Downey Unified honors its longtime employees

Downey Unified’s Personnel Commission held their annual Classified Employee Pinning Ceremony on May 18, which honored 55 retirees and 142 non-teaching employees for their years of service to the students of Downey Unified.

DOWNEY – The Downey Unified Personnel Commission recognized 55 retirees and 142 classified (non-teaching) employees at its May 18 meeting, honoring them for their multiple years of service to the Downey Unified School District. 

In attendance, congratulating each of the recipients and thanking them for their service, were personnel commissioners Dianne Lumsdaine and Angie Rademaker; Board of Education members Tod Corrin, Donald LaPlante, Barbara Samperi, Martha Sodetani, and Nancy Swenson, and Superintendent Dr. John Garcia. 

Employees were honored in five-year increments of service from five years to 30 years of service. Forty-one employees were recognized at the five-years of service increment, 38 at 10-years of service, 34 at 15-years of service, 19 at 20-years of service, five at 25-years of service and five at 30-years of service. 

School board members Martha Sodetani, and Nancy Swenson were honored for 10 years of service to Downey Unified students.

Included in the recipients who received recognition for years of service were Board of Education Clerk Martha Sodetani and member Nancy Swenson. Both were recognized for 10 years of service to the Downey Unified School District. 

Those recognized for their 30 years of service, the highest increment recognized this year, include Christine Kasper, David Lubetski, Jickie Russell, Linda Sakaguchi, Donald Valdez and Christine Woods. 

Retiring and totaling nearly 1,200 years of service with Downey Unified were: Ruth Ann Anderson, Donna Bergstedt, Suzy Broomfield, Deborah Buchanan, Joann Castagnola, Lali Chaudhry, Geraldine Childress, Beatrice Colon, Kathryn Costa, Gloria Covarrubias, Linda Dearing, Andrew Dmowski, Marvin Dykes, Leigh Ellis, Norma Garcia, Kathleen Gargas, Laura Gibson, Harvey Gunkle, Leslie Gunthner, Maria Hall, David Harris, Sandra Huntsman, Linda James, Shirley Jordan, Maria Lackey, Nancy Lee, Leah Maldonado, Connie Martinez, Patty McCaughan, Mamie Monger, Anna Negro, Sandra Neufeld, William Nikolas, Colette Oestreich, Susan Orin-Phillips, Vicki Papantonopoulos, Raul Pineda, Rafael Portillo, Leticia Rodriguez, Beatrice Rosado, Jickie Russell, Maria O. Ruiz, Jim Segura, Nadine Silva, Carole Sorenson, Steven Stepp, Nancy Stratford, Joe Valdivia, Marcia Vandercapellen, Cynthia Walters, Barbara Westray, Elaine White and James Yokum. 

In all, the employees recognized represented over 2,943 total years of service to Downey Unified students.