John F. Kennedy High School Home

There will be a PTSA General Meeting Monday, October 21 at 5pm in the Parent Center. Agenda items include: Meet the new PTSA Officers, Disneyland Grad Nite, Senior Scholarships, Holiday Luncheon, and Employee Appreciation Luncheon. Habrá una reunión general de PTSA el lunes 21 de octubre a las 5pm en el Centro de Padres. Los temas de la agenda incluyen: Conozca a los nuevos oficiales de PTSA, Disneyland Grad Nite, Becas para estudiantes de grado 12, Almuerzo del Invierno, y Almuerzo de Agradecimiento a los Empleados.

Kennedy High School is one of the 15 schools selected by LIFEWTR for their latest beautification project to paint murals across LAUSD schools. The murals are meant to give the students a daily dose of inspiration across the community, and JFK decided to kick it off with surprise guest, actress Dascha Polanco. "When it comes to education we can't ignore what allows kids to be able to express themselves. I think that's something that we've kind of ignored and pushed to the side. I know math and reading and STEM is very important, but the arts as well," said Polanco. Instead of doing typical cap and gown yearbook photos, LIFEWTR partnered with the school and local artists to give their senior portraits a more artistic look. The students got to interact with Polanco while choosing what kind of art they wanted to incorporate in their senior portrait. They had the option to work with graffiti, digital, water color and oil painting artists to bring the students' visions to life. Some of the other 15 schools will also get an artistic yearbook portrait, and all of them will get a mural by a local LA artist. By Gabriela Milian

On Monday, October 21, Gothic Ave will be closed from 7am to 6pm from Simonds St to Index St. The LA Bureau of Street Services will be performing slurry application on Gothic Avenue. There will be “No Parking” signs posted 24 hours in advance. Vehicles parked on Gothic Ave will be cited and towed. El lunes 21 de octubre, Gothic Ave estará cerrada de 7am a 6pm de Simonds St a Index St. La Oficina de Servicios de Calle de LA hará revestimiento en Gothic Ave. Habrán letreros de “No Parking” publicados con 24 horas de anticipación. Vehículos estacionados en Gothic Ave serán citados y remolcados.

Bella Martinez, 14, has Down syndrome and made the Cheer Team at John F. Kennedy High School. "She was born, I didn't know she was going to have down syndrome. When I was holding her...I mean I fast forwarded to now to high school, I thought she wouldn't go to prom, she wouldn't do your typical teenage stuff and here we are she's doing cheer," said Yuri Martinez, Bella's mom. Bella is like any other teenager, she goes to school, does her homework, and has no problem talking about boys. "She's like the one that encourages the boys on the sideline, she does like her own little chants. And that's fun to see because she has her personality, and it comes from her and within. She's just a natural cheerleader," said Elizabeth Ortiz, Cheer Coach for JFK High School. Bella's parents and two brothers have seen her grow substantially throughout the years, more than they could have imagined. When asked what advice she would give to other parents who have children with Down syndrome Bella's mom says: "Don't believe everything you read, talk to parents, talk to people involved in the Down syndrome community. Don't limit your child, and they'll show you how much they can do and they'll show you their personality because every single child has their own individuality, even kids with down syndrome." By Gabriela Milian

The Teaching Academy took 4 teachers, 33 Seniors, and 16 Sophomores to spend Columbus Day/ Indigenous Peoples Day on the “open” sea learning about ocean conservation and strengthening group skills.

On Sunday, September 29, 2019, 27 of our Kennedy Students Run LA participated at the 6th Annual Dodgers Foundation Run 5K. These Golden Cougars have been training for the last month for this race and everyone crossed the finish line successfully! The students demonstrated great cougar spirit. This race marked the beginning of their journey as they will be training for the next five months to run the Los Angeles Marathon on March 8, 2020. Great job everyone and keep up the great work!

On the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, the NASA mission that first landed humans on the moon, the JFK Library Foundation and Raytheon announced the recipients of the Raytheon JFK Space Labs. The program, developed in cooperation with the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, honors the inspirational heritage of President Kennedy, celebrates the innovative technology that made America's Apollo program possible and rekindles the power of space exploration to inspire and engage students. Kennedy was selected as one on the 5 schools to receive a JFK Space Lab at the start of the 2019–2020 school year. Kennedy was eligible because of its name and was selected as one of the five for demonstrating commitment to STEM education and their efforts to honor President Kennedy's legacy and spirit. Each JFK Space Lab presented by Raytheon includes technology and materials for advanced experiments in Earth science, biology and computer science that will immerse and inspire students, helping them achieve a deeper understanding of scientific principles on earth and in space.

Students from the Teaching Career Academy (TCA) helped our community partners at the North Valley Family YMCA. Kennedy TCA students led crafts for the Little Guides program. This program is for families with children 3-5 years old and promotes strong family bonds and community involvement.

CIF LA City Section beat Chicago 6 to 2 at the University of Illinois, Chicago on Thursday, July 11. This makes Los Angeles 4-0 and the GEICO City Series Champs! Pictured in the back row of all 3 pictures is Kennedy All-Star pitcher, Vincent Esparza. While in Chicago, Vincent stopped by the Chicago White Sox stadium to see the etched name of Jon Garland, famous Major League Baseball pitcher and former Kennedy alumnus. In Tuesday’s playoff game against New York (10-0), Vincent threw five shutout innings, striking out three. These All-Star championship games provide incredible scouting opportunities for the talented LAUSD athletes. Way to go Vincent! Show that Cougar Pride!

After school was out, 14 members of Kennedy’s SkillsUSA chapter represented the State of California at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky during the week of June 23-29. SkillsUSA advisors Aaron Kahlenberg and Sarah Dixon chaperoned the student competitors along with 7 observers and 2 parents. Five of those students competed in 3 contests. Our Outstanding Chapter team - Emily Chun, Analisa Duarte, and Anthony Bautista - placed 7th against the best chapters in the Nation. Digital Design Career Pathway student Celine Sanchez-Rosas placed 5th out of 41 competitors in the Advertising Design competition. Holmes Magnet student, Leo Kahlenberg, entered through our chapter and won a Silver medal in Job Skill Demonstration - Open, where he explained the importance of aerial drone technology usage in the architecture and engineering industries. What a great way to end an incredible school year and give our SkillsUSA chapter renewed energy for next year!