Staff of American Horse School

Betty A. (Wounded Head) Robertson, Ema’c’iyapi. Mother of six children, one deceased, seventeen -- 17 grandchildren and four--4 great-grandchildren. I graduated from Black Hills State College, Spearfish, SD with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Teaching and a Master’ Education Degree in Administration, Brookings, SD. I have been in education since 1978. I have been with the Lakota Language Department at American Horse School, Allen, SD since 2014-Present. It’s going to be another Challenging School year for all of us. I encourage all of our parents, community members, and students to work closely with each other and we will have a Successful 2022-2023 School year. I can be reached at 605-455-1209.

Wopila (Thank - you).

Teacher: I am Thomiscena Fast Wolf aka TR, the para for the middle school homeroom Eagles/Math. I have been working with students at American Horse for the past 14 years. I also have been the volleyball coach for the last 5 years. I was born and raised here in Allen, I have one niece that lives with me and 2 dogs whose names are Jasper Wayne, who is a corgi-blue heeler, and Buster Brown, who is a Weiner dog-red heeler. I graduated with an Associate of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from OLC and plan to finish and earn my Bachelors of Art in Education.

I am very excited for the students to come back into the classroom and more excited we are going to try and have sports. I know we are going to have hybrid classes so we will have 2 days in school learning and 3 days of online learning. With the help from home, I know we are going to do just fine!!

Contact: thomiscenafastwolf@americanhorse.us 455-1209 ext 1010
Student: We already started school in person and we got to meet groups A and B. In the next couple of days, we will start our classes along with our online groups. We have passed out all the information paper which included: schedules, usernames, and passwords, backpacks, list of rules that need to be signed and returned and chrome books along with computer agreements,
Parent/Guardian(s) Parents please check your school email if you forgot to look in your students information folder. They have your email address on the top of the page but if you need more information please call the school 455-1209. Also please remember to be checking the school website and the school Facebook page for any new information and updates on things that will be happening.

Hello! I'm Ms. Gabby Curran, and I will be the 3rd–5th grade reading/writing teacher this year, as well as the 4th-grade homeroom teacher. I am from Spanish Harlem, New York City, and I obtained my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, playing video/board/card games, listening to music, watching TV/movies, and spending time in nature. This is my second year at American Horse School, and I'm thrilled to be back! I taught middle school reading last year, but I'm excited to be working with a whole new group of students.

Students: I am so excited to meet you after what has been, I hope, a fun and relaxing summer! As your teacher, my job is to help you learn and guide you to wherever it is you want to go. If you need my help with anything, please always feel free to reach out to me, whether it be at school or through email.

Parents and guardians: if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or the school! It is as important for me to know you as it is for me to know your student, and you know your student better than anyone else. My email is gabriellecurran@americanhorse.us, and the school's phone number is (605) 455-1209.

A Note to Parents: Please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email if you have any questions! You can get your school email address from the school by calling 455-1209 if you don’t have one already. Please also remember to check the school’s website and the American Horse School Facebook page for any updates.

Teacher:  Hello there! Hope all is fine! Let me introduce myself, I am Mrs. Mary Kaye M. Bentain, the 7th Grade Eagles homeroom teacher and the Middle School Math teacher this school year, 2021-2022.  I am from Cebu, Philippines, and I have been teaching in my country for nine good years. I graduated at our local college, the Talisay City College and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. I got my Master’s Degree in another University in the Philippines.

I am married and was blessed with a one-year old baby girl. We call her Kassie. I am hoping that I can be with my family soon as I ventured here in South Dakota.

This year is a challenge for me as I endeavor this new experience. I will work hard and we’ll be working hand in hand in this journey of learning. You will be learning from me as I am also going to learn from you.

Parents: It’s a pleasure to have your child in our class. Communication is an integral part of our education nowadays especially with the situation we are in right now. Please feel free to email me at marybentain@americanhorse.us if you have questions, or anything important to relay to me.I will be working with Tamika Cottier and Thomiscena Fast Wolf as our paraprofessionals this year. You can also contact them if you have queries. Or you can also contact the school with this line 455-1209.

I am so excited to see you all and I know that you are ready to get back in the classroom so you can LEARN despite the situation of our world today. This is my second year in American Horse School and to teach Science for 5th to 8th grades. 

I have been in the teaching field for almost 19 years now, from 2001 – 2015 I have handled Grade 8 Science in the Philippines and in 2015 I went to Saudi Arabia to teach second grade students in an international school. I was born in Manila, Philippines. I graduated from Philippine Normal University, the Center for Teacher Excellence with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education major in Biology.

To my dear students, I am thrilled and a bit nervous because of the new norms and classroom set up, however I will make sure that no one will be left behind. We will become tech savvy because we will be using chrome books for our  lessons and activities in science. I am very much willing to help each of you, we will have fun the whole year that we will be together.

To our dear parents, I will be very glad to meet you one day. For now, we will be using our emails as means of communication, and this is my email address – jelisaadula@americanhorse.us so we can talk about the progress of our kids. You may also reach me through the school’s contact number 6054551209. I just want to ask for your cooperation and work hand in hand for the success of our children in learning. 

"Let respect be the language in our classroom, and let excellence be our torch in this journey."
Dear students, It is with joy and pleasure that I am welcoming everyone in this School Year 2021-2022!  For almost two years now, the world has been exponentially affected by the pandemic caused by the destructive virus, but with our aspiration to provide continuous and quality education, there is no any kind of hurdle that can surmount our quest for excellence. For this year, we are accommodating the Hybrid setup of learning where students will both experience coming to school and staying at home while learning. True enough, this can post a different kind of challenge for all of us but what matters is, you keep your heads on the game by keeping in mind the class schedule, submitting the requirements, and fulfilling the entrusted responsibilities. This is a new school year, a new beginning, and -new hope. May this year be one of the best ones and may it prepare you for the tougher battles that are in store for you outside its walls. For now, I am wishing you the best and sweetest good luck, my dear students! See you around and may the best opportunities knock on our doors!