Three Days and an Update

 We have had quite the adventure here in Montana this year. A two year hiatus and limited immersion groups have given DLSBS a bit of different vibe. Usually in May when we visit there is a lot of end of year fun activities and shorter class days. This year there is a stark contrast due to the need to get the students caught up in their school work. School has gone from 8:15 am - 4:30 pm each day with out fail and the CBC students have been worked to the bone. 

It is not all bad though. The connections made in school are going great and the relationship piece between our students theirs is going as expected. We also have been able to take two trips up to Glacier so far. On Sunday we drove up to the Two Medicine Area of Glacier and managed to see some Moose. The boys have found all the spots to get Cell service on the Holy Family Mission or nearby. They are all getting along and there hasn't been any dust ups. Tuesday we had a guest speaker who talked to us about the Blackfeet Spirituality. The parallels to Christianity have allowed the Blackfeet to keep many of their own traditions while also being practicing Christians. 

The excitement Tuesday was driving up to the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park. Many Glacier is one of the best wildlife viewing areas in the entire park and it did not disappoint. We saw a Grizzly and a Cub from about 200 yards and another park visitor had viewing scope set up who allowed our boys to look through and get a close up of the Sow and her cub. We managed to see a Moose swim across the narrows of Sherburn Lake, we saw Mountain goats up along the side of one of the peaks. We also saw 3 other bears with the highlight being a Black Bear Sow and a Cub. The Cub is Blond and the Sow is Jet Black. This was close to the road and we got to view them for a while as the meandered through the brush. 

We start our 3rd day here with an eye on the new experiences but also with an eye on the end of the trip. They boys all know when they return home their lives await them along with Summer Vacation. Hopefully they can continue to work hard and stay focused on the task at hand. 

Two Years Off but Here we Go Again

 Exciting times for CBC as we will once again embark on an immersion trip to Browning, MT to work at the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. De La Salle Blackfeet school will host use for the 9th time in my tenure as the lead Immersion trip leader. 

Stay posted for pictures, maybe some videos and news of the trip. 

Last trip in 2019, I lost for the first time in our evening Spades games. With Mr. Gerdes back in the mix we will see if we can keep his unbeaten streak and our team streak alive. 

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.

New Experiences

Every year this trip is always a little bit different, but this particular group has been even more out of the norm.

For one thing we don't have to make a big deal to get these guys to go to bed for the night. Each night everyone has generally in bed by 11:00 pm. The flip side of that is that they are bit of challenge to get out the door in the morning. We are supposed to leave by 7:00 am and that has not happened.

They have formed a good bond with their students and classes doing lots of interesting work and projects. As it is with every year the students develop a bond with our boys and it is bittersweet to see that come to end.

Our 6th grade boys got to go on a field trip right away to start the week and the 4th grader boys get to do the Super Hero Unit field trip to end the week. Each experience has been a good way for our boys to share with the DLSBS kids and show our talents while helping them develop theirs.

The Super Hero day is something we have never done before and the main hang up with this is that it is cold and rainy here in Montana today. The weather rarely changes the course of activities. They rarely have snow days despite nearly 80 inches of snow over the winter and the cold and rain will not dampen their outdoor experience. In that regard it is a very different culture beyond the obvious.

As we continue to battle the stomach bug we are starting to prepare to come home. After lunch most of the group will go to Glacier for the Ranger led hike. We have a few boys who have elected to stay at the school to work instead of go on the hike. Our day will wrap up at the Two Medicine Grill with Burgers and Shakes.

We will clean up the Bunkhouse and depart around 3:30 am for Great Falls to make sure we make our 7:10 flight. By this time tomorrow we will be well on our way to St. Louis.

Bleary Eyes and A Stomach Bug

So Wednesday was like any other Wednesday on this particular trip. Some of the shine has rubbed off of the trip and the boys are dragging just a bit. It does not help that we have had a mild stomach bug making the rounds. To this point we have had 3 boys affected and hopefully it stops there. It has not hampered much and has been done in about 12-18 hours.

The 4th grade workers are hard at work on the Super Hero day which will culminate on Friday at the Mission with a Super Hero field trip to battle the Villains. Our boys are helping play the role of the bad guys and have been working with the kids to create their character and super powers. It sounds as if it will be a bunch of fun for them. After they are done (around Noon) we will take off for our Ranger led hike at Glacier National Park.

The 5th and 6th graders have been doing their normal work and our boys have been a huge help in keeping individuals on task, helping with reading recovery.

Last night we had pizza, played cards and many of the boys continued whittling on their walking sticks. I am not sure we have developed a solution for transporting those home. The weather has gotten much cooler and we drove in this morning in a thick fog. It has since cleared up but it will not get much warmer than 60 degrees.

Tonight we will start wrapping our brains around cleaning up, packing and getting ready for the journey home on Saturday morning. These guys don't seem to be homesick at all, which is a little unique. They have worked hard and gotten along very well despite the different interests and personalities.

It so far has been another successful trip.

Busy Busy Times

Good Morning and apologies for the delayed post.

It has been a little tricky to get in a rhythm of posting to the blog this year. However, a lot has happened the last 36 hours or so.

The boys have 2 full days of work under their belt and they are getting a grasp on the situation here on the reservation. They are spending much of their time reading with the students. Reading is a skill that is very underdeveloped in this community. In many cases the students start 2-3 grade levels below where they should be. Heavy emphasis on reading skills and word decoding takes place daily so that the graduates are equipped to handle the high school curriculum and then some.

One of the activities taking place is within the 4th grade. They are doing a Super Hero unit and it will culminate on Friday at the Mission where they will battle the Super Villain. Our boys have the opportunity to participate. This will be a tough decision for them. They will have to choose between the Glacier Park hike or the Super Hero activity. I think this is a good learning experience for them since life is full of tough choices. Either way they will have fun.

The positive note is that we took a trip to GNP yesterday afternoon and most of the boys went on a walk with Mr. Gerdes up the road, the goal was to hike into Running Eagle Falls (about 2.5 miles). Well they had a pretty leisurely pace and did not quite make it. They did get to see 4 bears though. The furry guys and girls were off the side of the road getting snacks and hanging out. No worries though the group stayed together and steered clear. Each year we experience something new and seeing bears while on foot is a new one. I for one missed it as I stayed at the van with one of our boys who had been having some stomach bug issues.

We wrapped up the night with Spaghetti and Meatballs and then we took a small group about 20 minutes down the road for some excellent star gazing. The stars were so plentiful that it took some effort to actually identify the Big Dipper among them all.

So now we are on the downhill slope of our journey and the boys are showing some wear and tear. They are much more subdued and worn out, but still working hard. This experience is exhausting for all involved.

The boys have taken a liking to carving walking sticks and are concocting a plan to bring them home. We will see if it all works out. We will have our second guest speaker this afternoon and then will have a relaxing time at the bunkhouse.

Day 1 the Beginning

As I write this post we are in the infancy stages of our work at DLSBS (De La Salle Blackfeet School). Each of our boys have been assigned/chosen a grade level to work with.

(An honest disclosure, my grammar leaves a lot to be desired and I will likely misspell some words)

A quick rundown of who is with what grade:

4th Grade: Mason, Mitch, Jon
5th Grade: Aaron, Jack U, Jack P (that will be a confusing week)
6th Grade: Logan, Colten, Caleb
7th Grade: Wes, Hoppy, Jack T

The 6th Grade boys get to go on a field trip right out of the box down to the Boone and Crockett ranch for some ecology and conservation work. This is usually a great time, but we have some rain so they may be stuck inside in the lab instead of out on the grounds. Either way it will be fun.

We have already seen our boys out in the hallways go over reading work with the 4th graders and 7th graders. Our charge for the week is to model appropriate classroom behavior and quality of work. This along with tutoring/assisting on assignments and be a teachers gopher will keep the boys busy. It can be mundane, but at the end of the week there are usually some pretty strong connections made with students.

Highlights from yesterday include, Wes arriving safely, Mass at Little Flower parish, orientation of the school and a road blocked trip to Glacier National Park. This is the 7th immersion group I have led to Montana and I have never seen the entrance at the Two Medicine entrance closed. We could have gotten out and walked the road to the Ranger station, but we were short two people and we will attempt this later on the week along with a trip to the St. Mary's entrance.

The Mission where we stay has been really nice and the boys have already taken to walking down to the river, up to the cemetery and playing wiffle ball. The one activity that has always been a favorite is a trip to the top of the Butte called the Buffalo Jumps, but unfortunately that is closed to the public right now due to some inappropriate activities. It is tough to swallow this one but we will respect the situation and hopefully it will be resolved in the future.

I have added pictures to the Photo Album and will add as many as I take and as many as the boys send me.

The excitement and enthusiasm are high and hopefully will continue through the week.

2018 A Late Start to Posting

Well, I usually start posting the Blog way earlier than this, but things just did not work out.

We have 12 guys on this years trip and the early returns show that this will be a fun group to work with. We arrived safely minus one who will join us later today. One of  our boys have already sighted wolves across the river from the bunkhouse and the bunkhouse expansion is well on its way.

We had a great day of travelling on Saturday with good flights and a sunny day to travel and arrived at the Mission at around 4:30 pm. We met Jill the resident dog and her unnamed stray buddy. Everyone settled in really quick and have already played some cards and wiffle ball.

This morning we had a leisurely morning and made 10:30 am Mass. Currently we are getting our orientation to the Blackfeet at the school and will have a tour of the school and be assigned our classes. Later today we will get a chance to go either to Glacier National Park (I just call it the Park) or to the Buffalo Jumps near the Mission (where we stay).

We are just getting started and I will share as much as I can over the next week so everyone can see what is going on with the trip.

-Mr. Merris

2017 A Final Post

So as I write this final post of the 2017 Montana Trip a lot has happened since I had a chance to last write.

Friday was a whirlwind of goodbyes in the school. Our boys touched the hearts of the students as was evident by the sad faces on the DLSBS students and the comments I received from both the kids and teachers alike. One young lady stopped by to tell me she loved our boys and was really sad to see them go. The teachers likewise were sorry to see their classroom help move on. It will be short lived though, as LaSalle University was arriving on our heels and will be in the building Monday morning.

In the afternoon we were able to visit Glacier one last time going on a guided hike by the National Park Service. We took the Red Eagle Lake trail that loops by the Beaver Dam at the St. Mary's entrance to the Park. The Beaver Dam is huge and the lodge is pretty impressive. The nice thing about this hike is that our guides, Matt and Becky were able to give us a Forestry lesson to go along with the scenery. They were great and the boys had an outstanding time. We managed to dodge most of the rain and got out of the elements just in time.

We followed up our hike with a quick drive up into St. Mary's to see some Elk, which wrapped up the most impressive wildlife viewing any CBC group I have taken has gotten to see (Elk, Bear, Deer, Owls, Osprey, Moose, Wolves, and Buffalo). We checked that off the bucket list and headed to East Glacier for dinner at the Two Medicine grill. The boys feasted on Bison and regular burgers while getting some last minute souvenir shopping done.

We returned to the bunkhouse in time to do some packing and cleaning before Mr. Gerdes and I put our undefeated Spades record on the line one more time. If you were or are a Spade player then you will understand that if the boys were more patient and didn't go Nil at terrible times then they might actually beat us.

As everyone bunked down for the night there were stories told and laughs shared as they slowly drifted off to sleep one more time in Montana.

Our travel day on Saturday was pretty much clock work. Eat, Shower, Pack, Clean all done by 9:00 am. We departed at 10:00 am, had time for a light lunch in Great Falls and were all checked into through TSA by 1:00 pm. Our flights boarded early, left early and arrived early at all locations. We managed to be out of Lambert by 9:00 pm when our flight was supposed to land at 8:50 pm.

All in all another great trip for the CBC boys. I am left in awe of the gifts our boys bring and receive on this trip. I am also left a bit sad as most of them likely won't visit Montana again. I hope that I am wrong. Hopefully the old groups and parents will read this. I am hoping to plan a reunion trip for next summer to do some work and share old stories. If you are interested contact me.

So now on a Sunday night before I leave for the Graduation Lock In, I am left with all kinds of thoughts and emotions. The one thing I know is that.

Jesus Lives in Our Hearts....Forever!

See you in 2018.

Wow Time Flies

As I write this post it is mid day on Friday and this time tomorrow we will be well on our way to Great Falls to head home. Apologies for missing an entry yesterday, things were busy and it got away from me.

That said there were not major happenings in the school other than the boys are getting a taste of what teachers go through during the school year. I also think on some level they have a great appreciation for their teachers at CBC. Since the last post we had two guest speakers, Mrs. Olivia Davis and Mr. Robert Hall.

Mrs. Davis spoke to us about the plight of the reservation, how her faith and the Christian faith plays a roll in the lives of the people living on the reservation. The passion she has for her community was very evident and she shared some details of the problems individuals face. Her discussion of blood quota, racism in Montana and her personal experiences were very moving. I think it is hard for the boys to really wrap their brain around the idea of that the percentage of Blackfeet a person is has a bearing on whether they receive benefits or not. The idea of a Pedigree similar to animals was very eye opening.

The damaging roll that drug abuse has on the reservation is very troubling. In 2014 40% of children born on the reservation were born drug addicted and now in 2017 that number has risen to 60%. The idea that this is getting worse in the community weighs heavy on my heart. West Coast gangs from California are using the rural aspects of the community to produce Meth and distribute it. When we first came to Browning in 2012 we heard mostly about Alcohol abuse and Marijuana use, but Meth was not mentioned prominently.

Mr. Hall is a teacher of language at the local community college. He talked about the Blackfeet language and how it was almost lost. As a young man in the community he is one of the youngest speakers of the language. In his discussion it was amazing how the structure of the language was very verb/adjective driven. The name of an object is described as a way of naming it. He also discussed that gender and pronoun use is not prevalent in the language and that masculine and feminine is described other ways. I found much of this very interesting, but I am not sure how the boys felt.

We ended our day with 4 mile hike at Two Medicine at Glacier. We went up the trail to Aster Falls and toward Aster Point, but the snow made it a little dicey and there was a slight concern about whether we were on the correct trail. We decided to turn back. It was a pretty taxing hike considering the differing experience levels of the boys.

Today we are wrapping up our time in the school and as I finish writing this the boys are getting ready for lunch and getting a opportunity to pop into the two stores that typically have decent souvenirs.

Time will likely prevent me from writing another post before we depart but I will wrap up the trip in a later post. The reality that another trip is coming to end is sad, but we will all be happy to see our families tomorrow night.

Live Jesus in Our Hearts.... Forever!

The Dog Days of an Immersion Group

Leading a group of High School students into an immersion experience is one of the most rewarding experiences I have each year. This being the 7th group I have been apart of (6 groups to Montana and 1 group to New York) it is interesting to see how each group handles the experience. There is one common factor and that is by the time Wednesday morning rolls around the newness of the environment is starting to wear off and the kids start to drag a bit. This particular group is no exception. They are all very excited but also exhausted, both mentally and physically.

On Tuesday we had a variety of experiences, most of the boys continued the work in the classroom. They have been working on reading, math and writing exercises in most grade levels. Several students aided in helping kids rehearse for the school talent show next week and we had 2 students who went o a field trip with the 5th grade to the Boone and Crockett club about an hour south of Browning. The best part of this is that the DLSBS students are moving beyond the newness of our boys as well and they are starting to get to know them and are sharing more information and both sides are asking more questions and getting more answers.

The afternoon concluded with our first guest speaker, Martha is a graduate of DLSBS and a junior at Browning High School. She held an open forum with the CBC boys to discuss life on the reservation as a high school teen. Martha recounted some of the experiences she and hear family have had in Montana. This included time on and off the reservation.

We concluded our evening with a Taco Tuesday dinner and some walks about the Mission (1 group went to the Buffalo Jumps and another to the Mission Cemetery). Card playing after dark is starting to take hold as a leisure activity. Wednesday and Thursday looks to be the two choice days weather wise so we will likely look to head to the Park one afternoon and get a real hike in.

Until Next time...

Live Jesus in our Hearts.....Forever!

A Good Day of Work and a Wildlife Potpourri

The first day of work in the school was outstanding. Our boys worked hard and started the process of forging relationships with the students they are working with. We have 9 students here from CBC and they are spread out among 4 of the 5 grade levels.

In the 4th grade our boys were going through reading assignments and helping the students understood what they read and how to decode works from a text. The 5th graders did class prep for their field trip to the Boone and Crockett Club which is Tuesday. The 6th grade boys worked on art and props for in class skits and activities. The 7th grade boys did individual tutoring with several students who needed some extra support.

While wandering the school (which takes all of 2 minutes) it was fun to see the kids playing baseball in the gym with the 4th graders, eating lunch and talking with the students and playing basketball at recess or before school. There is lots of basketball being played. When we discussed the work at the end of the day and we asked how it went, they all were unanimous that things went great and they were having fun.

We ended our day with a long drive to the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park. It is generally recognized as one of the best places on the east side of the park to view wildlife and it very picturesque. On the way in we saw several big horned sheep (traditional rams) and also so mountain goats up on a hill. We spent some time looking at the lake, river and took a short walk to see a waterfall before heading back to the van. This trip was as much reconnaissance as it was leisure, we wanted to know with the snow melt, construction and flooding how far into Many Glacier we could get.

On our way out of the Park we managed to see a young Grizzly Bear. This is one of the best viewings of a bear I have seen in my 7 trips to Glacier and it was treat to see this young one digging for a snack and reacting to the cars going by. No worries though we were safely in the van and a good distance from our snacking friend. The fun ended when the ranger came along and made everyone move off the road and ultimately scared the bear into the wood line. We then happened upon a Moose on our way out of the park, it was eating a snack right off the road into the trees. I imagine some of the pictures will be hard to spot it. So we had a great afternoon of wild life sightings.

Upon return to the Mission we had dinner, cleaned up and discussed the day a bit more. We took a short walk down the river near the bunkhouse to skip rocks and hang out. The evening wound down with some light reflection and a lesson in how to play the card game Spades.

Typically I would leave the post there but on our ride into school Tuesday morning we saw two wolves hanging out on the hill side. A pretty great start to the trip. I have updated most of the pictures and will keep adding over the course of the week.

Live Jesus in Our Hearts....Forever!

Great Travels, Dogs and Getting to Work

Good Morning,

First and foremost please excuse my grammar, ramblings and poor writing style.

Ideally I would make a blog post more often, but since we are in a pretty remote area it is not always possible update the Blog.

So in 6 years of doing this trip we have never had a travel day go quite so well. Both flights were pretty smooth and on time. No one lost any luggage or had any issues with getting through their TSA screening. We made really good time getting up to Browning from Great Falls.

Once we were at the Holy Family Mission (this is where we stay about 15 minutes outside of Browning) we had a nice meal, chatted with DLSBS President Brother Dale and the Principal Mike O'Brien and then took a journey to the top of the Buffalo Jumps (That is where all scenic sunset pictures are take from). We managed to collect a pack of friendly dogs on the way. The Blackfeet revere dogs on a level and do not believe in restraining their ability to wander. At the Mission there are two dogs that are owned/taken care of by the residents, Jack and Jill. We also collected Lady, Coco and another 2 pups that I did not catch the name up. They were our guides to the top of the cliffs called the Buffalo Jumps.

On Sunday morning we managed to sleep in a little bit and then went into to town for Mass at Little Flower parish. Little Flower is adjacent to the school and the Pastor Fr. Ed was one of the catalyst's to bring DLSBS to Browning. Fr. Ed spent several years in Guatemala and saw the work the Christian Brothers did running schools there and knew he wanted the Brothers to run a school in Browning. He spent 9 years petitioning the Brothers for a school before it happened. This is year 16 for DLSBS, so you can imagine the passion Fr. Ed has for the school.

Sunday afternoon we had an orientation with Mr. Ficaro who coordinates the immersion program and several teachers. The boys got a better idea of what they were in for. I think in many cases Mr. Gerdes and I did a good job of preparing them but in this setting they got some historical background and specific information about the current students at DLSBS.

Finally, we got a late lunch and ventured up to the Two Medicine entrance to Glacier National Park. Unfortunately we were a little short on time and the weather was not ideal (rainy and windy). We still managed to take a short walk/hike to see Running Eagle Falls and then drove up to see Two Medicine Lake. The boys were not phased by the weather at all and wanted to do more but we had a dinner date back at the Mission with the community.

Our evening wound down with a Pasta dinner with Brother Dale and the community at the Mission and then while Mr. Gerdes and I caught up with Brother and CBC Graduate Michael Hairsine '07 the boys took another journey up the Buffalo Jumps. Upon their return we gave out classroom assignments and enjoyed some conversation before bed.

As I write this the boys are finishing up their 2nd hour of work in the school. The weather for the week looks nice and I will be posting my photos as we go along.

Live Jesus in Our Hearts...Forever!

Less than 24 Hours

Today is a big day for the Juniors going on this trip and all the Juniors at CBC.

This afternoon the Class of 2018 will be ushered in as the new leaders of the school, they will have their Junior Leadership Ceremony, receive their class rings and have their Junior Ring dance tonight. For the 9 boys going on this trip some of that celebration will be short lived with an early wake up call to be at the airport by 6:00 am.

For the last 5 years (this will be year 6) Mr. Gerdes and I have led a group to Montana to serve the people of Browning on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As much as we help I think our boys get more than we give. Every year each boy is transformed in some way, shape or form. No matter how much they have seen in their lives this tends to be different.

Why is it different? Well with a couple of exceptions these boys have never lived in community with each other, immersed themselves into a community they are helping or pushed themselves outside their comfort zone so far. In my own experiences each trip has brought new challenges, lessons and excitement. It is never the same and each group is amazing in their own way.

I am often asked who is/was the best group. That is like a parent picking their favorite child, each group has its challenges, joys and experiences that make it unique and specil. What I can say is that each group is great and every year I am awed by the gifts they bring to this community. Each boy will take another step toward adulthood on this trip. They will be forever changed (for the better). Just like every trip I take, I am forever changed. I am so grateful to CBC and De La Salle Blackfeet for these experiences.

Live Jesus in Our Hearts....