Battle Ground High School alumni groups decorate downtown

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The Battle Ground High School Class of 1970 was getting everything set up to celebrate its 50th class reunion this year. In March, the COVID-19 pandemic halted all planning and discussion among the group and the 50th reunion was postponed to an undecided date. However, members of the class still wanted to do something to show their Tiger Pride and love for the Battle Ground community. 

“We wanted to do something at the high school in memory of our class,” Battle Ground High School Class of 1970 alumna Cathy Dunning said. “Some suggestions included a bench and some of us were not for that.”

With the group undecided on how to show their Battle Ground pride, Dunning went over the Battle Ground High School to talk with administrators about what the class of 1970 could do to show their support for the Tigers. Administrators were talking about purchasing banners to line main street and the high school parking lot downtown. 

“I said, ‘oh, I like that idea.’ I liked that idea so much that I would put my own money towards banners myself,” Dunning said.

With the goal of getting 80 banners to line the streets with Tiger Pride, Dunning went back to alumni groups to see how the banner idea would be welcomed. Moments later, she was handed a check from one person and cash from another. 

“People were telling me that they really liked the idea,” Dunning said.

The school had already purchased eight banners by the time Dunning and other alumni got involved with the project. Once the first eight were installed alongside the street, Dunning took a photo and posted to Facebook: “To the class of 1970, this is going to be our project.” 

Immediately after posting to the BGHS Alumni group on Facebook, more than just the class of 1970 wanted to show their pride. The classes of 1967, ‘68, ‘69, ‘73 and ‘74 all brought in at least $700. The class of 1970 collected around $2,000 for the banners, and Dunning said she had donors dating all the way back to the class of 1953 for a total of nearly $6,000. 

“We purchased these banners and finished out the 80 banners they needed and bought new banners for the parking lot,” Dunning said. “Some of the banners say thank you to the classes.” 

Erick Suksdorf, the assistant principal at Battle Ground High School, said the main goal of the alumni group was to “bring some positive vibes to our amazing small town,” especially during a year of uncertainty. Suksdorf said he didn’t expect the alumni groups to be able to pay for the 80 plus banners the school needed. 



“We weren’t originally sure with the response (they would get),” Suksorf explained. “As soon as the 2020 banner came up, I can’t tell you how many people took pictures of it. That solidified it for us.” 

Battle Ground Principal Charb Gourde mentioned that, while the project didn’t come about because of COVID-19, he said “it definitely helps.”

“It really is not something superficial. It feels like more than that to me. I feel like this has heart,” Gourde said. “We want to try and bring people together, and financially we couldn’t do this without the alumnus.” 

Dunning, Gourde and Suksdorf all said Battle Ground was “something special” in terms of its small town feel that continues to persist, despite its growth. 

“I started working out here in Battle Ground eight years ago,” Suksdorf said. “The thing that sold me was that, what is different about this community is that it truly is about family. You don’t just get to know a kid, you get to know their families.”

The family history of Battle Ground was one of Gourde’s favorite parts of the town, and he mentioned that he flipped through a 1923 Battle Ground High School yearbook and saw a cartoon drawn by a member of the Risto family, of which Risto Road is named after. 

“You really are living in history in this town,” Gourde said.

Dunning said she is extremely excited for the 82 banners to be installed at the beginning of January after the holiday themed banners go away for the year. Dunning said she finds the banners beautiful and a great representation of Tiger Pride. 

“I wanted to make sure these banners were done only by alumni and not by businesses,” she said. “That it would be even more special that the Tiger Pride came from the Tigers themselves.”