Greetings from the Lakota Waldorf School!
The 2021/2022 school year ended with a flurry of activity! We spent the past weeks enjoying our end-of-the-school-year Lakota Language plays and celebrating the graduation of some of our students. We have also been excitedly watching the progress of our on-campus construction, and we are already looking forward to everything that the 2022/2023 school year will hold.
End-of-the-School Year Lakota Language Performances
Two years ago, the Lakota Waldorf School was honored to receive a Lakota Language grant from the First Nations Development Institute for our Lakota Language Performing Arts program. With this grant, we built the amphitheater where our students now showcase their performances. 2022 is the second year our students have performed Lakota plays at the end of the school year. The 1st-8th grade students presented Lakota Language plays and the kindergarten students showed their own Lakota circle.
Our language teacher, Didier DuPont, wrote this year’s Lakota Language plays. Didier and the other teachers spent countless hours practicing with our kindergartner and 1st-8th grade students, all of whom were involved in the Lakota plays. Over the course of the spring semester, the students worked hard learning their lines and creating their outfits. All of the costumes, backdrops, and stage props were made by students and teachers in a very creative, collaborative process that everyone enjoyed! Finally, on May 17th, 18th, and 19th, the students’ hard work paid off, and the performances took place. They were a great success!
Congratulations to Our New Graduates!
On May 20th, we celebrated Patrick’s 8th grade graduation. As a young child, Patrick attended the Lakota Waldorf kindergarten. Later, when we added additional grades, Patrick returned to finish 7th and 8th grade with us. We wish Patrick the best of luck in all his future endeavors, and we are confident that he will have a smooth transition into high school.
At our graduation ceremony, we also celebrated three kindergarteners who will begin 1st grade with us in the upcoming school year. Graduation day was very emotional and special for everyone involved. Here at the Lakota Waldorf School, we are very much like a big family, and we are so excited for all of our students!
We celebrate our students with all our hearts, and we want to congratulate each and every one of them on their great achievements this year! We wish everyone a safe and happy summer break! Keep an eye out for our next update when we begin the 2022/2023 school year in mid-August.
“Receive the children in reverence, educate them in love, and send them forth in freedom.”
Rudolf Steiner
An Update on Our Campaign for Campus Expansion
We are excited to report that Phase 2 of our Campaign for Campus Expansion is moving along quickly. This phase includes constructing a school kitchen, a large student cafeteria, a meeting room for our teachers, and administrative offices. Once the new building is finished, we will have all classrooms, offices, and our kitchen under one roof. This is a historic moment for the Lakota Waldorf School. Having a campus of our own is a dream 30 years in the making, and it is finally becoming a reality! This week, the straw bales were put into the walls, and next week, the outside stucco will be done. We are so excited and can not wait to move in!
Although the construction is coming along nicely, we are still fundraising for Phase 2. If you can, please consider making a gift in support of our Campaign for Campus Expansion. We also have a separate budget for the kitchen equipment if you would like to support this particular endeavor.
A Final Update on Our Spring Fundraising Campaign
The Lakota Waldorf School is very pleased to share that we raised $21,425 during our Spring Campaign! This means that we exceeded our goal of $20,000! This was our very first Spring Fundraising Campaign, and we are deeply grateful for our donors’ support.
We would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed. Your generosity allows us to continue implementing our curriculum of indigenous Waldorf education, changing the lives of our students and enriching the community here on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Caŋte etaŋ wopila taŋka uŋnic’upi! (We thank you greatly from our hearts!)
Here are three ways to make a gift:
- Use our website’s DONATE page (with PayPal Option)
- Visit our GO FUND ME page.
- Send a CHECK made to “Lakota Waldorf School” to P.O. Box 527, Three Mile Creek Road, Kyle, SD 57752
Please know that your gift – no matter the size – will help us to transform the lives and future of Lakota students living on one of the poorest Indian reservations in the United States.