Lawrence Moore
Good morning Bakersfield. It is Friday, February 12, 2016. The start of the long weekend to honor Presidents’ Day. It is a good time to be a Renegade.
Kay Meek, Greg Gallio. Feb 11, 2016
Yesterday, Feb 11th, at our Board meeting, BC received an award from Greg Gallion, CEO of the Houchin Community Blood Bank (HCBC). Trustee Kay Meek received the award on behalf of the college and clearly she was delighted at the great work being done at BC and the strong partnership with HCBC. Meek greeted Greg Gallion with warmth and appreciation. BC received the award due to the remarkable work done by our Student Government Association (SGA) and BC staff during the National Caesar Chavez Blood Drive. This has been an ongoing effort at the college, and the partnership with Houchin.
I remember having done two blogs on the blood drive at BC since I got here as president. One in 2013 and another in 2014. Check it out.
2014 blog at: http://bcpresidentblog.com/2014/04/20/sga-fills-the-bank-at-blood-drive/
2013 blog at: http://bcpresidentblog.com/2013/06/13/bc-in-the-top-10-for-blood-drive/
HCBC is a wonderful organization with the motto People Live when People Give and their CEO Greg Gallion, a fellow Rotarian, is just wonderful. For more on the work that HCBC does check out http://hcbb.com/.
Clayton Fowler. Board Meeting. Feb 11, 2016
I also enjoyed SGA President Cayton Fowler addressing the Board about the Renegade Promise work that SGA has undertaken along with College Council. (Thank you Clayton, Nicky Damania, and Lesley Bonds for all your work on this project.)
I obtained Clayton’s written remarks to share with you this morning:
According to the College Promise Campaign, in the 21st century, a high school diploma is no longer enough to lead Americans to a good job and decent quality of life. In the next ten years, more than six out of ten jobs will require employees to have more than a high school diploma, while today only 40% of US adults ages 25–64 are adequately prepared for the workforce. Community colleges already reduce inequality in education and income by serving more than 40% of all undergraduates in the U.S. at more than 1,100 community colleges throughout the nation. Therefore, students, staff, and faculty of the Bakersfield College community have called to question, is there something more Bakersfield College can do to help educate our community.
Good Afternoon, I am Clayton Fowler the President of the Bakersfield College Student Government Association. I wanted to present to the Board the ambitious project Bakersfield College will been undergoing to increase student access and success. This venture, modeled after other programs, is entitled the Renegade Promise, which is a mutually agreed commitment that Bakersfield College will promise entering first-year students starting fall 2016.
While still in the development stages, the Renegade Promise will soon offer two pathways designed to give motivated first-time entering students a head start on a college degree. The purpose of the Renegade Promise is to offer structured opportunities for qualified students to enroll in community college courses that provide pathways that lead to a certificate, diploma, or transfer pathways or degrees.
Academic credits earned shall empower students who continue into postsecondary education after graduating from high school to complete a postsecondary degree or certificate in less time than would normally be required. BC would like to offer two pathways starting fall of 2016 with Plan A for Students who are College Ready and then in fall 2017, Plan B for Students who are not College Ready.
The public announcement and details for the Renegade Promise will be presented the 2016 Bakersfield College Student Leadership and Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 29, from 9:30 a.m. to Noon. I am here to invite you all to attend this ceremony to highlight not only our current student leaders, but also for the unveiling the Renegade Promise for student leaders of tomorrow.
Sonya Christian, Aaron Kidwell enjoying Renegade Basketball
On Wednesday, Feb 10th, after a long day of meetings, Vice President Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg and Vice President Zav Dadabhoy and I headed over to watch our basketball teams take on Glendale. It made for a great evening and I’m happy to report that we won both games! Coach Dahl and Coach Hughes rock!
It was wonderful to see BC faculty and staff out there at 8:00 p.m. supporting our student athletes. Right from Aaron Kidwell who was up since 4:00 a.m. that day and taking care of stuff at BC to Pam Boyles, Ann Tatum and Robert Boyles, to department staff AD Sandi Taylor and gang, Educational Advisor Stig Jantz….A true labor of love!
I also learned an interesting tidbit at the game. In High School and College, the Jersey numbers of the basketball players each digit cannot be higher than 5. Here are acceptable numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21…… Apparently, this rule was adopted to help referees hand sign numbers to the scoring table. When a referee reports the number of the player to the scorer’s table. he does so with one hand signaling the number in the tens place and the other hand signaling the number in the ones place. Makes sense? So, if he signals two fingers on his right hand and 4 on the left, he is designating the player with the jersey number 24.
If you haven’t made it out to the Gil Bishop Sports Center to watch our BC Renegades men’s and women’s basketball teams, you really should.
The men’s basketball team had a record of 21-4 after clinching a shot at the league title by beating Glendale on Feb. 10. If the team wins two of their next three games, they will win the Western State Conference South division title outright for the first time in more than 10 years!
The team is led by dynamic 5’7″ point guard Jameik Riviere, who currently leads the state in assists. Nothing stops Riviere from quickly weaving through two or three towering defenders, defying gravity as he hangs in the air a second longer than his opponents as his layup glides through the basket.
At the other end of the height chart, 6’9″ Deandre Dickson throws down amazing dunks several times a game, fielding impressive alley-oop style passes from Riviere.
While those two have emerged as stars, the men’s team routinely has depth in players scoring in double digits, including James Pendleton, Lawrence Moore, Shane Christie and Nick Velasquez, making it hard for opposing teams to keep the ‘Gades from scoring.
Coach Rich Hughes with his team
The men play their last home game on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Gil Bishop Sports Center against Santa Monica, and we have a good chance of seeing Head Coach Rich Hughes cut the net down after the game like Head Coach Paula Dahl did last season when the women’s team won their conference title!
Even though the women’s basketball team has had a season this year where they’ve struggled to put up wins like they did last season, they have played with a lot of heart, and Coach Dahl couldn’t be prouder of her team.
“I’m proud of my kids because they are learning that you can do hard things. I get compliments about their character, that they are polite and continue to work hard even though things have been tough. They are learning that life can be hard, and they are working through it and continuing to fight and get better even when the chips are down, and there’s nothing more I could ask for as a coach,” Dahl said.
Here is a quick update on BC’s other sports:
Baseball: Coach Tim Painton has a solid bunch of players, and they have gotten off to a great start this season. His pitching staff is composed almost entirely of freshmen, but on the offensive side, Harrison Smith and Hanz Harker (who have both already signed letters of intent to play at Division 1 schools) are now sophomores, picking up where they left off last season. Smith already has a grand slam to his credit this year.
Sonya Christian. Starter in Feb 12, 2015
Softball: The BC Softball team is in its second year under coach Christie Hill, and she’s brought back key sophomores like Trinidad Lee. Last season, Lee pitched the majority of the team’s innings, and helped them score runs with her bat. This season, she’ll have help from sophomore Maddie Arambula and a host of freshmen from across Kern County.
Track & Field: The Bakersfield College Track and Field team will have their first home meet of the year Friday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. at the “Battle of the Regions.” Marylin Quintero and Sha’nya Terry have dominated the throwing events this season, while Deonte Henderson and Daniel Aguirre have been strong in the running events. Tristan McGee won the long jump at an event last weekend, so there will be a great assortment of Renegades to cheer on in Memorial Stadium this season. Thank you Coach Pam Kelley for inviting me to be the starter last year as well as this year.
Jeremy Price
Swimming: The Swim Team opens competition Fri., Feb. 12 at the Pentathlon Event in Ventura. Last season, BC men’s swimmer Erik Wood won the event, while women’s swimmer Sara Klang had a great day in the pool as well.
Sara Klang
This year, coach Matt Moon is looking to freshmen swimmers Brian Bender and Christian Chou to lead the pack in Ventura, and he feels that Klang can build on her performance last season, and possibly claim the title at the five-event swim meet.
But one of the more interesting stories on the team is that of Jeremy Price. Coach Moon says that three years ago, Jeremy wasn’t even “water safe.”
But he took Tina Cummings’ Beginning Swimming course, did the hard work, and now Moon feels he can contend in some of the freestyle events. Just amazing!
Men’s Golf: Coach Brittney Goehring is now running both the men’s and women’s golf teams, and she’s in her second season with the men. The 2016 men’s team has an interesting mix of athletes, from United States Marine Corps veteran Francisco Tomayo to former BC football punter Brady Wylie to freshmen like Brad Chamberlain (who currently leads the team) and North High grad Hunter Hopkins, they prove that you can get a lot of variety — even on a small squad like a golf team! Fun bunch!
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These are just some of the awesome things that are happening in the Athletics Department! Francis Mayer does a great job with with the gogades.com website — check it out for interesting stories about our student athletes. Also, when you are at the website, check out the schedule and make it a point to get out and enjoy the great weather nature is providing, and the great performances our student athletes are providing!
We are…BC!
