We would like to thank everyone who participated in the voting process and contributed with the passing of the Sinking Fund Millage. This proposal will help further the District's goals of; assuring that its facilities are safe, secure, modern, and attractive for the overall instruction and safety of students and staff.

We are off to a great start and already to the beginning of November!  Students and staff have settled in and we are seeing some great work around the district.  At the elementary buildings we are rolling out our new i-Ready Literacy Curriculum K-5, we recently had 242 of our middle school students receive honor roll certificates for the first quarter of school, and our high school band just recently received a Division 1 rating in their fall marching band competition for the first time in several years!  

Halloween has been a great culture builder throughout the district the last couple of weeks with all the fun activities and events planned for our students, staff, and school community.  The first ever Monster Mash at the High School was a hit, each elementary had a night event for students and families, and we get to top it off with trick or treat night on Oct. 31st. 

DUHS Monster Mash

Patrick Hamilton Boo Tour 

The next couple of months are always a special time in our buildings and for our students as we embark on the holiday season.  It’s a wonderful time of the year and I am grateful for the continuing support and partnership we are creating here in our school district with all of you over the last year and a half.  

The admin team and directors are continuing to focus on our own professional growth and development so we can continue to provide great leadership and direction to our school community.  We are working intentionally on positivity and teamwork and Jon Gordon’s book will be guiding us through this work! 

Great news on count day and enrollment.  For the first time in several years we are seeing an increase in our student enrollment at Dowagiac Union Schools.  Last year our student enrollment for the district was 1806 students, this year we are at 1825 students.  Given we have been steadily declining in our enrollment numbers for the last several years this is wonderful news.  There are so many factors that play into this but ultimately we believe it is because of the culture, trust, transparency, and communication we have with all of you that is changing the direction of our school community!  

Your continued support, partnership, and participation is critical to our continued growth and success as a school district!  Thank you! 

Go Chieftains!

Greg Blomgren 

Superintendent

Mrs. Fletcher's third graders celebrated Constitution Day on September 17.

Mrs. Northrop's first graders working hard on their handwriting and super words!

Students at Justus Gage learn about the importance of Fire Safety!

First graders practice their math skills by breaking into small groups.

Getting crafty in art class.

Fifth graders in Mrs. Slusher's room learn about rectangular prisms and volume.

Students work on building words in Mrs. Barne's class.

Students work in groups to work on a team building activity.

Students got a visit from the Dowagiac Fire Department. They learned about the importance of fire safety.

Mrs. Liebetrau's kindergarten class learn about their 5 senses in science.

Our students and mentor text in reading is focused on creating opinions.

Mrs. Laylin's fourth grade class experimented with thermal heat.

Mrs. Deerings students work on making connections through teamwork. 

Mrs. Leighton's ELA class played the Impossible Pyramid game while working on teamwork skills.

Students in Mr. Carr's class learn about tools and create a dinosaur.

Baking up apple pie in Mr. Kruger's culinary class with Dr. Sprague.

Playing Euchre in Mr. Winter's Discovering Michigan class.

Students went on a scavenger hunt for Constitution Day  and received pocket sized Constitutions.

Dowagiac Union Schools approves bond refunding

DOWAGIAC — Taxpayers in the Dowagiac Union Schools district will save approximately $2.4 million in bond repayment costs as a result of bond refinancing.  The Dowagiac Union Schools Board of Education passed a resolution Monday to authorize the issuance and delegation of the sale of the district’s 2026 refunding bonds.  “We’re very excited to be able to work through this process,” Blomgren said. “[DUS Director of Finance Stacy Ritchie] has been working with our financial team and our auditors to bring this forward and make this happen.”

Read more at: https://www.leaderpub.com/2025/10/22/dowagiac-union-schools-approves-bond-refunding/

Dowagiac downs Buchanan to win share of Lakeland Conference title

NILES — In a game with a share of the Lakeland Conference title on the line, the Dowagiac football team came out on top.  The Chieftains ran over and around the the Bucks to the tune of a 40-26 win for their conference title since 2012

Read more at: https://www.leaderpub.com/2025/10/11/watch-dowagiac-downs-buchanan-to-win-share-of-lakeland-conference-title/