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High School Choir Concert Finale
Update Hopkins Public Schools
The community’s guide to the District.
Hopkins High School Ranked 15th Best School in Minnesota
May/June 2014
Don’t miss this special opportunity for an evening of beautiful choral music. All choirs perform. May 27, 7:30 p.m. Hopkins High School Auditorium
com m u ni t y Hopkins High School Graduation Congratulations to the Class of 2014! June 5, 7:30 p.m. Lindbergh Center 2400 Lindbergh Drive Minnetonka
Daddy & Me free events! Dads, grandpas, friends, uncles with kids ages birth to five, join us for these free and fun events. May 30, 6:30 p.m. Minnetonka Police & Fire Station 14600 Minnetonka Boulevard June 3, 6:30 p.m. Hopkins Police Station 1010 - 1st Street South
Everything I Need to Know I Learned In High School Three seniors share their experiences at Hopkins High School
Hopkins High School has once again been named one of the best high schools in Minnesota by U.S. News and World Report. Hopkins earned a Silver Medalist award and was rated the 15th best high school in the state due to its performance on state assessment tests, including the performance of the least-advantaged students, and its college readiness scores. Nearly half of all Hopkins High School students (47 percent) take Advanced Placement classes.
World Book Night Spreads the Love of Reading
On Tuesday, April 23, Kathy Patton, a retired Hopkins teacher, handed out 20 copies of the book “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson to light readers or non-readers at Alice Smith Elementary. This generous donation was made on behalf of World Book Night. Tanglen Elementary also participated in the project. The students who received books will use them as part of their summer school curriculum.
The school year is coming to a close, and the class of 2014 is gearing up for its final walk across the Lindbergh Center stage. This year, about 610 students will graduate from Hopkins High School, each has a unique story to tell. In this story, we focus on three seniors — Jae Bates, Madeline Warshaw, and Chantel Dixon-Shannon — who are each very different, yet share a similar bond in having a positive view of their high-school experiences. Although they have walked different paths, they have each found a road to success. We wish them, and the entire class of 2014, the best of luck as they take this next big step towards the future. I am so Jae Bates: a quiet leader Before entering high school, Jae Bates had a plan. He was going to keep his head down and stay as quiet as possible. He was going to blend in. Things did not work out exactly like he thought. He ended up becoming something of a of spokesperson for the LGBTQ community. He is president of the Gay Straight Alliance, was active in the Outfront Minnesota Campaign, and most recently campaigned for the Safe Schools Bill and the Youth Summit Bill. Last fall, he was nearly crowned Hopkins High School homecoming king, making him the first Minnesota transgender student to be part of a homecoming court. Head down? Hardly.
Throughout his entire high-school career, Bates has been a strong student. He values getting good grades, and attributes the entire social studies department for shaping his current perspective. His Honors and Diversity Seminar class, for instance, has changed the way he relates to other students, and the way he views himself as a person of color. Grades are important to Bates, but he is a firm believer that life’s most valuable lessons are learned outside the classroom.
impressed by the quality of academics and the breadth of experiences here. You can find your people anywhere at Hopkins. There is not one type of person, and that prepares you for the real world.
Bates describes his high school choice as a life or death situation. It was the adults and his peers who surrounded him at Hopkins that gave him the courage to not only come out, but to go out in the community and advocate for change.
Jae Bates presenting about the importance of safe schools.
One of Madeline Warshaw’s proudest high school accomplishments is creating PAWS for Thought, an organization to help shelter animals.
“My experience at Hopkins High School has been really positive,” said Bates. “The people here are so much more supportive than other communities. They shaped my confidence to go out in the community and change things.”
“Good grades are important, but the biggest lesson I have learned is that you need to participate in the broader school act,” he said. One of Bates’ proudest accomplishments at Hopkins High School is starting GROM, a semi-formal dance for LGBTQ students, around the larger Minneapolis metro. GROM is a type of prom for students who may not feel comfortable going to their own prom. The event also doubles as a fundraiser for community outreach — this year’s event raised $800. Bates plans to attend the University of Puget Sound in Washington, and major in gender psychology and women’s studies. He is particularly interested in working with transgender youth. His five-year plan could include teaching English in South Korea — his birth country — or living in Seattle and attending graduate school.
Madeline Warshaw: following her passions Madeline Warshaw is someone who makes the most out of each moment. She keeps herself busy with activities that inspire her. Her daily planner may be crammed full, but keeping to her schedule never feels like work. It feels like a calling. In addition to a rigorous course load, Warshaw is president of the French Club, co-president of the Student Wellness Committee, founder and co-president of PAWS for Thought, and a member of the National Honor Society. When reflecting on her high school experience, Warshaw is proud to have maintained a good balance of challenging pursuits both inside and outside the classroom. “I just don’t want to let these years pass me by,” said Warshaw. “Just because I am involved in academics does see HIgh School inside