Sioux Falls has a new middle school named Ben Reifel Middle School. It just opened for the 2021 fall school year.

If you've traveled the east side of Sioux Falls you've probably noticed the progress in the school's construction. It is located at Faith Ave. on the cites east side just northeast of Harmodon Park off 41st Street.

Sioux Falls' newest middle school bears the name of Benjamin Reifel, also known as Lone Feather. So who is Ben Reifel?

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Reifel was born on September 19, 1960, near Parmelee, South Dakota, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, in a log cabin.

He became a Lakota Sioux public administrator and politician. Reifel graduated from South Dakota State University served in World War II, worked for the Department of the Interior, and retired as the Aberdeen, South Dakota area administrator of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in March 1960.

He was awarded a mid-career fellowship in public administration to Harvard University for a master's degree. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in 1952 and was elected to the 87th Congress and re-elected 4 times until he decided not to run again.

The New Ben Reifel Middle School is a beautiful new facility as you can see from the photos taken by Pigeon 605. The Middle School is the home of the Bison.

The Bison Motto: For the strength of the herd is the Bison and the strength of the bison is the Herd.

Who Is Ben Reifel And Why Is A Sioux Falls School Named After Him?

 

Jefferson High School

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