As we head officially into summer, I want to share how proud I and our Board of Education are of all of our students for such a successful 2021-22 school year! Although challenging, each and every one of our students finished the year strong and we cannot wait to see what next year brings us.

That being said, we wrapped up the school year with many joyous celebrations and events. We were able to celebrate our graduating and promoting Class of 2022 with in-person ceremonies that honored nearly 2,000 high school students and over 1,600 middle school students.

Being able to see all the smiling faces of not only our students, but the happiness of all our families and staff in attendance truly touched my heart.

The year was also concluded with many plays and performances that highlighted all of our students’ hard work and dedication to the arts. Warren High featured a play called “12 Angry Jurors,” Downey High students were showcased in “A Chorus Line” and “Wizard of Oz” was performed at Stauffer Middle School.

I extend an invitation to both our Downey Unified families and the Downey community as a whole to our students’ performances. I don’t like to brag, but our students are extremely talented, and I urge anyone who has not seen our kids in action to attend a play or musical theatre performance when they come back around next school year!

As our summer enrichment programs lead into the third week, I have to share a special shout out to our staff.

I’m not sure if many are aware, but close to 40% of our students are enrolled in this year’s summer school programs! That’s close to 9,000 students which is the largest number of students in Downey Unified history to attend summer programs and, with that, the largest number of staff needed to support them by having successful programs successful and making sure things run smoothly….

So with that, I want to share how grateful and appreciative I am to all our staff who made the decision to support our students this summer. I, along with my fellow Board members, would like to thank them for their dedication to our students!

Extending the appreciation, I would also like to thank our amazing Food Services staff for continuing to provide meals to anyone in the community under the age of 18, at no cost, throughout the summer.

Our Food Services staff continues to prove their dedication to our students and families. Since the beginning of the pandemic, they provided meals at no cost to anyone who needed it with countless drive-throughs at our schools with multiple meals in bags and even grocery box sets for our families. For that, we cannot thank them enough!

In closing, I want to wish all of our students, families and staff a safe and happy Fourth of July! Enjoy the time safely spent with friends and loved ones!

Please remember that our schools will be closed on Monday, July 4th and that week of school will be on a Tuesday through Friday schedule.

Sincerely,

Bobbie Samperi
President, Board of Education