These six athletes, L-R: Ed Bunting, Kyle Espinoza-Denys, Aspen Hacker, Kayley Sietsma, Hunter Watts, and Ralph Roettger, were nominated from Kern Valley High School for the PEEAK Awards. Submitted Photos.
By Ray Conner
On May 15, six Kern Valley High School students traveled to Bakersfield as nominees for 2024 PEEAK (Promoting Excellence in Activities and Athletics in Kern) Awards. The awards night was held in the Mechanics Bank Theater.
The Kern High School District, since 2011 has awarded the top athletes, artists, performers and more. There were 39 categories being honored this year.
The six from Kern Valley that were nominated for the PEEAK awards were Ed Bunting, Kyle Espinoza-Denys, Aspen Hacker, Kayley Sietsma, Hunter Watts, and Ralph Roettger. There are 42,000 students in the district, with a little over 300 being nominated for awards.
This night belonged to Aspen Hacker as she was selected as the best Female Athlete. This is the second time in a few short weeks that Hacker has been selected to receive an award. She was also recognized by the Bakersfield Jockey Club. She was the only one of the six Kern Valley students to be honored at PEEAK Awards.
This takes nothing away from the other nominees, as just the honor of the nominations means that these students were recognized from such a large group. Three of those not winning were also recognized by the BJC. Bunting, Espinoza-Deny, and Sietsma were honored.
With the school year rapidly coming to a close, these students can take pride in knowing they are part of Kern Valley lore.
