A farewell from school board president Nancy Swenson

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here and Winter break is just around the corner. This year has truly gone by in the blink of an eye.

This will be my last message as president of the Board of Education and I hope these articles have been as fun to read as they have been to write. At the December Board Meeting, the reigns will be handed over to Don LaPlante and he will continue writing these articles starting in January.

I hope you enjoy my last update. Some of the recent activities that I want to share with you have included special football, volleyball and basketball games; an event to honor past students; band performances; a play and dressing up for our kids during Halloween.

The annual Warren (WHS)/Downey (DHS) cross-town rivalry football game was amazing again this year. The stands were packed and the teams were ready.

However, DHS actually had some not-so-annual festivities that took place that day starting at 5:00 a.m. CBS 2 “In Your Town” correspondent Suzanne Marques, who was previously inducted into the DHS Hall of Fame, came back to her alma mater for a few hours and did several on-air segments that morning talking with students and staff.

Then at 10 a.m. DHS held their 2019 Hall of Fame presentations with five well-deserved inductees. There were pre-event munchies prepared by the DHS Culinary Arts students.

Then the final event for both high schools was the big game at 7 pm. By now, I’m sure you all have heard or read about the electrifying ending to that game… so I probably don’t really need to repeat that WHS won this year.

Another special cross-town rivalry game was held this month when DHS hosted the inaugural WHS vs. DHS Unified Basketball game, which brought general education and special education students together. This incredible event was well attended by student supporters from both comprehensive high schools and all of our students had a great time.

The District hosts several events throughout the year and this last month was filled with fun happenings. The first was an event titled “First Best Instruction” which is when our elementary teachers present teaching strategies to not only Downey Unified teachers, but teachers from other districts from as far away as Apple Valley, with over 300 in attendance.

Next, we were honored to host the SCSBOA Marching Band Championships at both comprehensive high schools. Not many districts have the capacity to host both division competitions on the same night.

This year WHS went into their competition after winning the overall top band sweepstakes at both the Westminster and Vista Field Tournaments along with the sweepstakes in music performance and visual performance.

These presentations take a lot of commitment from our high school students as these performances require months of after school and weekend practice for the band and color guard. The special uniforms and additional props result in a spectacular production.

When this comes around next year, I recommend you go to a Field Tournament, you will not be disappointed. A big shout out to the teachers and parents who volunteer their time to support the students and keep them motivated…and fed. Without them, these types of activities would not exist.

Throughout the year I thoroughly enjoy any opportunity I can get to interact with our students at an event or during a school visit. WHS had their first play of the year, “Barefoot in the Park”, and it was wonderful. The set was amazing, the students’ abilities to project their lines without a microphone was incredible and their acting skills always blow me away.

May I say that the Arts are alive and well within our schools. There will be so many opportunities this year to see plays at both comprehensive high schools and all four middle schools, so please check out our schools’ calendars for those dates.

Just this past month I was able to get to Imperial and Williams elementary schools as well as Sussman Middle School where, along with the principal as our guide, we were able to visit as many classrooms as possible.

There are so many different learning opportunities on a single campus and I am so proud of how all the staff comes together to keep everyone moving forward and students learning each day.

Some sites may have classes for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students and others may have English classes for parents. No matter the variety, all our schools run like truly well-oiled machines.

Another activity I like to support is the “Trunks and Treats” nights at our elementary schools. Sometimes I take tickets, help set-up and clean-up, and I even dress-up occasionally.

This year, I co-hosted a “Frozen 2” trunk as Olaf alongside Anna. It’s so much fun to have our younger students run up to the car and call me Olaf. One student was dressed up as Anna, carrying a stuffed Olaf, and wanted to make sure she got a picture with me.

Nearly 500 students signed up to walk the parking lot at the “Trunks and Treats” I participated in, which not only made them safer by being away from street traffic but also freed them from a TV or smartphone for a few hours.

As this is my last article, I want to close by expressing how much I have enjoyed reflecting with you on my activities throughout the year. I have just one last “tug-at-the-heart-strings” story to convey to you.

One of my volunteer activities is supporting the Mary R. Stauffer Foundation. Because of that, I have the opportunity to see all the birthday and thank-you cards given to Dr. Stauffer once she has read them.

Just a few weeks ago, I read several birthday cards that were given to her by some students at WHS. In one card particular, a student thanked Dr. Stauffer for providing a Community College scholarship to his father several years ago. He wrote, “My father received a scholarship in either 1995 or 1996. I am not sure if you remember... but he told me that this scholarship helped him a lot and he is forever grateful! If he didn’t get that scholarship I don’t know what my life would be like. Happy Birthday again, and thank you!”

I know that most of us obviously can’t afford to start up a foundation that provides funds to support things like scholarships, but what we all can do is find a way to be KIND. A smile or a positive comment can go a long way to making someone else’s day better and I guarantee that it’ll make your day better too.

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday and remember to take the time to be kind.

Nancy A. Swenson

President, Downey Unified Board of Education