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,” More