During the summer, Saturday nights at the California Living Museum (CALM) have become the place to be. They call it Twilight at CALM and since July 5 every Saturday night it’s been two-and-a-half hours of entertainment and education in a cool environment - both because of the content and the weather. CALM is located at 10500 Alfred Harrell Highway (between Lake Ming and Hart Park) in northeast Bakersfield. "After a long, hot day, a cool breeze blows up from the Kern River making evenings a fantastic time to visit the animals at CALM," said manager Lana Fain. CALM closes after the daytime session at 5 p.m., but when it re-opens from 5:30-8 p.m., it is "Twilight" time at the combination zoo, botanical garden and natural history museum. Part of the fun is a lively, hour-long show by Curator of Animals Don Richardson who introduces visitors to mammals, birds of prey or reptiles, providing visitors with up close and personal experiences with a large variety of animals ranging from tarantulas to baby skunks. Presentations are entertaining, and everyone leaves a little more knowledgeable about the wildlife around them. While it will not transport you to a different dimension, the Central California Children’s Railroad is on track for rides around the zoo with some great panoramas of the river, surrounding hills and vegetation. This is not a kiddie train ride - adults enjoy it as much as children. Tracks run east of the zoo and during the eight minute ride passengers frequently get glimpses of wildlife in their natural habitat. Train tickets are only $1, making it one of the most inexpensive modes of transportation in today’s economy. More

Imagine trying to escape the specter of gang involvement or the hopeless feeling of teen pregnancy, and you may be able to appreciate what a program called JobsPlus is doing for at risk teenage students in Kern County. JobsPlus reaches out to students enrolled in the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Court and Community Schools Division, who have previously been expelled or are at serious risk of dropping out. Combined with the education they are receiving in community schools, it is giving them an opportunity to earn and learn what it takes to succeed as an adult. Some of those it is helping are Luis Castro, Ashley Aragon and Richard Flores. Castro, a former gang member had been continuously expelled every year since he was caught selling drugs in eighth grade. Aragon had her hopes of graduating with her class and a bright future shattered by teen pregnancy. Flores faced life after foster care at age 18 without financial support or any tangible job skills. All are enrolled at Community Learning Center Tech where they had to be 30 credits away from graduation, while maintaining good attendance and academic standing to be eligible for JobsPlus. “With JobsPlus we engage students in work-related learning experiences, career awareness and contextual learning opportunities that prepare them for graduation and postsecondary education,” said Career Development Specialist Andrea Parsons. “These days, high school graduation isn’t enough — students have to be prepared to take it to the next level. They are taught résumé writing and interview preparation, job search and knowledge of labor markets skills, and we can even provide them with appropriate clothes for job interviews.” More

Quite a scene seeing 248 Kern County children shopping on July 19 during the Back to School Mervyns' ChildSpree at the California and East Hills Mall Mervyn's stores in Bakersfield. Every year for 16 years Mervyn's has given children who might not otherwise be able to shop for new school clothes an opportunity to do so. Major financial sponsors who contributed matching funds with Mervyn’s were Community Connection for Child Care Foundation, Bakersfield Active 20/30 club, West Bakersfield Rotary Club, Tejon Ranch, CASA and Youth Connections. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Community Connection for Child Care (CCCC) was one of the contributing volunteer agencies, as it has been for many years. Volunteers helped children pick age appropriate clothes during the shopping spree that matched the funds available for spending. Joining with CCCC were Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Youth Connections, HEARTS Connection, Bakersfield Police Activities League (PAL), Sheriff's Activities League (SAL) and the Boys and Girls Club. Each child received breakfast provided by McDonald's and a backpack filled with school supplies from Mervyn's and the 20/30 Club. The Bakersfield Fire Department talked with children at the California Avenue store about fire safety and gave them a chance to see fire trucks up close. Something new this year was the First 5 Kern, First 5 California, Kern County Public Health Department and Bakersfield Police Department health fair which included immunizations and dental screenings, car seat safety, growth charts for children and information about the Public Health Departments "fight the bite" campaign which aims to prevent West Nile virus. More

Some would view a young, severely handicapped child rising out of a wheelchair to walk as a miracle. Not those who know about MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education) International. As its name applies, MOVE’s stock in trade, since the 1980s, has been enabling children, and now adults, with severe disabilities to sit, stand and walk independently. It is a curriculum started in Bakersfield by former special education teacher Linda Bidabe that is now in use in schools and physical rehabilitation centers around the world. Once a year, MOVE welcomes dozens of special education teachers, physical therapists and other caregivers for several days of training to its headquarters at the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) Office in Bakersfield. Some come to learn basic provider skills and techniques so they can implement MOVE’s educational framework in the schools or rehabilitation centers where they work in their home cities. Others take training that will enable them to train others to become basic providers. One seeking to advance the training of trainers was Conchita Garcia, who is with MOVE Europe and came all the way from London, England. “We have our first major regional agreement with Derbyshire County in the United Kingdom (UK) which has agreed to pay for anyone who can benefit from the MOVE program, and that even includes the cost of the equipment,” Garcia said. “Currently, we have about 2,500 using MOVE in the UK, but there are 110,000 eligible for it. Our main problem is people don’t know about us. We are creating awareness through training more trainers.” Memorable moments occurred during the MOVE training from June 25-28. During the first day, it was announced that the Bakersfield Adult Retarded Citizens (BARC) was becoming a MOVE model site on June 30. More

Seven clean fuel burning school buses were rolled out by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office on June 16th to replace higher polluting diesel buses in its fleet. The buses were placed into service immediately following the rollout at the superintendent’s Transportation Services Center located at 705 S. Union Ave. in Bakersfield. These new compressed natural gas (CNG) powered buses were put on display for the first time as the buses they replaced were taken out of service, to be crushed and recycled with the metal being used to make other products. “Our commitment is to replace at least seven buses each year until our student transportation fleet is powered entirely by CNG buses,” said Kern County Superintendent of Schools Larry E. Reider. “Our poor air quality makes far too many children susceptible to asthma and other health issues. This causes many to miss school. And that means they miss out on valuable learning.” Reider expressed appreciation to the Rose Foundation and the local chapter of the Sierra Club whose $340,000 grant paid a significant part of the $1.1 million cost to buy the new buses. He noted school buses always are a significant purchase for any school agency. But CNG buses are more economical to operate than diesel powered. Oil need not be changed as frequently, and CNG is cheaper than diesel fuel. Seated comfortably behind the wheels of two new CNG buses were KCSOS drivers Cynthia Brewster and Veronica McEvoy. Each has been with the office for about two years and has experienced what it is like driving the old diesels versus the new CNGs. More