KHSD NEWS A Tradition of Excellence Since 1893 August 2017

5801 Sundale Avenue - Bakersfield, CA - 93309 - 661.827.3100 - www.kernhigh.org

A service of the KHSD Public Information Office • kernhigh.org

Celebrating Attendance and Community Support

The annual kick-off event for Attendance

Awareness month in Kern County was recently

hosted by North High School. Inspirational

speakers were featured sharing the importance

and community impact of being in school every

day.

North High School (NHS) senior, Thomas Pack,

encouraged students to believe in themselves

and to succeed in life with strength and hope.

He brought the house down with his powerful

words and served as the final speaker of the

panel of dignitaries who gathered for the annual celebration.

Dr. Bryon Schaefer, Superintendent of the Kern High

School District, emceed the program and shared the

successful strategies the KHSD has been implementing

to improve attendance. Last year there were 4,000 fewer

absences than the year before, and 40,000 fewer

absences since 2014.

NHS Senior, Thomas Pack

Kern County Supervisor, Leticia Perez

Dr. Bryon Schaefer with Shamar Oliver, Hunter Rasmussen,

and Gladys Santana from Mira Monte

Mayor Karen Goh

“The goal for all of us, working together,

includes early identification and intervention,

finding those students not enrolled in school,

working with other agencies to help students

develop positive attendance patterns, and

strengthening family support and education.”

– Dr. Bryon Schaefer, Superintendent, KHSD

Dr. Schaefer was joined on the stage by Dr. Mary

Barlow, Kern County Superintendent of Schools,

who stated she was proud of the collaboration

and outreach projects addressing chronic

absenteeism throughout the county.

Celebrating Attendance and Community Support Continued

Chief Lyle Martin of the Bakersfield Police Department

explained why he cares so much about keeping

students in school: Daytime burglary, vandalism, and

graffiti numbers mirror absenteeism numbers.

“When you succeed, we all succeed.”

- Chief Lyle Martin, Bakersfield Police Department

Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez told students good attendance was a strong predictor for

graduation and encouraged students to prepare for their future now and be successful beyond

college.

“Pursuing your dreams starts with the habits you are setting today!”

– Leticia Perez, Supervisor, Kern County

Every school day counts. For additional resources for schools, students, and parents, please visit

www.kernstayinschool.org.

Project Next Step

Equipping students and parents with

relevant information to ensure student

success in high school and beyond was the

goal of Project Next Step, a daylong event

featuring a Town Hall meeting, workshops,

and community resource fair for Kern High

School District students (KHSD).

The KHSD, in collaboration with several

districts and educational organizations,

invited 700 middle and high school students

and their parents to a one-day conference at

the Dore Theatre at CSUB, on Saturday,

August 12, 2017.

“The academic success of all students in the

KHSD is the ultimate goal of our Superintendent

and our Board of Trustees. The KHSD is pleased to

partner with our local AKA Sorority, while working

with our staff members, our educational partners,

and community members, to support our students

as they journey through high school. Together, we

can do much.” - Dr. Brenda Lewis, KHSD Associate

Superintendent of Instruction

Donna Burch is a freshman at Stockdale High School.

She invited her mom to learn strategies to help her be successful in school. Her mom, Carla, said she

was impressed with the level of interest the KHSD has in its students.

Families attended workshops and were given

resources on A-G completion and college options,

homework support and intervention, classroom

etiquette, test-taking strategies, FAFSA and

scholarships, peer pressure and leadership, and the

importance of mentoring.

The Gordon family accompanied their son Wesley to

the event to gather as much information as possible to

help their son achieve his goal of becoming a music educator. His mom, Nancy, says he had many

opportunities at Bakersfield High School, and they were excited to see what information was available to

further his education.

Project Next Step Continued

Town Hall speakers included Dr. Bryon

Schaefer, Superintendent, KHSD;

Dr. Brenda Lewis, Associate

Superintendent, KHSD; Lewis Neal,

Youth Services Supervisor, Bakersfield

City School District (BCSD); Dr. Paula

Parks, Professor, Bakersfield College

(BC); Dr. Jacqueline Mimms, Associate

Vice President of Enrollment

Management, CSUB; and Keynote

speaker Arleana Waller, the She Power

Ambassador.

Bakersfield Chief of Police Lyle Martin and the Honorable Gloria Cannon,

the first African American female judge in Kern County, led a workshop on

peer pressure and leadership.

Chief Martin shared advice with the students, urging them to surround

themselves with good people, work hard, and do more than what is

expected of them.

“We are grateful to our community leaders and organizations for

assisting in making this day possible, and for sharing in our belief that

today's African American youth can truly effect a positive change in

our community and the world if they are equipped with the Next Step."

- Odella Johnson, Coordinator, Project Next Step

The event closed with a presentation by Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh recognizing the work and

contributions of Dr. Caren Floyd. Project Next Step is

a collaboration between leaders of our educational

system and community organizations to support and

prepare the students for their next step so that they

achieve their full potential as future professionals and

leaders. Organizers included representatives from

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Kappa

Omega Omega Chapter; the Bakersfield Ivy Legacy

Foundation; KHSD; CSUB; BC; and BCSD.

Dr. Bryon Schaefer, Arleana Waller, Dr. Brenda Lewis, and Ryan Geivet

Mayor Karen Goh

“Experience Berkeley” Program

This summer nearly thirty students from the

KHSD began a remarkable experience exploring

college opportunities through a special series of

trips taking them to educational organizations

across the state.

UC Berkeley was the first stop in late July where

students in the “Experience Berkeley” program

spent the day shadowing current Berkeley

students and participated in tours, activities, and

workshops. An overnight stay in the dorms was

also provided. Day two included more educational

engagement opportunities and personal development workshops for students.

The second stop of this three-stop experience will be a trip to

Santa Monica City College on Saturday, August 12th, and the final

leg will take place on October 20th and 21st back on the campus

of Cal Berkeley.

KHSD Signs Commitment to Furthering Educational Opportunities On July 20th, Dr. Brenda Lewis, Associate Superintendent of

the KHSD, and Chris Dutton, KHSD Project BEST Advisor, met

with President Devorah Lieberman, President of the University

of La Verne (ULV). They participated in a commitment signing

ceremony of students accepted to ULV. This exciting

commitment means any Project BEST or BSU student that is

admitted to ULV will receive $10k to $25k in scholarship money

should he or she choose to attend ULV.

Preparing KHSD Students for College

Dr. Brenda Lewis, Chris Dutton, and

Dr. Devorah Lieberman, ULV President

Courtesy of Chris Dutton

kernhigh.org

Google Apps for Education

The Kern High School District hosted a Google

Apps for Education (GAFE) Summit at West High

School on August 1-2, 2017. A total of 397 KHSD

staff members attended the two-day training.

Participants were engaged in two full days of

learning focused on integrating Google Apps to

enhance instruction and student learning. The

two days consisted of general presentations, as

well as workshops that featured Google

Innovation Educators, Google Certificated

Trainers, and other solution providers. Jordan Morales (WHS), Kym Campbell (CHS), Holly Mell (District)

AHS ROTC Teachers, John Lunsford and Gary Ortega

Kern County Concussion Consortium

A partnership between the KHSD and the Kern County

Concussion Consortium provides parents, students, and

coaches with valuable information as fall sports

programs get underway.

“We are fortunate that we have such a dedicated

group of health professionals to educate them on

concussion signs and symptoms as well as

return-to-play protocol.” - Stan Greene, Director of

School Support Services, KHSD

Presenters at the event included David Harrington from the Center for Neuro Skills; Dr. Arnold Lim, Sports

Medicine; Dr. Matt Ashely, Neurologist; Dr. William F. Baker Jr., Internal Medicine; Fred Smith, Head

Athletic Trainer for Bakersfield College; and Stan Greene.

To view the entire Kern County Concussion Consortium Presentation on demand, visit the Kern High

Network at www.kernhighnetwork.com

Free Physicals for Student Athletes

Thanks to Kern Medical, KHSD athletes were once again provided free

physicals this year. The event took place Saturday, August 5, 2017, at

Kern Medical’s Columbus campus and served hundreds of students.

“Our students are very fortunate to have such invested

community partners like Kern Medical. We can’t thank them

enough for the services they provide our athletes.” - Stan Greene,

Director of School Support Services, KHSD

Kern Medical has provided over a thousand free physicals to the

students of the KHSD in the last year alone, and future events like this

one are being planned.

kernhigh.org

School Starts with a Focus on Student Safety

Courtesy of Feven Kay, 23 ABC

Bakersfield Adult School’s the “Job Spot”

On Tuesday, August 29, 2017, a Grand Opening and Ribbon

Cutting Ceremony was held for the “Job Spot.” The “Job Spot”

is a multi-agency educational and employment resource for the

future. Funded by the Adult Education Block Grant, the “Job Spot”

was the creative vision of the Bakersfield Adult School Principal,

Mark Wyatt, and his administrative team. Bakersfield Adult School

currently serves over 14,000 adults, and the team designed the “Job

Spot” to specifically serve the needs of our community. This new

facility will provide information

about local jobs and provide

educational support and

guidance from Bakersfield

College. The “Job Spot” is

equipped with access to

technology, a conference room,

and two skills labs.

Mayor, Karen Goh, KHSD Superintendent, Dr. Bryon Schaefer, and Bakersfield Adult School Principal, Mark Wyatt, all attended the ceremony and welcomed the community to tour the new facility.

L to R: Jim Keene, Program Coordinator, Job Spot; Jody Loeffler, Supervising Administrator, BAS; Bryan Batey, KHSD Board President;

Mark Wyatt, Principal, BAS; Elizabeth Sanchez, Student; Karen Goh, Mayor, Bakersfield; Dr. Bryon Schaefer, Superintendent, KHSD;

Phillip Peters, KHSD Trustee; Jeff Flores, KHSD Trustee

Mark Wyatt, Mayor Karen Goh, and

Dr. Bryon Schaefer

Summer Sizzles for Golden Hawks

The Centennial High School (CHS) Mock Trial Team did not let

summer vacation stand in the way of success!

Hope Wearing, a 2017 CHS graduate, participated in her second

“Gladiator” tournament, held in Newport Beach in July.

According to CHS Mock Trial Advisor, Brett Dobson, this is a unique

situation because it is the only individual mock trial tournament.

Participants had to compete in four rounds, one as the prosecution

attorney, one as the defense attorney, one as the prosecution witness,

and one as the defense witness.

Forty-eight of the best mock trial competitors from around the country

and one from Canada competed. Wearing placed 23rd

in her final competition as a Golden Hawk.

“She is the most decorated Centennial Mock Trial Team Member in school history. Much

of the team’s success in the past four years has been due to Hope’s leadership and

coaching. I am so proud of her, and I wish her the best at Fresno State.” – Brett Dobson,

Mock Trial Advisor, CHS

Mock Trial Summer Institute at UCLA Aleyna Young, who will be a sophomore at CHS, attended the UCLA Mock Trial Institute over her summer break. This program is a special weeklong event designed to enhance the skills of students interested in a career in the legal field while earning academic credit for the course.

The week ended with a day of competition on the UCLA campus and an awards ceremony. During two rounds of competition, a 10 was the highest rank a student could achieve. Young was one of only four attorneys to reach 10 ranks in the entire field.

“Aleyna was chosen to deliver the closing argument for her team, and her perfect scores show how strong and deep a team Centennial will be fielding this coming year.” – Brett Dobson, Mock Trial Advisor, CHS

Hope Wearing with CHS Mock

Trial Advisor, Brett Dobson

Courtesy of the Young Family

KHSD FFA Programs Honored

Results just released show agriculture programs across the KHSD had a strong showing at the state level

and will now move on to the National FFA Competition this fall.

National Chapter Awards:

Frontier High School - Three Star Award

North High School - Three Star Award

Highland High School- Two Star Award

Frontier and North accounted for the only two Triple Star Awards for FFA Applications in California, which

is the highest award offered at this level!

Kern Valley High School had a student named National Finalist in the Proficiency Award

category. Congratulations Sierra Noble for your work in Ag Sales Placement.

Good luck to all our students representing Kern County and California at the National Convention in

Indianapolis, Indiana in October.

Dishman Elected to State Post KHSD Police Officer Shane Dishman, President of the California School

Employees Association (CSEA) Kern High Chapter 81, was recently elected

to the California State Board of Directors as the First Vice President. The

announcement was made at the 91st CSEA annual conference.

“My plan is to have every member feel protected and realize that

they are part of a very large family of brothers and sisters that make a

difference every day.” First Vice President, Shane Dishman, CSEA

The CSEA is the largest public employee union in the nation.

Congratulations! Courtesy of CSEA

Recent Liberty High School graduate Caitlyn Richter took 5th place at National History

Day competition this summer and also received special awards for her long term

success at National History Day.

Earlier this year, Caitlyn won the California State competition in the Group Exhibit

category with a presentation on Mendez vs. Westminster.

Congratulations, Ms. Richter, and best of luck in your future endeavors!

Kern High School District

Mission Statement

The mission of the Kern High School District is to provide programs and

services to allow all students to graduate from high school prepared to

succeed in the workplace and at the post-secondary level.

Contact Us

For more information about

Kern High School District

schools and programs, visit

us on the web at:

www.kernhigh.org

Kern High School District

5801 Sundale Avenue

Bakersfield, CA 93309

(661) 827-3100

Lisa Krch

Public Information and

Communications Manager

Lisa_Krch@kernhigh.org

Upcoming Events

Sept 4 Labor Day

Sept 5 KHSD Board of Trustees Meeting

EOC Board Room 7:00 p.m.

Sept 11 18th Annual Kern County College Night

Bakersfield Convention Center 5-8 p.m.

Sept 19 Community Public Forum

EOC Board Room 6 p.m.

Three graduate students from Shafter High School will be receiving the

American Degree at the 2017 National FFA Convention. According to the

National FFA Organization, the American Degree is awarded to less than 1%

of FFA members and is one of the organization’s highest honors.

The American Degree is awarded to members who have demonstrated the

highest level of commitment and made significant accomplishments in their individual Supervised

Agriculture Experience Projects. Congratulations to Kayla Foster, Wilson Hansard, and Celeste

Ortiz. These students have met rigorous requirements, completed SAEP’s, been active in Shafter

FFA, and completed 50 hours of community service.

Congratulations to the students and staff at Golden Valley High School (GVHS).

GVHS was initially awarded a Bronze Award for their hard work from the

California PBIS Coalition, but actually earned a Silver for their support strategy

implementation and success.

PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports and GVHS is one of 18 KHSD sites

recognized for establishing the social culture and individualized behavior supports needed for ALL

students to achieve social and academic success.