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Jorge Barrientos

Education Reporter

jbarrientos@bakersfield.com

661-395-7423

Jorge Barrientos has come full circle, so to speak. He moved from Orange County to Bakersfield when he was in elementary school, attending McKee Elementary in Greenfield. Then came Ollivier Junior High and Ridgeview High schools, where he was involved in journalism all four years.

Project BEST to honor senior students

Some of the Kern High School District's top scholars will be honored at the Project BEST Senior Scholarship Awards Ceremony to be held at West High School, Thursday, April 28, starting at 6:15 p.m.

Honored during the event - to be held in West High's auditorium - will be more than 60 seniors from 11 KHSD schools with programs dedicated to Project BEST (Black Excellence in Scholarship and Teaching.)

"This is the culmination of four years of hard work and also the first step toward even greater success at the collegiate level," said Chris Dutton, the KHSD's Executive Director for Project BEST. "The families of these young men can be very proud of their accomplishments as are those of us involved in this great program," said Dutton, who is also the Site Administrator at the District's new continuation High School. A name for the new continuation school is expected to be selected at the next meeting of the KHSD's Board of Trustees, Monday, May 2.

Project BEST was created in the early 1990s and is designed to encourage black male students to complete a college preparatory course of study in high school and succeed in college. Project BEST fosters academic success through such efforts as tutoring, counseling, college and university visits, and assistance with college and scholarship applications. Project BEST is a partnership between the Kern High School District, CSUB, the local business community, parents and students.

Scholarships valued at a total of more than $75,000 will be presented to qualifying members of Project BEST programs at the following KHSD high schools: Bakersfield, East Bakersfield, Foothill, Golden Valley, Highland, Independence, Liberty, Ridgeview, South, Stockdale and West. Scholarship awards are based on a variety of criteria including cumulative grade point average, involvement in Project BEST and other school activities, financial need, and personal recommendations.

Project BEST scholarships are funded through private donations from a variety of sources including the College Access Foundation of California and Chevron.

"Project BEST students know throughout their four years in high school that there are rewards out there for those who work hard and want to go on to college," said Fuchsia Ward, another of those involved in Project BEST. "Those who demonstrate a commitment to excellence through academic, extracurricular and other efforts are rewarded scholarships with which to extend that commitment to the post-secondary level," said Ward, the KHSD's Director of Alternative Education.

-- Kern High School District, News Release

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