Organizers of the Kern County Academic Decathlon Concert figure they had a pretty good measuring stick to judge how well it was received by approximately 100 high school teams from throughout California who attended the Oct. 22 concert at the Rabobank Convention Center in Bakersfield. "They did not want to leave after the concert was over," said event organizer and Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ curriculum coordinator Kathleen White. "It was wonderful." Latin American music is the theme nationally for this year’s Academic Decathlon, but the combination live concert and lecture to prepare for it has been a Bakersfield tradition for years. It helps high school students prepare for the music portion of regional Academic Decathlons which are held around the state in February. Sponsored by the Kern County Academic Decathlon Association, Kern County Superintendent of Schools and Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, the Kern County event is one of only a few around the state where students can hear the music performed in a live concert. That is why teams from as far away as Fresno to the north and Redlands to the southeast attended. "I think it helps us understand the instruments that were used in a particular period and identify with the sounds they produce," said Jasmin Pannu, who came to the concert with her classmates from Fowler High School. More