THS Cheer ‘shouts it out’ T-h-a-n-k Y-o-u!

The THS Cheer Program would like to make a "Shout Out" to the community for supporting them, over the past several weeks, buying raffle tickets for their fundraiser! The manager at Albertsons, Don Morrison, graciously allowed the girls to sell $1 raffle tickets outside the store for a "Hundred Dollar giveaway of groceries." Thank you very much, the J.V. and Varsity Cheer Squads really appreciate it!

The winner of the groceries was Jim Ingersol. He was very surprised and happy that he won. Congratulations! Again, "T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U" to all who helped us to make this fundraiser a success.

— Cyndy Nelson

Fugitive animal abuse suspect says she won't surrender

An attorney for accused animal abuser Anita Gilbert fought Thursday to block Kern County Animal Control from euthanizing any more of her pets.

Gilbert, a fugitive facing two felony warrants for her arrest, wasn’t there and told The Californian she has no plans to surrender.

In a hearing before Kern County Superior Court Commissioner Linda Etienne, attorney Clayton Campbell argued the county should have to get approval from a veterinarian chosen by Gilbert before they put any animals of Gilbert’s to sleep.

Etienne had not released her decision Thursday afternoon.

Gilbert’s fear, Campbell said, was that the county plans a wholesale execution of the animals.

County attorney Charles Collins argued the county has no intention of putting the animals to sleep unless they’re terminally ill.

He said the only evidence the county plans to euthanize all of Gilbert’s animals comes from Gilbert.

“All we’re dealing with is the fears and thoughts of Anita Gilbert — a fugitive from justice,” he said.

Campbell said the county has been reluctant to release medical records so his client can be certain the animals were put down for legitimate medical reasons.

Gilbert was arrested by animal control officers on July 17 on multiple felony charges of animal abuse after they found her living in horrible conditions with 33 cats, 18 dogs and several animal corpses.

She made bail but later failed to attend a court hearing and a no-bail warrant was issued for her arrest.

Gilbert also faces charges of threatening a public defender, which she denies.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Gilbert refused to say where she is living other than that she’s in the hospital undergoing cancer care.

She said if she revealed her location, she’d be arrested and her doctor has said she would die if jailed.

Gilbert said she told Deputy District Attorney Michael Yraceburn she would surrender to authorities, knowing it would kill her, if the county released her animals to rescue groups she likes.

Yraceburn confirmed the offer but said the county will not release the animals, which are evidence in the court case against Gilbert and under the court’s jurisdiction.

Kiwanis hosts the big top

Tehachapi Kiwanis is looking forward to hosting once again the Carson & Barnes Circus as a fundraiser for local youth.

“It's quite a show,” said Kiwanis President Don Bowman.

The only traveling big-tent circus in the United States today, Carson & Barnes will set up Sept. 24 on the property at State Route 58 and east Tehachapi Boulevard, with performances at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.

“The circus will be on land owned by Love's Truck Stop, where they are building a truck stop,” said Kiwanis President Don Bowman. “They were gracious enough to allow the circus to set up there.”

The circus, including the big tent and the parking, covers “multiple acres.” he said.

“The circus people encourage people to come down from 8 to 11 in the morning to watch while they are setting up and the field is transformed into a circus.”

Tickets purchased in advance at several locations in Tehachapi will give Kiwanis a bigger percentage for their youth fundraising. Ticket outlets include the Apple Shed restaurant, Bank of the Sierra branches downtown, in Old Town and in California City, and at Witts office supply in Old Town.

Bowman said it might be one of the last times youngsters can see a traveling circus, as most such extravaganzas appear inside permanent arenas.

“In a few years it all will be talk. Your grandkids won't be able to see it.”

Bowman said “It's a great time for people in Tehachapi to see the circus. Show your grandkids what it's like and help your own community.”

With its fundraising, Kiwanis gives scholarships to Tehachapi High School seniors, sponsors the high school Key Club to help build leaders, sponsors Boy Scout Troop 136, provides camperships for the Salvation Army, publishes a help resource guide showing services for young families, sponsors CHP car seat inspection and replacement, organizes Coats for Kids, puts on a community prayer breakfast, sponsors an annual health fair and offers Vials for Life that provides medical information for first responders.

Quadriplegic speaker moves TUSD students and educators

From the moment he rolled out across the length of the basketball court, guiding his “Gremlin green” wheelchair with a special chin control, “Rollon Ron Heagy” effortlessly managed to quiet the energetic young crowd with his first few words at each of three separate assemblies held at Tehachapi High School and Jacobsen Middle School last week.

Students and educators alike listened intently to the charismatic speaker share a series of humorous and inspiring vignettes demonstrating how being paralyzed from the neck down for the past 29 years, has helped him to realize his life's unlimited potential to help and to inspire others. And most importantly, to Never Give Up, also the title of his autobiography.

“It was an honor to be in his presence, personally I could feel his positive energy just being close to him and his family. Then to hear his message — That gave me a true sense of how precious life and health are, how we need to appreciate each day and let ourselves love and be loved,” said Jacobsen Middle School Principal Eric Trigueiro. “It is so easy to forget this in today's busy, stressful society. He was a true breath of fresh air to refocus on the important aspects of life.”

JMS sixth grade teacher Laura Minton had experienced a similar reaction after seeing Ron Heagy speak at an engagement in Big Bear Lake, and believed that Tehachapi’s students could really benefit from Heagy’s message. But when the district budget couldn’t quite be stretched far enough to cover Heagy’s costs, Minton refused to give up. She went out on her own to find the funding, acquiring the enthusiastic sponsorship of local wind pioneers Airstreams, LLC., and Terra-Gen Operating Co., LLC. (see news story in our Community Business News section.)

Nancy Schulgen, Golden Hills Elementary School secretary and her husband Dave, owner of Airstreams, were both excited about the opportunity to provide such a valuable experience to four TUSD schools: The high school and middle school student bodies, as well as 4-5th grade students at Golden Hills and Tompkins Elementary Schools.

“When we got the call from Laura Minton we were more than happy to bring someone so special and inspiring to our local schools,” said the Schulgens. “It was a pleasure and an honor to hear Mr. Heagy speak such words of encouragement and wisdom. We at Airstreams would like to thank Laura Minton for putting forth the effort for our local students and staff.”

Terra Gen’s office manager, Carolyn Wiles and Site Manager Raudel Castanon attended the first session, leaving uplifted, a testament to all forms of renewable energy.

“Positive attitude is what conquers all,” said Terra Gen’s general manager, Dean Landon. “We bring in motivational people for our technicians to help them keep a positive attitude — it pays off.”

Ron Heagy proved that a positive attitude does indeed pay off. Instead of giving up and giving in to despair and self-pity, Ron “rolled on” to complete a Masters degree in counseling. He taught himself to use his mouth to write — and even to paint beautiful art that many would call moving.

Ron, his wife Kelli, and 3-year-old Gracie Lee keep moving together, traveling around the county to speak at venues large and small, including companies like Hewlett Packard and Time Warner Telecom.

Ron is also the founder of Life Is An Attitude, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides adaptable equipment and modern technology to individuals with disabilities. He has also designed and developed “Camp Never Give Up,” fully wheelchair accessible facilities that enable the disabled to experience the great outdoors.

“Just one bad choice can change your life forever man,” Ron told Tehachapi's students.

Heagy poignantly reminded those who are born believing they are invincible (and those who know better) that being human also means that “bad stuff happens.” Being human means that in the blinking of an eye or the crash of a wave, or just one bad choice — drinking and driving — doing drugs — joining a gang — quitting school — the body and the spirit can be rendered motionless.

Or you can choose to roll on like Ron, who was inspired and determined enough to find a way to raise funds to help those in need. Helping to buy a $23,000 computer that allows a boy named Kevin, who was born paralyzed from the nose down, to communicate with the world — by blinking his eyes.

It's your choice. Make it a good one.

“If this were your last day, what would you do? It could be any day, so why not do your best everyday?”

Ron Heagy’s life was forever changed by a day at the beach
Almost men, the most energetic and competitive boys took the graduated steps up to the very top row of the gymnasium seats two at a time. As they looked out upon their peers from the pinnacle of adolescence, the seats below pulsated with the perpetual motion of raw, youthful potential.

In stark comparison the assembly's speaker, Ron Heagy, will forever remain motionless from the neck down.

Except for a signature gesture he calls “the quad [quadriplegic] nod,” a cocky-young dude gesture of purposely affected coolness, Heagy remained inert in his wheelchair throughout each time-suspended set. Yet the speaker's stirring energy quickly filled the local school gymnasiums with the most powerful force known to humankind; Love for life and those who live it.

“The greatest asset of humanity is love,” Ron said as he shared his regret over denying his mother one last hug before he left his Oregon home 29 years ago — never to walk back again.

“She passed away a few months ago. She was my inspiration. She gave me this 'Don't give up attitude,” he said in fond tribute.

But he told the kids how mere days before his 18th birthday, Ron was too mad — and at nearly 18, maybe just a bit too cool — to show his love and affection outwardly. His mother had made him take his younger brother with him on a much-anticipated spring break surfing trip. Not cool, mom. Not cool.

As he walked away from her for the last time, all he said in parting as she asked for his embrace was, “See ya, Mom.”

Relating to his audience with a natural ease, Ron went on to describe with a self-deprecating wit and lots of “Dude!” references, what it was like to be 17-years-old, over six foot tall and athletic, with a football scholarship and a lifetime of pretty girls and the unimagined experiences of adulthood waiting just ahead of him.

Ron remembered the last time he stood with his 13-year-old brother, wiggling his toes in the warm California sand.

“A voice inside my head told me, 'just tell him you love him, man.'”

Instead he said, “Cool day, huh? Having fun bro?”

The citrus-like sting of the sun on warm skin and the smell of the salt air seemed to fill the gymnasium as Ron described how later that day, he was tumbled under the wall of water that crushed his spine. Diving head first into a shorebreaking wave and the unforgiving ocean floor below had rendered him unable to propel his body to the surface for precious air. When he was certain he was about to die — and realized he was completely unable to do anything about it — Ron's little brother appeared at the water's edge. In a feat of heroic strength, the small boy pulled Ron’s limp, athletic body onto the sandy shore.

Ron wished he knew why he hadn't seized the moment earlier that morning, and just followed his impulse to tell his brother those three little, powerful words.

“I love you bro,” he said in silent thanks as he lay immobile on the sand.

“That was one of the three things I thought about as was I tumbling under a million gallons of water. I thought for sure I was going to die,” remembered Ron. “That, and I forgot to tell my mother I love her before I left.”

The third thing that swam and tumbled through Ron's near-death thoughts:

“Man, I didn't do anything good with my life!”

Ron woke up on his 18th birthday in the hospital scared to death to die, but also afraid to live his life as a quadriplegic; someone who would always need regular medical care and assistance with the smallest of tasks. At first he was certain that a “jock like me” could just do the work necessary to bring his strong, young body back up to speed. After three months, his brain was still unable to make the right connections.

About to be sent home, still unable to care for his traitorous, paralyzed body, he contemplated suicide, which is legal in the state of Oregon through the Death with Dignity Act.

Wretchedly and without hope, Ron wondered aloud, “How will I live? Who will feed me? Who will ever love me?”

“I love you Ron,” called a small voice from the darkness.

In the hospital bed next to Ron's sat an 8-year-old boy who had been written off by medical science as far too brain damaged to ever speak again. Jimmy convinced Ron that even with his body paralyzed, inside he was still someone very special. And lovable. “You can change the world,” he told Ron.

And so at Jimmy's urging, Ron set out to change his own world, later dedicating his life to changing the lives of others. Rollon Ron!

To learn more about Ron Heagy, or contribute to his non-profit organizations visit his web site at: www.ronheagy.com.

Tehachapi educators devastated by recent fire

On Thursday, Sept. 4, former local teacher, Patty Wells and her husband Jim Walker drove up to work at the Schulman Grove Visitor Center in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Preserve, only to see their place of work filled with smoke and flames.

Patty said, “It looked like a bomb had gone off inside!”

The beautiful 12-year-old log cabin center burned to the ground in the thin air at 10,000 feet, destroying the entire building, about 50 feet of boardwalk and several bristlecone pines. The patio, picnic tables and restrooms remained intact.

The Big Pine and US Forest Service Fire Departments were called at 8 a.m. that morning, and by 10:30 a.m. the place was crawling with fire engines, fire fighters and investigators. Other sites in the region have been vandalized this past month and officials are seeing a pattern of destruction.

Plans are afoot to raise funds and rebuild the center, but some of the displays, artifacts and art are irreplaceable. The shop merchandise is insured, including an extensive book collection. The US Forest Service self-insures their properties.

Several of Tehachapi’s educators work or have worked there seasonally and are devastated by the loss. Patty Wells began her work there in the early 1980s; Ron Olafson worked there for years; George and Anne Marie Novinger have worked there for 18 years and Lauren Hollen began work there this June.

The Trees That Changed History
The ancient bristlecones (Pinus Longaeva) are the oldest trees in the world, some over 4,700 years of age. Today the world-famous trees are preserved and studied, visited and photographed by people from all over the world. They grow into amazing shapes as they age and are kept alive by thin strips of bark that survive even when the tree looks dead. Their tree rings are climate-sensitive and reveal ancient weather patterns to scientists who have been studying them for decades. Their work has resulted ina recalibration of the Carbon 14 dating method and a revision of the sequence of ancient civilizations and their artifacts. These trees have been called The Trees That Changed History.

To visit these picturesque trees, drive north on Highways 14 and 395. Just past the town of Big Pine, turn right/east on Highway 168. Follow the winding road up into the White/Inyo Mountains, turn left on White Mountain Road after you reach a pinyon/juniper covered mesa. Follow that road until pavement ends. Be sure to stop at the Sierra View Overlook where one can view almost the entire Sierra Nevada Range. Grandview Campground is at 8,300 feet on the way up the mountain. Be sure to bring a full tank of gas, water, hats, sunscreen and a lunch. Schulman Grove is closed seasonally due to snow, ice and extreme cold, usually form November to May. The Methuselah Trail, where the oldest trees are located, is closed temporarily. For further information or a brochure, please call the White Mountain Ranger District at (760)873-2500 or go to the web site: www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo

Motorcyclist, 75, dies in collision on 202

A 75-year-old motorcyclist died of his injuries following a collision Friday, Sept. 12, that occurred as he prepared to make a left turn onto Cummings Valley Road from the westbound lane of State Route 202.

The Kern County Sheriff's Office Coroner Division identified the man as Robert Cray, a resident of Tehachapi. He was riding a 2002 Honda motorcycle and wearing a helmet.

Officer Ed Smith, public information officer for the CHP Mojave Area Office, said Cray died in the medical helicopter on the way to Kern Medical Center.

The official time of death was 1:08 p.m. when he arrived at the medical center. The collision happened at approximately 11:25 a.m.

The CHP report said, “As the rider waited to turn left, a 1997 Saturn driven by R. Gomez-Rodriguez, a 43-year-old male, of Bakersfield approached the location.

Rodriguez failed to see the motorcycle stopped ahead of his vehicle. Rodriguez attempted to stop, but was unable to. The Saturn rear-ended the motorcycle and caused the rider to be ejected. The motorcycle rider sustained critical injuries and was transported to Kern Medical Center by medical helicopter. While enroute to the hopital the rider succumbed to his injuries.”

The CHP report said that the driver of the Saturn and his passenger, S. Gomez of Bakersfield, a 41-year-old woman, were transported to Tehachapi Hospital by ground ambulance with minor injuries. Both were wearing seat belts at the time of the collision.

Smith said no alcohol was involved.

Responders at the scene were from the CHP, Kern County Fire Department, Bear Valley Police Department and correctional officers from the prison.

Dump truck driver killed during night repair of Sand Canyon roads

According to a Kern County Fire Department report, dump truck operator Jim S. Boschma, of Corona, died Saturday night after his vehicle rolled 200 feet down an embankment at Santa Fe Road in Sand Canyon.

The accident happened on the private dirt road around 8:30 p.m., said fire department engineer Jerry Menendez. The man was hauling donated gravel to smooth out roads for Sand Canyon residents. When the truck failed to return from hauling a load of gravel down the hill, a search ensured in the darkness. Boschma’s son found the wreckage obscured by brush, the man’s body pinned inside the 35-ton truck. The man expired at the scene from his injuries.

Due to the difficult terrain and poor visibility, county fire crews returned to the scene at noon Sunday to recover the body using the jaws of life. KCFD hand crew 81, from Tehachapi Valley, assisted by Cal-OSHA climbed down the steep embankment to cut away brush and prepare the body for extrication. The body was lifted out of the canyon by Helicopter-408, out of Keene, under the direction of Crew Chief Shane Reed.
Cal-OSHA is investigating the cause of the accident.

Uniformed personnel and "Average Joes" silently honored

It wasn’t just uniformed personnel who sacrificed. It was the average Joe. It’s what defines America.

— Engineer/Inspector, Captain Tony Diffenbaugh, of the Kern County Fire Department

Firefighters, police, city staff and others gathered at noon on Sept. 11 outside Tehachapi City Hall for a brief remembrance of the devastating events of seven years ago.

“Every day I thank God we’ve got all you guys,”City Councilman Ed Grimes told the group, which was there “to recognize the true heroes – the police and firefighters. They put their life on the line.

“Some gave all and think we all know why.” Tehachapi Police Chief Jeff Kermode said, “Any of us who works in emergency services wonder what the next day will bring.”

Engineer/Inspector Captain Tony Diffenbaugh of the Kern County Fire Department said, “We’re going to have a simple ceremony. We expect big ceremonies in New York and other cities but I think it’s the simple ceremonies in little towns and medium-size towns across the country that are important…It wasn’t just uniformed personnel who sacrificed. It was the average Joe. It’s what defines America.”

Among those paying homage with a moment of silence was the 15-member Kern County Fire Department Hand Crew 81, which that morning had been working on a Stallion Springs-Alpine Forest 200-foot firebreak. They were “up on the hill,” said assistant crew boss Justin Curtis, when they stopped, cleaned up and drove in for the remembrance.

Community Close-up: A 77-year-old social activist is born

Betty Husar is concerned about Tehachapi’s lack of options for senior housing. She’s not interested in another developer’s so-called “Active Adult” community with a community center, a pool, and CC&Rs that only allow residents age 55+. Low-income housing is also not the answer, says Betty, as she and many of her contemporaries who have owned homes and have some assets saved don’t qualify.

“For most of us, you have to pay your own way,” said Betty.

Betty is hoping to attract an experienced developer who will build a full-service senior housing complex in Tehachapi. A developer who will build and manage graduated levels of accommodation and assisted care, along with all the sexier stuff, like dining facilities, beauty services, social activities and classes, travel opportunities and much more. A senior Shang-ri-la with a qualified medical staff.

“The Tehachapi Library is letting me sit inside from 1-8 p.m. on Sept. 23, compiling information to forward to different companies that build senior complexes,” explained Betty, describing her one woman — assisted by one man — campaign to attract the right developer to come to the rescue of Tehachapi’s seniors.

With the assistance of her “gentleman friend,” Ray Mulford, 86, Betty plans to “do the legwork for them.”

She plans to take the information she and Ray have judiciously compiled from surveys — completed by as many Tehachapi area residents as possible — then forward that info to agencies who build the types of facilities most desired by Tehachapi’s seniors.

“This is what we want — come look at us, we need you!” is what Betty plans to tell the developers she solicits. “I have over 400 surveys completed already,” said Betty.

Betty, 77, is a widow who’s lived in Stallion Springs for 20 years. She and her late husband bought their property in 1976, when assisted living was a term yet to be coined by any developer. Her past work experience has been limited to retail sales. But as a Catholic Daughter who volunteers for the local senior respite group, has seven kids, 25 grandkids, great-grandchild number eight on the way, she has also been a trained caretaker for most of her life.

So now she plans to take care of something that matters not just to her and her friends, but to the community they’ve all nurtured and watched grow.

Betty said she’s gone to city hall in the past with her concerns, but felt she was dismissed without being taken seriously.

“Well nobody else is doing it!” Betty said, when asked if she realized she’s become a social activist at the age of 77.

“I’m 77 now, in another 5-10 years I’m going to need it,” said Betty.

Ray, 86, is quick to agree with Betty, and he hopes to see results sooner rather than later.

But both seniors realize that even if the perfect developer were to appear tomorrow, any project of this type would take at least 3-5 years to complete, best case scenario.

Both feel gratified to know their efforts may help others, even if it doesn’t benefit them personally in the long run.

“I have no doubt we’re going to get something. This is a community of 50,000 people and for us not to have this kind of facility is just not acceptable,” said Betty as Ray nods his support and approval.

“I have the addresses of about five or six companies across the nation that do nothing but build senior complexes,” Betty said. “They come in look, at an area and decide if that would be a profitable investment for them.”

Ray’s experience in setting up Tehachapi’s own Dial-a-Ride transportation more than 20 years ago is helpful.

“I was the whole program,” said Ray, who worked as a school bus dispatcher for many years before he came to Golden Hills in 1990.

As a former flight instructor, Ray used to admire the then-undeveloped area from the air. After a brief side-trip from the Lake Isabella area he and his late wife came to Tehachapi.

“By the time I left that day, I had bought a home,” he said.

At Ray’s decisive urging, the two have gone to the county’s planning department to start scanning the area for possible 20-acre parcels, minimum.

Betty’s survey is 12, well thought out questions long, with a checklist of amenities and services most desired in a senior complex. She also has a 5-10 minute speech prepared for small groups, such as churches, service groups.

“A dozen here, 50 there,” said Betty, it all adds up.

“The response I have had has been wonderful,” she said adding many commend her for her efforts saying, “Hurry up, I’m getting old, I need it now!”

You can visit Betty at the Tehachapi Library on Sept. 23 between 1-8 p.m. to fill out a survey and provide your own suggestions.

School district API scores closing in on state, federal goals

The Tehachapi Unified School District is meeting the challenge of tougher yearly state and federal academic performance targets, showing an overall seven-point improvement for the school year 2007 -2008.

Golden Hills and Tompkins elementary schools and Tehachapi High School posted positive gains in the complicated scoring process, while Cummings Valley Elementary and Jacobsen Middle School showed slippage. [See chart]

All the schools and the district as a whole are above the state average and above the required minimum. Cummings Valley Elementary, even with a 14-point loss in 2008, is the only school in the district to meet and exceed the statewide Academic Performance Index (API) target of 800.

Several statistical subgroups in the district, while posting improved scores, did not advance enough to meet state and federal requirements.

“We're moving forward,” Superintendent of Schools Richard Swanson, PhD., said.

“It's really exciting. There is a lot more participation on all sorts of levels.”

The Jacobsen six-point drop, he said, comes on the heels of three years of positive gains.

“There's usually a correction along the way,” he said. “Jacobsen in the last three years was up 45 points. A little bit of a retreat is not surprising.”

Swanson said he is pleased with the Tehachapi High School results.

“Tehachapi High School is up 33. That's phenomenal. It shows good leadership and more coordination.”

Chief Administrator of Instructional Services Lisa Gilbert, who prepared and presented the 2008 Accountability Progress Report to the district's Board of Trustees Sept. 9, said the teachers effectively use information gleaned from the testing process.

“The teachers do a really good job of taking it down to the individual level,” Gilbert said. “They see where the weaknesses and strengths are.”

The teachers, she said, are able to target their instruction with the help of special software that uses the accountability data to generate reports at grade, classroom, subgroup and individual levels.

Gilbert said Thursday that the staff and Principal David Spencer at Cummings Valley already had met to discuss the results of the school's accountability score and how to convert that knowledge into action.

“They are acutely aware of their goal to reach,” Gilbert said.

The California Department of Education released the results of the spring, 2008 tests Sept. 4. The data for the district, which includes both state and federal accountability programs, “Shows better results every year,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert said that in the API numbers, “We have seen growth in the state and county. When we started testing [four years ago] we were in the 400 to 500 API ranges. We no longer as a county have any schools in that range. All are at 600 and above.”

Gilbert said the API, which encompasses the school-wide population as well as numerically significant subgroups of 100 or more students, “Is a magical, mysterious number that changes formula every year.”

The Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) accountability system mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 shows similar results.

“Our district's AYP results are fairly typical of those seen around the state,” Gilbert wrote in her report. “We are meeting the minimum requirements in most areas but struggle to consistently meet the subgroup targets.”

The AYP results for the district are incomplete, Tehachapi High School Principal Cary Johnson told the board, because the data mistakenly shows zero graduates for 2008.

“We're frantically trying to get in touch with the state to correct that misinformation,” he said.

Golden Hills and Tompkins elementary schools “are very close” to reaching the 800 goal in the state reporting, Gilbert wrote. “Our most difficult task will be making sure each of our subgroups meets the targets each year.”

Student subgroups of concern, she wrote, are Socioeconomically Disadvantaged (SED), with a gain of six points (to 665 in 2008 from 695 in 2007); English Learners, with a gain of 13 points (to 665 from 652); Students with Disabilities, with loss of 48 points (to 494 from 542); and Hispanics, with a gain of two (to 706 from 704).

“Each of our subgroups must increase their API scores by at five percent of the difference between the Base API and 800 each year,” said her report. “Using this gauge, using district totals, we did not made adequate growth in our Hispanic and Students with Disabilities subgroups for 2008.”

Gilbert told the school board that the Academic Performance Index score for the Tehachapi United School District as a whole is 765 for 2008, up seven points from 758 in 2007. The state average for school districts is 742.

The API growth data shows that Cummings Valley Elementary School dropped 14 points to 804 in 2008 from 818 in 2007, meeting its schoolwide target but missing the Hispanic target (The school lost four points in that subgroup and needed five).

Golden Hills gained nine points, to 793 from 784, meeting its schoolwide target but missing its Hispanic target (The school gained four points and needed five).
Tomkins Elementary gained 10 points, jumping to 787 from 777 and meeting both its schoolwide and subgroup targets.

The state average API score for elementary schools is 776.

Jacobsen Middle School did not meet schoolwide or several subgroup targets for 2008, dropping six points to 756 from 762. The subgroups not meeting the goals at Jacobsen in 2008 are Hispanic, White and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged.

The state average API score for middle schools is 735.

Tehachapi High School posted a strong 33-point gain, to 763 in 2008 from 730 in 2007.

The state average API score for high schools is 702.

Tehachapi High School Principal Cary Johnson told the board that the results are impressive.

“Cummings Valley at 804 - most other districts would kill for that,” Johnson said.
Monroe High School, the district's continuation school, is not included in the same accountability program as the other schools.

“The system is not practical,” Gilbert said. Monroe's progress is measured with other standards, including attendance (up almost a percent to 84.48 percent, rated “sufficient”), monthly credit completion (up 1.1 for an average of 7.5 credits, rated “sufficient”) and academic progress- mathematics (at 69 percent, a decrease of 1 percent).

At every site level except the high school, she said, students with disabilities do not constitute a large enough number to be considered a statistical subgroup.

The state and federal programs raise the target goals every year, requiring quantifiable progress toward the big 800 in the year 2014. As schools and districts move toward the target, the harder and harder it will be to accomplish, Swanson said.

“As we approach 100 percent,” he said, hitting it will be more difficult.”

The subgroups like Hispanic and White are self-identified in the manner of the United States census.

The positive aspect of the accountability process, Gilbert said, is that “It's an issue of equity. All the kids need to be exposed to the same information. Without standards and accountability it's not fair to the students. We need to make sure all our students have access to the same level of opportunity.”

Although every year the district is dealing with a different group of students and subgroups, the district vows to “make sure every student is making progress,” Gilbert said.

“We can do this,” she said.

Test reports to the individual school level are available on the “Testing and Accountability” section of California Department of Education web site, www.cde.ca.gov/ta.

School board OKs new counselor

Following a wide-ranging discussion on the subject, the Tehachapi Unified School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to hire a new academic counselor who will be assigned to Jacobsen Middle School.

The approximately $100,000 position will be funded by $70,000 in grant money earmarked specifically for a counselor and with $30,000 from the district's general fund.

The person holding the position will spend a portion of the time as a dean, handling disciplinary situations.

The board took the action at its monthly meeting Sept. 9 at the old Jacobsen Junior High building.

The new position will enable existing counselors who move around among Tehachapi High School, Monroe High School (continuation) and Jacobsen to have more focused time on the individual campuses.

“We will have four-plus counselors,” said Superintendent of Schools Richard Swanson, PhD.

He said “The $30,000 that comes out of the general fund for the dean piece of it creates a full position that is more likely to attract a quality candidate.”
The dean portion of the job, he said, “provides an additional intervenor in events when required.”

The awkward timing of the hunt for a candidate - after other school districts have signed up their staff for the year - apparently will not be a problem.

“We are looking for an interim counselor,” Swanson told the Tehachapi News. “There are some old pros out there who would work on a temporary basis.”

He said he had “at least one” candidate he intended to pursue.

The counselor will interface with parents and help the students with their scheduling, classes and their plans for after high school.

In other business, board President Gary Warner said that no one has enrolled to run for the trustee seat that will be vacated by Trustee Kim Armbrecht, and a candidate for the four-year term must be approved and appointed before the Nov. 4 election.

The trustee position is in area 1A, which is within the city limits of Tehachapi, excluding the California Correctional Institution. The other trustee from the city is Holly Hart.

The appointment process is public. A person interested in being on the school board may call the district office at 661-822-2100.

Chief Administrator of Business Services Julie Auvil, responding to a request last month from parent Liz Fox about bus service, said that the district cannot accommodate an alternative punch card or pay-as-you-go system for occasional or emergency use.

“How can we prioritize which children are going to get on the bus,” Auvil said. She suggested a scenario in which the first priority would be those with two-semester passes, the second priority would be those with one-semester passes, and there may not be room for the extra children.

“What are you going to do with the children who are left? Just pull away from the bus stop? We don't have the resources to send another bus.

“It's the parents' responsibility to get their child to school. If the bus system doesn't meet their needs, it's their responsibility to find a way to meet their needs.”

As of August 29, the district had 1,324 riders, of whom 1,253 are regular and 71 are special education, she said. Of the riders, 415 qualify for waiver of the fee and 60 qualify for a reduced fee.

Auvil, presenting a financial report, said “Two thousand seven-2008 was a good year” and that revenue exceeded expenses.

Auvil said the state of California has stopped paying claims to reimburse cafeteria meals.

“The state pot ran out. For reimbursements, they're not going to pay,” Auvil said.

The Tehachapi News will run a story on the school budget in several weeks.

Beekay ready for final touches

The renovation of the Beekay Theater has reached the point where the magic aura of a live theater is beginning to emerge.

Heavy construction by primary contractor Bowe Construction Company of Lancaster - owned by Tehachapi resident Darren Bowe -- is ahead of schedule and almost complete, according to job superintendent Jim Ritchea.

Walls, ceiling, floors, plumbing and wiring are ready for the final construction phase, which is the responsibility of the city of Tehachapi - the owner of the building -- and Tehachapi Community Theatre - the leaseholder of the building.

The city and the theater group will be working as a team to complete the theater. Local subcontractors and suppliers are being used whenever possible.
Tehachapi City Manager Greg Garrett said that Bowe will turn over the project to the two entities “in about two weeks.”

Ritchea “Once my contract is dismissed, the city crew can come in,” Ritchea said.
When it takes over, the city construction crew will work with designer David Reed and secretary Monica Nadon of Tehachapi Community Theatre and city liaison Rebecca Bergstrom to polish off the finish work. The theater group is paying for and providing the light system and fixtures (including gold-tone brushed nickel chandeliers), mirrors, the sound system, control board, furniture, floor coverings, moveable stadium seats and risers - everything to make it a first-class legitimate venue. The city will install it all, along with the toilets, stalls and tiles in the restrooms and lobby.

The design style, Reed said, is a “modified art deco movie house look.”

As of mid-September, the building has come alive.

Architect and Bear Valley Springs resident Kevin Haub of KHA Architecture, Bowe Construction and Boyle Engineering of Bakersfield have transformed the derelict 1936 art-deco movie house into a legitimate theater structure that will meet modern safety and disability standards while maintaining the feel of the vintage exterior design.

The interior of the roofless old shell of a building, long since gutted by fire, consisted of piles of dirt and a few random trees. The city had hoped to save the four reinforced concrete exterior walls but the project proved too costly, and only the front wall is original. That façade, however, carries the subtle art deco flavor that sets the edifice apart from modern structures.

The mass of pipes and valves that constitute the brains of the fire sprinkler system is tucked not-so-subtly into a corner of the men's bathroom. The city said it would be ugly outside the building, so into the men's room it went.

The most challenging part of the renovation - the surgical separation of the old building from Las Palmas Restaurant, with which it shared a wall - has been accomplished cleanly, albeit with the loss of three feet the length of the north side of the building. The city paid to reframe the restaurant wall. The fire department, wary of grease fires than can flare up in any restaurant, required the three-foot wide space to create firefighter access between the buildings. It's a tough loss for the Tehachapi Community Theatre, which is using every bit of space it can eke out of the structure.

The Green Street façade, braced above the entry door and cleaned up, has been incorporated seamlessly into the new construction. The new marquee, Nadon said, will replicate the original. Movie-style poster cases will flank the front door.

The lobby, with its undulating curves, is painted a warm yellow.

A drinking fountain is plumbed near the women's restroom. Mobile refreshment carts will take the place of a built-in concession stand, for which there is no room.

The full-function ticket booth will settle into a curved wall that has a low window to accommodate people in wheelchairs.

Light and sound traps are built into both sides of the front of the theater, with buffer space and black curtains to block visual and audio clutter emanating from the lobby. The entry passages will be painted a dark burgundy.

In the auditorium, the concrete floor stands ready for risers and the comfortable individual, moveable chairs that are coming. The auditorium capacity will be around 130, depending on configuration of the seating - which is flexible - and requirements of the fire department. As a non-profit community theater, Nadon said, they do not come under equity waiver union rules that require actors to be paid scale in venues seating more than 99 people.

The stage is two feet high and 40 feet across at its widest, 23 feet at the narrowest point.

The rough plywood floors of the stage are wired for electrical outlets and microphones and capped with metal plates.

“There will be no big curtain,” Nadon said. “They aren't used much any more. It will be an open format.”

On the sides of the auditorium, artist Allison Gray will paint murals of the four seasons in art deco style.

Light cans in the open-truss, black-painted industrial ceiling await their bulbs.
Electrical and telephone panels sprout bouquets of wires.

The raised control booth at the back of the auditorium will hold sound and light boards and two spotlight nests.

“This is the heart of the building,” said Reed, standing in the control booth. “Our original plans were to make it more than a meeting hall. It is now a theater. It's been a great relationship with the city.”

The community theater group - drawing from practical experience -- made sure there was a restroom backstage so actors in costume would not have to meander through people from the audience to use the lobby restrooms.

On the other side of the stage is a tiny “green room/dressing room” - the only place available inside the building for actors to prepare. An RV parked out back will provide a larger changing room.

Theatrical sets and costumes will be stored elsewhere. Tehachapi Community Theatre is seeking a suitable, inexpensive place to rent to keep its props and sets.

“We'll just kind of have to work with it,” said Reed, who referenced space-challenged venues in New York City that have to truck away stage sets after each act of a production.

Members of the 40-year-old Tehachapi Community Theatre, which has never had a permanent home, are giddy with anticipation of the opening of the theater.

“We've never had a home and this will be the first live space since Wells Auditorium was finished in the 20s,” Reed said. Earlier, he said, Isadore Asher maintained an opera house on the second floor of his emporium on Tehachapi Boulevard.

Nadon will direct the first production in the facility, the musical “Oliver,” and will audition for players at the end of October. The musical is scheduled to open in February.

The theater will be open to the public on December 6 during Tehachapi's Old Tyme Christmas celebration, when groups will be performing free all day.

A gala opening is scheduled for mid-December.

The new theater will help usher in the city's 100th birthday.

“Main Street Tehachapi has asked us to host a party on New Year's Eve to kick off the centennial celebration,” Nadon said.

Tehachapi Community Theater has raised $52,000 of the $60,000 it needs to pay for the final construction phase, Nadon said.

To make donations to Tehachapi Community Theater or listen to the schedule, Nadon said to call the organization's hotline, 661-822-4037, and leave a message.

The new theater is available to rent by other organizations.

The theater fundraising may become even more crucial as state funding shrinks.
Garrett said “RDA [Redevelopment Agency] is our major funding source. Arnold is trying to take it away from us.”

In a strongly worded letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger dated Aug. 6, Garrett said, “The Redevelopment Agency in Tehachapi has been an enormous success and has funded significant improvements in our historic downtown and created a vibrant downtown business community. To confiscate Redevelopment money would be a deliberate attempt to damage our city. We will do everything in our power to oppose this potential blunder.”

Members of Tehachapi Community Theater are delighted to have hands-on control over the creation of the city's new baby.

During a recent look-see tour of the building, a city construction crewman spotted what looked to him like a problem with the floorboards of the stage.

“They should have used a better quality plywood,” he said.

Reed and Nadon responded with a chuckle.

“It's a working stage,” Nadon said.

She explained that the stage - already wired with electrical sound and lighting connections covered with metal plates -- will be painted black and hammered on and trod on, and when it gets beat up, the plywood will be replaced.

The builder was thinking like a builder.

Reed and Nadon were thinking like thespians.

Man arrested for riding his bicycle...

Drunk driving is still drunk driving, even if you’re pedaling on a bicycle, a Tehachapi man learned recently.

Tehachapi Police Chief Jeff Kermode said on the afternoon of Aug. 17 police observed a man on a bicycle weaving left and right in an alley between Pauley and Currey Streets.

“His feet were coming off the pedals.” Kermode said.

An officer in a patrol car, observing that the bicycle rider neglected to stop at Curry and pulled out in front of a car, turned on its lights to make a stop.

“He rode into the curb, almost falling over,” Kermode said the officers reported. “There was a strong odor of alcohol.”

According to the police report, the bicycle-rider said he had ingested 24 ounces of Bud Ice and a pint of vodka. The officers asked the man to take a field sobriety test.

“I can’t pass them,” he allegedly responded. “I’m too drunk.”

Two Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) tests showed the man’s blood alcohol level to be .20 and .24.

“That’s three times the legal limit,” Kermode said.

The officers arrested Edwards Louis Foley, 31, of Tehachapi, under section 21200.5 of the vehicle code, DUI on a bicycle.

Foley provided a blood sample and was released on a promise to appear.
Kermode said that a person also can be arrested for riding drunk on a horse, as a horse is considered a vehicle.

Local Venue Features Famous Talent Joel Rafael

An evening of folk rock under the stars at Mama Hillybeans with Joel Rafael.

Joel told some warm and personal story's about Woody Guthrie and family. Played at least one tune from his new CD and boosted the tune has had its live public debut this nite right now and right here in Tehachapi.

Joel also shared some of his adventures with his friend Crosby and Nash, for Joel has had the pleasure of being the opening act .

this was an unexpected nite of real entertainment , great music, great story's, great tea, great company and a great time.

Thanks to Joel Rafael and Mama Hillybeans -

Jerry S. Stainer

Jerry Stainer, former Tehachapi resident and Warden of California Correctional Institution, passed away Wednesday, September 3, 2008, in Surprise, Arizona. Born in Commerce, Oklahoma, on July 7, 1940, Jerry and his family relocated to Tehachapi in 1978. Jerry is survived by his wife, Saundra of Surprise, Arizona, sons Michael of Tehachapi, and Mark of Windsor, CA, Mother Bonnie of Fairfield, CA, brothers James of Cypress, CA, and Ronald of Vallejo, CA, and grandchildren Jenae, Allison, Taylor, Marley, and Spencer. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at 1:00 pm, at the New Song-United Methodist Church in Surprise, AZ.

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