{"id":145754,"date":"2026-01-23T04:03:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T04:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/145754\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T04:03:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T04:03:34","slug":"kern-county-hosts-third-annual-cte-summit-cte-superstar-honored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/145754\/","title":{"rendered":"Kern County Hosts Third Annual CTE Summit, CTE Superstar Honored"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-drop-cap\" style=\"font-size:16px\">Educators, industry leaders, and community partners gathered Thursday at the Dignity Health Convention Center for Kern County\u2019s third annual Career Technical Education (CTE) Summit, a full-day event dedicated to advancing high-quality CTE programs across the region. The summit, hosted by KCSOS\u2019s College &amp; Career Programs department, featured keynote speakers, a student panel, networking opportunities, and breakout sessions designed to strengthen collaboration among K\u201312 education, higher education, and workforce partners. Sessions focused on aligning educational pathways with regional labor market needs while highlighting innovation and best practices in CTE instruction.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1652-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41807\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6669983966384696;width:209px;height:auto\"  \/>A student shares his perspective during the CTE Summit. <\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">A highlight of the event was the presentation of the CTE Superstar Award, which recognizes outstanding educators and professionals who demonstrate leadership, innovation, and a strong commitment to student success in Career Technical Education. This year\u2019s CTE Superstar Award was presented to Mario Lizarraga, an Automotive Collision &amp; Refinishing Technology instructor at the Regional Occupational Center (ROC) within the Kern High School District. Lizarraga was selected from a strong pool of nominees for his leadership in the Transportation CTE pathway.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Lizarraga has transformed his Collision and Refinishing program into a modern, industry-aligned training facility, incorporating updated equipment and current procedures that reflect real-world standards. Beyond his classroom, he has contributed to regional skills challenges and districtwide trades initiatives, helping elevate CTE opportunities across Kern County. Under his leadership, students demonstrated professionalism, confidence, and technical skill, successfully competing at advanced levels and transitioning into postsecondary training and careers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Community members, colleagues, and students were encouraged throughout the summit to participate in the nomination process, reinforcing the importance of recognizing educators and industry professionals who are shaping the future of Career Technical Education.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"41818\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1752-copy-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41818\"  \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13px\">This year\u2019s CTE Superstar Award was presented to Mario Lizarraga, an Automotive Collision &amp; Refinishing Technology instructor at the Regional Occupational Center (ROC) within the Kern High School District.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-41800\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1205-1024x683.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\">Travis Allen served as the keynote speaker. He is a visionary educational leader spearheading a movement to cultivate Human Intelligence in an era of Artificial Intelligence.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"41802\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1413-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41802\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"41801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1442-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41801\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"41808\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1382-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41808\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"41807\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1652-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41807\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"41811\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1027-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41811\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"41813\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1453-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41813\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"41812\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/449A1565-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41812\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>2026 CTE Superstar Award Nominees<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Barbara Hashim \u2014 PLTW Instructor<br \/>Rosedale Middle School | Engineering &amp; Architecture; Health Science; Manufacturing<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Mitchell Moretti \u2014 Logistics &amp; Distribution Instructor<br \/>Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) | Logistics &amp; Distribution<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Walter Suazo \u2014 Digital Marketing Instructor<br \/>Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) | Arts, Media &amp; Entertainment; Marketing, Sales &amp; Service<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Ryan Chavez \u2014 Screen Printing Instructor<br \/>McFarland High School | Manufacturing and Product Development<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Vernon Clark \u2014 FFA Instructor<br \/>Foothill High School | Agriculture and Natural Resources<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Thomas Lane \u2014 Automotive Technology Instructor<br \/>Arvin High School | Automotive Technology<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Lisa Krch \u2014 Video Production Instructor<br \/>Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) | Arts, Media &amp; Entertainment<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Erin Arriola \u2014 Front of the House Instructor<br \/>Bakersfield Adult School | Hospitality, Tourism &amp; Recreation<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Joshua McKenzie \u2014 Agricultural CTE Instructor<br \/>Mira Monte High School | Agriculture and Natural Resources<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Shauna Tinich \u2014 Middle School CTE Instructor<br \/>Tropico Middle School | Multiple Industry Sectors<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Andrew Hong \u2014 Sports Medicine Instructor<br \/>Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) | Health Science and Medical Technology<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Miranda Baxter \u2014 Special Education\/CTE Instructor<br \/>Journey Career Center | Business and Finance<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">The event was sponsored by the K-16 Regional Collaborative and the Central Valley Mother Lode Regional Consortium, whose continued partnership supports career readiness and workforce alignment throughout the region.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:16px\">Now in its third year, the Kern County CTE Summit continues to serve as a key convening space for celebrating excellence, sharing innovation, and strengthening career pathways for students across the county.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Educators, industry leaders, and community partners gathered Thursday at the Dignity Health Convention Center for Kern County\u2019s third&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":{"0":"post-145754","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bakersfield","8":"tag-bakersfield","9":"tag-bakersfield-headlines","10":"tag-bakersfield-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}