While one would think the heat inside the crowded cafeteria would put a damper on things, the proud men and women seated inside the high school last Wednesday still clapped and cheered for the accomplishments for some of 2016’s hardest working and most talented members.

Dowagiac Union High School hosted its annual Honors Program, where dozens of soon to graduate seniors were recognized for their academic accomplishments over the past four years. Students received nearly $800,000 worth of scholarship money that evening, awarded to students by colleges, universities, local service organizations and even endowment funds.

The numbers simply say it all about the level of success achieved by our senior class this year. We would like to congratulate the scholarship recipients for reaching this level of excellence.

More now than ever there are distractions to lull young minds away from their studies: constant notifications from Facebook or Snapchat alerting you to what your friend is doing, the ability to watch full length movies or TV shows from practically any device with an internet connection, etc.

Yet these students are able to manage these distractions as well balance their social lives and hobbies in order to achieve above and beyond what is expected of them in the classroom. It’s not easy to make the decision to sacrifice a few spare hours to study for the big test or to spend just a few extra hours perfecting that scholarship essay: but you did, and by doing so you set a great example for your fellow classmates as well those in future graduating classes.

We also want to thank the numerous entities that provided the means to make these academic awards possible — in particular those local endowments and organizational scholarships. While it’s certainly not easy for clubs like Rotary, Lions, Elks, Optimists or others to raise the money necessary to provide such awards, their members continue to do so every year and in doing so also lead by example.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.