The Downey High chapter of the Junior Statesmen of America was named the 2011 SoCal Chapter of the Year on Sunday, April 17, at their annual Spring State convention, at the Hilton Hotel at LAX. The SoCal board of Teacher Advisers chose a winner out of 142 schools and 3 nominees. After a year of preparation, Downey’s JSAers not only reign as the state Chapter of the Year, but will also continue on as nominees for the National Civic Involvement Award.
This honor came with great accomplishments such as, quadrupling membership, increasing delegate attendance to overnight conventions, and hosting their own event. Also, some of their members contributed to the campaign of Downey City Councilman Fernando Vasquez.
“In the past 12 months, Downey JSA not only expanded, but also increased convention attendance, participated in political activities on our community, held positions on cabinet, increased activism at the chapter level, and hosted our very first Mini Con.”-In a collaborative essay written by the club’s board members.
The club came a long way in a matter of months under their new leadership in the 2010-2011 school year. President Andrea Lomeli, Vice President Sarah Menendez, and Chief of Staff Brandon Pineda not only led the club, but also brought new skills to the table by participating in JSA Regional Cabinet. Together with the rest of the club’s board they were able to raise membership from a mere 25 statesmen to an impressive 83 registered members.
“An improvement I saw this year was getting people to attend conventions and just come to our weekly meetings,” President Andrea Lomeli said. “I am very proud of the way we managed to bring up our members and event attendance.”
In addition to their great achievements this year, the club is doing an noteworthy job in setting up and preparing for future success. Already, members of the club that are underclassmen have begun the campaign process for cabinet positions and look to be prospective members of the esteemed JSA Summer school program.
“It doesn’t bother me that I am following my sister’s [Andrea Lomeli] footsteps because we’re both so passionate about JSA,” sophomore Alejandro Lomeli said. “We’d work together at home and think up new ideas on how we can improve JSA for everyone. That experience will help me with leading Downey High’s JSA Chapter after my sister.”
Though the work of the JSA seniors is almost over, the chapter continues to celebrate and work towards greatness. With success preset for the future of Downey JSA, the Chapter of the Year is sure to enjoy further achievements.
