John F. Kennedy High School (Guam)

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John F. Kennedy High School
John F. Kennedy High School (Guam).jpg
John F. Kennedy High School in 2022
Address
John F. Kennedy High School (Guam)
331 N. Marine Corps Drive, Tamuning, Guam 96913

Tumon
,
Guam
Coordinates 13°30′04″N144°47′50″E / 13.5011°N 144.7971°E / 13.5011; 144.7971
Information
TypePublic
Motto"Home of the Islanders"
Established1959
School district Guam Department of Education
PrincipalJonathan Pilarca
Staff50
Faculty135
Grades 9–12
Enrollment1,792 (SY 2021–22)
Color(s)Green and gold   
MascotIslanders
Accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Website gdoe.net/jfkislanders

John F. Kennedy High School (JFKHS), [1] formerly Tumon Senior-Junior High School, [2] is a public high school located in the Tumon area of Tamuning in the United States Territory of Guam. [2] It is a part of the Guam Department of Education.

Contents

The school, which opened in September 1959, serves Tamuning, Hagåtña, and portions of Dededo. [2]

History

Early years

John F. Kennedy High School (JFKHS) was opened in September 1959 as "Tumon Junior-Senior High School". The first graduating class was from the same school year and graduated in 1960. In November 1962, Typhoon Karen, a category 5 typhoon, devastated Guam, leaving the only other public high school, George Washington High School (GWHS) without a campus. Following Typhoon Karen, GWHS held double sessions at John F. Kennedy High School. During 1962, John F. Kennedy High School's chapter of the National Honor Society was chartered. [2]

In 1964, Governor Manuel F.L. Guerrero signed Public Law 7–113, introduced by Senator J.U. Torres. This law renamed Tumon Junior-Senior High School "John F. Kennedy High School". [3] Following enactment, the date of enactment was changed by Public Laws 7-124 [4] and 7-125 [5] to begin August 26, 1964. On August 26, 1965, Governor Guerrero signed Public Law 8-74, introduced by Senator George M. Bamba. This law appropriated $2,000 to design and erect a statue of President John F. Kennedy in front of John F. Kennedy High School. [6]

John F. Kennedy High School's Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFJROTC) started at the school in 1970. In 1976, the Guam Community College began offering vocational training courses in nursing, marketing, and electronics through JFKHS. [2]

Temporary relocation

In June 2008 some of John F. Kennedy High School's buildings were declared unsafe, so for the school year 2008–2009, Kennedy students shared space with George Washington High School in double sessions. [7] For the 2009–2010 school year, JFK moved into a facility in the Tiyan area of Barrigada. While other public high schools welcomed their students back on Tuesday, August 11, students at the interim John F. Kennedy high school at Tiyan were met with bad news after hearing that their school was delayed further after large amounts of the chlordane were found in the soil and in the air. The students were able to finally arrive to school on August 24 after the chlordane levels in the air were declared safe. [8] [9] The Islanders remained in this facility through the 2010–2011 school year.

Return to the Tumon campus

In August 2011, the JFKHS campus in Tumon was ready for occupancy. New equipment filled the classrooms and offices, to include:  student and teacher desks, desktop computers, laptops, classroom furniture & equipment for the respective departments. Student enrollment averaged 2,800 annually until SY2014-2015 when a new central high school was opened. In 2018, the surface of the track and field lighting were replaced thus complementing the “newness” of the overall facility.

JFKHS accommodates approximately 1,750 students annually from grades 9 through 12 and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

In celebration of JFKHS's 50th anniversary, the new statue of President Kennedy was presented to the student body, alumni, and the community of Guam.

Accreditation

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is the accreditation authority for John F. Kennedy High School. The following is a brief summary of the accreditation history of JFKHS:

Accreditation yearAccreditation period granted
1967initial
1968revisit, 2 years accreditation
1970revisit, 2 years accreditation
19726 years accreditation
19783 years accreditation
1981revisit, 2 years accreditation
1983revisit, 4 years accreditation
19876 years accreditation [10]
19936 years accreditation [10]
19993 years accreditation [10]
20023 years accreditation [10]
20052 years accreditation [10]
20071 year accreditation [10]
20083 years accreditation
20113 years accreditation
20143 years accreditation
20176 years accreditation
2020mid-term visit, reaffirmed

Student body

During the 1999–2000 school year, the school had 2,400 students. 42% were Filipino, 37% were Chamorro, and the next largest groups Asians and other Pacific Islanders. [11]

Notable alumni

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Progress Report Smaller Learning Communities Planning Grant." Guam Public School System . June 30, 2005.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 History Archived 2009-01-05 at the Wayback Machine . John F. Kennedy High School. Retrieved on September 1, 2009.
  3. ↑ Guam Legislature. Public Law 7-113 Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine . Hagatna, 1964.
  4. ↑ Guam Legislature. Public Law 7-124 Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine . Hagatna, 1964.
  5. ↑ Guam Legislature. Public Law 7-125 Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine . Hagatna, 1964.
  6. ↑ Guam Legislature. Public Law 8-74 Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine . Hagatna, 1965.
  7. ↑ "John F. Kennedy High remains in limbo." Pacific Daily News . June 23, 2009.
  8. ↑ Tamondong, Dionesis. "Pesticide found at JFK site: Concerns could delay classes at Tiyan facility [ permanent dead link ]." Pacific Daily News . August 8, 2009. Accessed September 1, 2009.
  9. ↑ Staff. "BREAKING NEWS: Final chlordane test in soil done, interim JFK could open Monday [ permanent dead link ]." Pacific Daily News . August 21, 2009. Accessed September 1, 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 John F. Kennedy High School. Accreditation History Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine . Tumon, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Guam's Public High Schools." Guam Public School System. Accessed September 8, 2008.
  12. ↑ "John Cruz biography". KUAM . 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  13. ↑ KUAM, Michael San Nicolas, Hagatna, July 2012.
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