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Empty Bowls Event
High School Choir Concerts
Update Hopkins Public Schools
The community’s guide to the District.
Hopkins Alum Meets President In December, Hopkins High School 2011 graduate Forrest Yesnes attended the URJ (Union for Reform Jews) in Washington D.C. President Obama was the keynote speaker. Yesnes is the president of NFTY (North American Federation For Temple Youth) representing 19 regions in North America and Canada, and was also there to speak before the group. Because of his leadership role, he was given the opportunity to meet President Obama.
Two Hopkins skiers named to national team
Two Hopkins High School Nordic Ski team members have been named to the 2012 Midwest Junior National Ski Team. Sarah Benton and Harris Dirnberger, both juniors, will compete at Soldier Hollow in Utah in March.
Tune in — March 25 A leader in school nutrition, Hopkins Public Schools is focused on providing students with healthy meals and snacks. Hopkins Meadowbrook Elementary will be featured in a TPT (Twin Cities Public Television) Farm-2-School documentary, airing March 25. Check your local listings for times.
March 2012
c o m m u n i t y
An evening of two choir concerts conducted by Hopkins award-winning director, Phillip Brown. March 8, 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. Hopkins High School 2400 Lindbergh Drive, Minnetonka
Be a part of the fun, entertainment and art, and fight against hunger — a fundraiser to support local foodshelves. Tuesday, March 13 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Hopkins Center for the Arts www.HopkinsSchools.org/Bowls
Sustainable Landscape Garden Design Workshop Reduce your carbon footprint as you explore landscape elements that require less energy use. Class fee: $19 March 8, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy. 7, Hopkins www.HopkinsCommunityEd.org
Hopkins Students Attend College Without Leaving Hopkins High School
College in the Schools classes prepare students for higher education Mike Harris advises his students to treat his Anatomy and Physiology class like a job. He may be on to something. Students who take and pass the class earn four college credits from the University of Minnesota, a value of up to $1,600. But because the students are still in high school, the credits they earn are completely free. Anatomy and Physiology is one of six College in the Schools classes offered at Hopkins High School, but it’s the only class open to all students who have received a B or better in Chemistry. The other five classes are language-arts based, available to students who are on an advanced language track. As the name implies, College in the Schools classes allow students to take college classes without leaving their high school campuses.
An elementary student climbs through a model heart artery to learn about how blood flows. As part of the Anatomy and Physiology class, College in the Schools students presented to Hopkins Elementary students on preventable diseases.
The purpose of the class is to prepare students for not only college-level material, but also for the structure and expectations of a college-level class. When students don’t perform as well as expected on those first couple of exams, they adjust their study habits and learn to become successful fairly quickly. However, Harris, like many college professors, also grades on a curve, which helps absorb any long-term damage to a student’s grade.
A college experience in a high school setting Hopkins College in the Schools teachers work closely with University of Minnesota professors to ensure that the “The class prepares us for college classes because it is exactly curriculum reflects a highly rigorous, college-level course. like college,” said student Ketrin Vinokur. “The Science teachers Mike Harris and Alyson tests and labs make up our entire grade, just like Purdy currently teach the Anatomy and The class at the University of Minnesota.” Physiology class at Hopkins. College in the Schools enhances Hopkins’ prepares us for “The coursework is the same as the strong and established AP (Advanced University of Minnesota,” said Harris of college classes Placement) program, but the two programs his class. “The University of Minnesota are different. College in the Schools classes because it is is really careful what it puts its stamp of offer four University of Minnesota credits to approval on.” all students who pass the class. AP classes, on exactly like the other hand, expose students to college-level College in the Schools classes are college, the tests material, but whether a student earns college designed to mirror a college-level credit depends upon their performance on a experience. Students are quizzed on and labs make final test and on the college the student chooses material that they were assigned to study to attend. up our entire independently. There are no homework points and the assigned reading is so grade, just like at Vinokur’s interest in medicine drew her to comprehensive that it is unprecedented the Anatomy and Physiology class. She hopes to in high school. Even straight A students the University of be a pediatric surgeon one day and, through can be shell shocked by the first exam. Hopkins’ ProPEL mentorship program, is Minnesota. And that’s the point. shadowing a surgeon at Children’s Hospital for “When I first began working with the University of Minnesota, the professor told me that if A students did not receive C’s on the first exam, I was doing something wrong,” said Harris.
the remainder of the school year. A handful of students have similar aspirations, but Harris insists that students who plan to pursue non-science careers have just as much to benefit.
see College in the Schools, inside