Thank you for a fun time with Eggstravaganza a few weeks ago. Over 300 candy-filled eggs were hidden around campus (although it is probable that a lucky JSchooler was able to hunt down many of them ;). Congrats to our eight golden egg winners who received a special prize. 

FIELD DAY IS LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY! On May 23rd (the last day of official classes), the student council is hosting Field Day—a celebration of this school year with games, treats, and performances. More specifically we will have inflatables: a water slide 🛝🌊, a gaga pit ⚽, and an obstacle course race 🏇, food: kettle corn 🍿 and italian ice 🍧, and musical performances for our Off to Summer Bash (which is the name for the performance section of field day). Check your email for a sign up to perform if you haven’t already. 

Schedule: 
3:30-4:00 Chill out, eat some junk food, try some tie dying, facepaint, or lawn games

4:00-4:30 Come to the quad to check out the pentathalon—events are a secret 🤫

4:30-5:30 Performances on the Thompson steps. Possible performances by: teacher band, Persian Goodbye, 5th Ave, etc. 

5:30 Head home people. It's a Friday. School is over. Help us clean up and then catch the bus and get outta here

I would love to get your input at any time about better ways to run the school. Just today I talked with a group of you to brainstorm ways that we could make lunch lines more manageable. As I said above, StuCo meetings are always open, but if you would like to shoot me a text/email to send an idea or schedule a time to meet, that would be wonderful. You can also add your ideas or check out others’ ideas on this working doc. 

Ripley reporting here! Student council is hosting our first meeting with the newly elected 2025-2026 council on Thursday May 8th. As a reminder, meetings are open to anyone and are hosted every other Thursday 6-7. I wanted to give a special shoutout to our newest members of StuCo. I know you all have worked hard and proved that you can serve our community with grace. Congratulations to: Rayan Ahmad ‘30, Yuna Ahmed ‘30, Ryan Alexopoulos ‘30, Alia Mojibian ‘29, Ethan Kim ‘29, Wyatt Kaylor ‘28, Jemma Grauer ‘28, Lukas Roberts ‘27, Arjun Agarwal ‘26, and Alan Xu ‘26. You all are amazing people and I’m excited to work with you. 

Ever wondered what happens to the leftover food you scrape into the green trash can after lunch? Well, we have some exciting news! Hopkins is launching a new project aimed at enhancing waste management practices at Hopkins School!

Currently, our waste management system faces several challenges, including high levels of contamination in recycling bins due to improper waste segregation by students and the suspension of composting activities behind the APAC building due to the prior construction. 

To address these issues, Hopkins will be partnering with Blue Earth Compost and Quantum Biopower to ensure efficient collection and processing of organic waste, turning it into renewable energy and nutrient-rich compost, and re-establishing composting behind the APAC building to divert organic waste from landfills.

In addition, over the next few months, the Sustainability Board will be hosting informational campaigns to raise awareness about proper waste disposal. Specifically, we hope to distribute materials outlining what can and cannot be recycled or composted, utilizing resources from Blue Earth Compost's guidelines as well as clearly label the recycling and compost bins on campus for easier identification. We also aim to establish student-led "Compost Enforcement Officers (CEOs)," who are responsible for monitoring waste disposal during each lunch wave. All of this requires your involvement and help! Please stay tuned for updates and opportunities to volunteer as a "CEO!"

Earth Week 2025 was a huge success, filled with sustainability-focused activities, spirit themes, delicious food, and fun but also educational events!

We were so honored to host Professor Jordan Peccia, a renowned environmental engineer and researcher at Yale University, as our Earth Day guest speaker. His talk explored the intersection of molecular biology and environmental engineering, touching on everything from the data sets that show the accelerated melting rate of Antarctica's ice sheets to the ongoing projects that his laboratory concentrates on. Students and faculty alike were inspired by his insights and engaging speech! 

Throughout the week, an Earth Week Banner is created in Upper Heath along with various subcommittee events:

The Energy Subcommittee hosted a popular Vegan Ice Cream & Waffle-Making Activity in Upper Heath. Students churned their own ice cream, flipped fresh waffles, and learned about sustainable food choices while enjoying some sweet rewards.

The Climate Action Subcommittee, in collaboration with the Law Review, organized an insightful Climate & Law Conversation. Students delved into climate issues along with current environmental policies, including the Paris Agreement and the Inflation Reduction Act, in an engaging and thoughtful conversation.

The Natural Environment Subcommittee brought together art and nature with a succulent giveaway in Upper Heath during Lunch, where students can not only paint the pot of the succulent but also take home a little green friend! A Hopkins planter wall was also painted on the quad to express the Hopkins spirit! Be sure to check out HopTV’s episodes that feature the ongoing Plant Care Challenge where students compete in growing their green friends for a chance to win prizes, including a gift card to Bill’s Ice Cream! 

The Waste Subcommittee partnered with the Sustainable Arts Club to present the Earth Week Art Gallery in the Keator Art Gallery. The gallery featured student artwork made from recycled materials like plastic bottles and cardboard, showing how sustainability and creativity can go hand in hand. Weekly art sessions on Wednesday during activity blocks leading up to the event gave students a chance to contribute their own eco-art.

Culture and Community Day was a huge success! Students came together to share traditions through hands-on activities like Chinese crepe-making, AASA’s Gonggi and tea tasting, and BSU’s exciting Black trivia, finish-the-lyric, and bracelet-making station. Peer Support added a cozy, creative touch with scrapbooking and charcuterie boards for stress awareness. The highlight? An incredible potluck bursting with flavor—kimbap, lahmajoun, matzah, mochi donuts, chili oil noodles, and more—each dish a delicious symbol of our community’s rich cultural tapestry.

Big things are ahead with DivBo’s exciting new structure! With four dynamic chairs and new subcommittees driving focus on Curriculum, Cultural Awareness, Community & Belonging, and Events, the board is ready to launch into an even more collaboration and creativity. Shoutout to our amazing new heads—Alan Xu, Haley Dean, Mia Callot, and Riya Rao—who will be leading the charge with energy and vision. Be on the lookout for more DivBo in 2026!

What a year for DivBo! From powerful Community Conversations and the very successful IRIS Run to organizing, attending, and hosting the CT Student Diversity Leadership Conference, the board made bold strides toward a more inclusive campus. They’ve been hard at work pushing for changes in our that better reflect diverse voices and experiences. It’s been a year of growth, action, and real impact—and it’s only the beginning!

March is recognized as Women’s History Month, a time during which womens’ contributions to society are celebrated. At Hopkins, we took this opportunity to not only honor women throughout history, but also women in our own community. During the Women’s History Month assembly the last Friday before Spring Break, we recognized women of distinction: women who have had a profound impact on the Hopkins community and inspired students with their passion and love for what they do.

This March, the Curriculum Subcommittee of Diversity Board wanted to explore classes at Hopkins that highlight women’s perspectives and hear about their impact on students’ everyday lives. The Women’s Narratives English elective analyzes literature written by women, offering insights into their experiences and societal challenges. We spoke to Dr. Fry, who teaches the elective, and to students who are currently taking the class.

According to Dr. Fry, the idea for the Women’s Narratives class was born three years ago, during the summer of 2022, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She recalls her strong feelings at the time and remembers thinking, “we don’t have a class on Women’s Lit, and maybe we should try that out.” She collaborated with two other teachers, Ms. Marcus and Ms. Madison, to design the class and they proposed their idea to the English department. “We just had a great time,” states Dr. Fry. Enthusiasm for the course was high before it had even become a reality, with the initial proposal for the course passing through the faculty meeting with no interjections.

Since its introduction, Women’s Narratives has allowed students to analyze the influence of women writers in shaping the female identity and societal expectations throughout history. Dr. Fry believes this aspect makes the class stand out: “It’s really cool to just read books that are written by tremendous writers of one identity and see the vast web of relationships [between them].” Aurora C. ‘26, a student in the Women’s Narratives class, agrees with Dr. Fry, saying, “I feel like we read a lot of books written by men, so then to read a lot by women who break traditional stereotypes is really awesome.” 

While the class focuses on literature written by women authors, it is an open class for all. In fact, Dr. Fry emphasizes the importance of having diverse voices in Women’s Narratives. “Last year, there were two boys and the rest were girls, and it was really a wonderful dynamic,” she recalls. “They were really just so into women’s stories, and I thought, ‘I’m really glad that there’s a space for this.’” Chloe W. ‘26, another student in the class, concurs that Women’s Narratives is an invaluable course for everyone - not just women. “I think it’s important that everyone reads more women’s narratives and not just [books written by men].” 

Women’s Narratives is also a highly discussion-based class, similar to other English classes. “Sometimes [our discussions] focus around something’s relationship to gender and then sometimes it’s really just about the plot and investigating why characters are doing what they’re doing,” says Aurora. Chloe states that “anyone in the class is very open to ideas. I think overall the class is less focused on our grades, so we’re actually able to discuss and talk about things that make sense.”

The class not only highlights books written by and about women, but also covers a wide variety of interesting topics. “Women’s Lit is basically Dangerous Books and Moral Questions. I could teach all these books in another elective and it’s the same,” says Dr. Fry.  One book studied in class that particularly stood out to her was Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior “Maxine Hong Kingston talks a lot about growing up Chinese American and how that dual identity, as well as her mom’s influence, shapes her own identity as a writer.” In studying this text, the class also learns about the historical mistreatment of immigrants in California and the Bay Area. Aurora echoes Dr. Fry’s statement, saying that the in-class discussions surrounding the book were especially enlightening: “It’s so nice to get a different perspective and learn what her experience as the daughter of Chinese immigrants was like.” Chloe agrees with this statement, but also has a different standpoint: “I thought some parts in the book were odd and pushed a one-sided view.” However, she acknowledges that one author cannot portray the experience of all immigrants, and she understands the importance of exploring such books in class. Dr. Fry also mentions the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. This book, which is set during the Great Depression in Florida, focuses on a multitude of social issues. “We talk about [social] class: the character’s privilege, and then [her] moving to a much more impoverished area with itinerant workers,” Dr. Fry explains. In her opinion, “those two books are the ones that are just so essential to the class, and I would never get rid of them.” 

As affirmed by Dr. Fry and students in the class, Women’s Narratives gives students the opportunity to examine the world around them with a new lens while also engaging with influential literature. Dr. Fry’s final pitch for the class is simple and clear: “You want to read about challenging the status quo and read great books? Then this class is a good one for you.”

The Debate held a fun, low-stakes speed debate event, where students debated for a chance to win Crumbl cookies (Circus Animal, etc.) and mango peelable gummies! It was a great way for students to learn and debate about various topics regarding animal welfare, whether they were experienced debaters or not. 

Students decorated their own bird houses to take home with them! They learned a little bit about local bird populations and the rising need for backyard bird houses, while also helping fundraise for the New Haven Animal Shelter.

The chess tournament was a fundraiser open to all students to raise money for the New Haven Animal Shelter, which provides supplies and care for animals and pet owners in need. The first place winner will be decided soon and will receive a custom Hopkins chess board as their prize. 

CT Votes for Animals presented a version of their 'Advocacy 101" talk focusing on the basic structure of our state government, and how students can get involved in local and state government to advocate for the issues they believe in. CVA also shared some of their current initiatives and projects that are benefiting animals in Connecticut. While not all of the attendees were eligible to vote, they discussed other ways to make your voice heard: such as petitions, protests, and education! 

Students visited the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter to help take care of the animals. They cleaned litter boxes, fed cats, folded laundry and washed dishes. They were also able to play and socialize with puppies in the community room. 

On the week of April 28th, Maroon KeyBoard kicked off our annual spring service week. This year’s theme was centered around animal advocacy and support, with a total of 12 different events spanning 6 days. Below is an overview of each event from a real attendee, as well as photos of each one! We ended this year with a bang, and we can’t thank the Hopkins community enough for everything they did to help us. 

J Schoolers volunteered at Davis Street Academy and led a storytime read aloud to students, ages Pre-K to 2nd Grade. All books were animal themed so that we shared our love of animals and support for animal welfare with these young students.

Junior Schoolers were invited to come watch Madagascar on Friday. It is a super fun animal-themed movie and a way to a kill some time before the Spring Concert started at 7:00! 

Students volunteered with the New Haven Parks Department to clean up Long Wharf Park. In addition to making this space a little nicer for the local dogs and dog walkers who enjoy the greenspace, keeping this space clean helps to protect eroding shorelines while maintaining and improving natural habitat for the animals that call the Long Island Sound home! We even reused our trash bags, collecting trash and dumping things out in nearby trash bags before filling up the same bag again. 

Kathy Shea, owner of Paws and Effect, along with her partner dog, Callies the Shetland Sheepdog, and Callie’s owner Grace Terwilliger came to introduce students to the world of Pet Therapy. They gave a presentation and opened up to a workshop center around the kind of therapy animals provide, how the pets get trained, and how it all works. 

Students volunteered to come make sustainable dog toys using old T-shirts and torn up socks! Different designs were used for different skill levels, and we all had a lot of fun learning new braiding techniques. 

In partnership with the Beekeeping and Maasai Club, students made educational signs and pollinator houses to contribute to the club’s pop up pollinator garden. We learned about pollinators, their important role in our ecosystem, and how we can be better neighbors to even the littlest creatures! 

Mr. Alfano helped organize an afternoon to make dog treats for various animal shelters across New Haven and Fairfield counties. Students made the dough out of sweet potatoes and whole wheat flour, then rolled it out and used dog bone shaped cookie cutters to shape the treats. 

Hi Hopkins!

The Red Cross Club will be hosting a CPR course on Wednesday May 21 from 3PM to 5:15 PM. It is taught by the American Red Cross and you will have an official certification.

All students are eligible to participate. If you are interested, please fill out this form. There are 20 available spots so please complete the form as soon as possible.

The course is a blend of online and in person. The cost per person is $40. If you have any questions, please email redcrossclub@hopkins.edu. Getting certified in CPR can save someone’s life so please consider participating.

Thank you!

The Red Cross Club

The Hopkins debate team had a great performance this April! In a collaboration with Maroon Key, the debate team hosted a series of animal welfare debates, with topics like THW become a horse, among more serious motions such as THBT AI and lab-grown tissues should replace animal testing entirely. Congratulations to Emilia Adams ‘26 for winning a $25 Crumbl gift card!
In addition, Hopkins debate competed at NYPDL April. In a pool of over 100 debaters across the nation, Amber Zhang ‘28 and Alyson Henderson ‘26 were varsity octofinalists! Emilia Adams ‘26 placed in the top 25 varsity debaters. 

On April 26, Hopkins ran its 10th annual Model UN conference, HOPMUN X. From engaging debate, to shocking crisis updates, to a surprise promposal (!!!), the event was a major success. Across the five committees (UNFCCC, Arab League, NFL Owners Meeting, Democratic National Committee, and Clue), we had delegates of all ages and experience levels from Hopkins as well as 8 other schools around Connecticut.

Thank you to all our delegates for your participation, visiting schools for your interest in our conference, our staff members for their hard work in making the day a success, Mr. DeNaples and Ms. Dunn for keeping everything from going off the rails, our Keynote Speaker Dr. Howard Stoffer for his incredible stories of work in International Affairs, the maintenance team for helping us set up Lower Heath, the communications office for helping us promote the event, and Brock for taking photos. This conference couldn’t happen without all of your support!

We are proud to announce the Secretary-Generals of HOPMUN XI will be Terrell Tolson, Mia Callot, and Malini Parikh.

- Neil and Mateus, Sec-Gens of HOPMUN X and 2025-26 Club Heads

P.S. If you are interested in attending BUSUN from November 14-16, please email Mr. DeNaples so we can start planning accordingly!

Instagram: @hopkinsmodelun1660

Classroom Code: uji3lwy

Quiz Bowl closed out our year with our now-annual Hopkins Intramural Tournament. This year’s tournament was played on our first officially house-written packet, which was designed, coordinated, and edited by outgoing Captain Claire Billings as part of her senior project. 

Co-Captain Josie Lipcan and club members Neil Mehta, Henry Tanner, and Henry Foushee, also helped write the entire 164 question packet from scratch. Last Wednesday, 6 student teams competed in 2 rounds of game play, with the two highest teams advancing to the finals. The seniors of “Team 7” (Qamar Al-Tameemi, Asher Joseph, Kennedy Anastas, and Aniseh Siewart) will face off on Wednesday, May 14th against promising underdog team “The J-School” (Almanzo Abraham, Ryan Alexopoulos, David Zhang, and Rohin Turaga). 

Lastly, as we come to the end of our two year run as Quiz Bowl captains, we just want to say thank you to the whole Hopkins community for the amount of support and enthusiasm the team has received this year. We competed at our last interscholastic tournament at the end of March, bringing three high school teams for the first time in club history, which was both exciting and incredibly bittersweet. We’ve attended six different tournaments this year, driven over 1000 miles, started a j-school team, carried home 8 individual player prizes, and consistently placed top 10 at tournaments with some of the most competitive teams in the country. We cannot give enough thanks for our awesome faculty advisor Mr. Levine and to all the club members who pull up to B009 week after week. Next year’s team will be led by Vera Okyere ’26 and Neil Mehta ’26.