Hopkins High School
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| Hopkins Senior High School | |
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| A Passion for Learning, Learning for Life | |
| Established | |
|---|---|
| School type | Public |
| Principal | William Jett (starting 2006-07 school year) |
| Location | Minnetonka, Minnesota, United States of America |
| Students | approx. 2,200 |
| Mascot | Lion (Royals) |
| Colors | Royal Blue, Silver, and White |
| Website | www.hopkins.k12.mn.us |
Hopkins High School is a high school located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a southwestern suburb of Minneapolis, serving students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Hopkins High School is part of the Hopkins School District 270 and primarily serves the city of Hopkins, but also serves students from parts of Minnetonka, Edina, Eden Prairie, Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, and Plymouth.
Hopkins High School is located in the suburb of Minnetonka, not Hopkins. The reason for this misnomer is because the 270 School District is headquartered at Eisenhower Elementary (formerly Eisenhower High School) in Hopkins. Although Minnetonka High School is also located in Minnetonka, it primarily serves students from Minnetonka.
In 2003, voters approved a $60 million bond, permitting the construction of a 60,000 square foot addition to the high school, consisting of a new auditorium, cafeteria and classrooms.
In 2005 - 2006, the Hopkins School District was declared in statutory operating debt by the State of Minnesota despite passing every single property tax levy for the past 20 years. In November of 2006 the district announced it would be closing Katherine Curren Elementary School because of its budget woes.
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[edit] Academics
Hopkins High School is Minnesota's first National School of Excellence. In 1996, Hopkins was the only high school in Minnesota honored for overall excellence in Redbook's "America's Best High Schools" project. The Language Arts Department has been named a "Center for Excellence" by the National Council of Teachers of English in recognition of the writing program. The Community Involvement program is one of six in the nation honored by the IBM Corporation and U.S. News & World Report.
Hopkins high school participates in the Advanced Placement Program. In 2005, 494 students took 751 AP exams, with 77% scoring 3 or higher. Students mean SAT score of 1170 is well above national average, as is the mean ACT score of 23.9.
Since 1998, the school has had 84 National Merit Semifinalists and 141 Commended Scholars.
Hopkins is also home to KHOP-TV which produces both weekly shows and cable programming.
[edit] Athletics
Hopkins High School is a member of the Classic Lake athletic conference in the Minnesota State High School League. The school has historically been a powerhouse in both boys and girls basketball, producing several state championships and Division I prospects. In 2005, the school gained national recognition when Blake Hoffarber, a student, hit a game-tying shot at the end of overtime while lying on his back during the state championship game. For that shot, he was awarded an ESPY Play of Year Award and an appearance on The Today Show as well as guest-appearance invitations to The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show
[edit] Boys basketball controversy
While the Hopkins High School Boy's varsity basketball team has enjoyed success from the early 1990s onward, much of the success is believed to come from open-enrolled players (Kris Humphries, Dan Vandervieren, Dan Coleman, Darren Clarke, Chris Pfiefer) outside of the district, however most of the team's talent is from within the district. Many inside the program refute the claim with that the staff recruits talent in that:
- That student-athletes from around the state choose to pursue their secondary education at Hopkins High School, a prestigious suburban public high school that ranks in the Top 10 in standardized test scores in the state every year, while continuing to play their sport
- Student-athletes choose to open-enroll in Hopkins due to the high level of competition they will face, thus becoming higher quality players
- Since the program advances to the state tournament year-after-year, the opportunity of being in the spotlight offers the best chance of receiving a college scholarship from a Division I or II program.
While open-enrolling for undisclosed purposes from one Minnesota high school to another is allowed by a 1988 Minnesota State Legislative Act, recruiting is illegal under the Minnesota State High School League rules. Hopkins High School Athletic Director Dan Johnson originally felt that open-enrollment was considered a "badge of honor" (Star Tribune, 23 Nov 2003) as many student-athletes wanted to be a part of the Hopkins athletic program. However, John Millea, a prep sports columnist for the Star Tribune, has written that the "[Hopkins] boy's basketball program is built largely on transfers." (Star Tribune, 23 Nov 2003) The athletic department, basketball staff and players have not been found guilty of any offenses as of the 2005-2006 basketball season. Longtime Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reuese often refers to the Hopkins boys basketball team as the "West Metro All Stars".
[edit] State championships
| State Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
| Fall | Cross Country, Boys | 4 | 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 |
| Cross Country, Girls | 3 | 1983, 2001, 2002 | |
| Swimming and Diving, Girls | 2 | 1978, 1979 | |
| Soccer, Boys | 1 | 1983 | |
| Winter | Basketball, Boys | 6 | 1952, 1953, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 |
| Basketball, Girls | 2 | 2004, 2006 | |
| Skiing, Nordic Boys | 7 | 1967[1], 1968[1], 1969[1], 1970[1], 1995, 1997, 2002 | |
| Nordic Skiing, Grils | 4 | 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003 | |
| Swimming and Diving, Boys | 3 | 1966, 1969, 1970 | |
| Spring | Golf, Boys | 1 | 1944 |
| Total | 33 | ||
- ↑ - from 1933 to 1994 an over-all team champion was calculated with a point system involving the scores achieved by schools results in all three events - Cross Country, Slalom, and Ski Jumping. In each event, the school with the two best scores was declared the team champion in that event[1]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Aaron Brown - former CNN Anchor[citation needed]
- Kris Humphries - Basketball player, Utah Jazz forward (2004-present) [2]
- Blake Hoffarber - Basketball player, Winner of the 2005 "Play of the Year" ESPY[3]
- Nate Berkus - Renowned interior designer[citation needed]
- Jim Korn - NHL player (1980 - 1990)[4]
- Jeffrey Lee Parson - Apprehended by FBI for creating MSBlast. B computer virus in 2003[5]
- Mike Lehan - Football Player, Cleveland Browns cornerback (2003-2005)Signed w/ Miami Dolphins (2006-present)[6]
- Rick Lindquist - Renowned Artist (collected in over 11 countries)
- David Fliehr - Professional Wrestler (Son of "Nature Boy" Rick Flair)
- Mike Krisch - All-American Long Distance Runner, Georgetown
- David Van Orsdel-All-American Long Distance Runner, University of Minnesota (transferd from Villanova)
- Danny Van Orsdel- Division 1 runner at the University of Kansas (Brother of David Van Orsdel)
[edit] References
- ^ State Championships PDF
- ^ Kris Humphries Profile
- ^ Blake Hoffarber ESPY winner
- ^ Jim Korn Profile
- ^ Jeffrey Lee Parson Profile
- ^ Mike Lehan Profile
