John F. Kennedy High School (Willingboro, New Jersey)

John F. Kennedy High School is a defunct public high school in Willingboro Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States that operated until the end of the 1988-89 school year, as part of the Willingboro Township Public Schools.

Willingboro High School was opened in 1975 as a response to the overcrowded student population at John F. Kennedy High School, at the time the only high school in Willingboro, located just down the road on Kennedy Way. For a short time, residents were having a difficult time in deciding what to call the new Willingboro high school; some sought to name the new high school "J.F. Kennedy High School - East" while others debated on naming the school, "Robert F. Kennedy" after the recently-deceased Attorney General and senator from New York and President Kennedy's brother. A vote was taken and it was decided that the only appropriate name would be what the school is called today "Willingboro High School".

The two schools were merged at the start of the 1989-90 school year, with all students attending what is now Willingboro High School and John F. Kennedy High School was closed. [Quinn, Laura. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB95FA7B431FB88&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "WILLINGBORO GIRDS FOR SCHOOL MERGER"] , "The Philadelphia Inquirer", August 28, 1989. Accessed October 8, 2008.]

Willingboro Township purchased the site of the defunct high school in late 1998, with plans to turn it into a community center that could include a conference center, theater, indoor tennis courts and other athletic facilities. [Mayk, Lauren. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB5CEDC86AA9C97&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "WILLINGBORO NUDGES JFK CENTER PLANS ALONG COUNCIL MEMBERS MET WITH A DEVELOPER TO TALK ABOUT TRANSFORMING THE FORMER SCHOOL. DETAILS ARE DUE NOV. 23."] , "The Philadelphia Inquirer", October 25, 1999. Accessed October 8, 2008.]

References

External links

* [http://www.willingboroschools.org/schools/WHS/whs.htm Willingboro High School, successor to John F. Kennedy High School]
* [http://www.willingboroschools.org Willingboro Township Public Schools]