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Mayor honors Downey High principal, symphony director and top students
Summary
Mayor Claudia Fetta presented mayor’s legacy awards to Leroy Thomas House (principal) and Sharon Margaret Levery (Downey Symphony director), and recognized two Downey High students (Kelsey and Katie Elas) as valedictorian and salutatorian.
Downey — Mayor Claudia Fetta used the June 9 City Council meeting to present mayor’s legacy awards and mayor’s champion awards recognizing long‑time community service and student achievement.
The mayor presented the legacy award to Leroy Thomas (Tom) House, Downey High School’s principal, citing more than 35 years in education, his support for career and technical education programs, and campus innovations such as an outdoor classroom and school farm. House accepted the award and said he feels fortunate to work in Downey.
The mayor also presented the legacy award to Sharon Margaret Levery, music director of the Downey Symphony and resident conductor at USC Thornton School of Music, praising her decades of music education outreach and children’s concerts that bus all third‑ and fifth‑grade students in the city to performances. Levery thanked the city and encouraged continued community support for the orchestra; the mayor noted a fundraiser scheduled for June 14 to support the symphony.
Finally, Mayor Fetta recognized Kelsey and Katie Elas as valedictorian and salutatorian of Downey High School’s class of 2026; both students will attend UCLA in the fall and spoke briefly about academics, volunteer work, and plans for summer internships.
What happens next: Honorees were photographed and the council recessed briefly before continuing the meeting. The mayor encouraged community attendance at upcoming park concerts and the Downey Symphony fundraiser.
