Sheila Cazares and Jane Frando know how much their peers admire what they have done in their long careers as school bus drivers for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. Both received standing ovations when their names were announced as recipients of safe driving awards during ceremonies held at Sequoia Middle School in Bakersfield on Aug. 13. The two are among an elite group of just seven drivers who have been a part of KCSOS Transportation Services since it began busing students from home-to-school in 1981. The others are Judy Fike, Julia Beverly, Carrie Boschini, Pat Jackson-Shaw and Julia Hughes. Imagine driving the equivalent of 52 times around the world. Then, factor in no accidents and what you have is Cazares’ amazing driving record. She has logged almost 1.3 million miles driving her school bus without being involved in a preventable accident. Officer Von Cain, representing the California Highway Patrol (CHP), presented Cazares with the CHP Safe Driving Award, which is given to drivers each time they surpass 100,000 miles without a preventable accident. Cazares has accumulated quite a few. As Cazares walked down the aisle amid boisterous applause and a standing ovation, Cain told the audience, “Sheila, I can’t even fathom that much mileage, and without an accident? I thought I drove a lot in my patrol car, but it is nothing compared to what you have accomplished.” More

How do you keep your troubled teen from running away, becoming violent towards you or falling out of school for all of these reasons and more? Tough questions for which an organization called The Parent Project has spent 21 years developing successful responses that put parents back in control of their children’s lives. During the week of Aug. 4-8, two authors of “The Parent Project” curriculum, CEO Ralph “Bud” Fry, a former law enforcement officer and Roger Morgan, a child psychologist, were in Bakersfield. Their role was to train several dozen school administrators, teachers and community service providers to be certified facilitators for parents. Training was sponsored by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office (KCSOS), Kern High School District and the Truancy Reduction and Attendance Coalition of Kern (TRACK). Certified facilitators do not in teach parents how to be parents. Their role is to involve parents in preventing and interceding in their children’s destructive behavior. As an example, in a Wednesday morning session several very real situations with possible scenarios were presented and those in training were given the task of working together to come up with outcomes and remedies. One of those scenarios revolved around what to do if your child threatens to run away. Several remedies were discussed that resulted in the same outcome — putting the child in a situation where his or her only alternative was to return home. More

During the summer, Saturday nights at the California Living Museum (CALM) have become the place to be. They call it Twilight at CALM and since July 5 every Saturday night it’s been two-and-a-half hours of entertainment and education in a cool environment - both because of the content and the weather. CALM is located at 10500 Alfred Harrell Highway (between Lake Ming and Hart Park) in northeast Bakersfield. "After a long, hot day, a cool breeze blows up from the Kern River making evenings a fantastic time to visit the animals at CALM," said manager Lana Fain. CALM closes after the daytime session at 5 p.m., but when it re-opens from 5:30-8 p.m., it is "Twilight" time at the combination zoo, botanical garden and natural history museum. Part of the fun is a lively, hour-long show by Curator of Animals Don Richardson who introduces visitors to mammals, birds of prey or reptiles, providing visitors with up close and personal experiences with a large variety of animals ranging from tarantulas to baby skunks. Presentations are entertaining, and everyone leaves a little more knowledgeable about the wildlife around them. While it will not transport you to a different dimension, the Central California Children’s Railroad is on track for rides around the zoo with some great panoramas of the river, surrounding hills and vegetation. This is not a kiddie train ride - adults enjoy it as much as children. Tracks run east of the zoo and during the eight minute ride passengers frequently get glimpses of wildlife in their natural habitat. Train tickets are only $1, making it one of the most inexpensive modes of transportation in today’s economy. More

Imagine trying to escape the specter of gang involvement or the hopeless feeling of teen pregnancy, and you may be able to appreciate what a program called JobsPlus is doing for at risk teenage students in Kern County. JobsPlus reaches out to students enrolled in the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Court and Community Schools Division, who have previously been expelled or are at serious risk of dropping out. Combined with the education they are receiving in community schools, it is giving them an opportunity to earn and learn what it takes to succeed as an adult. Some of those it is helping are Luis Castro, Ashley Aragon and Richard Flores. Castro, a former gang member had been continuously expelled every year since he was caught selling drugs in eighth grade. Aragon had her hopes of graduating with her class and a bright future shattered by teen pregnancy. Flores faced life after foster care at age 18 without financial support or any tangible job skills. All are enrolled at Community Learning Center Tech where they had to be 30 credits away from graduation, while maintaining good attendance and academic standing to be eligible for JobsPlus. “With JobsPlus we engage students in work-related learning experiences, career awareness and contextual learning opportunities that prepare them for graduation and postsecondary education,” said Career Development Specialist Andrea Parsons. “These days, high school graduation isn’t enough — students have to be prepared to take it to the next level. They are taught résumé writing and interview preparation, job search and knowledge of labor markets skills, and we can even provide them with appropriate clothes for job interviews.” More

Quite a scene seeing 248 Kern County children shopping on July 19 during the Back to School Mervyns' ChildSpree at the California and East Hills Mall Mervyn's stores in Bakersfield. Every year for 16 years Mervyn's has given children who might not otherwise be able to shop for new school clothes an opportunity to do so. Major financial sponsors who contributed matching funds with Mervyn’s were Community Connection for Child Care Foundation, Bakersfield Active 20/30 club, West Bakersfield Rotary Club, Tejon Ranch, CASA and Youth Connections. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Community Connection for Child Care (CCCC) was one of the contributing volunteer agencies, as it has been for many years. Volunteers helped children pick age appropriate clothes during the shopping spree that matched the funds available for spending. Joining with CCCC were Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Youth Connections, HEARTS Connection, Bakersfield Police Activities League (PAL), Sheriff's Activities League (SAL) and the Boys and Girls Club. Each child received breakfast provided by McDonald's and a backpack filled with school supplies from Mervyn's and the 20/30 Club. The Bakersfield Fire Department talked with children at the California Avenue store about fire safety and gave them a chance to see fire trucks up close. Something new this year was the First 5 Kern, First 5 California, Kern County Public Health Department and Bakersfield Police Department health fair which included immunizations and dental screenings, car seat safety, growth charts for children and information about the Public Health Departments "fight the bite" campaign which aims to prevent West Nile virus. More