Sioux Falls’ New School to Be Named after Native American Nurse

We've known for a while now that Sioux Falls was getting a new elementary school for the 2025-26 school year, but we didn't know who that school was going to be named after.

Until now.

At Monday's (April 22) meeting of the Sioux Falls School Board, it was revealed that the new school will honor the life of a Native American nurse who served during World War II.

Marcella LeBeau, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in north-central South Dakota, earned a degree from St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre and later enlisted in the United States Army Nurse Corp.

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While in the corp, she served in France, England, and Belgium in the 76th General Hospital Unit, tending to service members during the Battle of the Bulge and the Normandy D-Day landings.

LeBeau served as a nurse for three decades and passed away in 2021 at age 102.

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A committee of 25 students, teachers, community members, parents, administrators, and board members made the selection.

Marcella LeBeau School is currently under construction just southeast of George McGovern Middle School in northwest Sioux Falls. It will open in the fall of 2025 with a capacity of 680 students.