John F Kennedy High School

Better than other schools In the area! Im am so sick of people calling our school ""poor"" I work at Port San antonio and make a outstanding living for my family I choose to live in this area because we like it. I could move to Northside ISD but for what over populated schools ,,I DON"T THINK SO!!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is bland.. Especially for the more unconventional students.
—Submitted by a student

Im a junior at kennedy high and i love the school also i have pride in the rockets and i am involved in the army jrotc. Jfk means to mee so much that i dnt want to leave it i dnt care what anyone says we are the rockets and we rock
—Submitted by a student

Well i'm a student at John F. Kennedy High School. Compared to Memorial I say it's a good school. Growing up in this side of town, we ain't the richest people! So stop saying we need to improve, we're good as it is! School pride is great, teams are great, the kids are great! The only thing I would have to change about it is how strict they are. They have too many rules! So teacher's, principle, need to calm down with the rules. Give us a break! But other than that, the school is pretty good. JFK! And Goodluck to all the athletes, keep up the good work! (:
—Submitted by a student

I feel that the school spirit stays with you even after you have graduated. I still take pride in the fact that I was a Rocket and an officer in theJ.R.O.T.C. Rocket pride lives on no matter how old you are. Congrats to the Rocket Varsity Football team!

I think that this school has really really improved me as a student and becoming a senior i think the this school is the best
—Submitted by a student

I believe Kennedy could use better teachers, dedicated teachers, that are also certified. I understand some teachers teaching in low income school, so the government can forgive some of their student's loans, but this does not help our students. when you have good teachers, even the most difficult student will strive to achieve his goal, if those teachers are willing to work with them.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended John. F Kennedy High School my freshman year. It was my 'family's high school'. My mother attended and my father graduated from Kennedy. I would have graduated there too, but I moved here to Houston. Kennedy is a great high school, but the district ,I believe needs to do more for our schools and participate more in the community and with the students. Coming here to Houston has showed me that we are very behind, education wise in the schools in Edgewood. The students there also need more support in their extra activities. It seems the board is just letting their students hang there. Besides that, Kennedy High School is great!

I am a recent graduate from John F. Kennedy (2007) and i am here to tell you that i am proud to have attended school there. you will many roumors about the school like students dont care and teachers dont but thats not true. the teachers are great they are very caring and love there job even though they my be under paid. considering the district is one of the poorest in the state but that never really seemed to bother any one working or attending kennedy. the commnity is great full of tradition and mexican heratidge. the administration is great they are really turning things around.kennedy waz among the lowest performing schools in the city but due to the administrations determination to turn things around kennedy is begining to performbetter academicly slowly but surely kennedy is making its way back to the top. and becoming the great school it once

The district spends an inordinate amount of time testing students in the name of 'gathering data,' and preparing students for TAKS. For some reason, the atmosphere at Kennedy and this district has deteriorated. TAKS is the goal and NOT the starting point. It is not the school it once was.
—Submitted by A Longtime Edgewood Teacher Who Is Leaving, a teacher

I am a proud 2004 graduate of JFK and I must echo the sentiment expressed by others - Kennedy does not deserve its bad reputation. We may not have the resources of Alamo Heights or Reagan, but we learn to do with what we have and that s important out in the real world. At Kennedy you get a sense of family and friendship the minute you walk in. No one tries to hold you down or make you feel bad about yourself. Everyone from the teachers to the parents encourage you at every turn and are there to help you when life throws a challenge your way. I had the opportunity to be part of some amazing groups and activities while at Kennedy and I wouldn't trade my four years there for anything.
—Submitted by Jesse Canedo, a former student

I am a 1999, graduate from Kennedy high school and I see nothing different in other districts. We all learned the same thing at one point. I am happy that I graduated from Kennedy because that proved to me that no matter what school you went to, we all got the same thing 'a diploma'. My mother went to Kennedy back in the 1960s and I am proud that my family has kept the tradition alive. I was prepared for the real world. Even though I didn't go to college I went to the Marine Corps after graduation. So all of you, that are talking bad about Kennedy remember that at least we know what to do, with what we have. Money doesn't teach students, good teachers do.
—Submitted by John Marquez, a former student

I graduated from Kennedy in 2002. I am currently enrolled in my second year in college. People need to stop all the negative comments of how poor this school district is. Kids are going to learn, no matter what school they go to, if they want. Kennedy helped me get ready for the real world because our parents didn't have alot of money. We learned early in life that things are not always going to be perfect; unlike other districts. We faced the good as well as the bad but, when the bad comes from this disrict it is over exposed at times. Bad things happen in every school district but, unlike most of them Kennedy doesn't cover them up to keep the Districts name in good standing. Kids mess up at times and they need to face the consequences.
—Submitted by a former student

As a 2000 graduate of JFK, I can vouch that it is not the worst school. It creates excellent minds that make something of themselves as they go out into the real world. As of now, I am a full-time college student majoring in Education and a substiute teacher for Alamo Heights I.S.D. I get treated with the same respect and feel the same safe, hardworking environment by students and staff in this district as I did at JFK. 'Never judge a book by its cover!'
—Submitted by a former student

We just wanted to say that our high school does not deserve the reputation it has at all. Thanks to people like Ms. Rose Padilla, Ms. Maria E. Ramirez, and Mr. Michael Rivera keeping our head up high and keeping us motivated to do things, we've been able to make it this far successfully. Of course there are the handful of bad seeds in students as well as administration that cause conflicts in our beautiful school, but hey who's perfect? Exactly our point. Oh and no one gets shot or stabbed in our school either, so please stop the rumors. Oh and thank you Ms. Padilla, Mr. Rivera, and Ms. Ramirez for your support and doing what a real teacher is supposed to do not saying hurtful things or putting us down like the bear.
—Submitted by Beano Cheech, a student

John F. Kennedy does not deserve the bad reputation it has obtained throughout the years. I graduated from JFK last year, and thanks to the magnificent teachers I am currently attending Our Lady of the Lake University. JFK posses some of the best teachers I have had the pleasure to meet. A great example would be Ms. Rose Padilla. Ms. Padilla is always willing to help her students, including those who have already graduated-like myself. Thanks to her, and many others, I have decided to become a teacher myself. Have no doubt that your children will be challenged at JFK. Your child will learn the value of courage and respect. They will learn how to stand up for what they believe in and face any obstacle life puts in their way.

I may not honestly be a parent but I am a graduate (2003) of Kennedy and I just tell it how it is. If you want to know how this school or any other high school is don't ask the parents, ask the Seniors. They know how it is and aren't about to hide it. We may have been on of the poorest districts in Texas but, that doesn't mean that just because our teachers are under paid that the students recieve a second rate eduacation. You have to strive for success it's not something that is earned. I for one am proud of the fact that I graduated from this school because everything was not handed to me on a silver platter and when I become a person of success I want others to know that I came out of what is considered a poor school but, look at me now. Which is why I am continuing my education in college.