Dear Parents, Students, Staff and the Community,

Greetings! We are at a juncture in our school where St Francis Indian School is growing and moving forward.  We have recently completed our Strategic Plan and have identified 5 goals:

1. We will ensure progress in the development of a personal zuya.

2. We will engage in an array of learning experiences supported by technology.

3. We will develop communication systems to ensure consistent communication to our stakeholders.

4. We will reclaim in our in our stakeholders their culture and language.

5. We will continue to enhance and build facilities to meet the needs of our students.

 Our Comprehensive Needs Assessment Action Plans.  The plans guide our school so that we may reach the pinnacle of school improvement and reach our goals of student proficiency. 

We are excited to say that we are laying the groundwork for opening a Career and Technical Education component to our existing high school.  We will not only be able to get a high school diploma, but for those students that choose to add to a career track, they can get a certificate in the pathway they choose.  The 7 pathways to a career were decided upon by a survey that was sent to these 3 groups: parents, students and the business community on our reservation.  They are:  1) Computer Information Systems/IT  2) Business Practice/Accounting 3) Health Sciences 4) Public Safety  5) Animal/Land Management  6) Building Trades   7)  Culinary Arts/Food Services.  

We are also looking at adding housing for teachers so that we can get the best teachers to educate our children.  In order to do that, we have to provide housing in an economically depressed area.  We have been collaborating with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in this endeavor.  We are happy to announce that we will be getting 5 houses for our staff.  In addition, the tribe has been facilitating our efforts to use Project 105 guidelines of Public Law 638 to build us a new middle school with a gym.

Our Middle School is definitely in need of its own building and gym to meet the needs of our students and protect their identity in this school.  We are in phase two of this process and appreciate all the assistance we are receiving from the tribe.

We are on an upward trajectory and with all of us working together we can build the school of our grandparents and ancestors' dreams.  Pila maya ye.  

Superintendent Biography

Danielle “Dani” Walking Eagle is the current School Superintendent of St Francis Indian School.  She began her 3rd year in this position having taken on that duty in 2021.  She is a 1985 graduate of St Francis Indian School.  She completed her Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education and Coaching from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND from 1985-1989.  She completed her Masters Degree in 2003 from South Dakota State University in Education Administration with an emphasis in Pk-12 Principalship.  In the spring of 2023 she completed her Education Specialist Degree with an emphasis in being a certified Superintendent from the University of Sioux Falls. 

She comes with 09 years in teaching experience in the elementary and coaching in the high school at St Francis Indian School from 1989-1998.  In 1998 she became an Elementary Assistant Principal and the Director of the Family and Child Education program; upon being awarded the grant from the Bureau of Indian Education to St Francis Indian School.  She held this position from 1998-2013 with a total of 16 yrs.  In 2013 at St Francis Indian School she was hired as the Elementary Principal until 2019 for 6 yrs as the Principal.   She was at St Francis Indian School for a total of 30 years in different capacities including taking the lead in school improvement.  

From 2019-2021 Dani took a hiatus from St Francis Indian School to work at the Oglala Lakota County School District as their Federal Programs Director.  She managed for the district in all federal programs $30,000,000.00 including Title VI and their Impact Aide program.  During her time at the OLCSD she had the opportunity to manage the $100,000,000.00 in COVID relief dollars.  It was then that she was approached to come back to St Francis Indian School as the Superintendent.

As the Superintendent she brought St Francis Indian School out of receivership and back into compliance with the BIE and Department of Education.  She reopened their school after COVID to get the students back into a routine from which they could thrive.  She had full Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council approval to do this. Being a Rosebud Sioux Tribe Enrolled member she began working closely with the tribal leadership to get more houses at her school.  They gave the school 5 houses from the tribal American Rescue Plan monies.  They also allotted $500,000 from the same funding source to fund the newly proposed Career and Technical Education High School.  This has been the priority of the SFIS school board from the beginning of her tenure.

The CTE high school has now hired its Principal and 4 of the 7 pathway instructors.  The plan is to hire from the industry they come from and train them in how to be a teacher, having started the process of South Dakota state certification.  The 7 pathways chosen via survey from the students, parents and community/businesses are:  1) Public Safety  2) Construction/building trades  

3)  Hospitality/Tourism/Culinary Arts 4)  Health Sciences  5) Information Technology  6) Animal Science  7)  Business/Accounting.

She has one son and two grandchildren.  She was recently appointed to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education 100-297 subcommittee. She serves on the Lakota Nation Invitational Board from 2003-present.  She has been appointed to the South Dakota High School Activities Assoc. as the Native American Rep. and is in her 2nd year and to the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame.  Following are her accomplishments.                                                                                                                                                      

Awards                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2002 National Indian Education Association Educator of the Year

2002 National Indian School Board Association Administrator of the Year

2002 Four Winds Principal’s Academy Completion

2002 Rosebud Sioux Tribe Recognition for National Education Awards

2003 Outstanding Educational Leadership Graduate Student SDSU “Little  Red Wagon” Award

2009  Exemplary Programs in Indian Education-Catching the Dream Org

2009  20 Years of Service to St. Francis Indian School

2010  Outstanding Leadership-Family and Child Education, BIE

2010  Family and Child Education-Program of the Year, BIE

2013  25 Years of Service to St. Francis Indian School

2017  Distinguished Service Award-South Dak. High School Act Assoc.

2019 30 Years of Service to St Francis Indian School

2020 South Dakota High School Coaches Assoc “Power of Influence”  Award

Dear Parents, Students, Staff and the Community,

Greetings! We are at a juncture in our school where St Francis Indian School is growing and moving forward.  We have recently completed our Strategic Plan and have identified 5 goals:

1. We will ensure progress in the development of a personal zuya.

2. We will engage in an array of learning experiences supported by technology.

3. We will develop communication systems to ensure consistent communication to our stakeholders.

4. We will reclaim in our in our stakeholders their culture and language.

5. We will continue to enhance and build facilities to meet the needs of our students.

 Our Comprehensive Needs Assessment Action Plans.  The plans guide our school so that we may reach the pinnacle of school improvement and reach our goals of student proficiency. 

We are excited to say that we are laying the groundwork for opening a Career and Technical Education component to our existing high school.  We will not only be able to get a high school diploma, but for those students that choose to add to a career track, they can get a certificate in the pathway they choose.  The 7 pathways to a career were decided upon by a survey that was sent to these 3 groups: parents, students and the business community on our reservation.  They are:  1) Computer Information Systems/IT  2) Business Practice/Accounting 3) Health Sciences 4) Public Safety  5) Animal/Land Management  6) Building Trades   7)  Culinary Arts/Food Services.  

We are also looking at adding housing for teachers so that we can get the best teachers to educate our children.  In order to do that, we have to provide housing in an economically depressed area.  We have been collaborating with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in this endeavor.  We are happy to announce that we will be getting 5 houses for our staff.  In addition, the tribe has been facilitating our efforts to use Project 105 guidelines of Public Law 638 to build us a new middle school with a gym.

Our Middle School is definitely in need of its own building and gym to meet the needs of our students and protect their identity in this school.  We are in phase two of this process and appreciate all the assistance we are receiving from the tribe.

We are on an upward trajectory and with all of us working together we can build the school of our grandparents and ancestors' dreams.  Pila maya ye.  

Superintendent Biography

Danielle “Dani” Walking Eagle is the current School Superintendent of St Francis Indian School.  She began her 3rd year in this position having taken on that duty in 2021.  She is a 1985 graduate of St Francis Indian School.  She completed her Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education and Coaching from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND from 1985-1989.  She completed her Masters Degree in 2003 from South Dakota State University in Education Administration with an emphasis in Pk-12 Principalship.  In the spring of 2023 she completed her Education Specialist Degree with an emphasis in being a certified Superintendent from the University of Sioux Falls. 

She comes with 09 years in teaching experience in the elementary and coaching in the high school at St Francis Indian School from 1989-1998.  In 1998 she became an Elementary Assistant Principal and the Director of the Family and Child Education program; upon being awarded the grant from the Bureau of Indian Education to St Francis Indian School.  She held this position from 1998-2013 with a total of 16 yrs.  In 2013 at St Francis Indian School she was hired as the Elementary Principal until 2019 for 6 yrs as the Principal.   She was at St Francis Indian School for a total of 30 years in different capacities including taking the lead in school improvement.  

From 2019-2021 Dani took a hiatus from St Francis Indian School to work at the Oglala Lakota County School District as their Federal Programs Director.  She managed for the district in all federal programs $30,000,000.00 including Title VI and their Impact Aide program.  During her time at the OLCSD she had the opportunity to manage the $100,000,000.00 in COVID relief dollars.  It was then that she was approached to come back to St Francis Indian School as the Superintendent.

As the Superintendent she brought St Francis Indian School out of receivership and back into compliance with the BIE and Department of Education.  She reopened their school after COVID to get the students back into a routine from which they could thrive.  She had full Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council approval to do this. Being a Rosebud Sioux Tribe Enrolled member she began working closely with the tribal leadership to get more houses at her school.  They gave the school 5 houses from the tribal American Rescue Plan monies.  They also allotted $500,000 from the same funding source to fund the newly proposed Career and Technical Education High School.  This has been the priority of the SFIS school board from the beginning of her tenure.

The CTE high school has now hired its Principal and 4 of the 7 pathway instructors.  The plan is to hire from the industry they come from and train them in how to be a teacher, having started the process of South Dakota state certification.  The 7 pathways chosen via survey from the students, parents and community/businesses are:  1) Public Safety  2) Construction/building trades  

3)  Hospitality/Tourism/Culinary Arts 4)  Health Sciences  5) Information Technology  6) Animal Science  7)  Business/Accounting.

She has one son and two grandchildren.  She was recently appointed to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education 100-297 subcommittee. She serves on the Lakota Nation Invitational Board from 2003-present.  She has been appointed to the South Dakota High School Activities Assoc. as the Native American Rep. and is in her 2nd year and to the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame.  Following are her accomplishments.                                                                                                                                                      

Awards                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2002 National Indian Education Association Educator of the Year

2002 National Indian School Board Association Administrator of the Year

2002 Four Winds Principal’s Academy Completion

2002 Rosebud Sioux Tribe Recognition for National Education Awards

2003 Outstanding Educational Leadership Graduate Student SDSU “Little  Red Wagon” Award

2009  Exemplary Programs in Indian Education-Catching the Dream Org

2009  20 Years of Service to St. Francis Indian School

2010  Outstanding Leadership-Family and Child Education, BIE

2010  Family and Child Education-Program of the Year, BIE

2013  25 Years of Service to St. Francis Indian School

2017  Distinguished Service Award-South Dak. High School Act Assoc.

2019 30 Years of Service to St Francis Indian School

2020 South Dakota High School Coaches Assoc “Power of Influence”  Award