KHSD NEWS - KHSD Superintendent

KHSD NEWS
5801 Sundale Avenue - Bakersfield, CA - 93309 - 661.827.3100 - www.kernhigh.org
A Tradition of Excellence Since 1893
April 2015
KHSD Saves Kern County Taxpayers Millions
Actions taken by the Kern High School District Board of Trustees and the
KHSD Business Division of approving a bond refinance resolution, will
result in a savings of more than $23 million dollars for local taxpayers.
“Local voters place significant trust in the KHSD
Board. It makes good
business sense for us to be
proactive in taking actions to
obtain lower interest rates on
the outstanding bonds. The
savings from the lower
interest charges go straight
to our local taxpayers and
homeowners.”
— J. Bryan Batey
Clerk, KHSD Board of Trustees
“Refinancing local bonds is similar to a homeowner refinancing their
home loan. In the current low interest rate environment, we were able to
lower the rates on our outstanding bond and pass the savings on to our
local homeowners and businesses.” - J. Bryan Batey, KHSD Board of
Trustees
In 2004, voters approved a total of $219 million dollars in General
Obligation Bonds on Measure N. The money funded numerous projects,
including the construction of both Independence High School and Mira
Monte High School. It also provided money for the modernization of
campuses including, but not limited to, Shafter High School, Arvin High
School, and East Bakersfield High School, as well as the expansion of
Career Technical Education programs at several KHSD sites around the
District.
“Since these are 2004 bonds, the actual savings to taxpayers will be
realized between now and the maturity date of the bonds in the year
2034.” - Dr. Scott Cole, Associate Superintendent of Business, KHSD
In This Issue

Massive Taxpayer
Savings
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Spotlight: Project
BEST
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Continuation School
Strides
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National Honors
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Numbers of Note:
Food Services
A service of the KHSD Public Information Office
•
kernhigh.org
“It’s not about where you
come from, it’s about where
you are going. Hard work is
the key.”
— Lisa Green, District Attorney, Kern
County
Careers in Court Day
Students representing several area high schools from Project BEST (Black
Excellence in Scholarship & Teaching) and the Black Student Union (BSU)
had a unique opportunity to see how our justice system works.
Youth Art Month at The Younger Gallery
Careers in Court Day hosted 140 students and introduced them to local law
enforcement and legal community partners, learning about the fields of
criminal law, corrections, enforcement, probation, parole, and paralegal.
The special day was packed with various experiences for the students, and
was sponsored by The Kern County District Attorney’s Office and Kern
County Superior Court.
“The goal of the day is to
inspire them to consider
one of these career paths
by sharing details of these
fascinating fields.”
— Chris Dutton, Project BEST Program
Administrator
“You can be anything you
want to be. Surround
yourself with good people
and good things will
happen.”
— Lyle Martin, Assistant Chief,
Bakersfield Police Department
Kern County District Attorney, Lisa Green, spoke about job opportunities in
the D.A.’s office, shared details from her life, education and career, took
questions, and offered those in attendance inspiration and advice.
Project BEST Celebrates Seniors
The Senior Culminating Event for Project BEST was held recently at
Ridgeview High School to honor students for their hard work and dedication.
Dr. Bryon Schaefer, KHSD Superintendent, was the featured speaker, and
made a special presentation to Fuchsia Ward, who has been instrumental in
the success of the program for years.
Project BEST is a community/school based
partnership, developed to encourage
African-American male students to be
successful in both high school and college.
Throughout the year, Project BEST
students have taken field trips to several
California colleges and universities, and
attended a Winter Conference on the
campus of California State University
Bakersfield. During these trips they are
provided information on scholarships, the
admission process, and campus tours.
Many of these students will be honored at
a special scholarship ceremony at West
High School on June 12th.
Project BEST Schools
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Bakersfield High School
Centennial High School
East Bakersfield High School
Foothill High School
Frontier High School
Golden Valley High School
Highland High School
Independence High School
Liberty High School
Mira Monte High School
Ridgeview High School
South High School
Stockdale High School
West High School
Teacher Receives Recognition
Mr. Tyrel Rose, social studies teacher at Foothill High
School, was recently selected to be a Madison Fellow.
“The Fellowship gives me a wonderful
opportunity to expand my knowledge of our
nation’s founding principles. With this
knowledge, I will be better able to serve my
students at Foothill High, and hopefully
foster within them an understanding of the
Constitution, so they will be able to apply it
within their own lives.”
– Tyrel Rose, Foothill High School
The Madison Fellowship is awarded each year to one
social studies teacher in each state, and provides the
recipient with up to $24,000 to pursue a Master’s
Degree in history or political science.
Mr. Rose is a graduate of Centennial High School and
has been teaching in the Kern High School District
since 2009.
CVHS Wraps Up Incredible Year
Students at Central Valley Continuation High School (CVHS)
have excelled this year in academics, citizenship and
volunteering their time to help the community. More students
passed the math portion of the CAHSEE test in 2014-2015 than
in the last four years, and nearly double the number of students
passed the English portion of the exam. CVHS is also on pace
to surpass the number of graduates Central Valley has produced
over the last several years.
“These are some of our biggest accomplishments for the year,
but many can’t be judged with statistics. I believe we have
created a home for these kids and are teaching them the values
they need to go on to the next step. Central Valley’s success,
on and off paper this year, have made this, by far, the most
satisfying year of my career.” - Chris Sanchez, Site
Administrator, Central Valley Continuation High School
A volunteer group was formed to help feed the homeless, and
groups of students now help out at a nearby elementary school
in Shafter. CVHS had the first chess team in continuation school
history compete in the Kern High School District’s tournament
this year as well.
Planet Hope
Planet Hope was founded in
1993 by sisters Kelly and
Sharon Stone.
It is a non-profit organization that provides programs
including:
 Summer Camp
 Hope for the Holidays
 Food and Warmth
Resources
 Planet Hope Prom
More than 1,000 dresses
have been donated to
Planet Hope Prom for girls
in many different schools in
various states.
Donors include:
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Forever 21
Macy’s
Bisou Bisou
Kardashian Clothing
Charming Charlie
Glamour Meets Generosity
Youth Art Month at The Younger Gallery
Stacks of brand new, high fashion dresses were delivered to Bakersfield
recently, courtesy of an organization called “Planet Hope.” The couture was
headed up to Highland High School, as a gift for nearly two dozen deserving
young ladies.
“You get to keep these dresses. They are your gift. Someday, sometime, you
will have the opportunity to pay it forward. That’s what this is all about. Being
good and kind. We want to have your lives light up.” – Victor Assad,
Planet Hope
In addition to the amazing gift of fashion, Planet Hope also provided extra
money in a special fund, so the girls could have the dresses altered to fit
them perfectly for their big night, and beyond.
“This is my senior prom, it’s very special to have such a pretty dress, it makes it more
meaningful. I am surprised I get to keep the dress, it’s a wonderful surprise, and something I
will always remember.” – Carolina Paz, ASB President, Highland High School
In all, 18 girls from Highland High School were given these gorgeous formal dresses. This year’s Junior-Senior
Prom was held at Rio Bravo Country Club on April 11th. The theme was “El Carnaval.”
BHS Virtual Enterprise Students Excel on National Stage
Bakersfield High School’s H2Grow Hydroponics Business Plan took third place at the Youth Business Summit of
the Virtual Enterprises International competition in New York City.
“We started this journey back in September. All those months of hard work paid off. I am just so proud
of all these students. They are going to go on to do amazing things.” - Ryker Solano, Virtual Business
Coordinator, Bakersfield High School.
H2Grow Hydroponics is a virtual company the students created, which is designed to save time, water, money and
space, when it comes to farming healthy food products.
The students who competed at the event are Zach Bryant, Parker Coon, Cassidy Grimsley, Katie Jameson, and
Kelly Little, and Virtual Business Coordinator Ryker Solano.
“This was a huge accomplishment for BHS and the Kern High School District. The competition in the
KHSD helped this team compete at the highest level. Twenty four teams from around the nation
qualified. Only six made the finals. I am very proud of these kids and their coach. They are disappointed
that they didn’t win it all, but they represented Kern County very well.” – David Reese, Principal at
Bakersfield High School.
Virtual Enterprise classes in the Kern High School District help students gain valuable experience in all aspects of
the business world, with special emphasis placed on creating software, online transactions and marketing. The
BHS award winning business plan consisted of creating a twenty page document covering business strategy,
product strengths and weakness, financial documents, market planning and research.
kernhigh.org
KHSD March for Babies
Staff members from the Kern
High School District office
laced up their walking shoes
to support the March of
Dimes event, held at The
Park at Riverwalk.
CHS Students Tackle Kern County Library Issue
The energetic team gathered
with their family and friends,
donations in hand, to join
forces with other groups in
the community supporting
healthy babies.
“It’s rewarding to see so
many KHSD employees
come together as a
team to show support
for precious babies that
someday will grow up
and become our
students.”
Economics students at Centennial High School recently completed a research
project on the financial situation of the Kern County library system. The
students identified the funding problems the county is facing, and each group
developed three alternative policies including a recommended policy, as well
as an action plan.
“This is a great example of KHSD students becoming involved in local issues,
researching the details of the issue, and forming their own conclusions based
on this research.” - Ryan Coleman, Social Studies Teacher, Centennial
High School.
– Mayra Ramos, Team
KHSD Captain
Team KHSD raised $1,863
for The March of Dimes.
Two of five student groups presented their research at a recent Kern County
Board of Supervisors meeting. One group explained why outsourcing library
services would be the answer to saving libraries. The other group, presented
their information on taxation as a recommended policy.
“I admire and respect your research and conclusions.”
– Supervisor Mike Maggard, District 3
The Board members were impressed with the presentations, asked questions,
and encouraged the students to continue their education and pursue careers
as lawyers or elected officials, because of the high quality of their verbal skills
and passionate, commanding delivery. The students earned extra credit for
their participation in this special project.
Counseling Association Awards
The annual awards banquet for the Kern High School District Counseling Association recently honored KHSD staff
members for their outstanding contributions to our students and our organization.
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Counselor of the Year
Patti Coughlin, West High School
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Administrator of the Year
Connie Grumling, Principal, South High School
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Teacher of the Year
Kitty Hay, East Bakersfield High School
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Classified Employee of the Year
Cindy Hayes, Centennial High School
Community Cleanup
Arvin High School students teamed up
with the Kern County Public Health
Services Department and local residents,
for a community clean-up and corner
store makeover.
The event was centered near the Arvin
Market, to celebrate the business
becoming a healthy retailer.
Arvin Market recently received two
refrigeration units to stock more produce
and dairy for customers.
Many Arvin students spent their Saturday
cleaning the surrounding areas, getting
exercise, and spreading the word about
the importance of a healthy lifestyle!
Teachers Who Are Artists
The outstanding talent of eighteen art teachers in the
Kern High School District, is being celebrated through
the month of May, at Younger Gallery in downtown
Bakersfield.
Younger Gallery
Teachers Who Are Artists Exhibit
1430 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 105
Bakersfield, CA 93301
The exhibit runs through May 27th.
To view additional photos from this exhibit, visit our
website at kernhigh.org.
Hours:
Wednesday and Friday
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Upcoming Events
May 4:
May 7:
May 14:
May 25:
May 28:
June 1:
KHSD Board Meeting
KHSD Board Room, 7:00 pm
DPAC/DELAC Parent Workshop
KHSD Board Room, 5:30 pm
DPAC/DELAC Meeting
KHSD Board Room, 6:00 pm
Memorial Day Observance
Spring Term Ends
KHSD Board Meeting
KHSD Board Room, 7:00 pm
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 or at the postsecondary level.
Numbers of Note:
Food Services
Lynn McGee
Director of Food Services
Kern High School District
3.2 Million = The number of student meals served,
including breakfast, lunch, after school snack and dinner,
during the 2014-15 school year to date
24,000 = The number of meals served daily in less than
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
20 minutes
26 = The number of KHSD school sites providing meals to
students
65% = The percentage of KHSD students who qualify for
The National School Lunch & Breakfast Program
Lisa Krch
Public Information and
Communications Manager
[email protected]