Greeter: Dave Weldon
Invocation: Steve Rodrigue
Flag Salute: Andrae Gonzales
Song: “My Country “Tis of Thee” lead on Piano by John Calanchini
Roving Mic: Juan Bustamante
SPOKE EDITOR PROFILE:
Jean-Luc Slagle is the owner of the creative + media agency: Scope Studios. Scope specializes in creating videos and other media that engages audiences for brands, agencies, and in-house marketing teams. When he’s not working, he can be found spending time with his Wife (Haley) and his dog (Toulouse), playing and recording music, or answering a relentless barrage of existential questions from his 2 year old son Rylo.
Kristen kicked off the meeting by acknowledging Ray Watson as a substitute (albeit purely ceremonial) Sargent-at-Arms. This is likely because the brand new Rotary Laptop purred along without difficulty thanks to a generous donation from Ascend (Nik Boone) and Scope Studios (Jean-Luc Slagle).
GUESTS:
- No guests or visiting rotarians.
GOOD NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Pat Collins quipped that Ben Stinson was today’s Visiting Rotarian. “The reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated” Mr. Stinson retorted— the words of Mark Twain upon reading his own obituary. Stinson went on to report the birth of his grandchild James Conner Abercrombie, born at Adventist Health weighting 6lbs 5oz.
- Randy Saunders announced the annual Boy Scouts “Baked Potato Bash, taking place Saturday August 24, 2024— a family friendly affair. Randy hopes that a community culinary connoisseur will dethrone the reigning “Sweet Potato Pie” champion with a less bourgeoisie offering. Tickets are $25. Randy is still seeking sponsorships for the event.
- Pete Pankey announced that the Central Academy of Arts and Technology, a new charter school, has “gotten over its last hurdle” and classes are filling up. The CAAT will take place in the former Bitwise Building in Downtown Bakersfield.
- Ryan Crowl announced that his company Bakersfield Jet Center has won a bid with the city of Paso Robles and will expand his operation with fuel, hangar, and maintenance offerings into this new locale over the course of their 40-year contract.
President Watson continued the “Where In the World is Rotary” game by showing the outline of a country and allowing members in the audience to guess. Fortunately, the members of the “Smart Table” (who’s members previously included Jeff Gutierrez, Aaron Falk, Bill Lever, Pete Pankey, and others) were broken up like the Standard Oil monopoly and forced to disburse among the proletariats. Whether the answer came from this diaspora or not is unknown, however, France was correctly guessed.
The events of the Paris 2024 Olympics kicked off the following day. There are more than 1,000 Rotary Clubs in France, with one Paris Club amassing over 200 members. France is also somewhat of a culinary contradiction with he highest number of Michelin Stars and also the hight number of McDonald’s in Europe.
PROGRAM
Shannon LaBare introduced her client Lora Brown, the superintendent of the Fairfax School District in Kern County. Lara shared some facts about the district:
- Fairfax School District currently serves 2700 Students & 400 Staff
- 94% of students are classified as socioeconomically disadvantaged
- They encompass 4 Schools: 3 Elementary Schools and 1 Junior High School
- The schools are: Shirley Lane Elementary, Virginia Avenue Elementary, Zephyr Lane elementary and Fairfax Junior High
- Staff retention is high
Engagement and support are paramount to Lora and she expressed her desire for the Fairfax School District to be an anchor in their community, providing services in addition to eduction which she defined as “between the bells” and “beyond the bells.” Every student has the opportunity to stay on the school campus until 6:00 PM if circumstances at home necessitate it. Many of the 2700 students stay on campus “beyond the bell” and grassroots clubs are supported by the district, with wide range of interests from Basketweaving to Anime. Summer school, summer camps, basic medical care, optometry, and a myriad of other services are also provided to the community free of charge.
Mayor Karen Goh and Allie Triolo praised the efforts of the Fairfax School District staff in their response to a water emergency in the Shirley Lane Community. Over 190 homes went without proper water pressure for over a week in June of 2024. Lora and the FSD staff organized to make sure members of the community got water. Many couldn’t take showers, so FSD opened the Shirley Lane cafeteria providing water, towels and soap.
Finally, Lora detailed some of their upcoming building projects which are currently underway.
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