Wednesday, Thursday and a Friday Preview

Sorry for the delay in updates. I usually write the updates the next day, but Thursday was crazy and I never had a chance to sit down and do the write up. On Wednesday we have our most normal day of work at school. However, that is not without excitement and adventure. We started by leaving 5 folks behind at the Mission to prepare for the Super Hero Field trip for the 4^th graders. They prepped the mission and their Super Villain personas and then entertained the 4^th graders for their activity.

Meanwhile the remainder of the boys were doing the traditional tutoring and the 5^th grade was wearing thin on one of our boys nerves. It was a rough day for him and his partner. The kids like to test your patience and push you to the limit working to get a reaction out of you. It is challenging to stay compose and continue the good fight. By all accounts he kept up the good fight, but it takes a toll on you.

After the day we jumped into the Van and headed up to Glacier Park. We took a couple of short hikes doing just under 4 miles total. The hikes were a bit snowy and some of the boys ended up with wet feet, but were no worse for wear. We walked part of the Shorline trail around Two Medicine Lake and the trail up to Appistoki Falls. It was great time since the scenery was amazing and the weather broke giving us some much needed sunshine.

Thursday was a quick day at the school. We worked in the morning and things settled in a little bit better. After our quick morning we attended Mass with the school, grabbed a quick bite to eat and then were headed back to Glacier to visit the St. Mary’s part of the park. We did a Ranger led hike with Jamie our Ranger around the Beaver Pond. The Educational program was nicely done and I think even though the program maybe wasn’t what they were in the mood for they learned a lot about the Park and the relationship with the Blackfeet. The best part of the hike was the weather, low 60’s with a gentle breeze made it a great hiking day.

Following our trip to St. Mary’s we drove up toward the first leg of Going to the Sun Road and right after we passed Two Dog Flats we saw a huge Black Bear. I poste a bunch of pictures and some videos of this guy eating and chilling 25 yards off the road. It is one of the best bear sightings I have ever seen. What a great treat on a great day.

We finished with dinner at the Two Medicine Grill with Bison Burgers, Fries (a little greasy) and shakes. Many of the boys got souvenirs next door and we headed back to the bunkhouse. It was great day, except Mr. Ott and I lost our 2^nd game of spades. The faculty undefeated streak ended Wednesday night on some bad play early by Mr. Merris and Thursday night’s 100 point lead evaporated on consecutive successful Nil bids by our opponents. So we are 2-2 on the week and maybe we will have time for one last game tonight before we get a little rest before we depart.

I likely won’t get a chance to write a last blog post till next week, but at some point I will wrap up the trip. Friday will be another frenetic day, with class cleanup, the school picnic, 2 guest speakers and another trip up to Glacier to see the Many Glacier region of the park. Just a preview.

Tuesday's Update and Watching History

So the history made was for everyone in St. Louis, when the Blues won game 6 to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970 (yes most of you know this already). Only Mr. Ott was alive last time the Blues were in the Cup Finals. We set ourselves up with Mr. Hairsine a 2007 CBC graduate to watch the game at the school and had pizza while we enjoyed the epic victory. In between periods the boys played basketball. We also celebrated one of our boy’s birthdays on Tuesday, but in keeping with not using specific names of the kids I won’t say who. His initials are MC if you needed a hint.

The boys continued their hard work in the classrooms. It is remarkable the amount of energy they bring with them each day. Each day they seemed just wiped out at the end and they re-energize so quickly. The 4^th grade immersion students have continued working on the Super Hero project and will serve as Super Villains on Wednesday out at the Mission. The final touches were put on their Super Villain personas. The 7^th grade boys are working on a Twilight Zone video project and the immersion students are helping with the filming and editing of the video project.

The love of basketball is alive and well and our boys continued to get schooled in Knock Out. The 8^th grade boys’ basketball team had a tremendous season and many of them are getting ready to travel for tournaments. In that aspect they are not any different from our kids who play competitive club sports.

These immersion students are hard workers and generally jump on any task to get it done quickly. We don’t have to ask much and never have to ask twice (except to wake up in the morning). They have jumped on all the chores and tasks required of living in community and have been very helpful with some of the manual labor chores asked of them at the school.

We are nearing the halfway point of the trip. I am intrigued to see if their energy level wanes or if they have the fortitude to keep up the grind. Until Wednesday’s Update, have a great day.

Bonus Update

The dog pictured here is named Jill and she has been around for as long as I have been coming up here. On Saturday Night/Sunday Morning when we arrived at the Mission one of our illustrious students upon getting out of the van exclaimed “Is that a pig?” In fairness it was pitch black and we were on the last part of our travel itinerary. Nonetheless, the dog, Jill has had the nickname “Pig” all week.

Monday an Epic First Day

Well I am writing the update for Monday on Tuesday afternoon. It has been a whirlwind and it always is. The hardest part is getting the CBC boys to open up about their experiences. It takes time to process what they have seen and heard over the day.

The boys in the 5^th grade class doing a great job with a very energetic group. The boys speak highly of the DLSBS students, but also say they are bit chaotic. We have 4 boys working with 4^th grade and they are in preparation for their Super Hero day. The CBC boys get to work as villains later this week to help the DLSBS students vet out their super powers. The idea that these kids are inherently good and have super powers is a powerful metaphor for them in how to approach life. It gives them self-worth, the strength to resist temptation and an identity. The 6^th and 7^th grade CBC boys have been grinding it academically, there is a focus to work hard right up to the last minute of the school year.

This is DLSBS last week of school and therefore dismissal has been at 3:15 pm. We have been asked to do some small chores as they prep the building for Summer School and cleaning up from the regular school year.

After a long day of school we ventured back to Glacier and did the Running Eagle Falls hike. The pictures don’t do it justice, this short hike which is less than a mile round trip takes you to an epic waterfall that has 2 openings. On the way up to the Falls we saw our friend the fox again and also saw 2 moose in the trees off the road. No Bears this time. Following our hike we drove back up to Two Medicine lake and then headed back out of the Park. On our way to East Glacier we almost got a little to close and personal with a 3^rd moose that was hanging out on the road around a curve. No issue just a quick stop while he headed up the hill and we were on our way.

Normally we would have tacos on Tuesday but our plans for Tuesday call for a different meal. So we had Mexican Monday with Tacos and our first guest speaker. Martha is a graduate of DSLSBS and Browning High School, she works part time at the school and is preparing to go to school to study radiology. She talked from a perspective as a peer to the boys. Only being 1 year removed from high school her perspective to identify with our students was great as we learn more about the culture and society surrounding reservation life. Tribal Government, education, Blood Quantum and other aspects of growing up on the reservation were talked about.

We finished the night with a wrap up of a few card games, which included Mr. Merris and Mr. Ott continuing to defend the faculty honor in Spades with a comeback win. The boys took a quick walk around the Mission before packing it in for the night. While a lot has already transpired today (Tuesday) I will wait till tomorrow to share all the details.

Sunday Update

After our orientation we took an impromptu trip to Glacier National Park, considering the cloud cover and dreary weather it was good trip to the park because we have not had the majestic views from a distance that we usually have. On the way into the park we ran into two beautiful foxes right on the roadway hanging out. It was our first wildlife sighting of the trip. We continued up to the Two Medicine area of the park overlooking Sinopah Mountain and Two Medicine Lake. Without fail the boys took to skipping rocks, we never told them that it was a typical activity they just gravitated to it. After hanging out for 20 minutes we headed back toward East Glacier to make sure we were in time for dinner. On the way back out of the Park we saw what I would say was 1 year old Bear Cub scampering into the woods. Unfortunately the little one was too skittish to get a picture.

Last night we had dinner with the community that lives out at the Mission. Brother Jim, Katie, Zach and Allison helped prepare a chili dinner with rice, bread and a desert of brownies. We had a nice conversation talked about their experiences this year in Browning and got a glimpse of the Reservation and the school from their perspective. Following dinner the boys took some time exploring the Mission grounds and all it has to offer. They were followed by the two dogs that call the Mission home, Jill and Ghost.

Once dusk set in the boys headed indoors and the card games began. One group played BS while Mr. Ott and I played Spades against Noah and Joe. They picked the game up pretty quickly and we had a good time snacking talking about the upcoming week. We had lights out at 11:00 and we are ready and rearing to go for the first day of work.

Bleary Eyes, First Communion, Orientation

We arrived in Great Falls at around 9:45 Mountain time and got our rental vehicle, luggage and some groceries. Our travel had already spanned 5 hours by plane, but we still had to drive the better part of 2 hours to the Holy Family Mission. We arrived at the Bunkhouse at 1:00 am Local time and there was a renewed excitement after they all took a catnap on the way up. We settled in and despite the long day the boy’s energy level was pretty high. It took them a couple of hours to settle in, but Mr. Ott and I went to sleep and left them to talk, snack and wind down.

The morning went pretty well, despite the short sleep they all were up and moving in time to clean up, eat and make Mass at 10:30 am. Mass at Little Flower is always an experience. It is very social and there is always activity with people coming and going. This year we had a new priest Fr. Joe who is working with the Pastor Fr. Ed. He has the same gift of giving a Homily as Fr. Ed. Along with Mass we also had the opportunity to witness the first communion of several members of the Parish. Seeing the thriving parish in action was moving and the level of participation is in stark contrast to what our boys traditionally see in their own parishes and churches.

Following Mass we headed over to one of the two chain restaurants in town, Subway for a quick bite to eat. The one side note is that it is colder up here than at any time I can remember during the previous 7 trips. I leverage that against that it is not at windy, but still cold (35 degrees). Considering that it is May and 2 weeks later than we usually come I think everyone was shocked. We saw snow on the ground in some places and on some of the cars that have been sitting over the weekend.

After Lunch we headed in to the school and met the Immersion Coordinator Jon Ficaro, who gave the first part of the orientation to prepare the boys for their week of service here. Learning about the culture, traditions and history of the Blackfeet is the first step of this orientation. Understanding things like the Buffalo Jumps, Sweat Lodges, Matriarchal society, Tribal Bundles and Medicine Lodges are just some of the things they learned about.

The brief history and cultural lesson transitioned to a tour of the school and then a session on the expectations by Mrs. Ficaro and CBC Alum Michael Hairsine. The importance of consistency, boundaries and being genuine with the students was a major theme of the session. How the school day runs and the organization of the school and a discussion with our students on the tasks they will be doing throughout the week. 

New Year, New Time and a New Crew

Wow, as I sit upon the eve of my 8th Montana Mission Trip I took some time to look at old photos and experiences that I have had on the last 7. It is always an amazing experience and this trip looks to be another great outing. We have 10 amazing CBC Juniors who will accompany myself and Mr. Ott to Browning this year. With it comes some changes.

This year we have a new chaperone along for the ride, Mr. Harold Ott. He was one of several teachers who stepped up to go on the trip when it was determined that Mr. Gerdes would not be able to go. This year offered some challenges since my son was graduating from CBC and his daughter is graduating from IWA. Something had to give so we moved the trip back a few weeks and he is going to take this trip off giving Mr. Ott a chance to see what this is all about.

We will be up in Browning two weeks later than normal and while I was hoping for some better weather for the trip it looks like it will be a little dreary while we are up there. Looks like Rain and Snow for the week, but hey not many Missourians can claim that they were in the snow in May and we will get to see some. It is still beautiful up there even in the cold snowy weather.

As usual the school has some great activities and speakers planned for us and we are looking forward to a great time. I will keep you posted and be posting pictures from the week as we go along.