Hopkins Junior School: "A School Within a School"

Hopkins Senior and current Student Council President Ripley Chance ’26 still remembers receiving a voicemail from the student body president during her first days at Hopkins.

“I missed the call, but she left a message, and I was like, ‘Oh my god—the Student Council President just called me,’” Chance said with a laugh.

At the time, she was a seventh grader learning a new campus and a new community on the Hill. Earlier this school year, she found herself on the other end of that tradition. As President, Chance called incoming seventh graders to check in before the school year began.

“They were so nervous,” she said. “Some were mumbling or stuttering, and I’d just tell them, ‘It’s all going to be okay. You’ve got this.’ It was sweet to hear their excitement and to remember how new everything felt,” Chance said of this full-circle moment.

The Hopkins Junior School occupies a distinct place within the School community. Known on campus as “J-School,” the program is designed to be both its own experience and a meaningful entry point into the broader Hopkins environment. While Hopkins has long educated middle school-aged students, the Junior School as it exists today took shape in the early 1970s and has evolved into a program with its own traditions, rhythms, and identity.

For many alumni, J-School memories begin in a one-story cinderblock building known as DPH, originally constructed as a temporary space. When students later moved into Thompson Hall following its opening in 2009, faculty at the time worried whether the close-knit feeling would survive the transition.

Instead, it has become a true home base, serving as a gathering place even as students move across campus for arts, athletics, and assemblies alongside Upper School peers. Student artwork fills the halls, and the two atria—one for seventh grade and one for eighth—give students spaces that feel distinctly their own.

“Thompson Hall acts as a community space before advisory and during recess, and there’s always a quiet spot to study or play a game,” said Natalie Tolchin ’30. “I also love how there are opportunities for J-Schoolers to display their work and art around the atriums.”

For Grade 7 Head Adviser Ian Guthrie, Junior School is more than a bridge to high school.

“I always say it’s the most nurturing and most preparatory on-ramp we have to Hopkins,” Guthrie explained. “Year over year, students come in stressed, and by eighth grade they’re saying, ‘This feels easier.’ It’s not easier. They’re just better equipped.”

That growth is intentional. Seventh grade emphasizes study habits, time management, and organization while students adjust to a more rigorous academic schedule. By eighth grade, the focus shifts toward independence, deeper critical thinking, and increased responsibility within the class.

Grade 8 Head Adviser Jocelyn Garrity described three guiding goals for students by the end of their Junior School experience: strengthening academic skills, fostering independent thinking, and building interdependence within the class.

“We want students to feel confident in themselves and connected to each other,” Garrity said. “By eighth grade, they’re beginning to understand who they are, not just as individuals, but as part of a community.”

Signature experiences like an outing to the Durham Fair and a trip to Québec every other year help establish those bonds early, reinforcing collaboration, trust, and shared memories.

J-School teachers focus on both content mastery and student growth.

Carrie Shea, who has taught Latin at Hopkins for more than 25 years, chose to work exclusively with Junior School students because of the impact she can make during those formative years.

“I love keeping that enthusiasm alive about learning,” Shea said.

In her classroom, Roman culture comes alive through traditions like mock ancient feasts, games, and celebrations—an approach designed to spark curiosity while building foundational skills.

Outside the classroom, Shea also serves as an Academic Support Specialist, working one-on-one with students to help them access the curriculum in ways that reflect their individual learning styles.

“There are so many ways for students to show their talents,” she said. “Meeting students where they are, and helping them grow into their full academic potential, has been some of my most rewarding work.”

J-Schoolers are also given the opportunity to contribute to campus life by working on the Hopkins Hilltopper, a J-School-produced newspaper.

J-School’s identity is shaped not only by academics, but by shared traditions and daily moments of connection.

One of the most beloved is Junior School Snack—a brief afternoon pause that belongs exclusively to seventh and eighth graders. Students line up for a quick pick-me-up before their final class of the day, a small ritual that offers both fuel and connection.

“J-School Snack started years ago because our schedule had students eating either very early or very late,” Garrity explained. “But it became something more. Middle schoolers are hungry, yes—but they also need that moment to reset, connect with adults, and just breathe before the last period of the day.”

Held several days a week, J-School Snack offers a quick check-in point where students grab food, chat with friends, and know they can find a familiar adult nearby if they need support.

“It’s not fancy,” Garrity said. “But it’s part of what makes Junior School feel like its own community.”

Lunch is another cornerstone of Junior School life. Students gather for announcements that range from birthday celebrations and trivia questions to improv games and sports recaps, often cheering on classmates who share team victories or upcoming games. Advisers eat alongside students, creating daily opportunities for informal check-ins, laughter, and community building.

Students with a wide variety of artistic interests can choose Studio Art, Drama, Vocal Arts, Instrumental Ensemble, and Wood Art, while also participating in clubs ranging from Robotics to Model UN. Clubs aren’t all academic—students dive into creative outlets like the Adventures Guild for Dungeons & Dragons, hands-on crafting sessions, and music exploration in Eric Elligers’ Jazz Lab. The Junior School play brings together large casts each spring, and eighth graders leave their mark with personalized plaques displayed throughout Thompson Hall. Athletics take place during the school day, allowing students to stay active while maintaining balance with academics.

Guthrie noted that these experiences help students build confidence and form relationships across disciplines.

“There’s an open invitation for everyone to engage,” he said. “Students present their work, invite others into their projects, and learn how to stand behind what they’ve created.”

And then there are new traditions. One began in the spring of 2025 with the Junior School’s first Stepping Up Ceremony, created to recognize the students’ personal and academic growth during their time in J-School and to mark their transition into Upper School. With parents and teachers in attendance, each soon-to-be ninth grader received a certificate honoring their journey through the Junior School.

Chance remembers the first weeks at J-School vividly. Despite her experience being clouded by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she still felt the warmth from fellow students and faculty immediately.

“The first few weeks were very scary,” she said. “But people were so much more open than I thought they’d be. And there was so much more freedom to connect with kids outside of schoolwork.”

Once back in-person, Chance recalled being able to play games, spend time outdoors during recess, and build friendships alongside academics.

“I think J-School gives you a good balance,” she said. “You’re learning the skills you need for high school, but you also get to be free and find who you are.”

For families, J-School represents a significant transition—academically, socially, and logistically. Mary O’Connell P’23, ’26, ’28, a Hopkins parent and trustee whose three children attended the Junior School—two beginning in seventh grade and one in eighth—describes the program as both caring and rigorous.

“It’s a slow roll into high school,” O’Connell said. “They’re building confidence, learning responsibility, and finding their footing.”

She also emphasized how beginning at Hopkins in seventh or eighth grade can ease the transition into ninth.

“By the time they reach Upper School, they already know the campus, the traditions, and the expectations,” she said. “They’re not expending energy worrying about fitting in. They’re ready to learn.”

O’Connell also noted how excited her children were to welcome classmates who joined Hopkins in ninth grade.

“They’re ready to help and show new students the ropes,” she said. “It’s a confidence that comes from having had time to settle in.”

Faculty members often say they can tell when a student has come through J-School.

“They’re more engaged with the idea of community,” Guthrie explained. “They’re comfortable here. And that comfort gives them the confidence to take on leadership roles.”

It’s a transformation that doesn’t announce itself. It happens in classrooms and hallways, during shared lunches and group projects, and in moments of encouragement passed quietly from older students to younger ones.

“The faculty and students have made me feel welcome on campus by always being open to chatting with me, always helping me when I need it,” said Advitia Maheshwari ’30. “The Hopkins community in general is a very warm and welcoming environment and everybody is inclusive which is what I love about it.”

For many Hopkins students, Junior School is where it all begins—not with a single milestone, but with two years of steady growth, connection, and discovery.

“J-School is where you learn how to be a Hopkins student,” said Chance. “You learn how to manage your work, but you also learn how to take care of each other.”