Rosebud Summer Service Trip 2026: Completing the Circle

This July, a group of Proctor students and members of our professional community traveled to South Dakota to spend ten days as guests on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Indian Reservations, living and working alongside the members of the Sicangu and Oglala communities who welcomed them. At a moment when technology makes it easier than ever to outsource human interaction and avoid friction, and when difference is more often argued about than understood, the case for authentic connection and for learning in a context that is not our own only grows stronger.

In the case of the Rosebud Summer Service Trip, that learning is the product of a relationship built over more than four decades, beginning in the 1980s, when Albert White Hat Sr., John Around Him Sr., and George Emeny established a lasting friendship between the school and the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations. This relationship has been stewarded by faculty, staff, and students across generations, and Proctor groups have returned to South Dakota nearly every summer since 2015.

On every Proctor off-campus program, there is explicit learning that occurs in discrete moments, but just as much accumulates in the simple fact of being present, day after day. As Bode D. '27 noted, "The relationship Proctor has with the Lakota community is extremely special. Before going, I didn't realize how close this relationship was. However, now it is clear to me that it is crucial we maintain this unique relationship. Everyone I met out there was so open to helping us learn, and they accepted us like their own for the ten days we visited."

Students and members of our professional community were also welcomed into traditional ceremonies. Piper C. '28 described the experience at length. "This is a feeling I find very difficult to put into words. You are basically in a small, hot, dark space for two hours listening to singing and talking. It made me feel weak but then strong, and sad, but then super happy. You begin to think about all the good in your life and maybe some of the bad. There is a time in one of the breaks for prayer. Though I am not religious, I found this to be my favorite part. I was so incredibly grateful to be able to experience ceremony during the trip."

The group grappled with difficult histories throughout their visit. History Department Chair and summer service trip Co-Leader Brian Didier, who has participated in the program multiple times, reflected: "One of our meaningful moments was learning about the efforts to repatriate the remains of the Lakota children who died at the Carlisle Boarding School." On July 14, they experienced Tiyata Glipi Anpetu, "They are back to the homelands day," which was established in 2021 to mark the return of the remains of nine Lakota children who never came home from Carlisle. 

Lynne Bartlett, Co-Leader and member of the Science Department, described an unexpected encounter with Chris Eagle Bear and members of his outreach group. "Chris Eagle Bear had visited Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the cemetery with his own student group several years before and asked the simple question: 'Why can't these members of our family come home?' He and his group helped make it possible, and now there is a monument standing in Rosebud that we were able to visit on its opening day."

Brian described what the group found at two former boarding schools as well. "As we were touring the St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation, our tour guide Rodney spoke to us about the evolving relationship between the Jesuits/Catholics and the Lakota community. John Around Him, during our tour of Mahpiya Luta (formerly known as the Red Cloud Indian School) on the Pine Ridge Reservation, also discussed this evolving relationship. Former Catholic Boarding Schools where the teaching of Lakota language and spiritual traditions were banned are now promoting Lakota immersion programs, Lakota art, and Lakota religion alongside Catholic religion and values. It's a fascinating mix." These experiences made clear to the Proctor group that this history is very much present and still being reckoned with, shaping the places students visited and the conversations they were welcomed into.

That reckoning is not only backward-looking. History teacher Rosanna Eubank has traveled to Rosebud each of the past five summers with a faculty group and co-led the summer service trip with Proctor students for the first time this year. "Rather than being immersed in the ceremonial and spiritual life, I was able to see aspects of day-to-day life, civic engagement, and powerful community leadership," she said. "Alongside eleven enthusiastic and curious students … we spoke with local individuals who are passionate about building their community and Lakota culture back up. We learned about grassroots efforts being made in financial self-reliance, food sovereignty, and language and cultural preservation."

"Real learning occurs when you're challenged, outside your comfort zone, and faced with different cultures and experiences. The service-learning-living trip to Rosebud and Pine Ridge is unique and profound." 
~ Brian Didier, History Department Chair

Much of each day was given over to work projects. Lynne shared, "I am impressed with our students and their willingness to learn how to use a weed whacker, a lawnmower, a post hole digger, a roller, a paintbrush. The students are so good at committing to the work, making it fun, singing, and laughing together while working and taking care of each other with water breaks and impromptu peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Rosanna added, "I think really digging in and helping out with fixing or building something alongside others helps create perspective."

Brian also emphasized the reciprocal nature of Proctor's relationship to the Lakota community, and how that framing shapes the way students and adults approach the work. "The work is our chance to help out a little, to give something back, and to complete the circle of giving. Our Lakota relatives give us so much in terms of hospitality, teaching us about Lakota history and culture. The service helps to keep the giving reciprocal." Josh T. '27 described his understanding of the work as "helping something greater than yourself."

As Abby J. M. '27 shared, "Working side by side with the Lakota community helped me realize that the most meaningful part of service isn't what you build – it's the connections you make. I left with a deeper appreciation for community and shared purpose." She was struck, too, by what she had not anticipated: "I was surprised by how welcoming and joyful the Lakota community was despite the challenges they face. Their resilience and kindness left a lasting impression on me."

After five summers, Rosanna notes the same thing surprises her still. "One aspect that always surprises, and humbles me, is the grace with which Proctor is welcomed. Members of the Rosebud community are generous with educating us about their history and culture, and almost always there is a healthy dose of humor mixed in."

The relationship has been sustained by visits to Andover from members of the White Hat and Around Him families, and by faculty and alumni who have repeatedly traveled to South Dakota. Our Lakota relatives have taught us many lessons, perhaps the most important being Mitákuye Oyás'iŋ – we are all related.

Lynne has watched that relationship surface in unexpected places. "Sometimes we stop to get snacks at a gas station, and the attendant will tell us about people they know and remember from Proctor. We have several of those small world stories every time we visit."

The relationship is strong today, and it remains that way because of the commitment of so many people across decades. "The relationship is old and deep, but it needs tending," Brian said. Abby M. '27 said much the same in her own words: "It is unique and special, and we need to make sure to preserve it.” 

Rosanna reflected, "There is nothing more meaningful than exposing yourself to understanding a community outside what feels safe and familiar.”

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