John F. Kennedy High School (Denver, Colorado)

John F. Kennedy High School

"Home of the Commanders"
Location
2855 S. Lamar Street
Denver, CO 80227
United States
Coordinates 39°39′52″N 105°04′02″W / 39.664468°N 105.067277°W / 39.664468; -105.067277
Information
Type public high school
Established 1964
School district Denver Public Schools
Principal Jeannie Peppel
Faculty 77.7 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 1510[1] (2005-06)
Student to teacher ratio 19.4[1]
Campus type suburban
Color(s) Navy Blue and Kelly green         
Athletics 5A
Athletics conference Denver League[2]
Mascot Commanders
Educational Program International Baccalaureate[3]
Website jfk.dpsk12.org

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 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.

Demographics

The free/reduced lunch rate of Kennedy is 61.46% of the students.[4]

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.

Extracurricular activities

Sports

Kennedy offers many after-school sports:

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:

Honorary societies

Students who excel academically are offered the opportunity to join one or more of these societies:

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, Fitness 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.

Teachers honored

The National Association of Biology Teachers (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.[5]

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 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

References

  1. 1 2 3 "John F Kennedy High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  2. ↑ "John F. Kennedy". Colorado High School Activities Association. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  3. ↑ "John F. Kennedy High School". International Baccalaureate Organization. Retrieved 2008-01-09. IB school code: 002488
  4. 1 2 http://www.piton.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=SchoolFacts.Summary&School_ID=234
  5. ↑ "Kevin L. Lindauer Honored as Outstanding Biology Teacher for 2008". Denver Public Schools. Retrieved 2008-09-02.

External links

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