November 21, 2025

Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve

Student of the Month for October 2025

Zadreion Wilson 8th

Zadreion Wilson (or Zae as he is called at school) is an 8th grade student at Dowagiac Middle School and is the son of Tiffany Tyus and Oscar Wilson. Zadreion was nominated by Miss Bulifant who teaches math at DMS. Miss Bulifant had this to say about her nominee:

Zae has demonstrated outstanding effort, responsibility, and a positive attitude in the classroom. Zae is a natural born leader - he leads by example through hard work, discipline, and even good sportsmanship on the football field and bball courts. His actions inspire classmates and teammates to give their best effort everyday! Zae sets standards that are beyond the norm, he is truly a rare mix of talent and humility. Zae's character sets him apart from the rest demonstrating a H.E.R.O.E.S. mentality daily. You can always count on Zae to step up, whether it's volunteering in the classroom or encouraging teammates, he is a selfless individual who is always willing to help others. Zae will change the world!

When asked if he had any advice to give others interested in wanting to become a Chieftain Student of the Month, He had this advice to share:

“I would tell them to control their emotions and do your work!”

On behalf of the staff and students at Dowagiac Middle School, we would like to congratulate Zadreion Wilson for being selected as our October 2025 Student of the Month.

We are seeing an increased number of cases of head lice in our buildings as well as across the Southwest Michigan area. With the number of cases increasing, please check your child’s hair frequently for nits and live bugs. If your child is found to have head lice, please begin treatment immediately. Head lice treatment is very time consuming and can be expensive, but if the head lice and all of the nits are not removed from the hair as well as anything that comes in contact with the hair the cycle will start over in your home.

There are resources for head lice treatment in the main office if you need assistance. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at 269-782-4420 ext. 1218 or sdorman@dowagiacschools.org.

Suzanne Dorman RN, MSN

District School Nurse

The DMS Honors Club completed its annual food drive. Students and staff donated 794 food items! Thank you to everyone who donated, and to the Honors Club for putting on another successful food drive.

Classroom Instruction

Mrs. Wilson is thrilled to announce that the following students have had their Michigan hero essays selected for The State Farm sponsored essay contest, America and Me! Students were tasked with writing about one of their personal heroes, and we are proud to recognize the outstanding work of Zoey Ausra, Bayleigh Monroe, Lukas Taggart, Aurora Holland, Dylan Shepardson, Avery Lyons, Easton Keene, MaKenna Mohr, and Maddy Emerson.
A big congratulations to these talented writers! A committee will now review the essays to determine the top three entries. The winning essay will be submitted to the statewide competition for a chance to shine on a larger platform. Thank you to all participants for sharing your inspiring stories and showcasing your writing talents!🌟🏆

Students in Mrs. Deering's ELA class continue to work on developing fluency and reading with emotional expression. Students acted out another scene from Red Scarf Girl, a memoir about the Cultural Revolution in China.

Miss Sierah Cook

7th Grade Life Science students recently completed their Unit 2 Lesson 1–2 assessment on Plant and Animal Life Cycles. To deepen their understanding, students also explored animal development by watching the National Geographic documentary In the Womb. It was an engaging way for them to see life cycles come to life in a real-world context.

6th Grade STEAM students have been tapping into their creativity and imagination by creating Thanksgiving-themed crafts, including detailed drawings, origami, and 3D paper sculptures.

Mr. Jason Turner; Pre-Algebra: students this week finished up Module 3 Solving Multi-Step Equations by completing 3-5 Notes: Determine Number of Solutions. They completed an assignment over 3-5 and will be taking the test over Module 3 at the end of this week.

Mr. Jason Turner; 7th Grade Advanced: students this week are going to be completing Module 4 (7th) dealing with computing rational numbers. They will work on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing rational numbers. They will need to be able to convert fractions to decimals, decimals to fractions, find a common denominator, and simplify fractions.

Mr. Jason Turner; Algebra: this week we will be moving on to Module 5 Creating Linear Equations. We will complete 5-1 Notes: Slope-Intercept Form and 5-2 Notes: Point-Slope Form and Standard Form. They will complete assignments over both section and will need to be able to write equations in each form and convert from one form to another.

7th-Grade Healthy Living - Mrs. Marrs
This month in class, students have been learning important skills that help them better understand themselves and the relationships in their lives. We began by exploring personal identity—discussing strengths, values, and the qualities that make each student unique. From there, we examined what it means to be a good friend and how positive behaviors such as kindness, respect, listening, and empathy build strong connections.

As part of our unit on relationships, students learned to identify the differences between healthy and unhealthy behaviors. Through class discussions and activities, they practiced recognizing warning signs, setting boundaries, and supporting others who may be experiencing challenges.

To deepen their understanding, students read a novel and watched a film that portrayed unhealthy relationships. These stories helped spark thoughtful conversations about communication, trust, pressure, and personal safety. Students reflected on how the characters’ choices affected their well-being and what healthier alternatives might look like.

Finally, we discussed practical steps students can take if they—or someone they know—find themselves in an unhealthy relationship. Students learned how to reach out for help, identify safe and trusted adults, and support peers while maintaining their own boundaries.

8th-Grade Media Literacy - Mrs. Marrs

Over the past few weeks, students have been diving into the world of audio storytelling through our classroom Podcast unit. We began by listening to and analyzing several engaging podcasts, paying close attention to how hosts use voice, pacing, sound effects, and structure to capture an audience’s attention. Students discussed what makes a podcast effective and identified techniques they could use in their own work.

After building a strong foundation, students worked in small groups to plan, script, and record their own original podcasts. Each group selected a topic, outlined their episode, and collaborated to bring their ideas to life. From creative storytelling to informational interviews, their recordings showcase not only technical skills but also teamwork, communication, and creativity.

Mrs. Leighton's 6th-grade ELA class worked hard on their vocabulary app on Amplify. Additionally, they learned how to revise their writing to incorporate evidence and connect moments in their reading.

Mrs. Andrea Cline

Both Art 1 & Art 2 classes just completed their clay ornaments. The students really enjoyed learning clay attachment techniques and enjoyed how hands on this project was. The first round of projects are close to being done in the kiln, and we are all excitedly waiting to see the results.

Digital Design students are learning about natural and artificial lighting. The students photographed Art 2's masks in different lighting to see the differences.

Mrs. Stanford - Social Studies

Students are continuing to examine data reflecting on the period leading up to The Great Migration. Students created a "persona" on Monday that they have been working with on this project. By creating a persona students are immersing themselves into better understanding the experiences and perspectives people may have had when migrating across the United States. Students have examined data of economic push factors that encouraged African Americans to want to leave the South in the early 20th century in order to search for better job opportunities, living conditions, and relative freedom that the North had provided during this period in comparison to the Southern U.S. Students stated the reason they're learning about this is so they can learn about history, things that happened in the past, and how those events have shaped the society we live in today.

Mr. Schuur's 7th grade choir getting ready for our Christmas Concert at 7 PM on Wednesday, December 3rd!

Fun with friends in the cafeteria!

Digital photography

After School Tutoring

DMS offers after school tutoring sessions for any DMS student that needs/wants extra support. Each session runs from 2:30 - 3:30 PM.

Transportation will not be provided for those staying. Students will need to be picked up or given permission to walk home at the end of each session. Pick-up will be in the front of the school building.

Tutoring Schedule:

ELA: Miss Gil de Lamadrid; Mon & Thur

Math: Miss Bulifant; Only Thursdays

Social Studies: Miss Gabrielle Cook; Wed & Thur

Science: TBA

Schedule of DMS Events

November 17 - Boys Basketball (HOME) Game vs. Brandywine ~ 4PM

November 17 - Board Meeting (PAC) ~ 6PM

November 20 - Boys Basketball (AWAY) Game @ Lakeshore MS ~ 4PM

November 21 - Activities Night ~ 4-6PM

November 24 - Boys Basketball (HOME) Game vs. Upton MS ~ 4PM

November 25 - Boys Basketball (HOME) Game @ Lawton MS ~ 4PM

November 26-28 - Thanksgiving Break

December 1 - Boys Basketball (AWAY) Game @ Berrien Springs ~ 4PM

December 2 - Lions Vision Screening ~ 8-10AM

December 3 - DMS Band & Choir Concert ~ 7PM

December 5 - Dowagiac Holiday Parade ~ 7PM

Community Events

The Cass Family Medical Mobile Clinic is now open and will be going around to different communities to provide appointments and walk in for medical care as well as medical health services. This is a calendar of where they are going to be located throughout the month.

They will be adding more locations as soon as they can get them set up. If you are looking for care or can not get into your provider, please contact Cass Family Clinic for an appointment at 269-445-3874.