Kennedy had been a longtime resident of Streetsville (now part of Mississauga), where he was Master of the River Park Masonic Lodge.

Thomas L. Kennedy Secondary School first opened its doors to approximately four hundred and fifty students in September 1953.

Kennedy began a new academic program in 2011 that allows students to obtain a "Specialist High Skills Major" in Business on their Ontario Secondary School diploma.

[2] The school has an extracurricular program, including athletic and sports teams.

Students from all grades participate in these clubs and perform at many school wide and community events.