Hopkins High School

Hello Hopkins High School Community,

I am honored and excited to be coming back to Hopkins High School for my 16th year here. However, this year is a little different: instead of a Spanish teacher, I will be serving as your principal. I am proud of the culture and environment my colleagues and I have helped grow here and I am thrilled to be able to continue that on a deeper level. A mantlepiece of that culture is: taking care of kids. I believe that through our many layers of support such as homeroom, “Catch up Crew” and peer support groups like Wellness Club and PALs, we have systems in place to care for each and every student. As students continue to settle into the school year and adjust, please do not hesitate to reach out and let us know how we may come alongside you and your student on their educational journey and assist them in any way possible. It takes a village.

As we continue to settle into the new school year, we also have homecoming quickly approaching. We will have the usual festivities such as voting for class representatives, dress up days and House spirit point competitions. However, one thing that we are bringing back that was lost during COVID is the construction of floats. We are going to resurrect that tradition but with a different look, and we’re asking for your help parents in any way you can assist. Float planning and their decor and constructions will now be done at school, as a team, by House. Planning will begin as early as Monday, September 9th and construction will begin by the Monday of Homecoming week (9/16-20). All decorations will be built and ready by that Thursday. On Friday, at the conclusion of the school day (2:45), everything will be transferred onto the trailers and fastened down for the parade. What we need from parents is:

1. A driver and use of a trailer or wagon, one per House, 4 total

2. Donations of supplies, construction materials or use of tools

3. Ability to have the trailer or wagon here on Friday, 9/20 no later than 2:00pm

4. Volunteers to assist in fastening down constructions before the parade

If you would like to help with anything mentioned above, please contact Mrs. Amy Smith at amysmit@hpsvikings.org so that she can coordinate trailers, drivers, volunteers and materials donations. It would also be helpful to check in with your student asking them what House they are in so you can relay that to her. Thank you in advance for helping with this endeavor. With your assistance, this could be a great new take on an old tradition here at HHS.

Sincerely,

Zach Miller

Along with a new principal we have a few more new faces this year:

Our new Spanish teacher, Hannah Wettlaufer. Hannah is new to our teaching staff but a familiar face to many. Hannah completed her student teaching last fall with Mr. Miller. Hannah is excited to be back in Hopkins for another great school year.

Our new Art teacher, Ian Martzke. Ian completed his BFA in Oil Painting at Kendall College of Art and Design and pursued my teaching credentials at Grand Valley State University. He will be teaching all art classes at Hopkins High School. Ian's approach to Art Education focuses on teaching concrete, technique-based methods that make art-making accessible to students regardless of previous experience or natural aptitude. He is very excited to join the Hopkins District and have enjoyed the process of beginning to build relationships with staff and students.

Our new Counselor, Bethany Hardy. This is Bethany Hardy's 25th year serving as an educator. For the first 21-years of her career she taught general and Advanced Placement English and served as a school counselor at Kelloggsville High School. After pursuing other educational opportunities the past few years, she is excited to be, once again, working with and supporting high school students. Bethany and her husband reside in Hudsonville, and have two college-aged children. When home, gardening, raising their chickens, reading, traveling, and entertaining friends and family.

Our new Athletic Director, Tim Rieman. Tim has 33 years of experience in education. During this time he has had numerous opportunities to work in different capacities. Tim has been a Math and PE teacher, Principal, Assistant AD, Summer School Principal, and coached Football, Baseball, and Basketball. He spent 26 years in Plainwell Schools and then moved to Traverse City to teach and coach for 3 years. His family includes his wife Janelle who is a private practice counselor, daughter Bailee who is 26 and married to his son in law Jake Wisnaski, daughter Sydni who is 22, and daughter Raegan who is 12. Tim is in the process of moving from Traverse City back to the area and are excited to be back! Tim is excited to see all of our student/athletes in action this school year. Please feel free to stop by his office in the high school or come up to him at a game to introduce yourself and say hi.

We will be implementing a new parent teacher conference style for the 2024-25 school year. Prior to conferences you will receive your student's progress report and contact info for your student's classroom teachers, as well as counselors and other staff you may want to contact via mail. We will have "conference week" from 9/30-10/3. We encourage you to reach out to your student's teachers or any other staff listed on our contact sheet during those days at your convenience via phone or email. We would also like to offer an opportunity for an in-person meeting with staff, should you feel one is necessary. The time allotted for in-person meetings will be from 4-6pm on Wednesday, October 2nd. However, this is not open-house style. Appointments must be made by Friday of this week. A contact sheet will be sent out with your students progress report to set up an appointment. They will have 15 minute meeting times available for you from 4-6pm on Wednesday, October 2nd. Teachers will be in their classrooms or at a table in the hallways of the academic wings. Administration will be there to help assist in finding the necessary classrooms.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with us! We're excited to welcome a special guest from Uruguay who will share insights about the rich culture and history of his country. This is a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in the Spanish-speaking world. **Bonus:** If you're currently enrolled in a Spanish class, attending this event will earn you Spanish Experience Points! Don’t miss out on this unique cultural experience. See you there!

Monday, September 16 **Time:** 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM **Location:** [Miss Wettlaufer’s room]

Last Names A - K Mrs. Hardy

Last Names L - Z Mr. Crook

1. AP Exams May 2025

For those students taking an AP class this year, note the following dates of the AP Exams. Please plan doctor appointments and other school absences around these dates, so that students will be in attendance for the exams. These dates are determined by the College Board and they cannot be altered.

Monday, May 5th 8am - Biology

Tuesday, May 6th 8am - Chemistry, 12pm - United States Government & Politics

Wednesday, May 7th 8am - English Literature and Composition

Friday, May 9th 8am - US History

Monday, May 12th 8am - Calculus AB

Tuesday, May 13th 8am - PreCalculus

Wednesday, May 14th 8am - English Language and Composition, 12pm - Physics C: Mechanics

Friday, May 16th 8am - Physics 1: Algebra-Base, 12pm - Psychology

2. College and Military Visits to Hopkins HS

• College and Military Representatives will be coming to Hopkins throughout the year. All students are welcome to talk with them. Please sign up by adding your name to this document. Rep Visits: 2024-2025 Check this document often as Colleges and Military reps add dates frequently.

3. Seniors

• Senior Packet -please read and refer to throughout the school year. The Senior Packet can be found here: Senior Packet

• DEADLINES - As you prepare for and apply to 2-year or 4-year colleges, and trade schools, make a list of application deadline dates, so you can plan ahead and not miss any deadlines. Sometimes a college will have different deadline dates, so look into that as well to see which deadline is best for you.

• Apply on college websites or through the Common App? Check your college or trade school website to find out how they want you to apply. Some colleges will have you apply on their website, while others want you to apply via Common App.

• APPLICATIONS - you might need to write an essay and/or obtain recommendation letters for your college and trade school applications. Make sure you give yourself enough time to write and obtain these parts of your application.

• FAFSA - Students applying to 2-year and/or 4-year colleges and trade schools are encouraged to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to be eligible for scholarships, grants, and federal aid. Most post-secondary schools participate with federal student aid programs, however, you can check with each school to be certain. Schools sometimes use the FAFSA information to determine eligibility for their own in-house scholarships and grants. Students and Families can obtain FAFSA ID beginning in October (this is the 1st Step) and then the FAFSA opens later this year in DECEMBER for students and families to complete. Students are eligible for more opportunities if the FAFSA is completed sooner rather than later in the year. See your school counselor with questions. You can also refer to: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

• This is the school year you will start to make more solid post-secondary plans: What you will be doing after high school graduation! This planning can be exciting as well as a little daunting at times. Your school counselor is here to help, and we will be meeting with you on 9/12/24. Refer to the Junior Packet of information found here: Junior Packet

Hopkins High School Band has had an awesome start to the season! This year they will be participating in two invitationals, MSBOA marching band festival, and all home football games. Their show "Intergalactic" features music from out of this world with themes from Star Trek and Star Wars! The hit by Bruno Mars "Talking to the Moon" and "Intergalactic" by the Beastie Boys are also highlighted. They close the show with the music finale from ET called "Adventures on Earth". Please join us this season for one of our performances!

9/13 Home Football Game

9/20 Homecoming

9/28 Jenison and Kenowa Hills Marching Invitationals

10/4 Home Football Game

10/8 District Marching Festival

10/18 Home Football Game

10/19 Grandville and East Kentwood

Congratulations to our Hopkins FFA Alumni on being named the 2024 Outstanding Alumni Chapter by the MI FFA Alumni Association. Our FFA chapter could not accomplish all that we set out to do without their unwavering support!

are now available at www.hpsvikings.org. Hard copies are available at the administration office.

Did you know that College Representatives and the Branches of our Military visit our schools throughout the year? If you would like to get more information about the options for your future please sign up on the attached Google Document. Please check often as representatives add frequently. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tMpI84_Xhsek4jkRebJVKIoAUrTmu8h6bND-77e_06E/edit?usp=sharing

Jason Babiak --------------- jasobabi@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2104

Alexandria Bosanac ------ alexbosa@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1110

Tara Burgess ---------------- taraburg@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1112

Erica Chamberlin ---------- ericcham@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2101

Jessica Couch -------------- jesscouc@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1104

Alexander Cross ----------- alexcros@hpsvikings.org Ext. 3129

Tim Dommenick ----------- timdomm@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1117

Kaitlyn Dudek --------------- kaitdude@hpsvikings.org Ext 1593

Rebecca Ellithorpe ------- rebeelli@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2111

Trenton Feyen -------------- trenfeye@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2110

Alyssa Figueroa ---------- alysfigu@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1119

Cody Francis ---------------- codyfran@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2109

Melissa Haverdink ------- melihave@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2119

Ben Herrick ------------------ benherr@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1103

Diane Kamps --------------- diankamp@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2108

James Kiss ------------------ jamekiss@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1102

Ian Martzyke ---------------- ianmart@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1101

Phil Moerdyke -------------- philmoer@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1109

Lisa Nagengast ----------- lisanage@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2102

Matt Oeverman ------------ mattoeve@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1113

Jaclynn Rewa --------------- jaclrewa@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1107

Casey Schoenborn ------ casescho@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2106

Amy Smith ------------------- amysmit@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2107

Susan Snoeyink ----------- susasnoe@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1108

William Spoelhof --------- willspoe@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2100

Russ VanDommelen --- russvand@hpsvikings.org Ext. 1118

Hannah Wettlaufer ------ hannwett@hpsvikings.org Ext. 2103

Jessica Williams --------- jesswill@hpsvikings.org Ext. 3129

The 2022-2023 District and School Annual Education Reports are now available at www.hpsvikings.org. Hard copies are available in the school office.

Zach Miller, Principal

zachmill@hpsvikings.org ext. 1509

Jessica Robrahn, Assistant Principal

jessrobr@hpsvikings.org ext. 1507

Todd Crook, Counselor

toddcroo@hpsvikings.org ext. 1520

Bethany Hardy, Counselor

bethhard@hpsvikings.org ext. 1510

Tim Rieman, Athletic Director

timriem@hpsvikings.org ext. 1511

Email: highschool@hpsvikings.org
Website: hpsvikings.org
Location: 333 Clark Street, Hopkins, MI, USA
Phone: 269-793-7616
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HopkinsHighSchool

The Hopkins Public School District Board of Education complies with all federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, marital status, height, weight, or disability in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Mr. Scott VanBonn Superintendent of Schools, Hopkins Public Schools, 400 Clark Street, Hopkins, MI 49328 Phone 269-793-7261.

The Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation or gender identity), disability, age (except as authorized by law), religion, height, weight, marital or family status, military status, ancestry, genetic information, or any other legally protected category, (collectively, "Protected Classes") that are protected by Federal civil rights laws in its programs and activities.