John F. Kennedy High School Home

Are you falling behind in your classes? Do you need to make up credits to graduate on time with your class? Want to convert that “D” into a higher grade for college? Come to Kennedy’s Summer School. This 5-weeks program is from June 19-July 24. There will be NO class July 4, 5 in honor of Independence Day. Classes are 2 ½ hours long. Period 1 is 8:30-11am; Period 2 is 11:30a-2pm. Lunch is from 11-11:30a and is free for ALL students. We are offering: Algebra 1, Geometry A/B, Algebra 2A/B, English 9A/B, English 10A/B, World History A/B, US History A/B, ICS A/B, Biology A/B, Chemistry A/B, PE, and Health. Space is limited and is available on a first-come first-served basis. Students receive 5 credits for each class (Algebra 1 is 10 credits). You must commit to the entire 5 weeks of class. More than 3 absences will result in no credit due to the concentrated nature of the instructional time frame. See your counselor to sign up and for more details.

YEARBOOKS ARE HERE! The yearbook staff has been working hard since the beginning of the school year to preserve as many memories of the 2018-2019 school year as possible. If you have already purchased a yearbook, pick it up at the Student Store today. If you would like to purchase, go to the Student Store. They are $110; cash only. There are limited copies, so get your yearbook TODAY! Yearbooks make great graduation gifts!

11th grade filmmaker, Thaly Rivas, was selected to participate in the highly selective GFS (the most elite and inclusive film academy in the world) LA program. This 30 month program offers participants a rigorous filmmaking curriculum taught by working professionals, all expenses paid summer residency at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, paid travel to an international location, a paid internship at a major media company, and college application advising and test prep. Congratuations to Thaly!

On May 8, 23 Digital Design students along with students from 2 other LAUSD high schools attended the Snap CAMP Teen Summit for a dynamic work-based learning experience. Snap CAMP Teen Summit is an all-day immersive event exposing teens from underserved communities to careers in technology. Hosted at Snap Inc. headquarters in partnership with Bixel Exchange, the Snap CAMP Teen Summit included hands-on workshops led by Snap employees and interactive experiences.

Kennedy’s SkillsUSA chapter was recognized as a “Chapter of Distinction” for the 2018-2019 school year. As silver medalists, our chapter received a school banner, a stipend of $2,500 stipend to attend this summer’s SkillsUSA National Conference in Kentucky, and attended the Evening of Excellence dinner at the 52nd Annual SkillsUSA California State Leadership and Skill Conference in Ontario. This year’s delegation included 31 competitors, 2 observers, and 4 Courtesy Corps volunteers. These competitors were entered in 9 different events. Kennedy earned 5 gold medals including: Emily Chun, Analisa Duarte, Anthony Bautista for Outstanding Chapter; Leo Kahlenberg for Job Skill Demonstration-Open; and Celine Sanchez-Rosas for Advertising Design. Mia Medina won a silver medal for Extemporaneous Speaking. Nico Dela Fuente won the t-shirt design contest that became this year’s official SkillsUSA California shirt. Our Courtesy Corp student, Andrea Metz, was voted “Best Courtesy Corp team member”. Faculty Advisor, Aaron Kahlenberg, was named “SkillsUSA Region 3 high School Advisor of the Year”. All 5 gold medalists will compete at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky June 24-28.

On April 24, the Kennedy High School Challenge LA team, Kennedy Counts, presented their work at the WE Night of Inspiration. Kennedy Counts has joined the countywide effort to INFORM, EDUCATE, and ENGAGE residents in the upcoming 2020 Census and ensure that everyone counts. It is their goal to raise awareness about the 2020 Census and develop an outreach plan to encourage members of hard to count populations to be counted. Kennedy Counts was commended for their efforts to raise awareness regarding the 2020 Census by the WE Organization. Kennedy Counts was also invited to attend WE Day, California on April 25th. All attendees of WE Day are specifically invited because they have made an effort to give back to their communities.

Tenth grade filmmaking students Ruben Aslanian, Jasmine Kohlbrenner, and Angelien Nguyen were selected as participants in the inaugural class of the Hollywood Reporter/Big Brothers Big Sisters Young Executive Fellowship program. This 2 year program selected 20 students from around Los Angeles County to be part of this 2-year program. They will spend this summer at USC learning film production, marketing and finance. In the fall, they will begin a year-long mentorship with an executive from Amazon, William Morris Endeavor, or the Hollywood Reporter. In addition, they will receive SAT and college application tutoring. They were honored on April 30 at an event where the keynote speaker was Oprah Winfrey. The 3 students from Kennedy accepted in to the Young Executive Fellowship are the most from any one school. There were 18 high schools that have students who were selected. Pictured with Ophah is Angelien on her right side; Jasmine next to Angelien in blue; and Ruben is over Oprah’s right shoulder.

On Friday, April 19th 25 students from the Kennedy Medical Magnet participated in an event sponsored by the Physical Therapy Department at CSUN. Students had the opportunity to learn about the field of physical therapy from current doctorate candidates. Kennedy students learned how to perform some tests common within physical therapy and experienced therapeutic techniques.

On Monday April 22, Kennedy SkillsUSA students Natalie Jernmino-Goytia, Jenyne Alvarez, and Chandel Martinez had hygiene products donated to Hope Gardens residents. Hope Garden is a family center for women and children that have experienced domestic abuse and are forced to retreat to an alternative secure living environment for safety purposes. Most of the families do not have access to basic living essential and some not even to the outside world. The campus provides a safe housing alternative and economic support while they transition to more stable and secure housing. These 3 Kennedy students raised the funds themselves and purchased the toiletries and other basic living essentials that the Hope Gardens residents need. Even though they are small everyday items that most people take for granted, given their circumstances, they make a big difference in the quality of life while they transition to more permanent housing. This gesture shows them that they too are an important part of our community and that there is still hope for a brighter future.

On Saturday, April 6, Kennedy choir students practiced for their upcoming concert with the Master Chorale on May 3, 2019 at Walt Disney Concert Hall under the direction of Grant Gershon and guest conductor famous composer Eric Whitacre. The Students did an excellent job! Thank you, Ms. Jones, for arranging such an incredible opportunity for our students!