John F. Kennedy High School

John F. Kennedy High School is a public high school located in Glenmont, Maryland. 1,817 students were enrolled at Kennedy during the 2019–2020 school year. Kennedy is a member of the Downcounty Consortium along with nearby Montgomery Blair, Wheaton, Albert Einstein, and Northwood High Schools. Kennedy's feeder schools are Argyle Middle School, Eastern Middle School, A. Mario Loiederman Middle School, Newport Mill Middle School, Parkland Middle School, Sligo Middle School, Odessa Shannon Middle School, Silver Spring International Middle School, and Takoma Park Middle School. Students from any of those high schools' base areas can apply to attend Kennedy through a lottery process, after students from Kennedy's own base middle schools—Odessa Shannon and Argyle—are offered spots. The school mascot is the Cavalier. History Opening its doors in 1964, Kennedy High School was originally going to be called East Wheaton High School, but due to President John F. Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, the school was renamed after him. It initially enrolled students in 7th through 10th grades, but by the fall of 1966 changed to a 10th through 12th grade format, graduating its first full 12th grade class in the spring of 1967.  In 1981, with the changes to the Montgomery County Public Schools Junior High structure (changing from 7th to 9th grade to 6th to 8th and becoming a "Middle School" structure) a 9th grade was added to Kennedy; thus the school became 9th to 12th grade, which it continues to maintain. Kennedy's early history is that of an experimental, innovative school, with no school bells, broad lesson plans, innovative class subjects, pass-fail grading, an eight-period day with one free period during the day, and optional attendance in some classes. In September 1971, Bruce Sivertsen became the new principal, and Superintendent Homer O. Elseroad instructed Principal Sivertsen to increase structure, end free periods, and mandate the taking of attendance in classes. Two months later, students circulated a petition to allow students to be present in the building when not in class, open unused classrooms for student use, allow student input in the curriculum, biweekly assemblies with the principal to discuss problems, and hiring of teachers by departments. Students said that the principal's changes had changed the nature of the school, from open and friendly to tense.