THIRD PLACE
EYES ON THE PRIZE BY JOSSALYN ROGALSKI DOWAGIAC CLASS OF 2020
T
he class of 2020 seems to have been introduced to life within a dark time, only to find themselves finishing high school in yet another unfortunate time. The majority of this class was brought into the world around the time of 9/11; one member of our class was even born on this day. We were raised alongside terrorist attacks, the Great Recession, civil wars and much more. We blossomed and discovered who we were, all while the pressures of society reigned down around us due to our increasing reliance on technology and social media. Even when threats of school shootings were prevalent, and we all feared for our safety, we continued to go to school in order to better ourselves to have a finer future. Throughout all of this, we still managed to never lose sight of who we were and who we wanted to become. Each of us had our own goals, and we all lived separate lives, yet we all lived as one within our small town because we were Dowagiac United. At Dowagiac, the class of 2020 has experienced some remarkable things in our school’s history. The majority of this class remembers our school’s involvement in the MHSAA’s battle of the fans that we won in 2015. We were all in seventh grade at the time, but most of us still recall a group of high schoolers coming to the middle
school’s performing arts center to perform their cheers and involve the rest of the community. Based on conversations with others in my class, we believe that this sort of pep rally helped to solidify a spirited attitude within those who can recall this event, and many wish it could have been brought back for younger classes today. The class of 2020 remained leaders within the community and helped to keep the spirited attitude of Dowagiac alive. As commonly seen within our high school, the younger classes tend to not be as spirited or involved in special events, so I simply hope the future of Dowagiac can keep the spirit alive and leave a legacy of their own. Some members of the class of 2020 have already accomplished great things, while others are still on their own journey to success. In
terms of athletics, the class of 2020 at Dowagiac Union High School contains many scholar athletes who have been a part of many great teams. For the past three years, the boys’ soccer team has won the district championship, while the wrestling team also has won regionals the past three years. Two members of the wrestling team have also reached 100 career wins, while a member of the boys’ basketball team reached a goal of 1,000 points in his career. The boys’ basketball team with members of the class of 2020 also won districts last year and were recently set to compete in the district finals before the games were canceled due to COVID-19. One girl within the class of 2020 also previously played at state in girl’s golf, while the team narrowly missed going there themselves. There are a large variety of seniors planning on playing sports at a college level. Many other students within the class of 2020 have helped achieve great things — the Rotary Interact Club, which was being led with the help of many seniors, was previously raising money for a school in Africa needing help with a new water system and supplies for needy children. They also started the first “Giving Tree” at the high school during Christmas to give back to local families. Another class of 2020 member began an antialcohol campaign, but was never able to complete the project as the school year was cut short.
