John F. Kennedy High School (Montgomery County, Maryland)
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| John F. Kennedy High School | |
| Address | 1901 Randolph Road Silver Spring, Maryland, USA 20902 |
| Contact Information | Phone: 301-929-2100 Fax: 301-929-2240 |
| Established | 1964 |
| Community | Suburban |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Student Body | Co-Educational |
| Student to Teacher Ratio | 21.9 |
| Grades | 9 to 12 |
| Enrollment | 1550 |
| District | Montgomery County Public Schools |
| Mascot | Cavalier |
| Colors | Forest Green and Vegas Gold |
| Motto | "Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain." -JFK |
| Newspaper | The New Frontier |
| Rival | Wheaton High School |
| School Website | Kennedy High Home Page |
| Administration
Principal- Mr. Thomas Anderson |
|
John F. Kennedy High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The school is a part of Montgomery County Public Schools.
Over 1,550 students are enrolled at Kennedy. Since the 2004-2005 school year Kennedy has been part of the Down County Consortium, which includes Montgomery Blair, Wheaton, Einstein, and Northwood High Schools. Kennedy's mascot is the Cavalier.
Kennedy has two Middle Schools which feed into it, Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School, and Argyle Middle School.
Contents |
[edit] History
Kennedy's early history is that of an experimental school, with open classes, no grades, and no required attendance. The onus was on Kennedy's students to be self-motivated. Kennedy's rare approach to education gained international attention, but ultimately these trends did not become very popular in other schools. Kennedy itself ceased to use this format as many parents refused to send their children to Kennedy. After the baby boom generation, many schools were forced to close. Kennedy absorbed the student bodies of both Northwood High School (Maryland) and Perry High School. Their feeder schools were absorbed by Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School. Kennedy was renovated in the 1997-98 school year. During that time, Kennedy's students attended classes the then defunct Northwood High School. In 2004 Northwood was reopened, absorbing parts of Kennedy's student body through a new choice process.
[edit] Student diversity
JFK is 41.5% African American, 0.5% Native American, 11.5% Asian, 31.1% Hispanic, and 15.8% White. Kennedy is one of the most diverse schools in Montgomery County and because of this, Kennedy has been the subject of some articles in the Washington Post.
[edit] Academics
Kennedy has four academies: The Leadership Training Institute (LTI), Tri-M (Academy of Sports Medicine, Management, and Medical Careers), Cambridge, and Mediacom. Students are required to be a member of one of these four academies to attend Kennedy. LTI is in its 10th year, Tri-M was inducted along with the class of 06, and Cambridge and Mediacom both came along with the class of 08. Kennedy also has an NJROTC program. Kennedy High School offers over 15 Advanced Placement courses, ranging from Studio Art to World History.[1] The school also performed SAT (477 verbal, 493 math, 969 total) and requires 60 hours of community service for graduation.[2]
The school sent 89% of its 2005 graduating class to two- and four-year universities.
In 2006, John F. Kennedy High School was listed in the Newsweek Magazine's top 1200 High Schools in the U.S., as the 443rd highest-rated school in the country. [3]
[edit] Academy Programs
[edit] MediaCom: Multimedia & Telecommunications
The Multimedia and Telecommunications Academy, through a rigorous program of study, provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate and create media messages in a variety of formats—from print to the internet and beyond. The Academy seeks to develop life-long learners who have an understanding of the role media plays in society, as well as the essential skills of inquiry, self-expression, and critical thinking.
[edit] Cambridge
The Cambridge program is a small learning community that prepares highly motivated students to be competitive at the university level. The Cambridge curriculum has a global perspective which aims to encourage the skills of independent research and investigation, the use of initiative and creativity, and the application of skills and knowledge through essay-based examinations. The pathways are designed to accommodate the individual learner and provide the flexibility necessary for students to pursue their personal areas of interest.
[edit] Tri-M: Medical Careers, Sports Medicine and Sports Management
Students will participate in a wide variety of academically rigorous sports medicine opportunities that will prepare them for college or career. To complete the program, students will earn at least four (4) credits in academyapproved courses and will complete a senior project, college coursework, and/or participate in an internship. Students will also be expected to meet the academy service hours requirement each year.
[edit] Leadership Training Institute (LTI)
The Leadership Training Institute (LTI) is an innovative program designed to prepare students for successful decision making in their scholastic and professional careers. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary curricula, leadership training, group decision making, problem solving, higher-level thinking skills, community service, and role modeling. Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland and the University of Richmond lend their support to LTI.
[edit] Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC)
John F. Kennedy High School offers a unique program as an elective course, Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC). This course of instruction is available all four years of high school. The mission of NJROTC is “to instill in students the value of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.” The curriculum is divided into academic studies and and leadership development. Academics introduce the historical, scientific, and technical aspects specific to each service. Leadership development concentrates on cadet corps activities, drill and ceremonies, improving study habits and time management skills, developing effective communication skills, and learning sound problem-solving techniques.
Senior Naval Science Instructor:
Kennedy's NJROTC program has been led by Captain Kenneth Trass (Ret. US Navy) since 2001.
Naval Science Instructor:
2001-2004 Gunnery Sergeant Gregory Bowman (ret. US Marines)
2004-2005 First Sergeant Russell Stewart (ret. US Marines)
2005-Present Master Chief Tommy Brady (ret. US Navy)
[edit] Commanding Officer:
2002-2003 C/LCDR Christopher Chung
2003-2004 C/LCDR Alyssia Rodriguez
2004-2005 C/LCDR Filipe Dominguez
2005-2006 C/LCDR Doug Rigterink
2006-2007 C/LCDR Langston Bryant
[edit] Executive Officer:
2002-2003 C/LT Eli Cohen
2003-2004 C/LT Filipe Dominguez
2004-2005 C/LT Traye Gilliam
2005-2006 C/LT Hugo Soto
2006-2007 C/LT Davean Garcia.
[edit] Platoon Commanders:
1st Platoon:
2004-2005 C/LTJG Lionel Burton
2005-2006 C/LTJG Sabrina Klinger
2006-2007 C/LTJG Jesus Careaga
2nd Platoon:
2004-2005 C/LTJG Doug Rigterink
2005-2006 C/LTJG Anselm Tamasang
2006-2007 C/LTJG Kirk Pannell
3rd Platoon
2004-2005 C/LTJG Hugo Soto
2005-2006 No Platoon
2006-2007 C/LTJG Noelle Knight
4th Platoon
2004-2005 C/LTJG Alvin Gweama
2005-2007 No Platoon
[edit] Drill Team Commander:
2001-2002 C/LTJG Stephanie Ganyan
2002-2003 C/LTJG Aloysious Tamasang
2003-2004 C/LTJG Traye Gilliam
2004-2005 C/LTJG Lionel Burton/ C/LTJG Sabrina Klinger
2005-2006 C/LTJG Ayne-ka Colleton
2006-2007 C/LT Davean Garcia / C/LTJG Owens
[edit] Drill Achievements
AREA FIVE (Regional MD,DE,VA, Championship)
In 2003, against amazing odds the Kennedy drill team led by LTJG Traye Gilliam placed first in armed and unarmed standard defeating schools whos programs had existed for a significantly longer time. Kennedy Drill had defied the odds to become recognized as a Drill powerhouse in a relatively short period of time.
[edit] Trivia
Kennedy's NJROTC Unit has received the "Unit Achievement" award twice; 2004-2005 and 2005-2006
[edit] Athletics
[edit] Championships Titles and Accomplishments
Football State Championships: 1977 and 1984
Cheerleading State Champions: 1999; 2000; 2007
Girls Basketball Division Champions: 2006
Swim & Dive Team: Division Champions: 2007
[edit] Rivalries
Kennedy's Main Rival is Wheaton High School which is located down the road from Kennedy High School. The Rivalry is fueled by the schools close proximity to one another. The Wheaton-Kennedy Rivalry is one of the oldest rivalries in Montgomery County. Over the years The Kennedy Cavaliers have been on the winning end in almost every sport they face the Wheaton Knights in.
Other smaller rivalries include those with Albert Einstein High School and for Lacrosse; Rockville High School (Maryland)
Historically Kennedy High School had a fierce football rivalry with Northwood High School. The Tradition was lost when Northwood closed down in the late 1980's.
[edit] 2005-2006 Athletics
Athletics have not been a strong point of Kennedy High School in the past years, as the 2005 fall season concluded with winless teams in football, and girls' soccer. The cross-country team had no runner in counties that broke the top 100. But a regional semifinal (state's sweet sixteen) was obtained by the boys’ soccer team. Kennedy's Football team was written about on the front page of the Washington Post's sport section[citation needed]. The article highlighted its current longest Washington area football-losing streak, which is at 25 games at the end of the football season.
[edit] Football
Could not Obtain a win and ended the season with a 25 game losing streak (with carried losses from the previous years)
[edit] Basketball
Boy's Basketball Record Was 16-8 with a second round playoff loss to Seneca Valley High School
Girls Basketball 20-4 Overall, Montgomery County 3A Division Champions. #1 in 3A West Region
[edit] Lacrosse
Boys' Lacrosse finished with 4 strong wins and a very close loss to Rockville High School (Maryland) in the Playoffs. The team was led by leading goal scorers Teddy Wescott and Senior All-Star Sanousy Barry. The defense was solidified by All-Division Senior All-Star Doug Rigterink and second team All-Division Chimso Okoji.
Girls lacrosse were not able to attain any wins.
[edit] 2006-2007 Athletics
The image above is a candidate for speedy deletion. It will be deleted on 2007-04-13.
[edit] Football
In the 2006 fall season the Kennedy football team by winning their first game of the season against Albert Einstein High School. The team finished 10-2, having won against Seneca Valley High School in their first playoff game since 1992. They entered the second round of the playoffs against Urbana High School, but came up short. The team was led by star quarterback Melvin Harris who ended the season with 2,275 yards passing an 29 touchdowns. Also Abreon Scott, who led the county with 59 receptions, and Chimso Okoji a clutch tight end and one of the best defensive players in the county.
[edit] Baseball
The baseball team which will be led this year in the middle of the diamond by the shortstop Elio Peraza (Junior), who started on the Varsity team his Freshman year, catcher Tony Staffa, the Tadum of Jesus Careaga (Second Base), and Jerome Kifle at Third base, will have an amazing season and help the cavaliers a good amount on the road to the post season. The last two seasons have not brought much except one more win than the year before. This year, the Cavs baseball team promises to have a winning season and step up its game and make a name for themselves just like the football team did. The addition of Coach Mike Maroto and Coach Brad Watts adds a different taste to the team with experience from college baseball and a former MVP award. A new scoreboard will also be added which should motivate the team to put it to use and see how big of an advantage they will have over opposing teams.
[edit] Lacrosse
This year the team is led by seniors Teddy Wescott, Nick Garrard, Ben Seydewitz, Prashant Rao, Noel Bassett and Chimso Okoji. Wescott has been recruited by colleges for his athletic ability as scouts drool over his speed and cradling ability. Garrard is a three sport threat along with swimming and soccer and will play attack for the Cavaliers in 2007. Prashant Rao is by far the most athletic player who intimidates teams with his devastating hits. Seydewitz will be between the posts behind long sticks Noel Bassett the fire behind the team, and another tri threat Okoji (football, track and lacrosse). The Cavaliers will have trouble winning with D-Line John O'Donnell. His antics tend to distract the team leading to frequent losses. During a recent practice John O'Donnell brought a tennis racket. Admitting that "I thought I could catch the ball." He soon realized that he was "unable to pick that up." When we questioned Rod Tamanaha about this incident he did not reply. When we asked again he still replied with silence leaving us wondering if he was deaf. Go cavaliers!
[edit] Swimming
This year, Kennedy's swim and Dive was a dominant force in their division. This was exhibited on early in the season when the boys and girls combined for a first place win at the relay carnival. Of its 13 events, Kennedy placed first in eight of them. The boys' team, led by senior captains, Ross Barthold, Nick Garrard, and Oliver Wong, was undefeated this season in Division IV. At the divisional swim meet, the boy's team came in first, beating the second place team by over 100 points. The girls' team, led by senior captains Laura Becker, Alex Chin-Lee and Mandy Pazouki, had a successful season as well. The girls also placed first at the divisional meet. based on the meet record and the dual win at the divisional swim meet, Kennedy was overall Division IV champion this year!
Kennedy had 8 boys and 1 girl swimmers qualify for the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championships (METROS). This is a regional meet, where swimmers must qualify for an event based on their season times. They compete against other high schools and private schools in the Washington Metropolitan Area.
Kennedy teacher, Emily Gilbert, replaced long-time coach Terry Kominski after 17 years as Kennedy's head coach.
[edit] Volleyball
In the spring of 2007 the Cavaliers will look to advance further in the county playoff bracket and a county championship could be in the works for this team, returning every player from last years squad. The team will be led by first team all county Jeff Young (middle hitter) and second team all county Oliver Wong (setter). The back row is by far the best in Montgomery County and is led by Steven Lee, Jason Lee, Brian Yu and Melvin Advincula. Ross Barthold and Anselm Tamasang bring the wood as outside hitters.
[edit] Cheerleading
The JFK varsity Cheerleading squad is led by senior Captains Marlon snape & Jeramiah Miller. The mighty cavalier cheerleading squad consist of 15 dedicated cheerleaders the KHS cheerleading teams is one of the top cheerleading teams in the DCC. The cheerleading squad has a winning tradition the KHS Cheer squad competes every year in the MCPS D3 championship the KHS cheerleading team has been placeing for the last 8 years in the MCPS cheerleading competition!. The KHS varsity Cheerleading squad has a very full trophy case this squad has three state cheerleading titles(99-00,07) one 2nd place state title (01) two MCPS D2 & D3 championship titles (01-02) two mcps 2nd place wins (03-06) and two mcps D2 & D3 3rd place wins (04-05).The KHS Cheerleading team are role model in and out side of there community this squad also has full school spirit!
[edit] Athletic Team Photos
Pictures of Various Teams at John F. Kennedy High School
 2006 Kennedy Cheerleaders |
 2006 Kennedy Football Team |
 2006 Varsity Field Hockey |
 2006 Cross Country Team |
 2006 Kennedy Golf |
 Girls Tennis 2006 |
 2006 Varsity Girls Volleyball |
 2006 Varsity Girls Soccer |
 Kennedy Poms |
 2005 Varsity Football Team |
 '06-'07 Kennedy Indoor Track Team |
 '06-'07 Boy's Varsity Basketball |
 '06-'07 Girls Varsity Basketball |
 '06-'07 JV Boys Basketball |
 '06-'07 JV Girls Basketball |
 '06-'07 Varsity Wrestling |
[edit] Trivia
One of the students who died protesting at the Kent State massacre was Allison Krause, a former student of Kennedy High School.
Before joining the down county consortium, Kennedy was part of the BEKS Consortium (Blair, Einstein, Kennedy, Springbrook).
Until 2003 Ryan White (Class of 2000) held the County 200 yard freestyle record.
[edit] References
- ^ John F. Kennedy HS School Profile (PDF).
- ^ John F. Kennedy HS at a Glance (PDF).
- ^ "Newsweek names MCPS high schools among best in nation", The Bulletin, 2006, May 8, Pg. 1 & 3.
