More than 6,000 students descended on Mechanics Bank Arena today to watch the Bakersfield Condors take on the Abbotsford Canucks for the annual Field Trip Day. Students were bused in from more than two dozen school districts to take part in the event, presented by Valley Strong Credit Union. The Canucks beat the Condors 4-2. The Condors’ next game is on Friday.
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Ishmeet Singh, a junior at Stockdale High School, is reshaping how students across California receive critical mental health support. He spearheaded an initiative to integrate QR codes on all school ID cards across the state, linking students directly to the mental health resources they need.
The Embrace Equity Symposium in Bakersfield is honoring three Equity Champions whose dedication to inclusivity is inspiring change in Kern County. This year’s honorees—Salvador Avalos, Raji K. Brar, and Ishmeet Singh—are celebrated for their tireless work to uplift others.
Nearly 500 educators and community members from Kern County and beyond gathered at the Mechanics Bank Convention Center for the 4th Annual EMBRACE Kern Equity Symposium, marking the first day of this impactful two-day event.
As California gears up to offer an entirely new type of teaching credential geared toward pre-kindergarten through third-grade teachers, experts and educators alike are rallying around the idea that play is more than just a break from learning — it is the learning.
Nearly 2,000 students from nine school districts across eastern Kern County gathered Thursday at the Mojave Air and Space Port for the third annual East Kern Career Expo. The event, packed with exploration and learning, provided students from grades six through twelve with a firsthand look at potential college and career paths in their own region.
Standard Middle School and Mt. Vernon Elementary School are Bakersfield’s latest Blue Zones Project Approved Schools. Both campuses celebrated their milestones this week. Over the past year, staff at each school have worked with Blue Zones Project Bakersfield to implement changes to help make their campuses healthier for students.
The Wasco Union Elementary School District held its annual English Language Reclassification Ceremony last week, celebrating the achievements of 127 students in grades K-8 who have successfully transitioned from English Language Learner (ELL) status to reclassified as fluent English proficient students.
November marks Homeless Youth Awareness Month (HYAM). This nationwide effort began in 2007 to highlight the issues faced by young people experiencing homelessness. The Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative’s (BKRHC) Youth Action Board (YAB) is leading the charge through a series of events all month long. Key activities include the Purple Pie Challenge, a public donation drive, and a Town Hall meeting, all aimed at raising both awareness and resources.
The California Living Museum (CALM) announced today that tickets for the award-winning HolidayLights, now featuring a refreshed logo, are now on sale at www.calmholidaylights.org. HolidayLights will kick-off on Saturday, Nov. 30 and run nightly through Jan. 4, except on Christmas. Guests can enjoy the lights from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays, and enjoy new extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
KCSOS has introduced a regionalized model for special education, cutting travel times and fostering deeper connections between families and schools. Fruitvale School District’s Endeavour Elementary, a key partner of this initiative, exemplifies the powerful social and emotional impacts of inclusion.
In the halls of Rio Bravo-Greeley Union School District (RBG), school nurse David Tate has made it his mission to bridge the gap between education and healthcare for families going through childhood cancer. Inspired by his son’s fight with leukemia, Tate, alongside the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), has championed resources aimed at helping schools support children with cancer as they return to the classroom.
The Pledge of Allegiance is no longer just a daily classroom tradition. Through a new initiative called Pledge Across Kern, led by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) in partnership with KUZZ 107.9 FM, students from all corners of the county are coming together to lead the Pledge not just in their classrooms but over the airwaves.
In the early 1990s, former Kern County Superintendent Kelly Blanton dreamed of moving KCSOS to downtown Bakersfield to create a lively hub of learning and community. His vision became reality in 1994 with the dedication of City Centre, which has since become the beating heart of KCSOS, serving thousands who have worked tirelessly to support Kern County’s children and families over the years. Now, as KCSOS marks 30 years downtown, the addition of the iconic Bell Tower signals an exciting new chapter in Blanton’s enduring legacy.
McKinley Elementary School has welcomed back its Peaceful Paths Nature Trail. This project has transformed a long-forgotten trail into a tranquil space for students and staff alike. The trail, which had fallen into disrepair over the years, was brought back to life thanks to the efforts of Leadership Bakersfield’s Team Three and dedicated community volunteers.
The Lamont Elementary School District (LESD) is marking a significant milestone this year, celebrating its 130th anniversary. Since its humble beginnings in the late 19th Century, the district has grown alongside the town of Lamont, transforming into a vital institution at the heart of its community. Current and former school officials, as well as community members gathered at Mountain View Middle School Tuesday morning to celebrate as LESD looks back on its storied past while keeping its eyes set on the future.
In a significant move to equip young Californians with essential life skills, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill last June that will require financial literacy education in high schools. Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, all high schools in the state will offer a semester-long personal finance course; by the 2030-31 school year, financial literacy will become a graduation requirement. This initiative aims to give youth the tools they need to navigate adult financial life.
School representatives from all over Kern County came out to the Padre Hotel Thursday morning for Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ (KCSOS) Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Symposium. The event, themed “Cultivating Hearts and Minds: Empowering the Whole Child,” emphasized the importance of supporting all students from academics to behavior to mental health and well-being.
The Kern High School District (KHSD) brought nearly 400 community partners together for an inspiring day of collaboration and connection during the annual Principal Partners’ Day event on Wednesday. With the theme “Together We Thrive,” this year’s event celebrated the powerful role community partnerships play in shaping the education and future of Kern County’s students.
The latest standardized test results from Kern County show slight improvements in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math. While overall progress has been slow, bright spots are apparent at school districts all over the county.
