Kennedy Sunday School Newsletter
Dear Kennedy High School Families and Community,
What an incredible week it has been for our Fighting Irish! From the athletic fields to the performing arts stage, our students continue to demonstrate what it means to be engaged, educated, and empowered. It is my pleasure to recap the highlights of the past week and look ahead at the busy days to come.
Last week was a monumental one for our scholar-athletes as we kicked off the CIF Southern Section Playoffs. On Thursday, February 12th, our Girls Soccer team secured a thrilling 2-1 victory against San Gorgonio in Round 1 of the Division 7 Playoffs. Not to be outdone, our Girls Basketball team dominated the court on Thursday night with a decisive 65-35 win over San Jacinto Leadership Academy. Following those victories, our teams moved on to the next round on Saturday, February 14th. Your Fighting Irish Girls Soccer won against Santa Paula with a 1-0 victory. Finally, in a nail-biter, Girls Basketball upset Long Beach Poly in a 47-46 win. We are always immensely proud of these young women for their dedication and sportsmanship and can’t wait to watch them continue their CIF run this week!
On Friday and Saturday nights, KPAC was filled with the beautiful sounds of our choir program during the Show Choir Competition Preview Show. Our Kennedy Singers truly shined and sparkled on stage! The energy was infectious, and the soloists and ensemble numbers were nothing short of incredible. I am eagerly looking forward to hearing about their successes as they head into their official competition season.
As we look ahead to the coming week, please keep in mind that there is no school on Monday, February 16th in observance of Presidents' Day. Fun fact: This federal holiday was originally established in 1879 to honor George Washington’s birthday, following decades of informal celebrations after his passing in 1799.
Please join us for Coffee with the Principal on Tuesday, February 17th. We will be meeting from 9:00 am to 10:00 am at Walker Junior High School. These gatherings are a wonderful way to stay connected with our school community, and we truly love seeing our parents engaged in these events.
On Thursday, February 19th, we will conduct campus-wide safety drills to ensure our students and staff are prepared for any emergency. We recognize that these exercises can cause some of our students and families stress, and we provide this information ahead of time to help ease those concerns while prioritizing campus safety.
During the drills, we will practice three distinct levels of lockdown. Level 1 involves securing the school perimeter; during this phase, on-campus activity remains normal, instruction continues, and students may still transition between classes and use the restrooms. Level 2 moves everyone inside classrooms and offices with doors locked. In this stage, instruction continues, but there are no class transitions and movement for restrooms is restricted to administrative approval only. Finally, Level 3 is our most secure protocol, requiring everyone to go to the closest area immediately, lock and secure doors, lower shades, and turn off lights. During a Level 3 lockdown, there are no transitions, no restroom access, and no classroom instruction. Most importantly, once a door is secured in Level 3, it is never opened for anyone, until an "All Clear" is officially issued. We will be practicing these protocols for various situations to ensure we are prepared for any scenario.
Even though we haven’t quite finished winter sports, Spring pre-season is already here! Please come out and support our teams at home this week:
Tuesday, Feb 17:
Boys’ Tennis vs. Oxford Academy (3:15 pm)
Boys’ Volleyball vs. Savanna HS (4:45 pm).
Wednesday, Feb 18:
Boys’ Volleyball vs. Cypress HS (4:45 pm).
Thursday, Feb 19:
Boys’ Tennis vs. Bolsa Grande HS (3:00 pm)
Boys’ Volleyball vs. Loara (4:45 pm).
Finally, a massive "Good Luck" to our Competition Cheer Squad as they compete at Nationals at the Anaheim Convention Center this Friday!
Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff. It’s a great day to be a member of the Fighting Irish family!
Warmly,
Poppy Hill-Bonales
Proud Principal, Kennedy High School
Home of the Fighting Irish
