Kennedy Middle School (Cupertino, California)
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| John F. Kennedy Middle School | |
| Address | |
|---|---|
| 821 Bubb Road Cupertino, California, 95014  United States |
|
| Coordinates | 37°18′39″N 122°03′06″W / 37.3109°N 122.0516°WCoordinates: 37°18′39″N 122°03′06″W / 37.3109°N 122.0516°W |
| Information | |
| Established | 1963 |
| School district | Cupertino Union School District |
| Principal | Nicole Johnston |
| Vice principal | Cathy Stokes |
| Grades | 6–8 |
| Color(s) | Black and red |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Newspaper | Pawpurri, News & Views |
| main feeder school for | Monta Vista High School |
| Website | jfkms.ca.campusgrid.net/home |
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 seventh and eight grades, Kennedy extended to the sixth grade in Fall 1998 and was renamed Kennedy Middle School in Fall 1999. Elementary schools Regnart, Lincoln, Stevens Creek, Faria, Portal, 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 was 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 2005–2006, Kennedy ranked third out of the over 1000 schools in California.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] General information
[edit] Villages
Kennedy has villages in which students are grouped together and have the same core teachers (Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Science). Villages are lettered from A–M, the village G for sixth graders added this year.
[edit] Electives
[edit] 6th grade
In sixth grade, students are offered the choice of taking either 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 sixth graders in band are in the beginning band. 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.
- Beginning strings/orchestra is fun elective where students (with or without musical experince) get to play string instruments.
[edit] 7th grade
The seventh grade students are offered a much larger variety of electives including art/cooking/woodshop (Applied Arts Wheel), modern language/jewelry making/movies (Cougar Wheel), Dynamics (vocals/choir), FAME (acting, dancing, and singing), and Yearbook. The students may also move on to intermediate band or orchestra, if they took beginning strings or band in sixth grade, or advanced band or orchestra, if they have mastered fifth-position vibrato.
[edit] 8th grade
In addition to the electives offered to seventh graders, eighth graders are offered the option of taking an elective (teacher assistant , TA/office assistant, study skills, &c.) or a language: French; Spanish; or Mandarin. They can take the Advanced Applied Arts Wheel as well (art/cooking/woodshop). Although they have in the past been offered the option of 0th period P.E. in order to take another elective, controversial plans have been proposed to eliminate that option in the 2009–2010 school year and to make other reductions in the elective program.[citation needed]
[edit] Extracurricular activities
[edit] Clubs
Kennedy middle school has a program called clubs. 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.
[edit] W.E.B.
W.E.B. is an acronym meaning Where Everybody Belongs (formerly Welcome Every Body). W.E.B. is designed to make sixth graders feel welcome to Kennedy's environment.
W.E.B. Leaders are eighth graders who work with a partner to lead a group of sixth graders in activities. The W.E.B. Leaders are chosen from a select number of 7th graders who turn in their applications towards the end of the year. The W.E.B. Leaders are trained two weeks before school starts for the first meeting with their sixth grader groups at orientation, where incoming students are introduced to the Kennedy campus.[citation needed]
[edit] Kennedy Idol
Kennedy hosts an annual contest called Kennedy Idol. This is the biggest school-wide event of the year, as almost all of the students attend.[citation needed] Kids, or faculty members, lip sync to a song and dance. A poll is conducted amongst the student body and a winner is declared.
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, are to 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.
[edit] Sports
Some of the sports offered are volleyball, softball, soccer, basketball, and cross-country. Kennedy competes against other schools in the Cupertino Union School District, Los Altos School District, and Sunnyvale Elementary School District.
[edit] School wide activities and school awards
[edit] 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 many of the clubs could be open. The school provides food, drinks, and entertainment. Entertainment consists of music, dancing, and games.
[edit] Eighth grade awards
At the end of the year, teachers and parents join together to honor those eighth grade students selected for outstanding achievement. Outstanding scholar and leadership awards are also presented at the ceremony.
[edit] 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) 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 Effort or courtesy and 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 Honor Roll will receive a certificate of achievement.
[edit] Student Council
The Kennedy Student Council is the student governing body of the school. The organization supports a variety of extra-curricular 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 sixth, seventh and eighth grade advisory representatives.
[edit] Eighth grade Yosemite trip
Each year the science department sponsors an outdoor educational experience in Yosemite National Park for eighth 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.
