Two more will attend St. John's Prep School

Two eighth graders from St. Mary's will soon embark on an educational experience in which each will learn to listen with the ear of her heart. Karma and Madyson, both from Red Lake, have been accepted at St. John's Preparatory School, Collegeville, where they will live and study in a Benedictine high school community alongside students from around the globe. Moving days for dormitory dwellers begin Aug. 18. School starts Aug. 24. "It's exciting, but a little scary too," said Madyson, class valedictorian, who has been a St. Mary's Mission student since kindergarten. "But it will be good for me too, and it will help me have a good future. I will be in a new environment with new people."

Madyson and Karma each decided early in their young lives to attend college after graduating from high school. Madyson wants to be a psychologist. Karma aspires to be a doctor. "St. John's is the perfect place to go to be ready for college," said Karma, who has been a student at St. Mary's Mission since first grade. "I've been thinking about being a doctor for some time. I think I will try to be a surgeon." Enrollment at St. John's Preparatory School requires good grades, but other key elements such as maturity level and motivation weigh heavily in entrance determinations. "We work in partnership with schools to select the best students," said Laura Hartog, admissions director at St. John's Prep School. "St. John's, the family and their school support the students through the application process. By partnering with the schools and families we have an overall profile of each student. So, it's about academic ability, but also about the student's maturity since they will be at a boarding school. It's also about their engagement, and their ability to do well in school." St. John's Prep School is home to students from across the United States as well as Asia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Africa. Each grade at the high school ranges from 40 – 60 students. Hartog said classroom sizes are kept small, averaging 18 students, to ensure individual attention from teachers. The class sizes are large compared to those at St. Mary's Mission, which has an average total enrollment of 102 students in pre-K through 8th grade.

"We are so glad to be going to St. John's together," agreed Madyson and Karma, who are best friends. They will, however, know at least one person at the school – Nazarene who will be a sophomore at St. John's this year. Nazarene said in a letter (see page 3) that initially she didn't know anyone at the school, but she made friends quickly. "Nazarene will help us," said Madyson. "And we will help others who come from St. Mary's after us," said Karma.

Connections

The three young women are not the first students from the mission to attend St. John's. "St. Mary's and St. John's have a long, rich history largely due to the brothers from St. John's who were at the mission years ago," said Hartog. "One of the monks was here with Nazarene just last year for a school visit." Benedictine monks from St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, staffed St. Mary's for decades as did sisters from St. Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph, according to Full of Fair Hope, a history of the mission.

Throughout the decades, St. Mary's students applied, were accepted and graduated from St. John's. Among those were Karma's grandfather, Oran Beaulieu and Madyson's grandfather, Marvin Hanson. Both attended St. Mary's from kindergarten through the eighth grade. Beaulieu, who graduated from St. John's in 1972, went on to graduate from Bemidji State University in 1977. He worked in Red Lake administrative roles until becoming director of the Red Lake Tribal Health Service, a position he has held since 1990. Beaulieu credits St. Mary's Mission and St. John's Preparatory School for his successful career. "St. John's was tough, but we also had a lot of fun," Beaulieu said. "St. John's prepared me for college and for my job. "I'm proud that my granddaughter, Karma, is continuing after me," he added. "My 50-year prep school reunion is this fall, and I'm looking forward to seeing her there at St. John's."

Hanson, who graduated from St. John's Prep School in 1971, went on to graduate from St. John's University, according to his daughter, Apryl Lattergrass. Before his death 10 years ago, she said, Hanson was CEO of Red Lake Gaming, executive director of New Beginnings and the owner of Marvelous Marvin's Fish House, a restaurant in Bemidji. Initially, Lattergrass said she was hesitant to let her 14-year-old daughter go away to school. "But her grandfather graduated from there, and I went there for a year too before my family moved to Connecticut, so I know she will have a good experience there," said Lattergrass. "This is what my daughter wants, and we support her and are proud of her," she added.

Reigniting the Pipeline

In recent years, there has been a welcome resurgence of interest by St. Mary's students to attend St. John's. It's a trend that representatives from both schools would like to see continue. "There's no question that St. Mary's recognizes the need for future leaders to have an education that will lead them to make a difference in the Red Lake Nation and other places," said Father John Christianson, St. Mary's superintendent. "So, we want to do what we can to foster interest among our students."

The admission process at St. John's includes completing an application, securing a recommendation from two teachers, submitting transcripts and test scores, and successfully completing an interview. Ryan Ferrin, eighth grade teacher at St. Mary's, wrote recommendations for the three students attending St. John's this year. "I couldn't have picked better students to have recommended," Ferrin said. "Those girls are driven and motivated to be successful for themselves, their families and the Red Lake Nation. All students coming from St. John's Prep School will do awesome things in the world," Ferrin added. "The girls who are going there from St. Mary's are a true sign of what people can do when they strive to do their best."