ON CAMPUS

SPOTLIGHT

With the statewide cancellation of spring sports last year, studentathletes were ready to return to competition, successfully completing a season filled with many highlights, state titles and new school records.

TRACK

The boys track and field team finished as co-conference and district champions and made school history as runner-up in the Class 4A state track meet, the highest finish ever for the boys team at DCHS.

Their success was a true team effort led by three individual state champions. Mikey McClain finished as a two-time state champion in the 100M and 200M dash, Adam Wright won the 110M hurdles, and Jackson Heidesch won the 3200. Additional top performers included Koah Thompson (third in the 110M hurdles); Will Ryan (third in the 3200 and fifth in the 1600); Adam Wright, Colin Clark, Will Bussey and Koah Thompson (third in the shuttle hurdle relay); Louis Brooks, Mikey McClain, Jake Nevitt and Jalyn Thompson (third in the 4x200); and Cade Muller, Will Ryan, Gabe Shaw and Jackson Heidesch (fifth in the 4x800). The girls track team also had an outstanding season, finishing as district champions with several state qualifiers. Finishing in the top five at the state meet were the sprint medley team of Forest Kuestner-Burleson, Shea Johnson, Olivia Kramer and Margaret Tobias who placed fifth and set a new school record; the 4x200 team of Julia Shonka, Shea Johnson, Olivia Kramer and Margaret Tobias with a fourth place finish; Esaba Okwaramoi who finished third in the 100M hurdles; and Emily Ball who finished third in discus. These were just a few of the highlights from a season in which every member contributed to the team’s success.

TENNIS

The girls tennis team also made

school history when they brought home the Class 2A team

championship state title. Allison Szalay won the individual girls state championship, Kenzie Klein and Ava Pedersen finished as runners-up in doubles, followed by Isa Valverde and Ella Spanovic who placed fifth.

Daniel Lu finished the season as the Class 2A boys individual state champion. The boys team also had a successful season but lost 5-4 to Ames in the sub-state preliminary meet. In Class 2A Co-Ed state doubles, Daniel and Allison finished as runners-up.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPEECH & DEBATE

With a strong tradition of excellence in speech and debate, Dowling Catholic provides upcoming students with the opportunity to work on developing their skills before they get to high school. For the last five years, DCHS has hosted parochial middle school tournaments, allowing students to learn from high school mentors and to compete in tournaments hosted at the school. through eighth grade are invited to join. A total of four tournaments are offered each

year, with the first typically taking place in the winter and additional tournaments held

once a month through the spring.

The program is run by Tim Sheaff ‘86, Dowling Catholic’s director of drama and debate for the last 24 years. DCHS students judge the tournament rounds and serve as mentors, traveling to parochial schools to provide coaching. While the pandemic prevented that from happening this year, DCHS did host four online tournaments with

students participating from Holy Trinity, St. Theresa, St. Joseph and St. Augustin.

“Providing an opportunity for our middle school students to practice using their voices to express important ideas is our number one goal,” said Sheaff. “Providing them with a gateway to our nationally recognized high school program is also part of our purpose.”

SOCCER

The girls soccer team finished an outstanding regular season with a 15-3 record and defeated Iowa City West in the regional final to advance to state. The team faced tough competition and fell to Ankeny Centennial 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

The boys soccer team finished an excellent regular season with a 12-7 record in a class filled with strong competitors. The team fell to the Johnston Dragons 4-1 in the substate final.

GIRLS GOLF

The girls golf team also completed a successful season with strong performances in the Valley Dual, Waukee Invitational, Southeast Polk Dual and the Southeast Polk Invitational.

debate dates back to the 1960s when the

program was founded by Fr. John Acrea. Teams from DCHS have traditionally been competitive at the state, regional and national levels, with several students going on to successfully compete at the college level. Sheaff has been involved with the

Iowa High School Speech Association for more than 20 years and is a member of the National Speech & Debate Association’s (NSDA) Hall of Fame. After the 2020 spring musical was cancelled and both the fall and winter plays were presented online, the Dowling Catholic Performing Arts Department presented Disney’s High School Musical for a live audience in late April, marking the first in-person performance to take place in the auditorium in more than a year.

Rehearsals began in January when the return of live theater seemed uncertain. The students were hopeful, but up until just weeks before opening night were still prepared for the possibility of the musical being presented online. With masks required and distanced seating, it was a thrill for students to be back on stage for four live performances.

“Online performances gave students in the Performing Arts Department the chance to continue to develop as artists, however they were so happy that we were able to have an audience,” said Tim Sheaff ‘86, director of drama and debate. “When they’re performing for people you have that dynamic between the performer and the viewer which is lost when you do online performances.”

A high school production is as much about the collaboration, commitment and hard work it takes to make it happen as it is about the show itself. During a pandemic school year this is more true than ever, which is why Sheaff selected a show that would be fun and appealing to a variety of students. The smaller cast also made it a great choice with the ever-changing public health restrictions and the uncertainty presented by the virus.

In total, 45 students were part of the production as members of the cast, crew and pit. For sophomore Parker Ryther, being a part of the musical was especially meaningful after the challenging year experienced by everyone involved.

“Being a part of the musical is the one place I feel I fit in,” said Parker. “I’ve tried a lot of different things in my life, but the musical is truly something special because I felt welcomed from day one and have met some amazing people along the way. It’s been the experience of a lifetime.”

A YEAR OF CHALLENGE & GROWTH

With a year unlike any they have ever experienced, Dowling Catholic’s Class of 2021 closed the final chapter on their high school careers with some semblance of normalcy as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Despite the many challenges they faced to get there, they had much to be proud of as they celebrated this long-awaited milestone.

The 2021 graduates served as outstanding leaders and modeled strength, determination and commitment. They excelled in academics and as a group were offered more than $11.2 million in scholarships to colleges across the nation. They led retreats, all-school prayer and lived their faith by serving others, collectively donating nearly 40,000 hours of service during their four years at DCHS. When faced with disappointment over cancelled events and activities, they remained positive and focused on their goals in the midst of uncertainty.

“This class approached the challenges of the last 18 months as obstacles rather than roadblocks,” said Matt Meendering, DCHS principal. “Obstacles are things they can overcome, and these students were not going to be stopped from achieving success. They demonstrated leadership through their foundation of faith and the way they adapted to a new method of learning, all of which will help them far beyond high school.”

That determination to succeed was also demonstrated by students across all grade levels. Although opportunities were limited by the pandemic, students in grades nine through 11 donated more than 17,000 hours to serving the community during the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, they worked alongside the seniors and raised more than $60,000 for various causes, made and donated more than 500 casseroles and hundreds of items to feed the hungry, assembled more than 150 blessing bags to help the homeless, and served others in the community in countless additional ways.

Students continued to work hard and challenge themselves as they participated virtually in many academic clubs including Mock Trial, Speech and Debate, Odyssey of the Mind, Academic Decathlon and Science Bowl. As the school year progressed, additional opportunities emerged for students to participate in

the arts, athletics and other activities. For the first time in more than 15 months the spring musical and band and choir concerts took place in front of live audiences with social distancing and safety measures in place. The Art Club and other service and activity groups resumed meeting in person with safety protocols in place, and student-athletes were able to return to competition after entire seasons were cancelled or shortened last year.

As students adapted to their new daily routines, the pandemic also required that they adapt to new ways of practicing their faith. While those activities looked different, faculty and staff found ways for students to continue to safely journey together as a community of faith. The daily tradition of school-wide prayer continued, all-school Mass was celebrated with modifications, and the opportunities for students to participate in retreats, adoration and reconciliation resumed.

For the Class of 2021, that faith journey that began more than four years ago at Freshman Mass came full circle as they gathered together in the same spot to celebrate Baccalaureate Mass. As members of Dowling Catholic’s alumni family, they will always be remembered for their strength, determination and

perseverance.

This class approached the challenges of the last 18 months as obstacles rather than roadblocks. Obstacles are things they can overcome, and these students were not going to be stopped from achieving success.