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, Colorado, United States. The school serves about 1,500 students in grades 9-12 in the Denver Public Schools system.
When the school opened with the spring semester of the 1965 - 1966 school year, it served both grades 7 - 9 and grades 10-12. There was no junior high school in the area, so the new school was designed to accommodate both junior and senior high school students.
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.[citation needed]
Demographics
- Hispanic 77.4%
- White 10.3%
- African American 2.9%
- Asian 7%
- Multiple 1.4%
- Native American <1% [4]
80.1% of Kennedy students are eligible for a free/reduced lunch rate.[4]
International Baccalaureate program
On December 11, 2007 Kennedy became the second high school in Denver to offer the two-year International Baccalaureate program, and is the only school in Denver to offer an authorized IB education for all grade levels.
Athletics
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
Teachers honored
The National Association of Biology Teachers, in conjunction with Prentice Hall and the Colorado Biology Teachers Association,[5] gave Kevin Lindauer the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Colorado for 2008.[6]
Parent support groups
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 held the first 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 IB students and teachers.
Notable alumni
- Greg Jones - former NFL Linebacker
- Tony Laubach - professional storm chaser featured on the Discovery Channel TV series Storm Chasers, National Geographic Channel TV special Into the Tornado, and Women's Entertainment TV series, Twister Sisters
- Gabe Molina - former MLB player (Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals)
References
- ^ a b c "John F Kennedy High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ "John F. Kennedy". Colorado High School Activities Association. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
- ^ "John F. Kennedy High School". International Baccalaureate Organization. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
IB school code: 002488
- ^ a b http://media.dpsk12.org/enrollmentsnapshots/ES453.PDF [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Colorado Biology Teachers Association
- ^ "Kevin L. Lindauer Honored as Outstanding Biology Teacher for 2008" (PDF). Denver Public Schools. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
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