Celebrating Student Awards from the 40th Annual Lakota Nation Invitational
posted January 11, 2017
High school faculty, staff and students gathered in the Paul "Dizzy" Trout Memorial Fieldhouse to celebrate and honor the many student participants in the 40th Annual Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) held in December.
LNI is a four-day sporting, educational and cultural event for Native youth and is held in Rapid City, S.D. each winter. Schools from across the region participate in exciting competitions of basketball, wrestling, cheerleading, archery, hand games, poetry slam, art show, knowledge bowl, Lakota language bowl, business plan, chess, singing and one act plays—with cross country and volleyball in the fall.
Below are the awards from this year's LNI.
Archery
High School Girl's Barebow
1st Place - Lily Dubray, '20
2nd Place - Jeila Schuh, '19
4th Place - MeKyla Kelly, '18
High School Boy's Barebow
1st Place - Stevie Cross Dog, '17
2nd Place - Derek Broken Rope, '18
High School Boy's Traditional
1st Place - Talon Mesteth, '18
Art Show
Mixed Media
3rd Place - Kade Bettelyoun, '17
Traditional
2nd Place - Steven Wilson, '17
Basketball
Mako Sica Division
5th Place - Girl's Basketball
2nd Place - Boy's Basketball
All Tourney Award
Girl's Division - Cate Knutson, '17
Boy's Division - Ale Rama, '19
Scholarship Award
Russell Leader Charge, '18
Defensive Player Award
Boy's Division - Russell Leader Charge, '18
Cheerleading
*1st Place - Championship Winners
All Tourney
Mariah McGhee, '17
*This is the 8th consecutive year RCHS Cheerleaders have won this championship.
Cross Country
TBA
Knowledge Bowl
Written Test Award
1st Place, Advanced Math - Connor Richards, '17
Lakota Language Bowl
High School Division
*1st Place - First Team (Stevie Cross Dog '17, Casey Bear Robe '17, Taylahni Jackson '18, Payton Sierra '18)
2nd Place - Second Team (Jennifer Red Shirt '19, Dorian Baldes '19, Isabella Lakota '19, Paisley Sierra '20)
Junior High Division
1st Place - Middle School Team (Adriano, Jordan, Destiny, Tsensa, Anpo, Vilique)
Elementary Division
1st Place - Elementary Team
2nd Place - **Lakota Language Immersion Classroom (LLIC)
*This is the 6th consecutive year RCHS students have placed first.
**The LLIC is an essential partnership and collabration with Thunder Valley CDC.
Poetry
1st Place - Marcus Ruff, '17
2nd Place - Cetan Ducheneaux, '19
*Tȟéča Wačhípi Okȟólakičhiye Hand Games Tournament
High School Division
1st Place - Wáphi Optáye (RCHS Hand Games Team)
2nd Place - Pȟéta Optáye (RCHS Hand Games Team)
*This event was sponsored by Little Wound School and is an official Tȟéča Wačhípi Okȟólakičhiye school powwow (a separate community event).
Volleyball
All Tourney
Alanna Holiday, '17
Wrestling
160lb Weight Class Division
2nd Place - Kogen Yamamoto, '18
2016 Public Service Award
Roger White Eyes, '79, Lakota Language Teacher, 20-year teacher at RCHS
The 40th Annual Lakota Nation Invitational was held Decemeber 14-17, 2016 at the Rushmore Civic Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. LNI tournaments for cross country and volleyball were held in late September and early October.
Click through some highlights from LNI in the gallery below:
Photos © Red Cloud Indian School