Dear Editor,
I’m a junior at Dodgeville High School, and I’ve spent the last twelve years learning about who I am. In high school, I have found my people in clubs and at sports games. I’ve stayed up far too late finishing class projects and I have finally started figuring out where the future will take me. None of that would have happened without this school.
I am writing to ask you to vote yes on the upcoming referendum for Dodgeville School District.
This referendum isn’t about new buildings. It’s about the basics: keeping the doors open, keeping our teachers sharing their own passions with hundreds of students each year, and keeping the clubs and organizations that make our school feel like a family. It’s about saying that the futures waiting in these hallways are worth investing in.
If this referendum fails, we are looking at more cuts. These cuts don’t mean only less teachers, it means students are losing real opportunities. The students who feel seen and heard, will all be losing something important.
As I look around the school, I see many different faces, each with different backgrounds and futures around the corner. All futures deserve a chance to grow. Every morning, laughter bounces off the walls. I know this school isn’t just a place I attend, it’s where I continue to learn and grow.
When I think about the consequences if this referendum fails, my mind goes to my younger brothers, who are still in middle school. They look up to me, and they have no idea how much is at risk. I want them to walk the same hallways, have caring teachers, have opportunities to grow into the people they are meant to be. I hope when they look back, they will feel as grateful as I do. But that only happens if we keep this school running how it deserves.
I know taxes aren’t fun. I know it’s easy to look at a ballot and see large numbers and wonder if it’s worth it. But I hope you can see what I see: a school full of students who try their best, who are scared and hopeful and working incredibly hard. Every single one of those students deserve a chance to thrive. I may just be one student among hundreds, but I hope you can see how much this matters to us as students. We aren’t just numbers in a budget. We’re someone’s child, friend, and sibling. We are the future for this community.
No, I don’t get to vote in this election. But you do. Please vote yes. Vote yes for the students who can’t ask for themselves, for the little brothers and sisters who don’t even know they need to ask yet. The future walking these hallways are counting on you. Give us the chance to look back and say that our community stood by us when it mattered most. Vote Yes!
Ella Wieczorek
Junior at Dodgeville High School