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Stockdale High’s Stella Kidd recalls motivation for education
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Anonymous user Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Stella Kidd, dean of activities at Stockdale High School, remembers graduating from Wasco High School and asking a friend, “What are you going to do now?”
“Work in the fields,” said the friend.
Kidd had taken vocational training courses throughout high school and felt she wasn’t prepared for college, but both Kidd and her parents were determined to help her get out of the fields and find a different path to success.
“I’ve always had goals I wanted to reach. Even though my mom was illiterate and my stepdad didn’t go to school, they pushed me to get an education,” said Kidd, who grew up in Wasco.
Because of the vocational training she received in high school, Kidd found a job as a secretary before eventually running the gamut of higher education in Bakersfield. She graduated from Bakersfield College with an associate’s degree in liberal arts, then earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish at CSUB and received her master’s degree in education administration from CSUB.
“It’s important that everybody has the opportunity to go to college. I didn’t go to college right away after high school, but my family, my mentors, and my friends pushed me to succeed,” said Kidd. “I wasn’t going back into the fields.”
Kidd, 47, has worked at Stockdale since 1998 and is committed to passing on the values she has learned in her life to the students at Stockdale.
“I am in education because I want to motivate students to accomplish their goals,” said Kidd.
Kidd, along with her husband Jim, have continued to value education in their family. Their son Brian, 20, is attending Cedarville University in Ohio, and their daughter Marci,22, is earning her master’s degree at Cal Baptist University in Riverside.
I recently checked in with Kidd and asked her a few question about her experiences in education:
Q: Does Stockdale High School have any programs that keep students involved in the community? Why is it important for high school kids to give back to the community?
A: Stockdale cares about community service.  We have several projects throughout the year, including the canned food drive, we assist with the Red Cross, Relay For Life, FFA Food Drive for America. We also work with the homeless shelter and we helped raise money for the Hurricane Katrina fund.
We also have a program where our school adopts 500 kids from the elementary schools and delivers gifts to them. It is important for students to do these kinds of activities and learn about the community. They learn that it’s not all about them, it’s about what they can do to help their community and give back.
Q: What is Stockdale High School doing to keep kids out of remedial classes and prepare them for college?
A: We try to make sure that every student is taking the right classes and understanding the material. We have excellent teachers here who prepare them and make sure they are ready for college. In reality, some kids come to find out that college might not best for them, but we still want them to be well-rounded and ready so they can be successful.
Q:  Who has been an inspiration to you?
A: No.1 is my mother.  Although she was illiterate in English and Spanish, she pushed us to succeed in school. My mom had seven kids and all of us are now successful because our mom taught us to never say “I can’t.”
Later on, Blanca Cavazos, principal of Arvin High School, and Ramon Hendricks, principal here at Stockdale, were mentors to me professionally.
Q: Why is it important for students to get involved in extracurricular activities?
A: It is part of the high school experience to be involved in extra-curricular activities. Students have the chance to learn and work with other students and accomplish goals.
It also gives the students experience in leadership and working with the community. It also helps keep kids off the street and out of trouble. We have students that work as peer tutors, and our Friday Night Life Club helps keep students away from smoking, drugs, and alcohol. Its a great way to avoid the peer pressure.
Q: What is unique about Stockdale High School?
A: I believe our school has outstanding academic programs, athletics, and extra curricular activities. Our students have been very successful in academic competitions, such as Mock Trial.
I think there is an atmosphere here that pushes kids to challenge themselves to be the best they can be. The staff here is great and the parents and community are very supportive of our school. Mustangs are branded by excellence.

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