The Rotary Club of Tehachapi has a new project we are excited to share. In conjunction with Jacobsen Middle School, Rotary has implemented the S.O.A.R. program (Student Outstanding Achievement Recognition). Everyone who has ever attended middle school or raised a young person who is in middle school knows that those years are some of the most challenging in life. School takes on new importance; recess disappears, peer pressure is heightened. Maintaining good grades sometimes becomes overwhelming. The S.O.A.R. project was developed for students who have struggled a bit with school but have found a way to raise their grades despite the obstacles on the way.
Seven students at Jacobsen Middle School were the first to receive the award recently. Each of the seven raised at least one of their grades a full letter grade. They, and their parents, were invited to a celebratory breakfast at Jacobsen to receive their awards. There to present the awards were four members of the Rotary Club: Chris Naftel, Marian Stephens, Paul Kaminski and Judy Trujillo. Also in attendance were Sharon Heitman, Jacobsen’s principal and Erin Dyer a Jacobsen counselor as well as many of the parents and siblings of the students. Each student received a certificate as well as a bag full of school supplies, a pizza certificate donated by Domino's Pizza, a Baskin Robbins ice cream certificate and some Valentines chocolates.
This is the first time S.O.A.R. has been at Jacobsen and the Rotary Club hopes to keep this project going and growing. The more students who hear about it, the more who might want to participate. It takes some work, grades are sometimes difficult to raise but with a little extra help and encouragement, Rotary hopes to see many more students being given an award for their improvement at the close of each semester.
Our future lies in the education of our children and Rotary is a leader in the Tehachapi community, making sure that all of our children thrive. In order to facilitate childhood education, Rotary provides each student in the TUSD kindergarten classes a personalized book—all about them, at the close of each year. Each book tells the story of “School is Fun” using the student’s name, their teacher, their friends, even their pets. In high school, we sponsor Interact Clubs at both Tehachapi High School and Valley Oaks Charter School. Interact Clubs encourage giving back and community service. Each spring six students are selected to attend RYLA (Rotary Youth Service Awards) a four day leadership camp funded by Rotary. There are also scholarships for graduating seniors. This year, Rotary is also participating in Rotary Youth Exchange. We have a Tehachapi student, Aiden Wood, attending school and living in Denmark for a year. In exchange, Jakub Straka from Slovakia is here in Tehachapi, attending THS. If you or your student is interested in any of these activities, please contact Judy Trujillo the Youth Service Chair at 661-821-0086.