St. Francis Mission/Diocese of Rapid City
By Father John Hatcher, SJ
The Sapa Un Catholic Academy on the Rosebud Lakota Reservation began its fourth school year in August 2017 with 40 Lakota students enrolled.
As a highly selective, comprehensive, and co-educational Kindergarten through twelfth grade educational enterprise, Sapa Un’s ultimate goal is to prepare each of its students for college. There is a cross-curriculum emphasis on critical reading, writing, and thinking skills, and Lakota language and religious education courses are mandatory. By the time they graduate, students will be able to read, write and speak the Lakota language.
Since drug and alcohol abuse is prevalent on the Rosebud Reservation, all school families are required to participate in the St. Francis Mission Family Recovery Program and the Children’s Prevention Program developed by the Betty Ford Institute and adapted by our Lakota staff. Also, by requiring each Sapa Un family to be sober and make sacrifices in terms of both their time and treasure, the Mission will be able to foster in both students and families a sense of ownership and personal responsibility for their school.
Sapa Un annually evaluates the performance of its students, faculty, staff, and parent-volunteers in the areas of: academic excellence, professionalism, moral uprightness, school stewardship, sobriety, and participation in Church life. Educational outcomes are measured and by engaging in regular, careful, and honest evaluation, Sapa Un will be able to continuously certify that its methodology will remain in accord with its mission and identity as a Jesuit-Lakota school of excellence.
The student’s success in high school and beyond will be tracked in order to ascertain how the education they received at Sapa Un affects their academic future.
St. Francis Mission's Religious Education program reaches approximately 400 children every week in its goal to develop and enhance the knowledge and practice of the Catholic faith, especially God’s love and forgiveness within the youth on the Reservation. By preparing children and adults for baptism, first communion, and reconciliation the St. Francis Mission Religious Education program provides a spiritual center for our Lakota community giving them hope and strength to see past their circumstances so that they can achieve a healthy faith-filled future.
We teach Catholic education and the sense of being loved by God. We are unique in the fact that we have a release time program with the local school district. We have classes in Rosebud, Spring Creek, He Dog, St. Francis and Mission. We offer after- school programs, which are held in the St. Francis and Mission communities. We also offer other Programs including preparation for Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation for the candidates and their parents. These classes are held several times a year in the evenings at either the St. Francis or Rosebud Center depending on the need.
