John F. Kennedy High School (Denver, Colorado)
Encyclopedia
John F. Kennedy High School (also known as "Kennedy" or "JFK") is a public secondary school
located in the Bear Valley neighborhood on the southwest side of Denver
. The school serves about 1,500 students in grades 9-12 in the Denver Public Schools
system.
When the school opened it served grades 7 - 9 in the afternoon and grades 10-12 in the morning as there was no junior high school in the area.
In 1974, a court ordered the almost 100% white school, along with the rest of Denver's school system, to begin desegregation busing. A large portion of the former attendance area was assigned to Lincoln High School (without buses) and students from other parts of Denver were assigned to Kennedy (with buses). The court-ordered busing was the start of the great white flight
out of the Denver Public School System.
The free/reduced lunch rate of Kennedy is 61.46% of the students.
Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE),
Anime Club,
Believe It Or Not I Care (BIONIC),
Book Club,
Cheerleaders,
Chess Club,
Cultural Commanders Club,
DECA,
Destination Imagination,
El Pomar Youth in Community Service (EPYCS),
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA),
Fellowship of Christian Commanders (FCC),
Gay Straight Alliance (GSA),
Key Club,
Latin Dance,
Link Leaders,
Math, Engineering, Science Association (MESA),
Mock Trial,
Model U.N.,
Peer Counseling,
Scrapbooking,
Slam Poetry,
Speech and Debate,
Spring Break London Trip,
Student Leadership (Student Council),
Weight Lifting.
and First Aid
, Geography
and Earth Science
, Citizenship
, and American History, and Firearm Safety and Rifle Marksmanship. Students are required to wear a uniform once a week. JROTC provides students with opportunities to be members of competitive drill and rifle teams and to achieve success in various levels of leadership positions within the program.
(NABT), in conjunction with Prentice Hall
and the Colorado Biology Teachers Association (CBTA), gave Kevin Lindauer the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Colorado for 2008.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in the Bear Valley neighborhood on the southwest side of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The school serves about 1,500 students in grades 9-12 in the Denver Public Schools
Denver Public Schools
The Denver County School District No. 1, more commonly known as the Denver Public Schools , is the public school system in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States.-History:...
system.
When the school opened it served grades 7 - 9 in the afternoon and grades 10-12 in the morning as there was no junior high school in the area.
In 1974, a court ordered the almost 100% white school, along with the rest of Denver's school system, to begin desegregation busing. A large portion of the former attendance area was assigned to Lincoln High School (without buses) and students from other parts of Denver were assigned to Kennedy (with buses). The court-ordered busing was the start of the great white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
out of the Denver Public School System.
Demographics
- Hispanic 65.6%
- White 23.8%
- African American 1.6%
- Asian 7.0%
- Native American 2.1%
The free/reduced lunch rate of Kennedy is 61.46% of the students.
International Baccalaureate Program
On December 11, 2007 Kennedy became the second high school in Denver to offer the two-year International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and is the only school in Denver to offer an authorized IB education for all grade levels.Sports
Kennedy offers many after-school sports:- Fall Sports
- Football
- Softball
- Golf, Boys
- Tennis, Boys
- Volleyball
- Cross Country, Boys and Girls
- Boys Soccer
- Girls Gymnastics
- Cheerleading
- Winter Sports
- Basketball, Boys and Girls
- Swimming, Girls
- Wrestling, Boys
- Cheerleading
- Spring Sports
- Baseball
- Swimming, Boys
- Golf, Girls
- Soccer, Girls
- Tennis, Girls
- Lacrosse, Boys and Girls
- Track and Field
- In-line Hockey, Boys
- Cheerleading
Activities and Clubs
Kennedy offers many after-school activities and clubs;Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE),
Anime Club,
Believe It Or Not I Care (BIONIC),
Book Club,
Cheerleaders,
Chess Club,
Cultural Commanders Club,
DECA,
Destination Imagination,
El Pomar Youth in Community Service (EPYCS),
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA),
Fellowship of Christian Commanders (FCC),
Gay Straight Alliance (GSA),
Key Club,
Latin Dance,
Link Leaders,
Math, Engineering, Science Association (MESA),
Mock Trial,
Model U.N.,
Peer Counseling,
Scrapbooking,
Slam Poetry,
Speech and Debate,
Spring Break London Trip,
Student Leadership (Student Council),
Weight Lifting.
Performing arts
Kennedy offers many performing arts avenues for students to follow:- Drama
- Vocal
- Instrumental Music
- Marching Band
- Jazz Band
- Orchestra
- Concert Band
- Dance
Honorary Societies
Students who excel academically are offered the opportunity to join one or more of these societies:- Cum Laude SocietyCum Laude SocietyThe Cum Laude Society is an organization that honors scholastic achievement at secondary institutions, similar to the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which honors scholastic achievements at the university level. It was founded in 1906 as the Alpha Delta Tau fraternity and changed its name in the 1950s...
- National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
- NHS Honor Board
- Tri-M Music Honor SocietyTri-MTri-M Music Honor Society, formerly known as Modern Music Masters, is a high school and middle school music honor society. Each school has its own chapter, which is run by the students but supervised by an advisor or sponsor, usually a school teacher...
JROTC
The mission of the JROTC is to motivate young people to be better citizens. Students will receive instruction in Leadership Theory and Application, Foundations for Success, Wellness, FitnessPhysical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
and First Aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and Earth Science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
, Citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
, and American History, and Firearm Safety and Rifle Marksmanship. Students are required to wear a uniform once a week. JROTC provides students with opportunities to be members of competitive drill and rifle teams and to achieve success in various levels of leadership positions within the program.
Teachers honored
The National Association of Biology TeachersNational Association of Biology Teachers
The National Association of Biology Teachers is an American-based scholarly society that "empowers educators to provide the best possible biology and life science education for all students."...
(NABT), in conjunction with Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall is a major educational publisher. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6-12 and higher-education market. Prentice Hall distributes its technical titles through the Safari...
and the Colorado Biology Teachers Association (CBTA), gave Kevin Lindauer the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Colorado for 2008.
Commander Connection
The mission of the Commander Connection, also known as the Commander Club, is to act as a support group, to enhance the academic, athletic, social and arts & science activities of the students at John F. Kennedy High School, and to promote school spirit & school pride. The Commander Connection provides volunteer support of student activities. Meetings are the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Kennedy High School.KIBPA
KIBPA (Kennedy's International Baccalaureate Parent's Association) is the parent support group for the IB students and teachers.Notable alumni
- Michael Pillow - Distinguished professional in the areas of Youth development and Youth ministryYouth ministryYouth ministry, also commonly referred to as Youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry and is the way in which a faith group, or other religious organization involves and engages with the young people who attend its place of worship, or live in its community...
in the Denver metropolitan area area