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com m u ni t y Spring Production ‘Our Town’
Daddy & Me Events
Update Hopkins Public Schools
The community’s guide to the District. Hopkins High School named one of America’s Most Challenging Schools Hopkins High School was named one of America’s Most Challenging Schools by The Washington Post. Hopkins ranked 22 in the state and 183 in the Midwest region. Nationwide, only 9 percent of the 22,000 high schools evaluated made the grade. Hopkins earned a place on the list by offering challenging courses and welcoming all students to take those courses. Hopkins has 15 AP classes and six College in the Schools classes, and is growing both programs. Meadowbrook’s First Community Service Night
On Earth Day , Meadowbrook families collaborated with Spirit of Hope United Methodist Church to serve those in need. Activities ranged from making sandwiches for the hungry to tying fleece blankets for shelter cats. Community members, St. Louis Park Target, St. Louis Park Costco, Crystal Mill End Textiles, and Meadowbrook Girl Scout Troop 13766 all donated items. Meadowbrook raised $110 for the Kuchanga Foundation. Community members prepared 210 bags of toiletry items, 191 bags of diapers, 195 bags of laundry, and donated 491 pounds of food.
May/June 2013
Free, fun reading events at area police stations for dads or male caregivers and kids. May 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m. MInnetonka Police Station 14600 Minnetonka Blvd. June 4, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Hopkins Police Station 1010 1st St S, Hopkins
Hopkins High School’s Royal Productions presents Thornton Wilder’s classic American play, set in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners. May 16, 17, 18, 7:00 p.m. Hopkins High School Little Theater
Hopkins High School Graduation
Congratulations to the class of 2013! June 6, 7:30 p.m. Lindbergh Center 2700 Lindbergh Drive Minnetonka
Tickets: hhstheater.org or at the door
Looking Back and Moving Forward Three Hopkins seniors reflect on their high school experience High school. It goes so quickly. The class of 2013 is approaching the final month of high school. The halls are buzzing with energy, angst, and excitement. It’s a great time in a young person’s life. At Hopkins, there are many success stories. This story profiles three students — Fatuma Ali, Benji Mosow, and Sid Gopinath — who have each achieved victory in their own right, but who have walked different paths. We wish them, and the entire class of 2013, the best of luck as they forge ahead. Finding success through perseverance: Fatuma Ali Fatuma Ali has always been a goal-oriented student. She started her high school experience knowing she was going to college, but never imagined she would push herself to the levels she has, or achieve the amount of success she is ending her senior year with. Ali credits the AVID program, and her teacher Ms. Bailey, for pushing her far beyond what she thought were her limits. In 10th grade, at the encouragement of Ms. Bailey, Ali skeptically signed up for the notoriously difficult Advanced Placement US History (APUSH) class. Ali still remembers the shock of the first homework assignment, which was to read 40 pages. Panicked, she went to Ms. Bailey, who assured her that she would adjust to the pace, and the only requirement for success was perseverance. Ali stuck with the class and would continue to take advanced classes. “That year, I built the foundation of who I was going to be at the high school,” said Ali. “I decided I was going to be a smart student who was taking hard classes and who wanted to do well.”
Fatuma Ali became the first Hopkins student to be named a Dell Scholar.
“A lot of times when you are an immigrant and you do well in America, you forget where your family is from and how far you have come,” she said. “I want to help people who are where I am, and internationally, as well.”
I built the foundation of who I was going to be at the high school — I decided I was going to be a smart student who was taking hard classes and who wanted to do well.
In the end, perseverance paid off more than Ali could have anticipated. She recently learned that she became the first Hopkins student to be named a Dell Scholar and the recipient of a $20,000 college scholarship. Ali describes earning the scholarship as the highlight of her high school career.
“Being able to be the face for such a great scholarship, that was a really proud moment,” she said. Next year, Ali is bound for the University of Saint Thomas where she plans to study politics and international law. She hopes she will be able to give back to other first-generation immigrants. Eventually, she would like to visit her homeland, Somalia, and continue to make a difference.
Hopkins ProPEL program confirms a path in medicine: Benji Mosow Benji Mosow is drawn to both the business world and the medical world. In some ways, this is not entirely surprising. His mom is a nurse and his dad is a CFO. Mosow’s interests fall somewhere in between, but when pressed, he describes medicine as something he has always known he wanted to pursue. In five years, he sees himself entering medical school. “Helping people is something that has always appealed to me,” said Mosow. “I want to be able to see the results of my work and help patients get better.”
During the summer, Mosow dabbled in jobs that required firstresponder skills. During his senior year, he got to go behind the scenes in the world of medicine and shadow a cardiologist at North Memorial Hospital. This experience is part of ProPEL, a mentorship program at Hopkins High School that pairs students with mentors and real-world career experiences. Since winter break, Mosow has observed his After a ProPEL mentorship experience, Benji Mosow fair share of open-heart surgeries and is more sure than ever he heart-related procedures. He is wants to pursue medicine. See Looking Back inside