Hopkins School District #270

The Hopkins Youth Art Exhibit runs from March 1 to April 8 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The annual exhibit features student art work from all schools in the Hopkins district in grades K-12. A reception hosted by Hopkins visual arts staff will be held for students and families on Tuesday, March 6, from 4 - 6 p.m. in the Charles Redepenning Gallery of the Hopkins Center for the Arts.

XinXing Academy, Hopkins' Chinese immersion program, celebrated the Year of the Dragon with two performances. The first performance was performed by kindergarten through second-grade students on Feb. 16. The second was performed on Feb. 21 by third and fourth-grade students. A short video clip of the former performance is available here.

Olympic athlete, Carrie Tollefson, spoke to Alice Smith Elementary students today about the importance of being active and eating healthy. A native of Dawson, MN, Tollefson is a middle-distance runner who was a member of the 2004 Olympic Team competing in Athens, Greece.

Hopkins teacher Anna Wosika has been nominated for the Minnesota Teacher of the Year. She is one of 111 candidates who were nominated statewide. This is Wosika's first year teaching first-grade at Eisenhower Elementary, but she is a familiar face in Hopkins' early childhood program, where she taught preschool from 2004 to 2011.

In December, Hopkins High School 2011 graduate Forrest Yesnes attended the URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) in Washington DC. President Obama was the keynote speaker. Because of his leadership role, Forrest was given the opportunity to meet President Obama.

Tanglen Elementary has been chosen to receive a $4000 Fuel Up to Play 60 grant from among hundreds of schools across the country that applied for funding to help them jumpstart and sustain nutrition and physical activity improvements.

Hopkins Public Schools is reaching out to Hmong, Latino, and Somali families and students to make sure all students have access to a college-bound track. "Yes You Can" is a District-driven, grades 7-12 initiative that helps minority families understand the planning needed to prepare for an education beyond high school.

Congratulations to the Hopkins High School Boys' and Girls' Nordic Ski teams, who won both of their section meets on Wednesday. Both teams will now be competing at the state tournament on February 16th at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. Check out the photos here.

Students from Hopkins' Chinese immersion program, XinXing Academy, were invited to MC the CAAM Chinese Dance Theatre's 12th Annual Chinese Culture School Show on Jan. 24, 2021. The show celebrated the Chinese New Year.

Philip Brown, Hopkins High School music and choral teacher was named a 2012 Choral Director of Note by the "Choral Director Magazine." He is one of 11 choral directors nationwide to receive the honor.

A group of Hopkins students are organizing a local event that will have international impact. Smile Fest, a battle of the bands fundraiser, is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10, at the Hopkins Depot. All proceeds will benefit Operation Smile, an international children's medical charity that provides free reconstructive surgeries for children born with cleft palates, forever changing their lives.

Hopkins Public Schools is a leader in school nutrition. On our lunch trays you will find meals cooked from scratch, fresh fruits and vegetables, and meats and produce from local farmers whenever possible. What you will not find is food dyes. Barb Mechura, director of school nutrition services, was interviewed by WCCO about the District's decision not to serve any foods with artificial food dyes. Watch the video here.

The Hopkins School Board approved the calendars for 2012-13 and the 2013-14 school years at the Feb. 2 School Board Meeting. A basic version of these calendars is now available. A more polished version will be posted within the week.

Hopkins Public Schools is making sure its students are well versed in the hard sciences. The February edition of "The Update" is dedicated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Hopkins has a robust STEM program that begins in grade three for all students. In junior high, Project Lead the Way classes challenge students and allow them to experiment with hands-on learning. The High School offers several STEM options, including three Project Lead the Way courses.

The Hopkins High School Orchestra is gearing up for its Feb. 18th Orchestra Spotlight Concert. Once again, the concert will feature a special musical guest. Students are currently collaborating with singer/songwriter Billy McLaughlin through an artist-in-residency project. McLaughlin will perform with the students on select songs during the February concert.

Do you know a young person who shows an ongoing awareness of others through volunteering or other activities? Consider nominating him or her for the 2012 Caring Youth Award. Nominations are due, Friday, Feb. 3.