Our Lady of Lourdes celebrates 8th grade graduation

posted on May 26, 2011

Our Lady of Lourdes School, Porcupine, South Dakota celebrated eight grade graduation on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. with a Mass and Commencement Ceremony.

Fr. George Winzenburg, SJ and Fr. Phil Cooke, SJ presided over the Mass in Christ the King Church, Our Lady of Lourdes Campus. It began with the Our Lady of Lourdes School Children Drum Group Anpo Tecaperforming the processional song. The traditional Catholic Mass had a special petition this year in remembrance of Tea LeBeaux, a student that passed away and would have been graduating with this eighth grade class. The Mass was concluded by the Anpo Teca drum group performing the recessional song.

The Graduation Ceremony was held in the Our Lady of Lourdes Gymnasium starting at 3:00 p.m. Our Lady of Lourdes Principal Theresa Lessert led the processional greeting. President of Red Cloud Indian School, Fr. George Winzenburg, SJ led the invocation. Sonjah Clifford 2011 Red Cloud High School Graduate, 2007 Our Lady of Lourdes Graduate, and Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient was the invited guest speaker; offering words of encouragement and good advice of tending to studies.

The presentation of awards and scholarships was next followed by the conferring of Diplomas by Superintendent of Red Cloud Indian Schools, Bob Brave Heart. The commencement ceremony was concluded with a slide presentation, benediction, and recessional honoring song.

The 2011 Eighth Grade Graduating Class is as follows.

Sam Bear Killer
Brandon C. Blue Bird
Tad E. Bowman
Bailey J. Clifford
Leslee V. Colhoff
Anthony M. No Neck
Nicholas R. Reddest
Ashley L. Richards
Melvin L. Rodriguez
Clarence Stadnick
Peppermint L. Twiss
Tanya R. Twiss