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Roaming the halls (new and old) at Dodgeville High School in between the dedication ceremony and the annual meeting Monday night, I bumped into chemistry teacher Shannon Baxter outside her new and improved science rooms in D wing.
We talked a bit about how impressive her new rooms are, and although I wasn't one to take physics in high school, she explained how she is taking advantage of an extra science room for really neat physics experiments with ramps and other equipment. And she proudly said the ventilation now properly works in her chemistry classroom.
As we parted, she said something to me.
"I'm glad we have a 'townie' working at our newspaper, someone who really has an interest and cares about our community."
It got me thinking about many of the comments DHS principal Laura Nyberg made at the dedication ceremony, in particiular comments she made about alumni - many of which, I have found through my job at the newspaper, are still hanging around town.
The majority of us at the Chronicle are Dodgeville High School graduates. The Dodgeville Police Department has recently hired a handful of DHS graduates too. DHS alumni work at Lands' End and also in the Dodgeville School District itself. Some graduates have even started their own businesses, while others are active in civic and church organizations.
The City of Dodgeville, and surrounding area, is still full of graduates - and many of them have chosen to stay and make a difference here - in their hometown.
Mrs. Baxter, I'm glad we have Dodgeville High School graduates working and living in our community, graduates who really have an interest and care about about our community too.
As administrators at Dodgeville High School work toward promoting a positive school culture and pride of 'who we are as Dodgers,' I invite all of us alumni still around to stand proud. I know we certainly have something to be proud of.
We are the Dodgers.