BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Celebrating 100 days of school is a beloved scholastic tradition across the country.
January 31 marks that occasion, with several schools highlighting the accomplishment.
Monday marks that many days of in-person school for Kern County students, including the Bakersfield City School District. Their Assistant Superintendent Laura Orozco said it’s taken a lot to get here.
“Teachers being able to continue with the instruction for 100 days, it encompasses our parents, the struggles that they’ve been through. There’s a lot of trauma that happened because of the pandemic, so parents just pushing and making sure their kids come to school, or that their kids are logging in virtually.”
During the pandemic, Kern County schools also mitigated learning loss, or as Orozco likes to call it ‘unfinished learning.’
According to the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Grade Data from the 2020-2021 school year, BCSD students from grades 6-8 experienced a 17% increase in D’s and F’s when compared to 2019.
That’s why BCSD has been assessing students to find out how they’re currently doing and following it with tutoring from what they call an intervention specialist.
Through it all, Orozco highlighted the resilience of the students and now, it’s time to celebrate their hard work.
“It’s been 100 days of pushing forward, making sure we have the unity and so much grace and by continuing to provide that support for our students. That’s what we’re here for as a team. That’s what BCSD is: a team.”
To celebrate 100 days, students at Panama Buena Vista School District dressed up like they're 100 years old. Meanwhile at BCSD, Orozco said the 100-day mark has a particular significance for kindergarten and first-graders learning to count to 100 and count in tens.
"[Some] first grade teachers do 100 fruit loops and make necklaces out of cereal. [This week] you'll go into classrooms, and they’ll have their necklaces on, or there are teachers that put out 100 chocolate chips on a cupcake."
Now that they’ve reached this numerical milestone, they’re looking ahead to the next 100.
“The mental health of our students, our staff, and parents are crucial for us. As we provide the academic instruction, we have to review the SEL part for our students, just to make sure it’s well-rounded, definitely embedded throughout the day every day with our students.”
