By Corrina Bergeon
lifestyle

For the first time in Midland Public Schools history, MHS and DHS athletic boosters joined forces to raise funds for athletics on Friday, March 23 2012.

“This was the first combined event we have done,” Booster Bash planning committee member Sheri Parker said. “In the past, DHS has held a Casino Night and we decided to join forces with our ‘rival’ school to see if we could raise more funds.”

Each year, the MHS and DHS Athletic Booster Clubs work with the local community to support over 2,000 participating student athletes.

They spend an average of $100,000 annually on items such as scholarships and funding for underprivileged students, uniforms, transportation assistance, equipment and supplies, educational resources and safety needs.

“Athletics are an important part of the well-rounded education students get at Dow High,” Principal Pam Kastl said. “Sports teach students commitment and cooperation and give them the ability to work with other people, which is something professionals really look for when they’re hiring new employees.”

To help them reach their goals, the two clubs hosted the Booster Bash at the Dow Diamond for the first time this year.

“The Booster Bash included music, entertainment, gaming, various raffles, silent auctions, food and drink and much socializing by those that attended,” Parker said.

The event was extremely successful and well enjoyed by all who attended.

“It was fun just walking around talking to the parents from Dow High,”

Kastl said. “I especially enjoyed the art. There was a whole wall at the silent auction with pottery and portraits made by students and I think that was something really unique.”

In order to accomplish such a successful night, the Booster Bash committees received help from students at both MHS and DHS.

“Students were involved by selling raffle tickets,” Parker said. “Mrs.
Susie Arent’s class helped sort and organize the raffle tickets. The marketing class was also involved by helping to display all the silent auction items to encourage attendees to bid while attending the event. Also, several DHS art students created beautiful art for the silent auction with one piece by [senior] Megan Dambro selling at $450.”

The painting Dambro sold was an acrylic piece entitled “Poppin’ With Color.”

“I painted most of it during my art class at school and brought it home to varnish it,” Dambro said. “It took a little more than twelve hours to finish it completely.”

Dambro didn’t mind the hours of labor because she believes that the Booster Bash was serving a good cause.

“The best thing about the Booster Bash was the fact that it wasn’t just about Dow High and it wasn’t just about Midland High, but it got the whole community involved,” Dambro said. “It wasn’t just current students and their parents that went; there were alumni and their families and elementary school student’s families and people from all around Midland that came together to support our schools.”

Kastl recognizes the coordination involved for this event.

“I’d like to give a special thanks to all the parents who put this all together because it was a lot of work in a very short period of time,” Kastl said. “I think it’s cool with all the bad things going on around us, we have these very good things, too. It was a very proud evening for everyone involved. The MHS principal and I wore the same colors; we normally are both just for our school but that night was about Midland Public Schools.”