Dowagiac Union High School’s 97-member Class of 2011 received $273,917 in scholarship offers Wednesday night at the 53rd annual honors program in the DUHS cafeteria.

Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel said in his first welcome, “The classroom is the most important area in regard to your schooling. Of course, you wouldn’t have achieved what you achieved without the people you have supporting you,” from parents, grandparents, friends and fellow students to teachers and principals “who were always there to try to help you, urge you and sometimes twist your arm to pull you along with your best interests in mind.”

Daniel noted that the 535 college credit hours the class earned constitutes another scholarship valued at $73,500.

“Ninety-three percent of you have definitive plans of what you’re doing after you graduate. That, to me, is extremely important because not only do you have the rigor and know the importance of relevancy, but also you know the relationship of those two and how that’s going to drive you and steer you in the very near future,” Daniel said. Call it the new three R’s.

“The over $273,000 you actually accepted, I’m sure you were offered several hundreds of thousands of dollars over that,” Daniel said.

Principal Paul Hartsig, presiding at his seventh program, introduced Valedictorian Erin Stanton* and Salutatorian Tara Sova*, who will lead the class at Dowagiac’s 147th Commencement at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 5, on Chris Taylor-Alumni Field.

Guidance counselor Kristin Dockerty chaired the honors program for her third year, with reception planning by Toni Pasternak.

Eighteen students achieved grade-point averages (GPAs) between 3.4 and 4.0.

Thirteen students will be graduating with a 3.0 (B) or higher GPA.

High honor graduates (* denotes NHS membership) also include Aaron Blaske*, Perla Medina Cano, Jessica Caldwell, Joshua Dillon*, Gabrielle Dorman*, Jon Hornburg*, Shannon Keene*, Courtney Klann*, Kathryn Lorenz*, Samantha Mathews*, Hannah Pacheco, Brittany Parritt, Rachel Petro*, Amarpal Sarao*, Marneasa Short, Jason Turner* and Jessica Whitmore*.

The 13 honor graduates are Austin Adams, Erich Alden, Kiele Belew, Samantha Doorn, Erika Gill, Abbigail Gnatz, Kyleigh Hatter, Maxwel Howe, David Manzano, Devon Ownby, Logan Slabaugh, Kaye Swartz and Anthony Swisher.

Assistant Principal Kelly Millin presented “equal opportunity” exemplary attendance certificates to Aaron Blaske, Maxwel Howe, Jacob Przybylinski, Anthony Swisher, Jason Turner, Kyle Ward and Robert Weaver for missing no more than five days in four years.

Dockerty, representing Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1855 Men’s Auxiliary, gave its $1,000 scholarship to Shannon Keene.

Judy Schalm and Martha Paulsen awarded $500 Sister Lakes Lady Lions Club scholarships to Joshua Dillon and Jason Turner.

Ronald Jacobs of Sister Lakes Lions Club presented a $1,000 scholarship to Shannon Keene.

Dowagiac Middle School Co-Principal Michael Frazier, scholarship chairman of Dowagiac Elks Lodge 889, extended $500 Most Valuable Student Scholarships to Aaron Blaske and Courtney Klann.

Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz, representing Dowagiac Rotary Club, gave its$1,000 scholarship to Shannon Keene.

Karen Judd for Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital presented Leo Krziza and Esther Krziza-Condry Scholarships to Hannah Pacheco ($500) and Erin Stanton ($1,000) for pursuing health-related careers.

Lissa McIntosh, on behalf of Zeta Chi Sorority Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, bestowed the $500 Toni Shaer Memorial Scholarship on Kiele Belew.

Mrs. David (Camille) Briegel awarded the 22nd annual Steven Briegel Memorial Scholarship to Kaye Swartz.

Aaron Blaske, Erin Stanton, Samantha Mathews, Jason Turner and Rachel Petro were selected for fifth annual Kameron Belew Memorial Scholarships of $500 from his sister, Kiele, and the Belew family, who have given away more than $25,000 thanks to an outing at Spruce Ridge coming up Aug. 13.

Kameron, a former all-conference linebacker who graduated in 2005, was 19 when he died in an auto accident on Rudy Road Dec. 31, 2006.

Guidance counselor Randy Luthringer, representing the Dehring family, gave the $1,100 Kenneth Dehring Memorial Scholarship for SMC to Perla Medina Cano for a career in education, counseling or social work. Mr. Dehring, who died in the spring of 1999, had been a counselor at Central Middle School.

Undersheriff Rick Behnke, a DUHS graduate representing Dowagiac Lions Club, presented the second Craig Behnke Memorial Scholarship for community service for his brother to Erin Stanton. Craig and his father, Bill, were driving forces in the local Lions Club.

Behnke, on behalf of Cass County Sheriff Joe Underwood’s office, gave a $500 Cass County Community Policing Scholarship to Perla Medina Cano.

Eight are given annually — half for SMC.

In 15 years, there have been 127 totaling $63,500.

Jon Biek, representing Knights of Columbus, awarded the $1,000 John Tuka Memorial Scholarship to Gabrielle Dorman for her service to community, church and academics.

Retired principal David Strlekar, president of Dowagiac Optimist Club, presented its $500 scholarship based on an education essay to Amarpal Sarao.

Kellie Prak, representing Sodexho Services, awarded $500 business scholarships to Jason Turner and Jessica Whitmore.

Luthringer gave a $1,000 Burger King scholarship to Erin Stanton.

Clerk Kurt Reich, a retired 35-year DUHS teacher, presented Wayne Township’s $500 scholarship for SMC to Shannon Keene.

Dockerty, representing the City of Dowagiac, presented its $500 SMC scholarship to Miss Dowagiac Gabrielle Dorman.

Luthringer, for Silver Creek Township, presented its $500 SMC scholarship to Kaye Swartz.

Keith Klann, Dowagiac Education Association president, presented $500 DEA scholarships to his daughter, Courtney Klann, Erin Stanton, Tara Sova and Jason Turner.

Nicole Lutz, teller, representing Honor Credit Union, presented the Honor Credit Union Commitment Scholarship to Courtney Klann.

Audrey Maxey, a director of the Chamber of Commerce’s Miss Dowagiac Scholarship Pageant, presented pageant scholarships to Miss Dowagiac/Miss Congeniality Gabrielle Dorman ($2,000), First Runner-up Shannon Keene ($1,200), Second Runner-up Devon Ownby ($1,000) and Communications Winner Lauren Smith ($200).

In a new award, 2010 Miss Congeniality Marissa Tidey presented Gabrielle with $250 for that title.

Dockerty, representing Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival, presented its $1,000 scholarship for SMC to John Philip Sousa Award winner and Chieftain Marching Band drum major Courtney Klann.

Dockerty, representing Beckwith Theatre Company, awarded its $500 scholarship to Erich Alden.

Elizabeth Robertson, assistant store manager, representing Wal-Mart, presented a $13,000 Wal-Mart Family Foundation Scholarship to Joshua Dillon.

Marilyn O’Bryant, representing Van Buren Intermediate School District, presented the Info-Tech Cluster Scholarship to Hannah Pacheco.

Dockerty, representing Berrien County Farm Bureau Oil Co., gave its $500 annual scholarship to Aaron Blaske.

Luthringer, representing the Educational Talent Search Program, announced a $500 MI-CAPP Scholarship for Kaisha Martin.

Susan Searight of Lewis Cass Intermediate School District career-technical education and its career academies with Southwestern Michigan College, presented the $300 SMC Career Academy Scholarship to Gabrielle Dorman.

Searight presented SMC Career Technical Education Scholarships/Awards to Jon Hornburg ($250), Lauren Smith, Hannah Pacheco, Brittany Parritt, Logan Slabaugh ($250), Collin Tidey, Jorge Villanueva and Jessica Whitmore.

Kim Luthringer, representing SMC, presented Awards of Excellence (half tuition) to Gabrielle Dorman, Hannah Pacheco and Courtney Klann.

Luthringer, representing SMC, presented National Honor Society Scholarships to Shannon Keene, Brittany Parritt and Perla Medina Cano.

Luthringer, representing SMC, presented the Southwestern Michigan College Creative Writing Scholarship (half tuition) to Harli Stockwell.

Luthringer, representing SMC, presented Southwestern Michigan College Music Performance Scholarships to Courtney Klann, Anthony Swisher and Kaye Swartz.

Nicole Zurawski an admissions specialist at Bertrand Crossing campus near Niles, representing Lake Michigan College, presented the Presidential Scholars Award for full tuition, fees and books to Aaron Blaske.

Dockerty, representing Northwood University, presented the $28,000 Free Enterprise Scholarship to Christopher Craft.

Dockerty, on behalf of Manchester College, presented the $32,000 Director’s Scholarship to Austin Adams.

Dockerty, representing Michigan Technological University, presented Presidential Scholarships totaling $16,000 to Erich Alden and Joshua Dillon.

Dockerty, representing Eastern Michigan University, presented the $8,000 Recognition of Excellence Scholarship to Jon Hornburg.

Dockerty, representing Ohio State Beauty Academy, awarded the $1,000 Great Clips Scholarship to Miranda East.

Randy Luthringer, representing Liberty University in Virginia, presented the $37,000 Liberty University Academic Honors Scholarship to Erin Stanton.

Luthringer, representing Goshen College, presented the Stoltzful Scholarship and the Kratz Honors Scholarship for $35,000 to Devon Ownby.

Dockerty and Luthringer presented Academic Awards of Excellence to Aaron Blaske, Erin Stanton, Samantha Mathews, Jessica Whitmore and Tara Sova.

A U.S. Air Force representative presented the Post 9/11 GI Bill to Wesley Sims III.

Dockerty, for the Berrien County Mathematics and Science Center, presented the Berrien County Math and Science Center Participation and Completion Certificate to Joshua Dillon.

Dockerty and Luthringer, representing the U.S. Marine Corps, presented Scholastic Excellence Awards to Austin Adams and Erika Gill.