DOT DAY ESSAY CONTEST— FIRST PLACE WINNER
Quinton Vo, 6th grade,
Richard J. Murphy School
For over a hundred years, the people of Dorchester have come together to celebrate “Dot Day.” This special tradition involves a huge parade that travels right down Dorchester Avenue. It is a time for everyone in the community to show off their local pride and honor the history of their neighborhood.
Since Dorchester is the biggest neighborhood in Boston, this yearly gathering is more than just a walk through the streets. It is a big party where many different cultures come together to celebrate being part of the same community. People look forward to the music, the crowds, and the feeling of belonging to a place with so much history.
We are quickly approaching a very important date. In the year 2030, Dorchester will celebrate its 400th anniversary. This is a massive milestone for any town or neighborhood.
While it is exciting to think about four centuries of history, we also have to face some tough facts. Our neighborhood is changing and not just because of new buildings.
The ocean water that once brought the first English settlers to Savin Hill is rising faster than ever before because of climate change. This rising water is starting to cause real problems. It is slowly creeping into our local parks, onto our busy roads, and even into people’s homes. We have reached a point where we can’t just talk about the past. We have to start thinking about how to protect our future.
The 400th anniversary gives us a perfect chance to turn our neighborhood pride into real work. Instead of just having a parade, Dorchester can give every resident a chance to help save our waterfront.
We need to make sure natural treasures like the Neponset River stay beautiful and safe from the rising sea. We can change this anniversary from a “sit and watch” event into a “get up and do something” activity. We can plant vegetation to prevent flooding for better coastal protection and fight against both rising water and pollution from old factories. By working together, we can stop being passive and start being active in keeping Dorchester’s coast safe from the many challenges in the future.
The 2030 Dot Day should be a bridge that connects the middle of Dorchester to the coastline. Usually, the parade stays on Dorchester Avenue, which is mostly shops and businesses. For the 400th anniversary, we could set up special “pop-up” walking trails. These paths would have local art and signs that explain the history of the area. These trails would lead people from the avenue all the way to the water’s edge.
Once people get to the river or the beach, the celebration would turn into “Resilience Hubs.” This is where neighbors would work together to fix up the land. They could put in new benches, create shady areas to stay cool, and plant special marsh grass. This kind of greenery is great because it helps soak up extra water and keeps the neighborhood from flooding.
This event is also a great time to make the waterfront easier for everyone to visit. We want to make permanent changes that everyone can enjoy for years. Part of this plan is to build new spots along the Harborwalk and the Neponset River where people can sit and look at the view. These areas would have plenty of shade and comfortable seats for grandmas, grandpas,
and families with little kids. The project could also include new piers that go out over the water. These would have low railings so kids and people in wheelchairs can see everything clearly. We could even add information boards that teach people about the fish and animals living in Boston Harbor. These upgrades would make the coast a better place for everyone, no matter how old they are or if they have trouble walking.
Finally, the 2030 milestone is a way to let young people lead the way. We can team up with schools and the Boys & Girls Club to start a “Youth Shoreline Corps.” This program would let students become the leaders of the Neponset River and Boston Harbor. During the big celebration, these kids could lead tours and teach their neighbors how things like “living shorelines” help protect houses from floods.
When kids take charge, they learn how to save the natural places they will inherit one day. Saving the river and the beach from pollution and rising water levels is one of the best ways to honor our history while making sure we have a future.
•••
Dorchester Day Essay Contest winners
This year’s Dorchester Day Essay Contest, sponsored by The Reporter in partnership with the Dot Day Parade Committee, invited students in grades 6-8 to reflect on the neighborhood’s history, future, and new ways to celebrate Boston’s biggest and most diverse neighborhood.
A panel of judges from The Reporter and the Forry Foundation for Community Journalism reviewed the entries submitted by April 24, and after careful consideration finalized our top three choices on May 8. It was not an easy decision as there were many strong entrants and every young participant’s work had merit and featured great ideas.
First-place honors went to Quinton Vo, whose essay on “Waterfront & Climate Future” imagined Dorchester’s 400th anniversary as both a celebration and a call to action. Scarlett Burke, also a Murphy School sixth grader, earned second place for her essay focused on Dorchester’s 400th anniversary. Third place was a tie that went to the Novoa brothers, Mikey and Jake, who are no doubt familiar with that dynamic. The twins, who are sixth graders at Pope John Paul II Academy-Neponset, delivered essays that lifted up their experiences growing up in Dorchester.
We’re excited to share them with our readers, and we are grateful to all of the participants in this contest.
–BILL FORRY
