Students Dove into Summer Service Projects

Over the summer, many Hopkins students were busy with community service projects in the New Haven area and beyond. Here are some of the stories they reported to us.

The Hopkins Robotics team taught a STEM program at the Foote School through a program called Horizons (pictured above). This collaboration was initiated two summers ago by recent graduate and previous robotics team captain Josh Ip '18. The Horizons program provides summer enrichment to New Haven students in grades K-5. In their STEM class, the students taught topics ranging from Newton's laws to density, with a lot of engaging projects such as building bottle rockets and making homemade slime! The students absolutely love working with the kids. Please see more pictures on their instagram: @hopkinsrobotics

Ella '21 and Jonah Norwitt '18 sent a photo from the summit of Mount Kilamanjaro. Along with their family, they climbed the mountain this summer, as well as volunteered with the organization African Impact, teaching English to locals and Masaai. (Photo top right)


Juniors Olivia and Vivian Wen volunteered as coaches for First Serve Bridgeport this summer, an organization that provides tennis instruction in the greater Bridgeport community.
 
9th grader Sebastian Merce went on a service trip to Costa Rica. He reports: "The trip entailed long days of hard work, but it was so rewarding. We were helping a family in need add more space to their home, and we dug and cemented a trench for them so that the rainwater would not flood their structures. One of my favorite parts of the trip was playing with the local children after our work ended. I also loved the classroom time we spent teaching the children English. On our last day, one of the children, Manuel, clung to me and refused to let go...it was a bittersweet moment for sure.  Costa Rica has, forever, a piece of my heart."

Juniors George and Jake Wang spent a good part of their summer engaged in their passion for chess. Not only did they compete at the 119th Annual U.S. Open Chess Championship held in Wisconsin, but they also volunteered and taught chess at local schools and libraries in Wisconsin and in Chicago. George and Jake are the founders of Chess Haven, a non-profit that works throughout the year to tutor young New Haven students in chess, as well as donate chess equipment to schools.
 
Steven Broun ’21 went on a mission trip organized by his church, refurbishing houses and aiding residents with any house repairs they needed. Steven says, “At the house I worked on, my crew and I painted a stairwell, replaced new steps and risers on a deck, and then primed and painted the deck and stairs. This was a life-changing experience, working for someone who really needed and appreciated all of the work we had done. Here is a photo of my crew and our resident (in the middle) on the deck that we repainted.”
 
Hopkins also organized a service trip to Guatemala in August. A story about their experience is coming soon!
 
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Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.