cissell, Tom Ignaczak, Steve Ampleman and Sam Rein

Winding Down to the End

Last night the immersion group visited with Marty Martain a member of the Blackfeet Indians and he shared his stories, some history and a bunch of artifacts. In his discussions he talked about the changes in the reservation going back to the beginning and it is easy to see how the Blackfeet and all Native American's can feel mistrust and anger toward non Natives. The Blackfeet reservation at one time included the majority of Montana as well as parts of other states (Idaho and Wyoming). The treaties and agreements with the government over the years slowly shrunk the reservation to a size that is remarkable. There is always two sides to every story but the decline of their culture is undeniable and their efforts to save and recapture it is a great story.

Marty told many stories and about the culture of the Blackfeet and though sometimes he seemed to embellish a bit, it made for great theater and the sentiment of the stories was sincere. He is great ambassador for the Blackfeet Nation. As you can see in on the flickr page he shared many of his treasured artifacts including: War Bonnets, Eagle Wings, Ceremonial Regalia, as well as pictures and language translations.

It made for a great evening and as we woke Thursday morning you could tell the boys were starting to settle in and also miss home. After Marty left the boys scattered to get cell reception to call home and also to investigate an area behind the Mission Church. Bleary eyes in the morning and a greater appreciation for what the teachers and aides do at DLSBS is becoming evident.

As it is with most trips these boys are settled into somewhat of a routine that will be rudely turned on its ear this evening as we clean the bunkhouse prepare our last dinner and start to pack our gear. I only hope that patience and excitement of going to Glacier National Park on Friday keeps everyone fresh and excited. Even though they said all the right things they were less than chipper about doing dishes and preparing lunches for the day. I think they will welcome the creature comforts of home when they arrive back on Saturday.

Dead Animals and Trips to the Hospital

First of all nothing happened to any of the CBC boys, but one of the girls in the 7th grade passed out an hit her head so Mr. Gerdes helped take her to the emergency room. They checked her out and everything appears to be ok.

At the Theodeore Roosevelt Reservation as it is called for the Boone and Crockett club the 5th grade did a unit on Predators in the Mountains. They learned about the different regions of the their native area and about all the predators. We took a hike following tracks and came across a recent dear carcass that was killed by a Mountain Lion, they learned how to make a fire from flint and char cloth as well as how to properly put out the fire and make the landscape look like no one had been there.

It was a great day and led to many naps on the way home (I for one was driving and very jealous of the napping kids).

Tired Eyes, Spades and Frayed Nerves

As we start Day 3 of the immersion trip the boys have settled in, but it is an exhausting trip on so many levels. The boys probably stayed up too late playing Spades, but they are having fun and getting along.

Yesterday Mr. Gerdes, Dan and Dylan went to Boone and Crocket with the 4th grade and today myself, Tom, Sam and Alex are going with the 5th grade. Much of the best education these kids get is through field trips and hands on experiences. This is an integral part of what is done. I have uploaded pictures from yesterday's Boone and Crocket trip.

The boys who stayed back at the school had their hands full helping the DLSBS kids with reading, math, science and social studies. One of the biggest challenges the school and by extension we face is the value of education. They were treated at the end of the day by getting so see the Blackfeet Chief Mr. Old Person. He visited to help prepare the kids for a trip to Choteau. The kids will be helping perform ceremonial dances and music as part of the opening. I am not sure if our kids realized what an honor this was.

I spent most of my day with the 7th grade as a Math aide and "taught" a science lesson with Spencer and Nico helping in the room. The 5th grade continued their reading of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

When we arrived back at the Mission Bunkhouse the Wiffleball tournament resumed and the team of Steve, Collin and Zach remained undefeated. We then enjoyed a Spaghetti dinner  and Ice Cream for desert, we all had full bellies and the boys split up to go find Cell Phone service near the Buffalo jumps. Mr. Gerdes stayed back and I got a much needed run in (not that anyone cares). Upon returning the Poker and Spades games were in full swing and after the eliminations in Hold Em Mr.Gerdes and I brushed off the rust and hammered Spencer and Nico in Spades (They had not lost a game yet).

These social activities have been great for the boys to bond and vent about their day. They love working with the kids but it is a challenge and I think they have a great appreciation for what the teachers do here.

Is It All Work

I was talking to Steve Ampleman about how things are going and in our conversation we began talking about the things they are doing when they have down time.

During the school day they have NO down time, they are on the job from 8:15 am till 4:30 pm so this is a stark contrast to what they experience at CBC. The Blackfeet students are from a culture where they settle their disputes and react very physically to things and I think the CBC boys have had their eyes opened up in more ways than they could have prepared themselves for. It is nice that one of CBC's own Michael Hairsine a 2007 graduate is up here and he can help the CBC students adapt.

They are having fun playing Wiffleball with much of their daylight time back at the Bunkhouse and then after dark the Spades / Poker games begin. Nico and Spencer are mopping up in Spades, but two nights ago there was chip counting debate in Hold Em when Sam made Mr. Gerdes count his chips before folding late in the game. It has been a nice inside joke.

On Sunday while exploring the property several of the boys met the challenge from Brother Ray and took a swim in the Two Medicines River. So our honorary polar bears are: Steve, Tom, Nico, and Spencer. They have pics that I will upload when I can wrestle a camera away from the boys.

Some of the landmarks that we have taken note of are Chief Mountain one of the northern most peaks that is near the Canadian Border (only 40 miles away). Also in Glacier is Triple Divide where the water flows three directions instead of two for the mountains along the Continental divide. There are only a handful of Triple Divides world wide according to Brother Ray and Joe Bremner.

We have many four legged companions. Jack the light colored lab mix, Jill the hyena looking small dog and several other visitors from neighboring homes. In Browning the dogs roam free on the street and for the most part have shown themselves to be harmless.

The 4th grade students (both Blackfeet and CBC) are at the Boone and Crocket Club today on a field trip on conservation in the area. http://www.boone-crockett.org/

I am also attaching a link to the school: http://www.dlsbs.org/

The weather has been really nice getting very comfortable during the day (60's-70's) and pretty cool over night (30's). The bunkhouse is heated by a pellet burning stove.

Day 1 Recap

Good Morning!!!

As we begin day two of our service immersion experience I will do my best to recount parts of day 1. The students at Delasalle Blackfeet are good kids with big hearts and smiles. They also have all the problems that every other kid has along with the challenges of living with little to no means. The CBC boys are getting a taste of what all of the teachers at schools all over the place deal with on a daily basis, good kids who don't always behave, attention seek and act out.

I have uploaded some more pictures and attached here is a video of Joe Bremner, his son Joseph and his friend Austin. They performed traditional ceremonial songs and shared what their lives have been like on the Blackfoot Reservation. One of the things they talked about was what it took to be able to perform the songs and what each song is for. Joseph and Austin have attended the Immersion School which teaches in the native Blackfoot tongue and as a result the boys have been recapturing their culture and spirituality. As part of this has come pride and responsibility. Joe talked to the boys about Blood Quota to qualify for the benefits offered by the reservation, the conflicts between tribes and treaties that were made by the government.

Greetings

Greetings from Browning, Montana!!!

This blog is to update any and all of the comings and goings of the CBC Immersion group's activity on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and their work at The Delasalle Blackfeet school.

The group left St. Louis on Saturday May 5th, 2012 and after 2 flights, a 5 hour lay over in Spokane, WA and a 7+ hour train ride through northern Idaho we arrived in East Glacier at just before 10:00 am mountain time. We then attended mass in town before touring the school with Brother Ray Bonderer the Immersion Coordinator. He gave us a tour of the town and a scenic drive that gave us breath taking views before our orientation to the immersion program.

After giving us all the pertinent info we set up our residence at the bunkhouse and got the lay of the land. We then went to the Buffalo Jumps near the Mission where the bunkhouse is located. We learned that the Blackfeet Indians would heard the Buffalo together and off a cliff to "mame" or "kill" them as a hunting technique. The group climbed to the top and enjoyed more breathtaking views before heading back to the Mission Bunkhouse to clean up for dinner which was prepared by DLSBS's principal, Rooney Leittem-Murrell and her husband Joe Murrell.

They boys enjoyed a spirited game of Wiffleball and a late night poker game before turning in for the night.

This morning we arrived at DLS at just before 8:00 am attended their morning assembly and the a Chaplet prayer service before the boys headed into the classroom to lend their considerable talents tutoring and mentoring the 4-8th grade students. It is nearly lunch time now and I hope to use this blog as a journal and diary of our activities of the week.