John F. Kennedy High School  Leadership Training InstitutE

About Our Signature Program

For over 30 years, Kennedy High School’s Leadership Training Institute (LTI) has empowered students through hands-on, experiential learning. This four-year, application-based program develops confidence, sharpens decision-making skills, and equips students to succeed in school, the workplace, and beyond.

Guided by its four pillars, LTI keeps students engaged, curious, and ready to take meaningful action.

1. Participation: Engaging in school and community life while practicing leadership and facilitation skills.

2. Service: Completing at least 200 hours of school volunteering, community projects, or internships that connect leadership to real-world challenges and community issues. 

3. Academics: Maintaining a 3.0 GPA while completing LTI courses (Student Leadership, Research Project, and LTI Internship) building personal management, self-awareness, empathy, communication, design thinking, and other skills that strengthen leadership of self, others, situations, and all areas of life.

4. Ethics: Demonstrating integrity, respect, and responsibility as role models in both school and community life.
   
   

Vision

By graduation, Kennedy High School students in LTI will be confident, empathetic, ethical, and globally minded leaders, ready to shape their futures, support their families, and strengthen their communities.

Mission

At Kennedy High School, we believe every student has the potential to lead, create, and make an impact. LTI empowers students of all backgrounds to discover their strengths, develop leadership and facilitation skills, and use them to guide, inspire, and take meaningful action in school, community, and beyond.

What Makes Kennedy’s LTI Unique

• Open to All Kennedy Students: Every student striving for excellence is encouraged to apply. LTI celebrates Kennedy’s rich diversity and welcomes voices from all backgrounds.

• Equity-Centered: Preparing leaders who uplift their communities with empathy and justice.

• Future-Ready: Building digital citizenship, entrepreneurship, workplace attitudes, and research skills.

• Focus on Durable Skills and Real-World Learning: Projects rooted in both school and community challenges, with hands-on practice, role-play scenarios, guided debriefs, and reflection to deepen growth.

• Student Voice: Opportunities to speak, lead, and inspire through public exhibitions and presentations.

• Self-Care and Well-Being First: Building resilience, confidence, and balance for high school and beyond.