Plainview – Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School

History

The school was opened in 1966 under the name John F. Kennedy High School. It was Plainview's second high school. Originally, all senior high school students went to Plainview High School, but were split by residential location when JFK High School opened. In 1991, Plainview-Old Bethpage High School and John F. Kennedy High School were merged into the John F. Kennedy High School building. The school was renamed Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School. The newly merged school abandoned Plainview High School's colors of green and white in favor of John F. Kennedy's blue and white. Both the original Plainview High School mascot, the Gulls, and the John F. Kennedy High School mascot, the Eagles, were replaced with a new mascot, The Hawks. It is now the only public high school for residents of the community of Plainview and Old Bethpage.

Overview

For the 2013–2014 school year, the student body of POBJFK was 82% white and 14% Asian or Native, Hawaiian/Other, or Pacific Islander, . All other races or ethnicities made up 0–3% of the student body. Eighty percent of teachers had a master's degree plus 30 hours or doctorate degrees. The school was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1987-1988. Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School was ranked 174 of 1600+ schools listed in Newsweek's America's Top High Schools 2015 list. It was also ranked 11th on Long Island.

For the 2013–2014 school year, 99% of graduates received a Regents Diploma. 77% of graduates received an Advanced Regents Diploma. 85% percent of 2013–2014 graduates went on to four-year colleges and 12% went on to two-year colleges. Zero percent went to the military and 1% to employment.

For the 2012-2013 school year, students achievements include 13 New York State Academic Excellence Award Winners, 2 Intel Science Talent Search Semi-Finalists, 5 Siemens Semi-Finalists, 2 Scholar Artists for Fine and Performing Arts, 12 All State Students for Fine and Performing Arts, 3 All Eastern Students for Fine and Performing Arts, and 13 LISFA Recognition Students for Fine and Performing Arts

Expansion

In 1991, the school underwent an expansion. During this time, 5 new tennis courts, a new track and pool, and two new classroom wings were added. Notwithstanding opposition by some residents, the school board eventually approved the expansion. In anticipation of the expansion, ninth grade classes were consolidated into the building in 1991 and the remaining grades in 1992. In addition, the gardening club landscaped the school grounds, creating a quarter acre garden on the northwestern side of the campus.

AP Macroeconomics

Based on a report released on January 24, 2012, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK "was ranked as achieving the best overall performance last spring on an Advanced Placement test in macroeconomics," meaning that Plainview has the "strongest AP macroeconomics course in the world among schools in (its) size range," according to the College Board. This data referred to AP exams given in Spring 2004. The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District attributes this success to the district's sole macroeconomics teacher, Ms. Jane Behrens.

Science Research

Plainview is known for its top-tier science research program. During the 2008–2009 school year, then-seniors Abhinav Khanna and Ben Pollack placed second nationally in the Siemens Competition (formerly Siemens Westinghouse Competition). During the 2012-2013 school year, then-senior Jinju Yi was a National Finalist and Regional Winner in the same competition. On December 3, 2013, Class of 2013 Seniors Janelle Schlossberger and Amanda Marinoff were named national winners in the Siemens Competition team category (for a $100,000 scholarship), with the creation of a molecule that can inhibit the production of drug-resistant tuberculosis strains.

Robotics

Plainview is known for its award winning Robotics program. Known as The POBots, they first competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 2000. Every year, this robotics team participates in the SBPLI regional at Hofstra University on Long Island (School- Business Partnerships of Long Island) SBPLI Homepage. Additionally, they participate in the NYC regional in the Javits Center. They have also been to the international competition over 15 times. They have won the chairman's award, which is the most prestigious award in the regional competition, as well as the Engineering Inspiration award, the Judges award, team spirit award, and many others. Additionally, alumni from the team have founded a new team in Utica, called the second mouse, who has won the rookie all star award.The Second Mouse Homepage

Athletics

The school offers numerous sports teams yearly including Tennis, Golf, Swimming, Basketball, Tennis, Basketball, Lacrosse, Football, Softball, Soccer, and Bowling just to name a few. The school has various rivalries with high schools neighboring hamlets such as Syosset High School, Jericho High School, and Farmingdale High School.

Senior Prank

POBJFK made headlines when the Class of 2006 pulled a senior prank in which students placed a car on the school's roof on the last day of classes. The car, or rather shell of a car, which was painted hot pink and covered in green question marks, was lifted onto the school's roof directly above Principal James Murray's office. Mr. Murray responded to the prank by wearing a hot pink tie with green question marks on it to the 2006 graduation.

A Capella

There are eight distinct a capella groups found in POBJFKHS: The Rolling Tones, Noteworthy, Under a Rest, B Sharps, Drastic Measures, On a High Note, Chock Full of Notes, and the Acafellas.

Notable alumni