Student Outreach
The Kern High School District (KHSD) Student Advisory Council is a district-wide, student-led advisory council that is committed to providing a voice for the students of KHSD by representing & presenting the interests of the students to district leadership. Each school (18 comprehensive sites and 5 alternative education sites) can have 4 representatives on the Student Advisory Council. Representatives chosen should represent a cross-section of the student body to include, but not limited to, unduplicated student count English Learners, Foster Youth, and/or Low-Income. KHSD understands the need for ongoing work to include important tenets of overall Youth Development and our young people all have the intrinsic desire for a:
- A sense of Influence
- A sense of Competency
- A sense of Belonging
- A sense of Usefulness
Kern High School District applied for the 21st Century After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETS) grant through the California Department of Education on behalf of seven high schools: East, Foothill, Golden Valley, Mira Monte, North, Shafter and South. If awarded a school site would be granted a five year grant to establish or expand before and after school programs that will provide KHSD youth the following:
- Improved academic achievement
- Enrichment services that reinforce and complement the academic program, and
- Family literacy and related educational development services
Arvin High School has the distinguished honor of being the only Kern County high school to have been award the ASSETs grant for 2 award cycles. The Arvin High Bear Advantage ASSEST program offers more than a dozen different enrichment activities, credit recovery, homework and/or academic assistance to their students as well as parent education for their parents/guardians.
KHSD anxiously awaits the announcement of the awardees of cohort 10 in May 2017.
Student Outreach Liaison (SOL), Felisa Patiño-Longoria: The SOL assists and coordinates district and school sites with additional student support programs. The goals are to address the needs of all students, with a primary focus on unduplicated student counts (LCAP/LCFF).
These goals are met by:
- Examining and evaluating the ASSETs before/after school grant expansion to additional Kern High Schools.
- Coordinating a pilot district-wide Student Advisory Council to strengthen the voice for all students at the district level, including unduplicated youth.
- Work with school sites and KHSD Parent Education Liaison to align community services/providers, bilingually (Spanish) if necessary, that help the students academic endeavors, promote higher education, and assist the family’s well-being and therefore enabling student success for all students including unduplicated youth.
- Assisting bilingually (Spanish) if necessary in maintaining communication with student and community by being present at resource fairs and having bilingual information, flyers and certificated staff present, in order to reach further in building positive relationships with the community at large.
