John F. Kennedy High School (Iowa)

Public secondary school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

Cedar Rapids-Kennedy High School

Address

4545 Wenig Rd NE

Cedar Rapids

Iowa 52405

United States

Information
Type| Public
Established| 1967; 58 years ago (1967)
School district| Cedar Rapids Community School District
Principal| Jason Kline
Teaching staff| 95.13 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades| 9–12
Enrollment| 1,719 (2023-2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 18.07[1]
Color(s)|
Mascot| Cougars
Affiliation| Mississippi Valley Conference
Website| kennedy.crschools.us

Kennedy High School is a public high school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Kennedy was founded in 1967. The building was dedicated by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, younger brother of the school's namesake President John F. Kennedy.[citation needed] The school's athletic teams are known as the Cougars. It is a part of the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

In addition to portions of Cedar Rapids, Kennedy High's boundary includes:[2] Hiawatha,[3] Palo,[4] and most of Robins.[5]

## Academics

[edit]

Kennedy offers 32 Advanced Placement classes, including five world language courses AP Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.[6] In 2019 Kennedy placed sixth on the Iowa AP Index, a ranking system developed by the University of Iowa's Belin-Blank Center.[7] The Iowa AP Index recognizes AP participation among public and private high schools in Iowa.

## Athletics

[edit]

The Kennedy Cougars compete in the Mississippi Valley Conference in the following sports:[8]

* Cross Country
* Volleyball
* 1979 State Champions[9]
* Football
* Basketball
* Boys' 2-time State Champions (1972, 1984)[10]
* Wrestling
* Swimming
* Boys' 1981 State Champions[11]
* Girls' 2-time State Champions (1978, 1981)[9]
* Track and Field
* Golf
* Boys' 1991 State Champions[12]
* Coed 1974 State Champions[9]
* Soccer
* Girls' 3-time State Champions[9]
* Softball
* Baseball
* 2010 Class 4A State Champions[13]
* Tennis
* Boys' 2008 Class 2A State Champions[14]
* Girls' 1990 Class 2A State Champions[9]
* Bowling
* Dance Team
* 2 time State Champions (2001 lyrical, 2002 jazz)

The Cougars have won five consecutive Cedar Rapids Men's All-Sports Titles. The Cougars won the Girls State Soccer Championship in 2012 after upsetting top-ranked Ankeny in the finals.[15]

## Performing Arts

[edit]

Kennedy varsity show choir is named Happiness, Inc. The first show choir west of the Mississippi, Happiness was named "America's Favorite Show Choir" by Parade Magazine in 2011.[16] Happiness placed first in FAME National Show Choir Championship in 2003 [17] and at the 2012 Show Choir Nationals in Nashville, Tennessee.[18] Kennedy's prep show choir is known as Protégé, and the all female show choir is known as Chanteurs, with each winning multiple awards for their divisions at several competitions over the years.[citation needed] Kennedy's band participated in the Chicago 2006 Heritage Festival.

## Notable alumni

[edit]

* Connor Colby, college football offensive guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes[19]
* Salvatore Giunta \- United States Army, veteran of the War in Afghanistan, and the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War[20]
* Shawn Sedlacek, former MLB player (Kansas City Royals)[21]

## See also

[edit]

* List of memorials to John F. Kennedy
* List of high schools in Iowa

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "John F Kennedy High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
2. ^ "Middle School Boundaries High School Boundaries" (PDF). Cedar Rapids Community School District. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
3. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Hiawatha city, IA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
4. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Palo city, IA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
5. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Robins city, IA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
6. ^ "Academics". John F. Kennedy High School. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
7. ^ "The 2019 Iowa AP Index". Belin-Blank Center. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
8. ^ "Mississippi Valley Conference". Mississippi Valley Conference. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
9. ^ a b c d e "Cedar Rapids Kennedy". Iowa High School Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
10. ^ "2020 State Tournament Stat Book Basketball" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. January 29, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
11. ^ "2020 Swimming Stat Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. February 5, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
12. ^ "2019-2020 Golf Stat Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. December 16, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
13. ^ "2020 IHSAA Baseball State Tournament Stat Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. June 10, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
14. ^ "2020 IHSAA Tennis State Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. June 10, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
15. ^ Birch, Tommy. "State girls' soccer: Kennedy stuns Ankeny in Class 3-A final". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved July 6, 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
16. ^ "America's Favorite Show Choir". Parade Magazine. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
17. ^ "Past Show Choir National Champions". FAME Productions. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
18. ^ "2012 Show Choir Nationals Results". Show Choir Nationals. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
19. ^ Johnson, Jeff. "Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Connor Colby (and his mullet) officially signs with Iowa football". The Gazette. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
20. ^ Love, Orlan (May 1, 2012). "Medal of Honor winner presents scholarship to Kennedy senior". The Gazette. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
21. ^ "Shawn Sedlacek Statistics and History". Baseball Reference. Retrieved April 21, 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* Kennedy High School Homepage

* v
* t
* e

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Areas|

* Mays Island

Landmarks|

* NRHP sites
* African American Museum of Iowa
* Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
* National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

Education|

* Cedar Rapids CSD
* Jefferson HS
* Kennedy HS
* Washington HS
* Metro Alternative HS

* College CSD
* Prairie HS
* Linn-Mar CSD
* Marion ISD
* Kirkwood Community College

Transportation|

* 380 Express
* Cedar Rapids Transit
* Eastern Iowa Airport

Media|

* The Gazette

Culture|

* Cedar Rapids (film)
* Cedar Rapids RollerGirls
* Orchestra Iowa
* Theatre Cedar Rapids

This list is incomplete.

* v
* t
* e

Mississippi Valley Conference (Iowa)

* Cedar Falls High
* Cedar Rapids Jefferson
* Cedar Rapids Kennedy
* Cedar Rapids Prairie
* Cedar Rapids Washington
* Cedar Rapids Xavier
* Dubuque Hempstead
* Dubuque Senior
* Dubuque Wahlert
* Iowa City High
* Iowa City West
* Iowa City Liberty
* Linn-Mar
* Waterloo East
* Waterloo West
* Western Dubuque

42°1′29″N 91°40′51″W﻿ / ﻿42.02472°N 91.68083°W﻿ / 42.02472; -91.68083

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI

Geographic|

* NCES

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