Is located about 240 miles east of Pine Ridge Reservation near the Nebraska border on the Yankton Sioux Reservation which is part of the Great Sioux Nation. Ninety five percent of students are Western Dakota from the Marty area, the other five percent are from other reservations across South Dakota. The school was founded in 1924 as St. Paul’s Indian Mission School and has been tribally owned and operated by the Yankton Sioux Tribe since 1975. The school has quite an interesting history, we encourage you to read about it here. There is a boarding school for grades 7-12 but presently we’re only assisting elementary grades K-5. You can read more information about the school here.
Partner group Sew For Kids volunteers provide clothing, shoes, school supplies, toys, and books to stock the school’s Buffalo Shop. Students earn a feather for finishing homework, good behavior and displaying the four Dakota values. They learn to manage the store, including doing the stocking, making change, and how to make a sale. For Christmas, they can shop to purchase gifts for for their family at a special Christmas fair. We applaud this unique program that not only provides students and their families with clothing and basic needs but requires something from them in exchange. Please visit Sew For Kids for other programs at the school including the room parent and sewing program.
Lakota Friends Circle provides funding for snacks as the school’s budget only covers 2 or 3 days of the week. We maintain an account at the local grocery store so staff can buy healthy snacks including perishables such as milk and cheese. Healthy snacks help children stay focused during testing and may be given out toward the end of the day as there may no supper to eat when they get home. Some kids may find little to eat over the weekend at home and may not eat a full meal until they return to school for breakfast the following Monday morning. LFC also provides toiletries, sanitary supplies, laundry soap, and cleaning and school supplies purchased in bulk online whenever possible to save money on shipping and take advantage of quantity discounts.
Marty Indian school is a 501c3 organization so all donations to them are tax deductible. If you would like to help Marty with food and other school needs, monetary donations can be made here. All other donations should be mailed directly to the address below.
Thanks for helping Marty students and all areas we serve!
Linda and Rick with Marty Indian School students
