Monticello High School student connects with the Native American culture of the Lakota

In the summer of 2009, Monticello High School 11th grade student Rachel Ehrman traveled to South Dakota for a month to live on a Lakota reservation. While there, she helped establish two day camps and helped reconstruct several buildings with other students in her travel group.

A principle part of Rachel’s summer was to immerse herself in Lakota culture and tradition. She explained that this was easier said than done. One example was that on the 4th of July, instead of the Lakotas throwing fireworks in the air they threw them at Rachel’s group while yelling “Get off of my land.”

Gradually, however, her group earned their trust. They were invited to participate in a sweat lodge and attend multiple pow wows. By the end of the summer, Rachel felt that she had formed an unbreakable bond with her new Lakota friends.

On Rachel’s plane ride home, she realized how much she had learned from the Lakota people and decided she wanted to share her experience with others. So when she returned to school she established a pen pal relationship between the students of Dupree Elementary School in South Dakota and the Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary School in Monticello.

It took Rachel a few months to get her program started as she needed to obtain the appropriate permission in both Dupree and at KLR to move forward. After many phone calls, Rachel finally located two 3rd grade teachers who were willing to have their students participate in the project, Michelle Wall from South Dakota and Leanna Smith from KLR.

Rachel, a participant in the Monticello High School STAR (Student Teacher Assistant Resource) program, worked with Leanne Smith’s class helping them write their letters. After the students shared several letters, they were able to compare the similarities and differences between the two completely different cultures. Ms. Smith, Ms. Wall and Rachel plan to continue this pen pal program in the upcoming year.