News & Events: Student Achievement

Graduating into leadership

Webteam — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:43:13 GMT

Twenty-nine individuals from different walks of life bought into Vince Lombardi’s famous quote that, “Leaders are made, they are not born.” As a result, their local Kern County communities might be better off in the future. All 29 successfully passed the Kern County Network for Children’s (KCNC) 2009 Leadership Development Program and were honored during commencement ceremonies held at University Square in Bakersfield on July 16. Each graduate had close ties with KCNC as a member of a collaborating local government or community agency, organization, school or business concerned with improving the health and well being of children and families in their communities. Since the program’s 1997 inception, it has helped individuals learn to enhance natural leadership skills so they can make a positive impact in their communities or organizations. Over the years, 500 have passed the training.

Students harness penny potential

Webteam — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:36:09 GMT

Pennies are often maligned for taking up space in one’s pocket or purse, considering their lack of purchasing power for individual items. Recently, students enrolled at Community Learning Center (CLC) Tech, operated by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, proved you can make a difference, if you collect enough pennies. They pooled their "Pennies for Patients" and raised more than $2,200 to help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Many of the students have a tough life of their own. Community schools give them a chance to stay in school, when for a variety of reasons they have become at risk of dropping out. Yet, the combined CLC Tech classes taught by Leonor Lopez, Dave Meek and Araceli Rivera accepted the challenge proposed by their teachers - to raise money to help others. Why get the students involved? Rivera had an answer. "Part of being a teacher is teaching civic education to our students,"

A county-wide graduation

Webteam — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:06:49 GMT

Those who attended the May 30 Court and Community Schools’ graduation ceremony at Bakersfield High’s Harvey Auditorium, were witness to a commencement that included students from the entire county on one site at one time. Approximately 206 students out of a graduating class of 265 high school seniors represented five geographic regions in which Court and Community Schools are operated by the Kern CountySuperintendent of Schools (KCSOS). KCSOS Court and Community Schools offer options that improve student safety, encourage learning, reduce classroom disruption and help reduce Kern County’s dropout rate. Campuses are located on 16 sites in Bakersfield, Delano, Kernville, Lake Isabella, Mojave, Ridgecrest and Taft. During the 2007-08 school year (the most recent figures), KCSOS provided education to 9,335 elementary through high school students who were incarcerated, in juvenile court programs, expelled, on probation or at serious risk of dropping out of school.

Student speeches bankable

Webteam — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:39:51 GMT

Thorner School fourth-grader Stephen Bush, Old River Elementary fifth-grader Acquila Maliyekkal and Endeavour Elementary sixth-grader Olivia Belda emerged as Bank of America Essay and Speech Contest winners among 25 of the best essayist-speakers who competed in the annual event held May 7 at University Square in Bakersfield. Each convinced the judges they should be their grade level champion by delivering a three-to-five minute speech from an essay they had previously written. Fourth-graders had "Why is Volunteerism Important" as their topic. "Should Community Service be a Requirement for High School Graduation" was the topic for fifth and sixth-graders. Approximately 400 Kern County students had written classroom essays on the topics. Each county English and language arts region could nominate only one classroom essay per grade level. The top 25 essayists, as determined by a panel of judges from the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ (KCSOS) Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability department, were picked to compete in the speech portion of the contest. Bank of America’s Central California Market and KCSOS sponsor the competition, which awards savings bonds in the amounts of $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third.

Making California history

Webteam — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:13:12 GMT

Kern County students made history in Sacramento on May 3. Twelve won in their category at History Day in California, and the next stop for them will be National History Day from June 14-18 at the University of Maryland. Centennial High’s Sarah Moore, whose entry "Silently Leaving a Legacy: The Actions of Chiune Sugihara” was a winner in the Individual Documentary category, will be hoping to improve on last year’s ninth place finish at nationals. There will be other repeat performances on the national stage. Fruitvale Junior High’s Aaliyah Beed, Dylan Gonzales and Gabriela Forter all made it to Maryland last year. Beed and Gonzales were part of a Fruitvale Jr. High team that finished in fifth place in the Group Performance category. Forter was the county’s lone participant in the Individual Performance event. This year the trio joined forces and picked up two new recruits, classmates Richard Sottile and Madison Olinger, to finish first in Sacramento with their Group Performance "Elie Wiesel: A Survivor’s Legacy, A Messenger for Mankind.” The county’s other Group Performance team of Marissa Manos, Ramneet Sahota, Bianca Hinojosa, Calvin Laverty and Sameen Bramer from Fruitvale Junior High, was also victorious in Sacramento and will be moving on to Maryland. Their winning entry was "Sylvia Mendez: The Legacy of a Young Girl’s Fight for Equality in Education.” Making her first trip to the nationals will be Fruitvale Junior High’s Anne Bardet, who was victorious at History Day in California with her Individual Exhibit, "Mother Teresa: A Light in the Darkness.”

‘Individuals’ take History Day spotlight

Webteam — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:13:35 GMT

Encouraged to explore “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies,” approximately 150 students put their research and findings on display at the 26th annual Kern County History Day competition held (today) (March 7) at Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield. Winners in each category earned the right to compete at History Day in California - April 30-May 1 in Sacramento. State winners go on to compete at National History Day, June 14-18 at the University of Maryland. Students in grades 4-12 from 22 Kern County schools competed. They had been involved in research since the beginning of the school year preparing historical papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, Web sites and posters designed around the National History Day theme of “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.” Thorner School’sMaveric Guzman and Elizabeth Nakagawa chose documentary as their winning vehicle in the junior group documentary category. The judges watched with interest as Guzman and Nakagawa’s entry “A Thorn in His Side” used narration, pictures, interviews and graphics to chronicle the story of how women’s suffrage leader Alice Paul help sway the opinion of President Woodrow Wilson.

Language festival times two

Webteam — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:56:48 GMT

Two weeks after students in grades 4-6 made their mark at the Kern County Oral Language Festival, their peers in grades 7-8 provided just as much entertainment in round two held Feb. 26 at University Square in Bakersfield. Performances were both humorous and serious, covering everything from life in a World War II concentration camp to the antics of “The Witch’s Broom.” What started out as an estimated pool of more than 50,000 Kern County students was pared down in school and district competitions to approximately 140, 7-8-graders from 30 schools and 17 regions and about 190, 4-6-graders, who competed in the county festival’s two nights. Our Lady of Perpetual Help students Jazmin Diaz and Maddy Ebel performed “I Have Lived a Thousand Years,” a story about the plight of Jewish prisoners in a World War II concentration camp during and after the war. It was the judge’s choice as best in category, and the two say it was not an easy victory for them. “We originally practiced to perform a piece based on 9-11, but two weeks before the event, we learned we couldn’t use it,” said Diaz. “So, we had to learn and memorize this in a very short period of time.” “But, it contained lots of emotion, a good message, and it required us to put so much energy into it that we were ready,”

Stockdale makes a super showing

Webteam — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:15:30 GMT

Just as Santonio Holmes was the Most Valuable Player in professional football’s Super Bowl a week earlier, a case can be made that Daniel Ray may deserve that title for his role in determining the outcome of the 29th annual Kern County Academic Decathlon held at Bakersfield High School on Feb. 7. Ray recorded four individual category wins and had the highest individual point total of all the competitors, leading Stockdale to the team title and the Claude W. Richardson Perpetual Trophy. Overall, Stockdale won nine of the 10 contested academic categories to win the Academic Decathlon over second place Bakersfield High. Cesar Chavez of Delano finished third. Approximately 200 students from 23 high schools participated in this clash of Kern County’s brightest high school minds, subtitled by some as the “Academic Super Bowl.” Students have their knowledge, presentation and problem-solving skills tested in 10 academic arenas — Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Music, Science, Speech and Super Quiz (written and oral) — tied to this year’s national theme, “Latin America.” Stockdale will represent Kern County in the California Academic Decathlon scheduled for March 13-16 in Sacramento. The state winner advances to the national finals April 22-25 in Memphis, TN. “Last year it was fantastic, especially being the first school in Kern County history to make the top 10 at state,” said Stockdale High student team captain Mike Brown. “We are looking at how much better we have scored on the tests this year, and I think this team could be even better than the one we sent last year.”

Wii solutions for special needs

Webteam — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:18:28 GMT

Matthew Huddleston winds up and throws a blistering fastball towards home plate. Justin Borquez takes a mighty swing but misses, and a big smile comes across his face. Not the normal reaction you would expect from a competitor involved in a baseball game. But the game in question was not a real baseball game and Huddleston and Borquez are not athletes. The two are severely disabled students enrolled in the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ (KCSOS) special needs program at the Harry E. Blair Learning Center in Bakersfield. And they were taking part in a virtual baseball game, despite their physical handicaps, thanks to an innovative idea by teacher Taleiah Larkin. Larkin has brought technology, hope, excitement and a new way of learning and exercising to students who have a difficult time doing both. On Dec. 11, Larkin was presented with a $1,000 "One Teacher at a Time Grant" by KBAK TV news anchor Siemny Chhuon. Larkin used the grant to purchase a Nintendo Wii and software for "Project Virtual PE." The concept is providing about 45 students with severe disabilities in six classrooms at Blair the ability to participate in physical education activities. "During a period of time this past summer it was too hot to take the children outside to play. I had a Wii of my own at home and thought ‘I wonder if the technology might help our students get the needed exercise,’" Larkin said. "So, I brought it in and one of our former students, who is a special needs athlete, tried it out. She loved it, and I could see from her enthusiasm that Wii could have a valuable place in our classroom."

Arvin High shines in hearings

Webteam — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:57:53 GMT

Arvin High School has its sights set on Sacramento where it will represent Kern County at the California "We the People - The Citizen and the Constitution" congressional hearings competition from Feb. 4-6. Arvin earned the right by defeating Centennial High School in the Region 4 championships held Dec. 2 at California State University, Bakersfield. Arvin and Centennial emerged from a field of 12 Kern County high schools to be crowned district winners. Teams competed in either the 22nd or 20th Congressional Districts with Arvin winning the 20th Congressional District trophy and emerging as the overall champion based on total team points. Centennial was the 22nd Congressional District winner. Arvin has come along way to be at the top, duplicating its effort of two years ago - the first time in school history it had ever won the overall title. Traditionally, Arvin provides education to many students for whom English is a second language. The fact that they were at the top of the "We the People" ladder speaks volumes about the team’s desire to overcome language barriers and commit long hours for researching and studying to accomplish their goal of winning.

Purple face produces happy face

Webteam — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:20:13 GMT

A bold decision to use bright purple instead of natural skin tones was the right decision for Liberty High freshman Natalie Chambers who received the Best of Show Ribbon at the annual Kern County Fair Children’s Art awards ceremony held on Sept. 24 in the fairgrounds’ Harvest Hall in Bakersfield. Chambers’ painting titled “Indian Maiden” was judged the best among 613 entries from 47 schools throughout the county. Chambers was an eighth-grader at Rosedale Middle School when she painted her winner which was entered in the fair competition in May. “Actually, I had been planning on using natural skin tones for the face, but the more I thought about it, I decided to just go for the purple.” Chambers said. “I think it is the focal point of the painting because it really makes all the other colors, such as the facial war paint, stand out.” Chambers’ judgment was not questioned by her Rosedale Middle School art teacher Sandra Nelson. After all, Chambers had been the school’s female artist of the year in both seventh and eighth grades. The bright colors and the purple face were a bit of a departure for her. Chambers’ favorite subject has always been people, but in the past she had confined her artwork to pencil drawings. “When Ms. Nelson told me in May she was going to enter it at the Fair, I got really excited,” Chambers said. Nelson has a pretty good eye for talent. Four other students of hers in past years have earned the Fair’s Best of Show Award and school Sweepstakes Trophy, which remains in the school’s trophy case for an entire year.

Cal-SOAP awards scholars

Webteam — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:40:42 GMT

Forty-one Kern County students were recipients of scholarships ranging in amounts from $1,000 to $4,000 awarded at the Southern San Joaquin Valley Cal-SOAP Scholarship Program banquet on June 11 at Hodel’s Country Dining in Bakersfield. Approximately $120,000 was made available from the Cal-SOAP/Kern County Scholarship fund. Scholarship funding was made possible by the College Access Foundation of California. More than 300 students began applying for the scholarships on Feb. 1. Eligible Kern County high school seniors had to demonstrate financial need and meet grade point average requirements. Cal-SOAP administrators and numerous high school and college counselors read through the applications, which included an essay portion, to determine the recipients. Students continuing their education in Kern County received $1,000 to attend either Bakersfield College or California State University, Bakersfield. Others, attending California State Universities out of the county, received $2,500. Those attending University of California campuses got $3,000 scholarships and others attending private or out of state universities were honored with $4,000 in funding.

Corrosion earns gold for Kern duo

Webteam — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:56:38 GMT

A hypothesis about corrosion had a golden outcome for Stockdale High School students Nicholas Okita and Edith Teng who became the school’s first-ever Science Fair state champions and the only two from Kern County to earn gold medals at the annual event held at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on May 20. It was quite an achievement for Okita and Teng as 953 of the best science students from 359 schools throughout the State met in competition for awards totaling over $50,000. Okita, who will be a senior in the fall, had a lot to smile about as he received his medal. "This was my fifth year making it to the state finals, and I was really, really shocked to win," Okita said. "You have no idea what it takes to get this far." Equally shocked was Teng because this was and will be her only entry in the competition. Teng moves onto Rice University in the fall where she plans to carry a Biology and Pre-Med double major. "What got me interested was the idea of exploring something I had never been exposed to," Teng said. "We discovered some really unexpected conclusions that even kind of shocked the experts. That made it as much fun as winning." What scientific adventure did the two embark on that resulted in winning the gold — a project called, "The Effect of Steel Exposure on Corrosion Rates in the Oil Field Environment." Their research was doubly satisfying. It earned the $500 first place cash award in the Chemistry Division, plus, the two split another $300 for being recipients of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (Los Angeles Basin) Superior Technical Achievement Award.

Accreditation for KCSOS Students

Webteam — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:59:12 GMT

Court and Community Schools, operated by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, received a six year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) on May 20 in effect until June 30, 2014. WASC’s Accrediting Commission for Schools granted the accreditation after studying the report written by its visiting committee which studied the various school sites and noted the stellar aspects of the schools’ programs. All schools will be asked to submit a written progress report on implementing a school wide action plan at the end of the third year of accreditation. In its accreditation report WASC said of the KCSOS Court and Community Schools programs that they "brought unity to court and community." Kern County Superintendent of Schools Larry E. Reider said of the accreditation, "Please extend my congratulations, and deep gratitude, to our staff. This is a huge, monumental step for our office, and for alternative education programs around the state. I know that our programs will be the standard by which all others around the state will be measured." KCSOS Court and Community Schools offer options that improve student safety, encourage learning, reduce classroom disruption and help reduce Kern County’s dropout rate. Campuses are located on 16 sites in Bakersfield, Delano, Kernville, Lake Isabella, Mojave, Ridgecrest and Taft. During the 2006-07 school year (the most recent figures), KCSOS provided education to 9,112 students who were incarcerated, in juvenile court programs, expelled, on probation or at serious risk of dropping out of school.

Smith, Yeh and Beard B of A Speech Winners

Webteam — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:50:59 GMT

Discovery Elementary fourth-grader Rylee Smith, Stockdale Elementary fifth-grader Tiffany Yeh and Endeavour Elementary sixth-grader Andrew Beard emerged as Bank of America Essay and Speech Contest winners among 29 of the best essayist-speakers who competed in the annual event held May 8 at University Square in Bakersfield. Each convinced the judges they should be their grade level champion by delivering a three-to-five minute speech from an essay they had previously written on the topic, "Who Is Your Modern Day Hero." Approximately 600 Kern County students had written classroom essays on the topic. Each county English and language arts region could nominate only one classroom essay per grade level. The top 29 essayists, as determined by a panel of judges from the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ (KCSOS) Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability department, were picked to compete in the speech portion of the contest. Bank of America’s South Sierra Valley Market and KCSOS sponsor the competition, which awards savings bonds in the amounts of $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third. Smith said priest, Father Craig Harrison, was her hero. A man who Smith characterized as "conducting at least eight funerals a week and at each one he finds a unique way to touch each person and ease their pain. He even adopted seven children when no one else would look after them," Smith said.

Fire science on the mountain

Webteam — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:23:18 GMT

There is a different philosophy applied to the old saying, "Where there is smoke — there is fire" at Frazier Mountain High School. It is not an uncommon sight to see students dressed in U.S. Forest Service yellow and green firefighting gear aiming water hoses at areas not on fire. They are students in the Kern County Regional Occupational Program (KCROP) Fire Science class, learning to fight fires without fires at the almost 4,000-foot-level-campus in mountainous southern Kern County. Fire Science is one of the dozens of vocational skills offered to high school students enrolled in KCROP programs operated by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. It is a particularly practical one, since the students who attend Frazier Mountain High are in an area that is susceptible to forest fires in the dry days of summer, and the forest service needs new recruits to meet the demands of the season which runs May through October. "It is an entry level course aimed at training the students to be certified as entry level firefighters at the end of the program. If they are at least 18 years of age, they can apply for voluntary firefighting positions," said U.S. Forest Service Captain Ryan Bridger, advisor to KCROP in charge of overseeing the Fire Science class. "It would be very difficult to recruit for the summer firefighting season, were it not for the program. We would have to go to campuses and recruit and then try to quickly train new recruits during the busiest part of the season. This way, the Fire Science students are ready to come on board when the season starts."

A time for testing theories

Webteam — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:03:19 GMT

What was the formula for winning at the 21st annual Kern County Science Fair held on April 2 at Rabobank Convention Center in Bakersfield? A lot of variables lead to a gold medal, such as testing a theory no one else had, demonstrating keen math and scientific research and data skills and being able to defend your findings in front of a panel of judges. El Tejon School seventh-grader Forrest Csulak discovered one other intangible that contributed to his success — a motivating science teacher. "I never entered before because I was not interested, but my teacher, Andria Bloom really encouraged me," said Csulak. It was a good decision as his first-ever entry, called "Edison's Bright Idea," took first place honors in the Middle School Electricity and Electronics category. He tested light bulbs with filaments made of tungsten, steel, copper, brass, carbon and nichrome. His findings? Tungsten, which has to be imported, stayed lit the longest. Carbon dimmed the quickest, but was also the cheapest, since it does not have to be imported.

Booc's 'citizenship' wins over Greve judges

Webteam — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:12:03 GMT

Almond Tree Middle School student Mardelano Booc had done well in oral language festivals and science fairs, but had never placed in a county final. In fact Booc had never made it to a county final until March 27, when his moving speech, peppered with humor and sorrow, changed all that, earning Booc first place honors in the 54th annual Kern County Henry Greve Speech Contest. The theme was "What it Means to be a Citizen of the United States in 2008." Booc focused on the sacrifices his family has made to become citizens -- traveling hundreds of miles, sometimes skipping work and school, to attend citizenship classes in Fresno. The annual competition between seventh and eighth-graders, hosted by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools at University Square in Bakersfield, has always been sponsored by Bakersfield Toastmasters Club #204, which also does the judging. Booc used a lot of humor, smiling and joking about what wonderful things being a citizen has allowed him to do. He said his light, easy and animated delivery was influenced by TV comedians Hugh Laurie and John C. McGinley, who portray doctors on sitcoms "House" and "Scrubs."

Scholarships for Kern County students

Webteam — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:04:08 GMT

There is good news for Kern County high school seniors. Beginning Feb. 1, eligible Kern County high school seniors can apply for approximately $100,000 worth of college scholarships, available in amounts ranging from $1,000-$4,000. Known as the Cal-SOAP/Kern County Scholarship, it makes funds available to graduating seniors in Kern County, who demonstrate a financial need and maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average (GPA). Scholarship applications can be downloaded at http://learning.kern.org/calSoap. Applications must be submitted to the Southern San Joaquin Valley Cal-SOAP office, 2000 K Street in Bakersfield by 5 p.m. on April 1. They may also be mailed to — ATTN: Alyse Barrios, Cal-SOAP, 1300 17th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301. This scholarship is a little different than most,” said Cal-Soap Field Advisor Alyse Barrios. “It is both need and merit based. We are looking for students who might be left out of the traditional scholarship search. This will benefit a lot of middle income families. The plan is for the scholarships to be refundable with the hope of helping students through their entire four year college education.”

Pencil + mirror = winner

Webteam — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 22:05:03 GMT

Using only pencils and a mirror, Tevis Junior High eighth-grader Esther Han crafted a realistic, intricately detailed, self-portrait to win the Kern County Fair Children's Art Contest Sweepstakes Trophy. When the announcement came during a Sept. 27 awards ceremony at the fair's Harvest Hall, Han was a little unprepared. "I didn't even know Mr. Heffernan (her 7th grade art teacher) had entered the picture. So I was really surprised," Han said. The award honors the best-of-the-best in the annual competition sponsored by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office designed to promote and showcase art created by public school children in preschool through eighth grades. Han drew the picture as a seventh-grader. She was very philosophical about the effort it took to turnout her masterpiece.

Student a hero in two cities

Webteam — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:45:20 GMT

Sillect Community School student Jeffrey Reed admits he made a mistake a year ago for which he was expelled from Liberty High School in Bakersfield. A year later, besides turning his scholastic life around, Reed is being hailed as a hero in two cities for an act of selfless courage. The weekend before school started in Kern County, Reed and friend Bryce Mosley rescued an elderly couple from a burning house, while vacationing with a relative in Shell Beach. Mosley's grandmother saw smoke pouring out of Norma and Alfred Mannon's home and yelled out. The boys ran outside, saw what was happening and acted. Processing and reacting to several critical events happening all at once, Reed had to make many split second decisions. "We didn't have to think about it," Reed said. "We knew someone was in danger and that we had to help. I think that instinct came from what my parents taught me about helping people. We rushed in. My only thought was I need to get these people and myself out safely."

AmeriCorps grads honored

Webteam — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 21:58:02 GMT

Maybe the test of how well a program works is when its graduates volunteer to come back for another year. That certainly is the case for many of those who graduated from the AmeriCorps Central Valley Communities for Children program on August 26 at the Bakersfield City School District Auditorium. "All the hard work was well worth it," said Dorothy Belk, who spent her year with AmeriCorps tutoring children at Fremont School in Bakersfield. "I learned a lot this year, and I've enjoyed the children so much. That's why I'm coming back for a second year."

Just like an Olympian

brbell@... — Mon, 09 Aug 2004 16:15:11 GMT

As Judith Beltran lifted a cardboard roll with two balloons attached at each end over her head, she could not suppress the wide smile that suddenly appeared on her face. For that pretend moment in time, Beltran was an Olympic athlete going for gold in the weight lifting competition.

Minutes before, David Palomino had willingly accepted a papier-mâché torch, complete with a crepe paper flame, from classmate Juan Saldaña, and ran with it as though he was on his way to the opening ceremonies in Athens.

Forging history for children

brbell@... — Mon, 26 Jul 2004 17:59:44 GMT

Valley Oaks Charter School resource teacher Daran Francis worked up quite a sweat on July 20 pounding white hot metal into the shape of horseshoes. School wasn't in, and Francis wasn't teaching. What he was doing will prove to be of educational value for thousands of children across the United States.

Turns out, Francis was an actor, performing a role with which he is quite familiar. Several days out of the year, you can find him at the Kern County Museum showing visitors and school tours how he makes horseshoes and shoes horses.

Special education students provide coffee service

Webteam — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:14:56 GMT

Special education students are helping provide that morning pick-me-up by delivering fresh brewed coffee, cappuccino and cold drinks to those working in the City Centre building. In the process they also gain work experience and customer service skills. The students are part of the Actis Stars Coffee Company, which has been operating at Actis Junior High for much of the school year. The summer City Centre service is intended to provide additional exposure and client service experience.

Alternative Education Schools Graduate 410

Webteam — Mon, 07 Jun 2004 22:02:48 GMT

Alternative Education schools, operated by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, graduated 410 students, in commencement ceremonies held on June 4 and June 5. At 1:30 p.m. on June 4, 247 Alternative Education junior high eighth-graders graduated in ceremonies at Bakersfield High School’s Harvey Auditorium. The following day, June 5, at 1 p.m., 163 seniors from Alternative Education high schools had their commencement ceremonies at Harvey Auditorium.

Sixth-Grader Wins at State Science Fair

Webteam — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 23:03:05 GMT

Sing Lum School sixth-grader Ilyssa Espiritu took a scientific approach to prove dressing for success works and as a result earned a gold medal in the Junior Division (grades 6-8) Social Science category at the 53rd annual California Science Fair held May 25 at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. “I thought science was boring in the beginning,” Espiritu said. “Then my dad gave me this idea to dress up differently to see what kind of reactions I would get, and I thought, ‘this could be fun.’”

Science that gets results

brbell@... — Tue, 06 Apr 2004 15:38:04 GMT

Some might regard science as boring. But what if experiments carried out for a science fair could improve your gas mileage, lower your energy bills or determine whether you might get a job? Would you be interested then?

The 17th annual Kern County Science Fair held on March 31 at the Bakersfield Convention Center provided the forum for answers. Presented by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, it brought together approximately 600 Kern County students in grades 4-12 who spent months preparing scientific experiments to test all kinds of theories. First and second place winners in the high school and middle school divisions can compete in the 53rd annual California Science Fair, May 24-25, at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Olympics tests vocational skills

brbell@... — Mon, 05 Apr 2004 23:18:50 GMT

Future dreams can be made or broken at the Olympics. While world athletes await the Summer Olympics in Athens, Kern County students have already shown their abilities at the Golden Empire Skills Olympics held on April 2 at the Regional Occupation Center (ROC) in Bakersfield.

Pianist entertains academically too

Webteam — Mon, 26 Jan 2004 19:15:50 GMT

Highland High School senior Jason Batten apparently does not know the meaning of “enough is enough.” Batten will compete all day with the Highland team during the Feb. 7 Kern County Academic Decathlon at Bakersfield College. Then, when it is all over, he will get on stage, seat himself at the piano and entertain students, parents, educators and other guests during the awards ceremony.

South is the wild card

Webteam — Tue, 20 Jan 2004 19:48:08 GMT

Bakersfield’s South High School received a “wild card” entry into the California “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” student competition to be held Feb. 4-6 in Sacramento. The announcement came on Jan. 12 from Roy Erickson, state coordinator of the “We the People...” competition. South High finished second to Centennial High School during the Region Four event held on Dec. 11 in Bakersfield. As one of the top two, highest-scoring, second place finishers in statewide regional competitions, South High earned the right along with Centennial to represent Kern County in Sacramento.

Robotics team fourth in state

Webteam — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 22:54:04 GMT

“LEGOnauts” from Valley Oaks Charter School may never put a man on Mars, but a recent statewide competition at LEGOland in Carlsbad, CA, proved how good they were at programming a robot to perform tasks on Mars. On Dec. 6, LEGOnauts, a team of 10 students, ages 9-14, finished fourth among 48 California contenders at the LEGOland Mission Mars competition sponsored by Junior Robotics.

Performance headed for big screen

Webteam — Mon, 28 Jul 2003 19:49:36 GMT

When Centennial High sophomores Sarah Franz, Cristina Pandol and Marilee Janneti Rickett finished ninth at National History Day at the University of Maryland in June, it was a satisfying end to nine months of research and performance. Or so they thought. After their return to California, Rickett received an email from a documentary film director in Berkeley. Judith Ehrlich, from non-profit Interface Productions, was working on a documentary called “Una Storia Segreta: The Secret Story” and wanted the girls in it.

Three make national history

me@... — Tue, 24 Jun 2003 17:08:09 GMT

Three junior high students from Bakersfield made a trip to the University of Maryland for the experience of competing at National History Day and came back as national champions.

The competition ended on June 19 but far before their winning names were announced Fruitvale Junior High's trio of Deanna Arner, Hilary Clarke and William Jordan had a feeling things could be special.

Kern shines at state history day

Webteam — Mon, 12 May 2003 21:44:56 GMT

Fruitvale Junior High and Juliet Thorner School led the way for Kern County with five category championships between them at the annual History Day in California competition held May 9-11 in Pasadena. In all, Kern County won eight category titles in the three-day competition. Winners, except in the “Poster” and “Website” categories, are eligible to represent California at National History Day on June 15-19 at the University of Maryland.

No fat in speeches

Webteam — Mon, 12 May 2003 18:48:23 GMT

When 35 elementary grade students were asked to deliver a speech on “The Importance of Nutrition and Physical Activity Habits in Childhood and Adolescence,” they knew the content would have to be lean. The rules for the May 8 Bank of America Essay/Speech contest were specific. Each oratory could be no longer than five minutes.

Greve speeches spark emotions

Webteam — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 19:07:57 GMT

Several similarities surfaced during the 49th annual Henry Greve Speech Contest held in Bakersfield’s University Square on March 6. Among the 11 Kern County junior high and middle school student speeches there were four references to Elian Gonzalez, two about the late crew of the Columbia space shuttle, four students used note cards and seven did not.

Grandhe Wins Spelling Bee

Webteam — Tue, 18 Feb 2003 19:51:21 GMT

Siri Grandhe’s facultative chances of repeating as Kern County Spelling Bee champion came down to one word on a rainy February 12 night in Bakersfield. Fifteen other competitors had long been seated leaving just Grandhe and Evan Aguilar in a spell off that had lasted well past forty rounds.

Centennial repeats as state champ

Webteam — Tue, 11 Feb 2003 23:00:39 GMT

When it comes to “We the People - The Citizen and the Constitution,” Centennial High School has proven for the second consecutive year it is the best of the best in California. Centennial was honored as California “We the People - The Citizen and the Constitution” state champion in an awards ceremony on February 7 in Sacramento, defending the title it also won in 2002.

A challenging day for Decathlon

Webteam — Mon, 03 Feb 2003 23:49:23 GMT

February 1, Academic Decathlon Saturday at Bakersfield College, started out under gloomy conditions with heavy fog causing two of the participating 23 Kern County high schools to arrive a half hour late. Officials would not start the event until they got there giving all the participants a fair chance. Approximately two hours before that, the United States lost seven of its astronauts in a horrific explosion aboard the space shuttle Columbia as it was descending for a landing. The Decathlon went on but many students admitted focusing was a little tougher

Oral language participants motivated

Webteam — Mon, 27 Jan 2003 21:51:40 GMT

Tevis Junior High had four finalists to top all other schools in the number of trophies awarded at the 32nd annual Kern County Oral Language Festival held at Standard School District in Bakersfield on January 25. In all Tevis had two second and two third place finishers.

No limits for sightless student

me@... — Tue, 07 Jan 2003 19:35:43 GMT

Anthony Rodriguez plays basketball, football, boxes and this school year was elected student body treasurer at Beardsley Junior High. That kind of resume would be ample reason for many students to brag. Rodriguez feels it just means he has other untried worlds to conquer without the benefit of being able to see.

First-timer wins Fair art sweepstakes

lyschoe@... — Mon, 07 Oct 2002 20:18:44 GMT

Liberty High freshman Katelyn Alley said the last thing on her mind last year as a beginning artist at Rosedale Middle School was that she would wind up as the sweepstakes winner of the 2002 Kern County Fair Children's Art Display. That honor was bestowed on Alley during an Oct. 2 awards ceremony at the fair for her painting of dolphins at play underwater.

School-to-career celebrates success

lyschoe@... — Mon, 30 Sep 2002 19:39:02 GMT

Compton Junior High 8th-grader Brianna Cardoza spent five minutes on a late Sept. 26 afternoon interviewing Kern County Superintendent of Schools Assistant Superintendent John Lindsay, while classmate Griffin Bracke captured the moment on videotape.

Growing by helping each other

lyschoe@... — Mon, 01 Jul 2002 19:04:21 GMT

Sometimes it isn't so important what grows in a garden when compared with what went into making it grow. A recent example was when students in the Kern County Superintendent of Schools' (KCSOS) severely handicapped classes at Sunset School rolled up their sleeves so students at KCSOS state preschools and child development centers would have a place to plant gardens.

This history lesson gets an 'A'

lyschoe@... — Mon, 17 Jun 2002 19:07:55 GMT

Taylor Barnes said she “wanted to pass out but couldn't stop jumping up and down and crying.” Sarah Wilson said she “screamed my lungs out and danced with joy.”

Spontaneous reactions from two Kern County students who started a quest in late September that resulted in an award-winning effort at National History Day. Approximately 700,000 other grade 6-12 pupils from across the United States had the same goal. When the last announcement was made on the afternoon of June 13 at the University of Maryland, Barnes, Wilson and 11 other students from Kern County stood among the winners as National History Day's elite.

Mohr California Science Fair's top student

lyschoe@... — Tue, 28 May 2002 20:02:14 GMT

Desert Senior High School's (Edwards AFB) Derek Mohr is the California State Science Fair “Student of the Year.” The honor was bestowed upon the Desert Senior High senior during the 2002 California State Science Fair awards ceremony on May 21 at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Many ways to win at Math Field Day

lyschoe@... — Tue, 21 May 2002 00:05:29 GMT

Although it is not scored as a team competition, Fruitvale Junior High School distinguished itself with the most first place finishes (five) among approximately 700 students from 30 schools at the 32nd annual Kern County Middle School Mathematics Field Day held at Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield on May 18. Murray Middle School (Ridgecrest) had three first place finishes and Cecil Avenue (Delano), Warren Junior High and the Fruitvale All-Stars each had two.

Winning speeches about TV and movies

lyschoe@... — Mon, 13 May 2002 22:33:51 GMT

How do you explain “The Effects of Television and Movie Viewing Upon Young People” in five minutes or less? Discovery Elementary sixth-grader Meaghan Lingo and fifth-grader Bryan Maxwell and Endeavor Elementary fourth-grader Kyle Adams all found ways to do it and took first place honors at the annual Bank of America Essay/Speech Contest held May 8 at University Square in Bakersfield.

Historic day for Kern County students

lyschoe@... — Mon, 06 May 2002 19:05:57 GMT

Kern County's History Day team had seven winning entries at the annual History Day in California competition which concluded May 5 in San Jose. Students with winning entries will go on to compete at National History Day, June 9-13, at the University of Maryland.