The monthly Parents and Teachers Association’s meeting was held on Monday, May 9 in the Downey High School theater. The meeting consisted of various guest speakers, such as the Downey Police Department, principal Tom Houts, and Assistant Student Body adviser Gordon Weisenburger. Topics for the meeting consisted of: student activities, protecting students from online predators, and test scores for Downey High School.

First up to open the PTA meeting was Tom Houts. The principal spoke about how Downey is doing overall and what the school needs to do to improve. He was very pleased to announce that the test scores of the student body have improved from past years. The campus is starting to expand in more curriculums and is now encouraging teachers to work better with students.

The second speakers for the meeting were members of the Police Department. Topics that the public safety officials spoke about were subjects such as parents becoming more computer-knowledgeable and how to protect children from the harms of the internet’s online predators and scams. Parents and guardians at the meeting had various questions on what sites to look out for and how to look out for their children when they’re online.

After the DPD, Gordon Wiesenberger spoke about student activities. Downey plans to get students very engaged in activities in future years. Wiesenberger also hopes that most seniors will participate in senior activities consisting of Grad Night and Prom.

Several important dates are listed on the PTA’s agenda, such at the senior Prom held on May 13, Scholarship Night in the theater on June 9, and Senior Breakfast on June 23 (the same day as graduation). The next PTA meeting will be held June 13 at 6:00 P.M. and will be a “End of Year Review.” The association is hoping that more parents will attend the next meeting, as the crucial plans for the next year will be discussed.