John F. Kennedy High School (La Palma, California)

John F. Kennedy High School
Address
8281 Walker Street
Southern California
La Palma, Orange County, California 90623
United States
Coordinates 33°50′33″N 118°2′14″W / 33.84250°N 118.03722°W / 33.84250; -118.03722Coordinates: 33°50′33″N 118°2′14″W / 33.84250°N 118.03722°W / 33.84250; -118.03722
Information
School type Public, High School
Established 1964 (1964)
Status Operational
School district Anaheim Union HS District
NCES District ID 0602630[1]
Superintendent Michael Matsuda
CEEB code 050379
NCES School ID 060263000177[2]
Principal Regina Zurbano
Teaching staff 91
Grades 9th-12th
Gender Coeducational
Enrollment 2,373[3] (2014-15)
 • Grade 9 752
 • Grade 10 684
 • Grade 11 630
 • Grade 12 626
Campus type Large Suburb
Color(s) Kelly Green & Gold
         
Athletics conference Empire League CIF Southern Section
Sports Football
Mascot Fighting Irish
Rival Cypress High School
Accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Newspaper The Shamrock
Feeder schools Walker Junior High
Website kennedy.auhsd.us
[4][5][6][7][8]

John F. Kennedy High School is a public, four-year high school and International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in the city of La Palma, California. Kennedy gets most of its students from the junior high school across the street, Walker Junior High School.

History

John F. Kennedy High School opened to 1,488 students in the 10th and 11th grades on September 14, 1964. For its first year of operation, there was no senior class. Kenneth MacPherson was Kennedy's first principal. Most buildings were ready except the dressing rooms, the gym, and playing fields. The school was to be named Centralia, in keeping with Board policy to name high schools after an elementary school district in the area; however, the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 prompted a group of patrons to have the school (then under construction) renamed in his honor.[9] It was one of the first schools in the country to have been named after the assassinated president.

In the fall of 2011, the administration of Kennedy High School was criticized for its "Gold Card Program," in which students who performed well on the California Standardized Tests the previous year were given special recognition through special planners and ID cards, along with perks and bonuses at local businesses and throughout the school. Nearby Cypress High School had also implemented a similar program, but it did not receive as much media attention. Both schools have since removed or altered the program.[10][11][12][13]

Currently, Kennedy serves around 2,400 students in the 9th through 12th grades. Recent construction has added a quad area, a second practice gym, renovated classrooms, a new library and counseling center, a modular "4th court," as well as an extensive music building which includes an auditorium, two band rooms, two choir rooms, practice rooms, and a new pool.

Sports

Kennedy's sports teams are known as the Fighting Irish (the senior circle looks like a three leaf clover from above). They are a member of the Empire League in CIF's Southern Section. The school's main rival is Cypress High School. The Fighting Irish football team won the CIF-SS Southern Division Championship in 2006, adding to the AAA championship they had won in 1971.[14]:76,82 This 2006 championship team was led by coach, Mitch Olson.[14]:82 In the 2007-08 year, after 21 years as the head coach of football, Olson left to coach in Georgia.[15][16] In 2007, the Irish softball team was a CIF-SS Southern Section finalist, losing to Empire League rival Pacifica High School.[17] Kennedy boys' soccer (introduced in 1972) won the CIF-SS championships in 1980,[14]:112 co-championed in 2003 and 2004,[14]:114 and won Empire League Champions in 2011, while the girls' team won league titles in 1984 and 1988.

In 2017, the boys volleyball team captured their first CIF-SS Div IV championship in program history. It marked the first time in CIF Southern Section history a wild card team successfully captured the CIF title.[18] The team was then invited to participate in the CIF State tournament as a Division III participant, where the Fighting Irish advanced to the Southern California regional final before losing to Sage Creek high school, finishing Runners-Up in CIF State on May 27, 2017.[19]

Complete list of Kennedy team CIF Championships

  • 1971 - Football - Div. 3A CIF Champion [20]
  • 1980 - Boys Soccer - Div. 3A CIF Champion [21]
  • 1984 - Girls Softball - Div. 4A CIF Champion [22]
  • 1988 - Girls Softball - Div. 3A CIF Champion [23]
  • 1988 - Boys Basketball - Div. 3A CIF Champion [24]
  • 1989 - Boys Baseball - Div. 3A CIF Champion [25]
  • 2003 - Boys Soccer - Div. 3 CIF Champion [26]
  • 2004 - Boys Soccer - Div. 3 CIF Champion [21]
  • 2006 - Football - CIF Southern Division Champion [27]
  • 2017 - Boys Volleyball - Div. 4 CIF Champion [28]


Complete list of Kennedy team CIF Championship Runners-Up

  • 1968 - Boys Wrestling - CIF Runners-up [29]
  • 1979 - Boys Soccer - Div. 3A CIF Runners-up [30]
  • 1979 - Girls Volleyball - Div. 3A CIF Runners-up [31]
  • 1983 - Badminton (Co-ed) - Div. 3A CIF Runners-up [32]
  • 1984 - Badminton (Co-ed) - Div. 3A CIF Runners-up [32]
  • 1992 - Boys Basketball - Div. 2A CIF Runners-up [33]
  • 2002 - Girls Softball - Div. 2 CIF Runners-up [22]
  • 2007 - Girls Softball - Div. 2 CIF Runners-up [34]
  • 2011 - Boys Swimming/Diving - Div. 3 CIF Runners-Up [35]
  • 2017 - Boys Volleyball (State Tournament) - State Div. 3 CIF State Runners-Up [36]

Programs

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is a prestigious and rigorous course of education that prepares students for study in the most elite colleges and universities worldwide. Kennedy High School has been authorized to offer the IB Diploma Programme since July 1999 and the programme is taught in English. Upon successful completion of all IB requirements and exams, students are awarded a second diploma (separate from their Kennedy diploma) that will grant one to two years of college credits. The University of California accepts IB Diploma holders as incoming sophomores.

Band and Colorguard

John F. Kennedy High School's band and colorguard is called the Shamrock Regiment. The band was formerly known as "The Guards." The band is a division 6A and is part of the SCSBOA.

Choir

The choir is known as the Kennedy Singers. The different groups are as follows: Harmonic Fusion, Treble Effects, Lyrical Tones, Vocal Motion, and Concert Choir.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Anaheim Union High". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved Aug 4, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for John F. Kennedy High". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved Aug 5, 2012.
  3. ↑ "John F. Kennedy High". Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  4. ↑ "John F. Kennedy High School Overview". Best High Schools. U.S.News & World Report. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  5. ↑ "Directory of Schools: 2011-2012" (PDF). WASC Accrediting Commission for Schools. July 2011. p. 65. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Superintendents's Message". Anaheim Union High School District. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  7. ↑ "Anaheim Union High School District Organizational Chart" (PDF). Anaheim Union High School District. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  8. ↑ "Administrative Team". Kennedy High School. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  9. ↑ Walker, Theresa (November 18, 2013). "JFK High: 'Representing eternal flame'". The Orange County Register. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ Martindale, Scott (5 October 2011). "Principal defends color-coded IDs; expert 'horrified'". Orange County Register. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  11. ↑ Martindale, Scott (6 October 2011). "Student IDs that reveal test scores deemed illegal". Orange County Register. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  12. ↑ Diepenbrock, William (6 October 2011). "Anaheim Union kills color-coded ID program". Orange County Register. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  13. ↑ Hibbard, Laura (6 October 2011). "John F. Kennedy High School Issues Illegal IDs To Students Based On Standardized Test Scores". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Simmons, Thom (January 2012). "CIF-Southern Section All Sports Press Guide and Record Book" (PDF). California Interscholastic Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2012.
  15. ↑ Henderson, Martin (4 February 2008). "Football: Kennedy's Olson trades one OC for another -- in Georgia". Los Angelos Times. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  16. ↑ Starrs, Chris (24 August 2008). "Oconee County: Olson feels right at home". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  17. ↑ Fryer, Steve (1 December 2007). "Pacifica grinds way past Kennedy". Orange County Register. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  18. ↑ "Kennedy goes the distance to claim first CIF-SS boys volleyball championship – Orange County Register". Retrieved 2017-05-27.
  19. ↑ "Kennedy's special season ends with loss in CIF SoCal Regional final – Orange County Register". Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  20. ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/2006/07/03/past-county-football-champions-by-year/
  21. 1 2 http://www.ocregister.com/2006/07/06/list-of-past-soccer-champions/
  22. 1 2 http://cifss.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/RECORDS-Softball.pdf
  23. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-19/sports/sp-59677_1_current-players
  24. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1996-02-17/sports/sp-37109_1_kennedy-high-school
  25. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1989-06-07/sports/sp-1837_1_all-county-baseball-team-hansell-s-13th-baseball-game
  26. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/09/sports/sp-hsboysoc9
  27. ↑ http://cifss.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/RECORDS-Football.pdf
  28. ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/2017/05/26/kennedy-high-wins-first-cif-ss-volleyball-championship/
  29. ↑ http://3f722h1eozau16er8k1lq22d.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/March-Bulletin-1968.pdf
  30. ↑ http://cifss.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/RECORDS-B-Soccer.pdf
  31. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/165004477/
  32. 1 2 http://www.cifssbadminton.org/History-Information.html
  33. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-04/sports/sp-1333_1_garden-grove-league
  34. ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/2007/06/01/cif-ss-division-ii-softball-preview/
  35. ↑ https://patch.com/california/sanjuancapistrano/st-margarets-svcs-swimmers-score-at-division-3-swim-finals
  36. ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/2017/05/27/kennedys-special-season-ends-with-loss-in-cif-socal-regional-finals/
  37. ↑ "Casey Fien Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  38. ↑ Broeske, Pat H. (December 2014). "Growing Up in Orange County". Orange Coast: 88.
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