Old River Elementary repeats as Carnival of Champions winner

Saturday, March 22, was an exciting day for fourth and fifth grade students across Downey Unified as they competed in the annual Dale Lostetter Carnival of Champions.

Held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Warren High School’s Justice Stadium and inside the gymnasium, this year’s event marked the 59th year that this track and field exhibition has been held.

Taking first place and bringing home the Carnival of Champions trophy was the Old River Elementary Gators, followed by Price Elementary in second and Lewis Elementary in third.

A new district record was also set during Saturday’s annual event. Beating the record that they have held since 2022, Lewis Elementary broke their fifth-grade boys’ 400-meter relay record by .02 seconds.

“Downey Unified truly lives out the values of CHARACTER COUNTS! every day, and this year’s Dale Lostetter Carnival of Champions was a shining example of that,” said Board of Education President Linda Saldaña. “From high fives to handshakes, students demonstrated respect and sportsmanship, celebrating each other’s efforts regardless of the outcome. Their commitment to character was on full display throughout the day.”

The Dale Lostetter Carnival of Champions is an annual event that brings together approximately 500 students from 11 of the 13 elementary schools in Downey Unified to compete in the following seven track and field events: baskets in a minute, softball throw for distance, standing long jump, 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, four-member team 400-meter relay and mixed-coed relay.