Kennedy Middle School (Cupertino, California)

John F. Kennedy Middle School
Address
821 Bubb Road Cupertino, California, 95014 United States
Coordinates	37°18′39″N 122°03′06″W
Information
Established	1963
School district	Cupertino Union School District
Principal	Nicole Johnston
Vice principal	Kit Bragg
Grades	6–8
Number of students	Approximately 1400
Classrooms	40+
Color(s)	Black and red
Mascot	Cougar
Newspaper	Pawpurri, News & Views
Yearbook	The Prowl
main feeder school for	Monta Vista High School
Website	www.cusdk8.org/kennedy

John F. Kennedy Middle School is a middle school located in Cupertino, California which educates grades six through eight, and feeds nearby Monta Vista High School. Its principal is Nicole Johnston and the school mascot is the cougar. Kennedy Middle School is part of the Cupertino Union School District. Founded in 1963 as Kennedy Junior High School, it was the first school to be named after President John F. Kennedy. The CUSD school board had passed a resolution to name the new school after the victor of the 1960 presidential election before the close election between Kennedy and Nixon had taken place.^{[citation needed]} Originally composed of the 7th and 8th grades, Kennedy was extended to the 6th grade in Fall 1998 and was renamed Kennedy Middle School in Fall 1999. Elementary schools Regnart, Lincoln, Stevens Creek, Faria, Portal, Blue Hills, and Montebello feed to Kennedy.

Kennedy, like other schools in the district, is known for its high academic ratings. In the 2004–2005 school year, Kennedy placed first in the school district for its high API score. It is consistently ranked among top 10% of middle schools in California based on the Academic Performance Index (API). Kennedy Middle School ranks number 1 in the school district with an API score of 959.^{[citation needed]}

Kennedy Middle School is a National Blue Ribbon School and a California Distinguished School. It is also known for its exceptional high standards and test scores. Kennedy's API (Academic Performance Index) was ranked number 1 in their school district for the 2004–2005 school year, and ranked 10th in California. In the 2005–2006 school year, Kennedy ranked third out of the over 1000 schools in California.^{[citation needed]}

Villages

Kennedy students are grouped into villages in which students in the same village have the same core teachers (Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Science). Villages are lettered from A–M.

Electives

6th grade

In 6th grade, students are offered the choice of taking an exploratory wheel, band, or strings/orchestra.

• Exploratory wheel is an activity where students get the opportunity to do many of the following: cook, watch movies, make movies, do many fun activities, and more.
• Band is a fun activity where many students can learn to play instruments. All 6th graders in band are placed into beginning band. But some can audition to get into intermediate. The instruments comprise of: flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, basoon, alto saxophone, trumpet, french horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium, tuba, xylophone, snare, bass drum, and auxiliary percussion. They have added Dynamics this year.
• Beginning strings/orchestra is fun elective where students (with or without musical experince) get to play string instruments. String selections include: violin, viola, cello, and bass

7th grade

The 7th grade students are offered a much larger variety of electives including art/cooking/woodshop (Applied Arts Wheel), Dynamics (vocals/choir), FAME (acting, dancing, and singing), and Yearbook. Students who took beginning band or strings in 6th grade may move on to the intermediate or advanced level of each, depending on their mastery of their instrument(s).

8th grade

In addition to the electives offered to 7th graders, 8th graders are offered the option of taking an elective (teacher assistant , TA/office assistant, study skills, &c.) or a language: French or Spanish. They can take the Advanced Applied Arts Wheel as well (art/cooking/woodshop). Although in the past they were offered the option of zero period P.E. (to allow them to take another elective), the district had proposed plans to eliminate that option in the 2009–2010 school year and to make other reductions in the elective program.^{[citation needed]} In the year, 2009–2010, the district did not completely eliminate zero period. They still offer a zero period, but the only classes 7th and 8th grade students can take for a zero period class are Physical Education and Leadership class.

Extracurricular activities

Clubs

There are diverse clubs at Kennedy Middle School. Clubs are student activities where students get to try out new things. Clubs meet either before school, during brunch and/or lunch, or after school. Clubs can be anything from helping the staff in the library to playing chess and games to doing math, such as in Mathcounts.

W.E.B.

W.E.B. is an acronym meaning Where Everybody Belongs (formerly Welcome Every Body). W.E.B. is designed to make 6th graders feel welcome to Kennedy's environment.

W.E.B. Leaders are 8th graders who work with a partner to lead a group of 6th graders in activities. The W.E.B. Leaders are chosen from a select number of 7th graders who had turned in their applications towards the end of the previous school year. The W.E.B. Leaders are trained two weeks before school starts for the first meeting with their 6th grade groups at orientation, where incoming students are introduced to the Kennedy campus.^{[citation needed]}

Kennedy's Best Dance Crew

Kennedy hosts an annual contest called Kennedy's Best Dance Crew This is the biggest school-wide event of the year, as almost all of the students attend.^{[citation needed]} Kids, or faculty members dance to a song. A poll is conducted amongst the students and a winner is declared. This used to be called Kennedy Idol.

Kennedy Idol was named after the popular TV show, American Idol. To make Kennedy Idol even more like American Idol, three teachers, chosen each year, dress up, judge the students, and impersonate the three American Idol judges (Simon Cowell, played by History teacher Josh Brown, Paula Abdul, played by PE teacher Andy Murray and Randy Jackson), played by PE teacher Toby Robinson. The host, Ryan Seacrest, is played by Sara Brown, the counselor.

The revised show is modeled after the popular "America's Best Dance Crew". Crews dance to music, and students vote the next period for the best crew. The next day, on morning announcements, Kennedy's Best Dance Crew is revealed!

Sports

Some of the sports offered are volleyball, tennis, softball, soccer, basketball, wrestling,Track and Field and cross-country. Kennedy competes against other schools in the Cupertino Union School District and the Los Altos School District.

School wide activities and school awards

6th grade socials

The 6th grade socials are fun after school activities where all the 6th graders get to participate in activities, such as, pingpong, hula hoops, playing with balls, art, chess, and learning about the on-campus clubs. The school provides food, drinks, and entertainment. Entertainment consists of music, dancing, and games. WEB leaders host this event.

7th/8th grade dances

Supervised dances are occasionally held, for students in the 7th and 8th grades. There is an end-of-year dance for 8th grade students only.

8th grade awards

At the end of the year, teachers and parents join together to honor those 8th grade students selected for outstanding achievement. Outstanding scholar and leadership awards are also presented at the ceremony.

Honor Roll

The Honor Roll system at Kennedy Middle School was established to recognize and encourage outstanding scholastic achievement. Students who achieve a grade point average of 3.33 or higher (the bulk of the student body at Kennedy) earn Honor Roll status. Students who achieve a grade point average of 3.00 to 3.32 earn Honorable Mention recognition. Students who receive “Unsatisfactory” marks in the categories of effort, courtesy, or respect are ineligible for Honor Roll or Honorable Mention. Grades from all subjects are used to calculate Honor Roll and Honorable Mention. Students who earn the Honor Roll distinction receive a certificate of achievement.

Student Council

The Kennedy Student Council is the student governing body of the school. The organization supports a variety of extracurricular activities and events such as after-school sports, clubs, and dances. The council also votes on financial support for school events and clubs. The cabinet meets regularly under the direction of a faculty advisor. The Council consists of elected 6th, 7th, and 8th grade advisory representatives.

8th grade Yosemite trip

Each year the science department sponsors an outdoor educational experience in Yosemite National Park for 8th grade students. Biology, geology, ecology, natural history and other related topics are studied in the setting of Yosemite. Students hike, snowshoe, and cross-country ski during the five-day trip.

External Links

School's official site