Howard Kennedy Elementary School | |
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Location | |
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2906 N. 30th Street Omaha, Nebraska 68011 United States | |
Information | |
Type | Public elementary school |
School district | Omaha Public Schools |
Grades | K- 5 |
Website | Howard Kennedy School |
Howard Kennedy Elementary School is located at 2906 North 30th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Almost since its inception Kennedy was regarded as one of Omaha's " black schools," almost exclusively African American. Football great Gale Sayers attended the school. [1]
The school was founded in 1892 as Omaha View School, as it sat on a hill overlooking downtown. In 1918 the school was home to Omaha's champion student writer: eighth grader Alice Watson was lauded in the national Negro Year Book: An Annual Encyclopedia of the Negro for the honor. [2]
The current building was constructed in 1910, [3] and was renamed after the first public school educator in Omaha, who served as the first teacher, principal and superintendent starting in 1859. [4] Kennedy originally served students from kindergarten through ninth grade.
Kennedy was remodeled extensively in 2005.
Today[ when?] the school has approximately 240 students, with a student body which is more than 84% African American. Hispanics count for 10%, and white students for 5%, with Native American and "other" covering the remainder.
Kennedy is a schoolwide Title I with an 84.26% poverty rate. [5] It is a participant in the Nebraska 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Program funded by the United States Department of Education. [6]
Starting in 2005 the school became a part of the Bright Futures Partnership, a collaboration between Omaha Public Schools and several nonprofit organizations designed to help at-risk youth prepare for middle school and work toward high school graduation. [7] The school also participates in an annual Omaha Police Department basketball tournament. [8]