They call what happened on Oct. 27 "Independent City" because it is a celebration of learning what life holds for Foster Youth who are suddenly on their own after age 18, when the state no longer provides support. Independent City took place on the campus of Bakersfield College (BC) with dozens of foster youth and pregnant or parenting teens finding out what they can expect as legally defined "adults." Approximately 100 attended the fifth annual event, presented by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Foster Youth Services, Kern County Department of Human Services and BC. More than 30 agency and community vendors participated including the Bakersfield Police Department, Bright House Networks and the Kern Schools Federal Credit Union." This is an outreach event to prepare transition-aged youth (ages 16-18) for life outside of foster care with a real focus on school to career programs," said Foster Youth Services Supervising Case Manager Carrie Bloxom. "This year students had opportunities to receive vocational education instruction, featuring hands-on activities, in the fields of horticulture, medical assisting, manufacturing, computer aided drafting and culinary arts. BC instructors presented courses which are currently part of the curriculum at the college." More

If you are a "star" in education, people want to know about you. While Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ (KCSOS) administrators Pat Alexander and Ken Taylor are not stars in the sense of the bright lights and gossip columns of Hollywood, they have, nonetheless, earned the honor of "Steering Committee Star." Both were honored with the prestigious award on Oct. 15 at the General Membership Meeting of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) in San Jose. CCSESA is an organization of the state’s 58 county superintendents of schools that as a group "work collaboratively with school districts to ensure that every student benefits from a quality educational experience, regardless of their circumstances, including students with disabilities, juvenile offenders, students at risk of dropping out or who thrive in alternative classroom settings, or students in high-priority schools." Members and their designated representatives achieve the organization’s mission through roles on various steering committees — Business and Administration, Curriculum and Instruction, Student Programs and Services, Personnel Administrative Services and Technology and Telecommunications. Alexander, KCSOS administrator of instructional services, was honored for her work on the Curriculum and Instruction steering committee and Taylor, KCSOS administrator of student services, for his with Student Programs and Services. More