Monthly Archives: March 2017

With my word clarity severely lacking yesterday, I am going to try again today here.  The trip has been phenomenal overall and truly so much more than expected.  Today was filled with many memorable moments, and while I have held back tears more than once so far, today was the day that the dam broke for me and my students.

Little Wound High School has overwhelmed us with a welcoming, positive energy–faces are familiar now, and we are greeted warmly no matter where we go at the school.  It feels like we have been coming to the school everyday for months, instead of part of a week.  Almost like we are part of this community.

Today’s health promotion topic was healthy relationships and positive coping.  We started out the day with our new friend (and fellow Hoosier), Mr. Reed, who brought his freshman Math classes to see Britin and Ashley for a teaching session.  The topic at hand was again quite sensitive–talking to teenagers about date rape, domestic violence, unhealthy coping, codependency, how to handle anger, and the like is no easy task.  Mr. Reed commented that Britin and Ashley handled the topic well and were very sensitive to some of the cultural differences.

During our time in the foyer, I had a teacher ask if we were from the Indian Studies department at IU.  I explained to him that we were from the nursing department and what the students were doing this week and some of my previous experiences at Pine Ridge.  He mentioned that he had done some work with IU and that his son is an artist who makes ledger art.  Later in the afternoon, after visiting our friends in the alternative class, we were again in the foyer, when this teacher came back to see us.  I have since come to know that his name is Cliff, and he teaches drivers ed.  He brought a ledger art print by his son that depicts IU–I will attach a photo because my explanation will not do it justice.  He handed it to me, and simply said, “Thanks for coming”, and walked away.  This very generous and kind gesture of thanks overwhelmed me.  While I talk about Pine Ridge quite a bit and love to be here doing whatever I can, I am not looking for thanks.  But with that said, I will treasure this gift always.

This evening after our time at school, we went to Wounded Knee finally.  We were met as soon as we arrived with several Lakota ladies selling bracelets and dream catchers.  At this time of year, there is literally no tourist traffic on the reservation except at Wounded Knee.  To sell a bracelet or a dream catcher or two might help buy a bit of food or enough gas to travel for a few days on the reservation.  When I am met with these offerings, I want to buy something from everyone because I know that even a few dollars can make a big difference.  We did buy a couple of things, and then went into the cemetery to visit the monument and mass grave.  One of the ladies selling jewelry had a little girl with her, and the girl came back to ask if we had any water.  Ashley got several bottles of water for the girl and her mom, and the girl commented, “I’ve been thirsty for so long”.  This statement was heartbreaking–it is one thing to not have food (which is bad enough), but to not have water?  Quite difficult to wrap our heads around.  What else can we do?  Our very small contributions will never be enough, but we can keep trying and will.

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The title will make sense shortly!

After a fun and highly successful day on Tuesday with drunk driving prevention, Ashley and Britin switched gears to a more personal topic for health promotion today–body image.  Honestly (and I hate to admit this), I was not expecting much as far as participation from the students at the high school.  Boy, was I wrong!

We continued in the alternative class with about 14 students again.  Ashley and Britin did a phenomenal job with this topic, teaching and connecting like seasoned pro’s.  It even gave me pause to consider how I consider my own body image.  With some great examples on how to work on improving body image with positive self-talk and a reminder that we are always harder on ourselves than others are, the students were genuinely interested in the topic.

The activity for this topic was, “Do You See What I See?”–students were paired up and asked to list positive things about their partner.  After each wrote these down, the papers were returned to the partner to allow the student to see how others view them and to recognize that they do have positive attributes.  Some of the things that were shared were: you are a great friend…a good listener…you are funny…I like your eyebrows…and more.  Students were asked to keep these lists and pull them out on days when they are feeling bad about themselves as a reminder of their good traits.

After visiting this class, we moved up to the foyer again, and immediately went to work.  Students at the high school are now seeking Britin and Ashley out and seem to be quite comfortable with them.  It is interesting to watch the dynamics at play in the high school–I remember the challenges vividly and body image was a big part of those challenges.  I see the kids here, who have it much tougher than I ever did, and I hope that they can see their worth and know that they have much to offer.

It’s been a long day, and I am struggling to find the words to put the day in perspective so I will stop typing!

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After one of the best nights of sleep that I’ve had in ages (I think it is the peace, quiet, and fresh air, along with just being HERE!), we woke up to a gray day of soft, steady rain.  While this weather encourages laziness and lounging in your pj’s, we had places to be and people to see!

Our day started at the alternative classroom again with our health promotion topic being distracted driving (don’t text, bro! to quote a student) and safe party habits.  While we do not want to encourage or condone underage drinking, our education on the topic encourages safety at all times.  We also were able to provide a fun and interesting activity to go along with this–the beer goggles.  These were borrowed from the campus police at IUS and simulate different levels of drunkenness–.08 (at the legal limit), .15-.25 (twilight); .26-.35 (blackout drunk).  Students participated enthusiastically, asking questions with no holds barred.  Most of the students tried each of the different levels of goggles while walking through an obstacle course.  While there was much laughter and joking when someone walked into one of the obstacles, once reminded that if they were in a car and this had happened, they could have potentially run over someone, hit a telephone pole, etc, there was usually a somber, thoughtful moment for each.

We also went back to the foyer area like yesterday and had crowds at a time to get this education and “walk the line” with the beer goggles.  All told, we saw about 50 kids today.  Again, so much better than anticipated.  Many, many eyeopening interactions–when the majority of the class of students raises their hands when asked if they know someone who has been in an accident and injured as a result of a drunk driving incident, you know that the education is needed–not just this once, but on an ongoing basis.  Britin and Ashley continue to amaze me–they have worked so hard and continue to do so during this trip.

We were able to see Rosie and Allyssa tonight and spend some time visiting and chatting and shopping in the trading post.  Always feels so comfortable to be there with old friends.

My students surprised me with a gift from Rosie’s –totally unexpected and not necessary but still much appreciated!  I have admired on multiple trips the fans that are made of feathers and either painted or beaded.  These are traditionally used in some of the pow wow dances by the female dancers.  They got me a beautifully painted fan with the most striking color combination of feathers, along with a porcupine quill bracelet.   I am speechless and thankful!

…..You never know what you are going to get!

Today started with our first trip to Little Wound High School for health promotion at 0900.  Topic of the day was STD and pregnancy prevention, along with 300 condoms to distribute along with other resources.

The school nurse’s office was hopping upon our arrival with a continuous influx of sick kiddos requiring attention for cold symptoms, bumps and bruises, red eyes, etc.  After reaching a lull in the flow, the school nurse, Lindsee Harris, welcomed us and let us know that she was waiting to hear from the principal where we would be placed for student access.  We waited patiently and got the go ahead to take our traveling STD education to the alternative classroom.  The teacher for this class, AJ, kindly explained to us that this class format (which is mostly online) allows students to continue to attend school when the demands of the regular school hours and curriculum cannot be met.  For example, teen parents are one of the common attendees of this class. The high school has a dropout rate of between 45-55% so this alternative is a good option for keeping kids in school.   We were thrilled to have this audience for teaching and spent about an hour with them.  Britin and Ashley did a great job of teaching about STD’s and pregnancy prevention.  I, unfortunately, completely underestimated the number of condoms to bring–we handed out the majority of our supply to this group (nearly 300!).  The students in this class were full of great questions and participated enthusiastically.  We also were able to spend some time talking about nursing as a profession and encouraging them to follow their dreams.  This health promotion session went so well that AJ scheduled us to come back into the classroom to present our other topics on each day for the rest of the week.  If this was a box of chocolate, then I would say that I got the caramel nut piece, which is, in my opinion, the best!

After this session, we took a lunch break and visited the burrito stand in Kyle, which I had no idea existed!  What a find!  We sat outside in the beautiful weather and enjoyed a delicious Indian taco.  Pretty much a perfect day…

Upon return to the school, we sat up in the foyer next to the office and the gym.  The school nurse sent an email out to let teachers know that we were available for STD education.  We also met several more of the school administration, including the principal and one of the counselors.  We have been completely overwhelmed with all of the kindness and appreciation for our presence from both students and staff.  I am still in shock that this is going so well.  The kids here are great.  Our time in the foyer allowed for a steady stream of students–about 35 total–to receive individual teaching and time for open questions.  Britin and Ashley did an outstanding job and were very surprised by the keen questions that they got from students.   We also met a Teach for America teacher who graduated from IU Bloomington in 2015–great to meet a new friend and fellow Hoosier!

We ventured into the Badlands to show Ashley Red Shirt Table–the clouds and light at this time of the day was nothing short of spectacular.  Pictures really don’t do the beauty justice.  So excited to be here and to see what the rest of the week holds.

I was approached back in December by two senior nursing students, one of whom had made the August trip to Pine Ridge, about completing their nursing management project on the reservation during the Spring 2017 semester.  The student who had made the trip previously felt a strong calling to return, and in talking to her peer about her experiences in August, found a kindred spirit.  Both were (and still are!) very enthusiastic about reaching out to the teenagers of Pine Ridge to provide health promotion and teaching on several topics.  After exploring the logistics, getting support from the School of Nursing (this support has been unwavering!), and providing some guidance, these two students, Britin and Ashley, were off and running.  Full of creative ideas and the aforementioned enthusiasm, they reached out to the school nurse and principal at Little Wound High School in Kyle, SD.  I never expect much from a cold call with an offer to provide services from a distant location; however, their call was received with excitement and an invitation.

So here we are…on the rez during Spring Break.  We drove up yesterday from southern Indiana with a car packed to over-capacity.  I drove straight through–18 hours total.  We are here with a plan to go to the high school everyday this week.  The students’ Pre-Prom Health Blast will offer education, giveaways, and games related to prevention of STD’s; healthy body image; healthy coping strategies; distracted driving prevention; and more.  We will culminate on Friday with a prom dress giveaway–we have about 50 prom dresses for the girls and dress shirts and ties for the guys.  I never know how things are going to go here–usually have a general trend to give me an idea, but my experience has been that you bring your best and things fall into place.  The students have worked so hard, and I only want the best results for them.

This journey is a new one–I have done the summer trip so many times that I  have an idea of how things might go, but this time, I am not sure what to expect.  Tomorrow I will try to take the following quote to heart and encourage the students to do the same:

“None of us, including me, ever do great things.  But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”   –Mother Theresa

As always, I feel grateful and privileged to be here, and there will certainly be more to report tomorrow~!

Here are some of the sites from today’s journey through the Badlands to Rapid City, Crazy Horse, and Mt Rushmore.