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BY THOMAS G. ROBINSON Community contributor very year the commit- tee for One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern, has the horrible and time-consuming task of selecting one book that will become the city of Bakersfield’s community-wide read. Why horrible? Why time-consum- ing? Well, if you’re an avid read- er of books, you would know just how hard it is to take a list of suggestions a mile long, and narrow it down to one book that everyone can read (includ- ing our city’s high schools), yet keeping in mind the diverse population that is Bakersfield, and then create fun and interesting events to coincide with the book. The “kicker” is that it ends with a bang! It usu- ally culminates in the author’s presence for a discussion and book signing! Over the last several years, we’ve had authors like Ray Bradbury (“Fahrenheit 451”), Pam Muñoz Ryan (“Esperanza Rising”), Eric Schloss- er (“Fast Food Nation”), and last year’s atten- dance record setter, Victor Villaseñor (“Burro Genius”), just to name a few, come to Bakers- field and speak to crowds numbered in the thousands. It’s a unique way of attempting to create something fun, yet educational, that asks two simple things from our citizens — read a book and talk about it. Sometimes that’s easier said than done. Bakersfield’s “One Book” choice for 2011 is “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore. Many of the schools’ funds have been cut, and, as a result, the amount of books that the schools receive is affected. In many cases, high school stu- dents are excluded from all the fun simply because they can’t get their hands on a copy. We would like to eliminate that problem. Last year we had kids reading Victor Villaseñor’s books because we were able to take them a copy that was pur- chased through a grant. This brought a whole new feel to the discussion board that was held at Russo’s Books at The Marketplace. Kids were giving their opinions about the book and tying Victor’s triumphs and tragedies to their own lives; it was very powerful! At Russo’s Books, from now until Sept. 15, we are accepting donations of “The Other Wes Moore” for the students of the schools listed on the poster! We’d love to get 500 books in the hands of 500 students so they can read this uplifting book that chronicles the struggles and victories of two boys, who happened to share the same name, but took tragic and life-chang- ing paths leading one to educational and finan- cial success, and the other to a life sentence in prison. Russo’s is offering a 20 percent discount on the book if you purchase it for the school — and 20 percent off a copy for yourself, too! he beginning of a new school year for some students is exciting; how- ever, for others it is filled with dread, frustration and fear. Begin- ning with the first day, they see the same struggles that plagued them the pre- vious year. The good news is each year is a tabula rasa, or blank slate. Walking in with a positive attitude and established goals can start a student off on a completely different path or a road to success. Students need to set goals to change their performance in school. Working with parents, students should have a discussion about past years and what behavior or habit negatively impacted their perform- ance. This conversation should not be about blame but instead should focus on one weakness that led to failure. Once that weakness has been identified, brainstorm ways to avoid the behaviors that led to the weakness. With a well-defined goal and a plan to reach it, students can learn not only how to change their behavior, but also find success in the classroom. Choosing a weak- ness can be easy. For example, computer time is a major issue. Staying up until all hours of the morning on video games and Facebook is not uncommon. As a result, staying awake all day is a problem and focusing on a lesson is impossible. Set a schedule in which computer access is allowed. Adherence to this schedule must be reinforced by par- ents as kids will test the waters. By making this a team effort, students are more likely to find success and turn their failures into victories. School is not and should not be some- thing to dread. It can be a fun place and a place where kids can learn. From experience, we all know a taste of success can make all the difference for anyone. Why not make a change this year for the better? Start off on the right foot and see how many wins your student can achieve! Amy Luther is an eighth-grade teacher at Warren Jr.High in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District. 2 The Bakersfield Voice Sunday, August 14, 2011 Share stories, photos, blogs www. bakersfieldvoice .com ■ Submitting your stories for The Bakersfield Voice is simple and FREE! Just go to: bakersfieldvoice.com and create a profile. ■ Choose what you’d like to contribute (an article, letter, picture or community event listing) and post it yourself. ■ Still need help getting your contributions onto our website? E-mail Sandra Molen at smolen@bakersfield.com ■ Circulation: If you would like to receive our weekly pub- lication or cancel delivery, please e-mail: voicedeliv- ery@bakersfield.com or call 392-5777. Be sure to include your request, contact information and address. YOUR PHOTOS YOUR EDUCATION T Set goals for a successful new school year Rodeo queen & court crowned BOOK REVIEW apture Kern is a photo contest that features the best of our county — with you in control. These photos were submitted by people like you as part of the summerlong contest spon- sored by The Bakersfield Californian and Tejon Ranch. Join the fun by visiting CaptureKernCounty.com to upload your own photos in more than 30 categories or to vote on the more than 16,000 images posted so far. Aug. 30 is the last day to submit photos and to vote! It’s free, easy and fun. Capturing Kern ... E BY LISA SKELLENGER n May the Kern County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse crowned their new queen and her court! The winners earned their titles by compet- ing in horsemanship, speech and modeling, personal Interview and an extensive written horse and rodeo knowledge test. Prizes included a crown, buckle and saddle, and additionally, for the queen, a two-horse trailer. Congratulations to the 2011 Miss Stampede Days Rodeo Queen, Dakota Skellenger! Also crowned during the 2011 Stampede Days Rodeo was Junior Queen, Rebecca Hall, Princess Lauren Nousch and Tiny Princess, Bileigh Jerni- gan! These girls are excited to represent their hometown of Bakersfield to the rest of the state as they attend rodeos and parades — including the Rose Parade Jan. 1! The rodeo queen and her court also feel privi- leged to further the Kern County Sheriff Posse’s goal of helping the underprivileged and handi- capped kids of Kern County. Locally, they are anxious to be involved in helping promote local businesses and organiza- tions, doing community service, and helping in fundraising efforts for various organizations. They have already been involved in an year- end show at M.A.R.E., Bishop Mule Days, the Glennville Rodeo and were special guests at a Blaze baseball game. If you would like the queen and her court to attend your organization’s event, please contact Lisa at: [email protected]. I C YOUR VOICE The teacher has the complete at- tention of her kindergarten class at Down- town Elementary as she goes over classroom pro- cedures on the first day of school. CALIFORNIAN FILE YOUR VOICE “Abandoned” By Josh Ramos “Poppy after the morning rain” By Gilbert Vega BY RHONDA FRANKHOUSER Community contributor here are many reasons why volunteer Mary Mullen is called “Saint Mary” by other members of the Bereavement Care Team at Optimal Hos- pice Care and has been named Optimal Hospice Care “Volunteer of the Quarter.” Although Mary only joined the program in August 2010, she has fully embraced the hospice mission and has pro- vided dedicated support to the team and the families in their care. Not only does Mary provide much-needed administra- tive support on a weekly basis for the bereavement follow up program, she also has become an invaluable member of the Kid’s Grief Connection team. Each week, at this innovative grief support group designed to support young people who have experienced the loss of someone close to them, the kids can count on Mary’s welcoming smile and homemade treats to help them find ways to cope with their grief. Mary’s easy, caring sensibility encourages these chil- dren to open up and truly interact with others in the group. Mary’s willingness to offer help whenever needed has found her providing assistance in various other depart- ments at Optimal as well. She worked all day on Perfor- mance Improvement Project boards in preparation for a recent, very successful, accreditation survey. Mary even house-sat for a family who needed someone to stay at home and accept food offerings and gifts for the family while they attended their loved one’s funeral.The family made a special call to the volunteer department to be sure Optimal knew how much they appreciated her help that day. Mary has donated more than 180 hours of support to Optimal Hospice Care since the beginning of her volun- teer journey there. Optimal is blessed to have her on its team. If you or any of your friends or family would like to learn more about the volunteer opportunities at Optimal Hospice Care, contact Karen or Rhonda in the volunteer department at: 716-4000 or email rfrankhouser@optimal- cares.com. Optimal Hospice ‘blessed’ with faithful volunteer T PROVIDED PHOTO Mary Mullen has been named Optimal Hospice Care “Vol- unteer of the Quarter.” PROVIDED PHOTO The Kern County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse crowned a new Miss Stampede Days Rodeo Queen and court. From left: Princess Lauren Nousch, Queen Dakota Skellenger and Junior Queen Rebecca Hall. AMY LUTHER Education columnist ‘Book In Hand’ promotion hopes to reach 500 readers
