John F. Kennedy High School which was located in the Lee-Harvard Community at 17100 Harvard Avenue had a tradition of being the first.  It was the first new Cleveland high school to open in 30 years.  The $3.5 million dollar 80-classroom building opened with the latest laboratory science equipment and had state of the art classrooms designed for teaching math, languages, and vocations.  Its first-floor cafeteria was unique containing a gated divider that would disappear in the ceiling that would allow the cafeteria that opened to the first-floor corridor.

JFK was the first city high school organized to have an assistant principal’s office on every floor.  Its gym capacity was 2,200. The school was the first to have a movie theatre. Its unique design allowed for a stage that serviced both the auditorium and the gym that could be opened to both sides. The school was constructed in response to overcrowding of other city schools.  JFK was truly a comprehensive high school that offer to Honors and regular College Preparatory courses as well as 20 technical and vocational courses. An extracurricular program of 35 organizations and activities was offered.

The school opened with grades 9A and 11A, but with no senior class. Its enrolment of majority middle class Black students increased to over 3,000 by 1973 and declined to 1229 by 1997.

The new JFK had a chance to start its own traditions and its first students eagerly took to the task, names and models were centered around a theme of national government and presidents.

Camelot (Yearbook) – JFK’s favorite song from the book and musical Camelot represented that idealist view of government.

Profile – (School Newspaper) – From the book Profiles in Courage, by President John F. Kennedy.

Red, White, and Blue – (School Colors) and the Nation’s colors.

The Eagle – (School Mascot) – The Nations symbol.

First Ladies – (Girls Marching Team) – Titled after the wife of the president.

Student Congress – (Student Council) – nations governing body.

The Pursuit of Excellence (Principal’s motto) – The tradition of excellence was started by the first principal Mr. George E. Mills.

Between 1967 and 1977, JFK graduated 7,362 students with a dropout rate average of less than 6%. In 1969, there were three schools in the state of Ohio with the largest number of semi-finalist to qualify for the thousand college scholarships given to the top students by the largest corporations in the United States.  John F. Kennedy High School was one of the three, along with the prestigious Shaker Heights High and Walnut Hills in Cincinnati.