By Megan Bartlett
staff writer

One morning in early March, a group of students gathered in front of the entrance to the U-Hall. The center of their focus was a new flat screen. What was it doing here? What was the point of this new addition?

The TV doesn’t hold the traditional purpose of entertainment for students passing by; it’s meant more to inform students of the different club happenings, events, and announcements. That area was also successfully used this year to sell Renfair tickets.

“That corner is for anything that parents want to send us, or students would like us to put out so that they could go to that area and see the cool things are happening throughout Dow High all the time,” Principal Pam Kastl said.

Along with the flat screen, several other improvements have been added.

An ongoing project is the addition of new chairs in the cafeteria. Last year, around 80 were added. A new set will come this year as well.

“In the entire cafeteria, the chairs will match. It will be inviting and pleasant for students when
they enter,” Kastl said.

To make room for new students or transfers, at the end of each school year a set of desks are also
purchased and added in classrooms where extra are needed. This is another significant expense.

Outside, several minor landscaping changes have been made.

“I used some money in the building do some landscaping out front around the rock, so that kids could get to the rock and make it much more presentable as you come into Dow High,” Kastl
said.

Something to think about: the money used to pay for these cosmetic fixes come from vending/
pop machine revenue. There are now more recycling bins and trash cans. All of these items
that are recycled also generate revenue which is put into the school’s budget. By throwing away
trash and recycling bottles and cans, it also makes what students spend money on last longer.

Occasionally equipment will break or become useless and need to be replaced. If a stove or dishwasher breaks, that costs a lot more to replace than a desk. A lot of the money that is spent on appliances is given by the district to the school.

“We’re blessed with these things, because the district gives us that money to upgrade the
building,” Kastl said.

On the other hand, small things like having students create signs and decorate the hallways
add to the quality of DHS as well. These signs can be seen in front of restrooms, the elevator and in
most hallways.

“We want to continue to update them throughout the whole building,” Kastl said.

Laying new tile in the cafeteria, painting the entire building, putting in new doors by the gold gym, painting some of the walls and putting in windows in the green gym and the continuation of putting up signs are some upcoming projects to be completed before the end of the year and over summer vacation.

“This is your safe haven,” Kastl said. “And it’s my responsibility to make sure that the students
and teachers at DHS have everything they need to maintain that comfortable environment.”