Let the competition begin

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2008 Kern County Science Fair

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2008 Kern County Academic Decathlon

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2008 Kern County Mock Trial Super Saturday

January through May is the season for academic competitions administered by the Superintendent’s office that will engage approximately 50,000 Kern County students in everything from the performing of literary works to the mastery of history and the understanding of scientific concepts.

The academic event season kicks off on Jan. 24 at Kern County Superior Courts in Bakersfield with Kern County Mock Trial Super Saturday, the culmination of three months of competition among local high schools. Student teams of defenders and prosecutors will try the fictitious case of People v. Lane dealing with an alleged radical group leader who has been charged with arson and inciting a group to riot against new settlers who have bought land and established a spiritual movement. The winning team goes on to represent Kern County at the state mock trial competition in Riverside from March 20-22.

Kern County’s best scholastic music talents display their skills in two separate age-related festivals. “It’s a Grand Night for Music” honors the top high school band, orchestra and choral talents on Jan. 27. The best elementary and middle school musicians get their turn at the Honor Music Festival held on Feb. 28. Both events take place in Bakersfield’s Rabobank Convention Center.

Every subject in the book, figuratively speaking, will be contested at the Kern County Academic Decathlon on Feb. 7 at Bakersfield High School. Teams of A (honor), B (scholastic) and C (varsity) students from local high schools compete in 10 events, including Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Music, Science, Speech and Super Quiz (written and oral) on the event topic “Latin America.” The overall team winner vies for the state championship March 13-16 in Sacramento.

Literary works are interpreted by local elementary and middle school age children in the two-night Kern County Oral Language Festival, which takes place at University Square in Bakersfield on the nights of Feb. 12 and 26. Students have the option of performing a serious or humorous interpretation of a published author’s work by themselves, in pairs or in a group as a chorus.

Elementary through high school age students who have spent the year researching historical subjects compete for individual and group awards at the annual Kern County History Day held on March 7 at Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield. Entries that reflect student research and knowledge of a particular subject can be in the form of performances, documentaries, papers, exhibits and posters. Winning entrants can compete at History Day in California from April 30-May 3 in Sacramento.

March 17 the microscope focuses on almost any project from aerodynamics to zoology as the scientific scrutiny and curiosity of students comes under examination at the annual Kern County Regional Science Fair at the Rabobank Convention Center in Bakersfield. Students in the elementary grades through high school have to explain their displays, log books and hypothesis to a panel of judges as they contend for medals, cash awards and a chance to compete in Los Angeles from May 18-19 in the California Science Fair.

Budding middle school orators get a chance to showcase their original writing and speaking skills in two competitions. March 26 the Bakersfield Toastmasters “Golden Empire” Club No. 270 holds its annual Henry Greve Speech Contest at University Square. May 7 the Bank of America Speech Contest moves into University Square to award trophies to the best in grade levels six through eight.

May is also the month for Kern County Mathematics Field Day on the second at Ridgeview High School. No team records are kept in this one. Hundreds of individuals and groups of students compete for awards in fun games and events based on state math curriculum standards.


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