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South Fork School History Page

South Fork School is a Kindergarten through 8th grade school located in Weldon, California.  Weldon is in the Kern River Valley  about 65 miles northeast of Bakersfield.  We are a rural, one-school District located near a large Riparian Forest.

     South Fork School was started in March 26, 1921 by the joining of  three tiny school districts to form a small district.  The three districts were South Fork, Scodie, and Weldon school districts.  When the new district was complete, Mrs. Garoutte taught the sixty-two students.

     An earthquake struck the Kern River Valley in 1952, and the South Fork School was  destroyed.  Inadequate funding  caused an inability to house the students, so the staff and students were sent to Kernville Union District.

     A cafeteria and two classrooms were constructed (currently the library and attached classrooms), at which time grades 1-4  were brought back to South Fork, while grades 5-8 continued to attend Kernville District.

     In 1959, in order to accommodate 4 families, 12 sections of the district (currently Mt. Mesa) were transferred to the Kernville District by resolution of the Board or Supervisors of the County of Kern.  In the early 1960's, a temporary wooden building was used as a classroom and the 5th grade was brought back.  Two new classrooms and the School Office building was built in 1967, and the 6th grade came home.  The 7th grade returned to the wooden classroom in 1969.

     The new cafeteria and two additional classrooms were constructed in 1972, with two others added in 1975.  Two portable rooms were brought to the school site in 1980, at which time the 8th grade returned. The Kindergarten building was constructed in 1984.  The last permanent building was added to the school in 1987;  a  combination bus barn, storage area and faculty room.  More portables added in the years between 1987 and 1997, as well as a portable bathroom.  In 1990 the School Office and the two classrooms building (built in 1967) was modified to create an expanded school office and a 1/3 larger room for Science.  The present campus has a total of 22 classrooms.  The stage has served as a classroom since 1993, and a converted rest room serves as the Middle School RSP room.

     The Middle School was created out of the 6th, 7th and 8th grades in 1980.  It has functioned as a middle school ever since, with CORE classes traveling between various rooms for Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, and P.E..  The Language Arts classes are two class periods long, all the others are one.  There is also time for students to take "elective" classes offered by teachers during the last period of the day.  Such classes have covered the areas of dance, speech, tutoring, study hall, art, drama, chorus, sculpture, Our Heroes, Project South Fork (a school design class), student leadership training, Outdoor Education, photography & cinematography, puppetry, advanced Math, Science and Language Arts, and many others --- these Electives bring well rounded education challenges to the students.

     The enrollment has almost doubled since 1979.  In that year there were just under 200 students at South Fork School.  In 1994 the total enrollment was 417.  It has since fluctuated between 380 and 400.  The current enrollment is around 400.

     In the Spring of 1998 the voters of the South Fork District overwhelmingly voted yes on an bond issue to help build a new school --- a  not just a school, but an entire Community Center complete with Gymnasium, community buildings and room for the Middle School.  The students have now been on that campus since January of 2001.  Plans are still in the works for continuing the South Fork Project, upgrading the campus and adding new buildings such as a Library and an outdoor theater.

This Page was last update: Monday, March 3, 2003 at 11:20:38 AM
This page was originally posted: 8/8/2001; 9:33:37 AM.
Copyright 2008 South Fork School