The Catskill Chronicle

Rachel and her class.

MONTICELLO, NY – In the summer of 2009, Monticello High School 11^th grade student Rachel Ehrman, traveled to South Dakota for a month to live on a Lakota reservation. There she helped establish two day camps and helped reconstructed several buildings that had fallen down, with other students in her travel group. A principle part of Rachel’s summer was to also immerse herself in Lakota culture and tradition. She explained that this was easier said then done.

One example was that on the 4^th of July instead of the Lakota’s 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 to 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 off the ground; she needed to obtain the appropriate permission in both Dupree and at KLR to move forward. After many phone calls, Rachel finally located two 3^rd grade teachers who were willing to have their students participate in the project, Michelle Wall from South Dakota and Leanna Smith from KLR in Monticello. 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, the students were able to compare the similarities and differences between two completely different cultures. Ms. Smith, Ms. Wall and Rachel plan to continue this Pen Pal program.