Centennial High School has its sites 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. 6-8. Centennial earned the right by defeating Arvin High in the region four championships held Dec. 4 at California State University, Bakersfield. Centennial and Arvin emerged from a field of 13 Kern County high schools to be crowned congressional district winners. Teams competed in either the 22nd or 20th Congressional Districts with Centennial winning the 22nd District trophy and emerging as the overall champion based on total team score. Arvin was the 20th Congressional District winner. Arvin's loss to Centennial does not necessarily mean it is out of a chance to compete in the state championships. There are 10 regional representatives. In past years, as many as two regions have not sent representatives leaving wild card openings for teams with the best statewide scores among runner-ups.

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 SchoolsÂ’ 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." 

If you are a "star" in education, people want to know about you. While Kern County Superintendent of SchoolsÂ’ (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 stateÂ’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 organizationÂ’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. 

What do a high school senior, a movie producer and a famous football player all have in common? They have all found ways to keep smoking tobacco out of their lives, and on Nov. 1 shared how they do it with middle and high school students at the 10th American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout Mock News Conference. Held at the Kern County Superintendent of School's (KCSOS) Office in Bakersfield, the event brought together a panel of experts on the harmful effects of tobacco use and dozens of health education, prevention education, journalism and TV production students seeking information for a myriad of related projects. Each year the local cancer society, KCSOS and the Kern County Tobacco Use Prevention Education Program present the event to give students real-world experience. Almost a dozen student-operated video cameras were in strategic positions inside the large conference room where the news conference took place. Two directors sat behind monitors, using electronic switchers to cut back and forth between camera shots. One, working for KCSOS, produced live streaming video for the Internet and the other, a student working with a Liberty High School production class, videotaped the show for a variety of future classroom projects.

When it came to celebrating Halloween, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office found it was a great way to treat deserving children, raise money for programs and even provide curriculum for at risk students. Getting the early jump on everyone else was the California Living Museum (CALM), which opened its gates for free on Oct. 27 for children ages 3-12 who were dressed in costume. The annual event called Boo at the Zoo, drew approximately 1,600 children and parents who ventured out despite a little rain to enjoy a day of seeing CALM's 200 resident animals and a wildlife presentation, plus games, crafts and the always anticipated treats. CALM even brought the Central California Children's Railroad out from the roundhouse so families could have a pleasurable bonding experience on a scenic trip around the zoo's perimeter for only a dollar. It was doubly exciting for CALM which was able to provide families with a fun and inexpensive outing and at the same time raise funds for its nonprofit operation. 

“When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” may not be stored in the iPods carried by today’s youth, but it was on the minds of approximately 2,000 students from throughout California who descended on Bakersfield’s Rabobank Convention Center on Oct. 17. The occasion was the annual Kern County Academic Decathlon Concert. The song, which has been an inspirational tune in many wars, was one of approximately 29 chosen to depict the styles and characteristics of music performed during the United States Civil War. Students with notebooks and pens at the ready took notes in preparation for the music portion of the Kern County Academic Decathlon competition which will take place Feb. 2 at Bakersfield College. The theme for this year’s decathlon is “The Civil War” and, appropriately enough, students will be quizzed on their knowledge of “The Music of the Civil War Era.” Each year the Kern County Academic Decathlon Association, Kern County Superintendent of Schools and Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra sponsors the concert, the only one of its kind in California, to help students prepare.

Even though the last corn dog had long been munched, fair fever still persisted on the morning of Oct. 10 at the Claude W. Richardson Child Development Center in Bakersfield. And it did for a very good reason. Children in the Infant Development Program (IDP) at Richardson could not attend the Kern County Fair, held Sept. 19-30. So, staff and parents brought their version of the fair to them. More than a dozen goats, chickens, rabbits, turtles, ponies, pigs, dogs and even a tractor could be found in a comfortable, yet not too spacious, grassy area, located directly behind the IDP classrooms. Reactions from the children ranged from timidly, cautious to total acceptance. One little girl, Emily-Rose Hampton, was so taken by a goat named Sandy, that she had to give it a big hug. Dozens of moms and dads were clicking away on their cameras. Kodak moments existed everywhere you looked.