John F. Kennedy High School (Richmond, California)

John F. Kennedy High School is a secondary school located in Richmond, California, United States, as part of the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The school's mascot is the Bald Eagle, the school's athletic teams are known as the "Eagles," and the school colors are red and white. The current principal, as of 2012, is Phillip Johnson. There are approximately 1,047 students attending the school.HistoryKennedy first opened its doors in September 1967. Built on the site of Granada Junior High, the school adopted the red and white colors and Eagle mascot from Harry Ells High School, which at that time was slated for closure.Kennedy quickly gained acclaim for its state-of-the-art academic and vocational programs and became the "flagship" of the District, especially renowned for its athletics, forensics team, and diverse student body. Up until the early 1980s, the school's innovative educational approach was based on "computerized modular flexible scheduling," which was similar to the scheduling used in colleges. The staff was trained to create educational programs customized for each student. Classes met in different configurations (small seminars, medium classes, and large lectures) and many were team-taught.Through the Richmond Voluntary Integration Plan (VIP) some students were bused for free — two yellow busloads a day from the Kensington, El Cerrito, and Richmond hills. Many students even carpooled from Point Richmond. The school became so popular that the district had to impose boundary limits that disallowed the families who lived in Richmond, and within walking distance, to go to JFK.Eventually the appeal of flexible scheduling waned and it was discontinued after the 1981-1982 school year. A recent response to NCLB and the lack of funding for high school electives has brought a renewed interest of flexible scheduling.