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Features

List of 20 news stories.

  • Entrepreneurship: HSIP and Assemblies

    Anya Huang '29 Campus Correspondent
    This year, Hopkins introduced a new entrepreneurship program for Juniors and Seniors- HESIP, standing for Hopkins Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation Program. So far, 36 students have applied for 14 open spots.
  • Parent volunteers pose for a group photo after the Lunar New Year celebration.

    Hopkins Gallops into the Year of the Horse

    Aurelia Wen '27 Assistant Features Editor
    Parents roll out dough and fold dumplings in Upper Heath while students test their chopstick skills, practice calligraphy, and watch a papercut artist work near the café. The scenes are part of Hopkins’ annual Lunar New Year celebration, a campus tradition that blends food, art, and family customs from across Asia.
  • Love Actually: Hopkins Edition

    Rebecca Li '27 Features Editor
    The word love is heavy: ambiguous, and often deemed as a cliché. Romance, in high school, is usually framed as fleeting, intense, and short-lived, meaningful only in hindsight. At Hopkins, where days move fast, and faces blur in the hallways, it can be easy to overlook the private lives unfolding beyond the schedule. And yet, love exists in moments of certainty and hesitation alike — sometimes unnoticed, sometimes unspoken, but always deeply felt. Or, as Hugh Grant's character says in "Love Actually," "If you look for it... You'll find that love, actually, is all around."
  • View from Baldwin 3rd floor mens bathroom.

    Not All Bathrooms Are Created Equal

    Abby Rakotomavo '26 Lead Features Editor and Ashley Deng '27 Assistant Features Editor
    If you ask someone at Hopkins where the nearest bathroom is, you are likely to get more than just directions.
  • Put that book back on the shelf.

    New Year’s Resolutions and Achievements

    The Razor asked Hopkins community members for their New Year’s resolutions for 2026 and their 2025 achievements.
  • Students celebrate at the 2024 Holiday Fair.

    Now I’m Shinin’: Last-Minute Guide to Giving Gifts

    Abby Rakotomavo ’26 Lead Features Editor
    As Term 1 comes to an end and the holiday season is upon us again, some may find themselves scrambling to throw together gifts for their friends and family. Don’t panic! Even if you only have five minutes or five dollars, these last-minute ideas from the Hopkins community can save you from showing up empty-handed.
  • The class of ’25 wraps up their Five Golden Rings  Assembly.

    On the Fifth Day of Hopkins: Five Golden Rings 2025

    Ashley Deng ’27 Assistant Features Editor
    It’s that time of the year again, when the halls smell faintly of peppermint mochas, AirPods blast “Last Christmas” by Wham!, and Starbucks cups everywhere are filled with Sugar Cookie Lattes. The snow piles up just enough to cancel class, and people begin to whisper the same question: What are the seniors going to do for Five Golden Rings?
  • Senior Holiday Wishlist

    I wish...
  • Laura Donahue with her daughter, Asia.

    What Faculty and Staff Do Over Break

    Aurelia Wen ’27 Assistant Features Editor
    Thanksgiving and winter break are not only weeks for students to rest but also for teachers and faculty to take some time off from intense schedules and everlasting numbers of  homework and assessments to grade.
  • 21st Century Democracy class on the DC trip, posing in front of the Capitol Building after Princeton Model Congress.

    Democracy in Present Tense: 21st Century Democracy class

    Rebecca Li '27 Features Editor
    At Hopkins, the 21st Century Democracy class stands out for its immediacy. Instead of focusing solely on the past, it brings students directly into American history as it unfolds in the present. 
  • Empathy in Action at Club Fair

    More Than Nice: Students Redefine Kindness in Action

    Ashley Deng '27 Assistant Features Editor
    In recognition of the upcoming World Kindness Day on November 13th, Hopkins students and faculty shared what kindness meant to them and the ways they bring it to life in our community.
  • Matt Glasz

    Welcome, New Hopkins Faculty!

    Matt Glasz
    Where did you grow up?
    North Haven, CT
    What is your academic background?
    I attended North Haven High School and Trinity College
  • Zelinsky and Gries attend Math Honors Seminar presentations. Photo credit: Hopkins

    The Students’ Choice Awards: 2025 Faculty Superlatives

    Ashley Deng ’27 Assistant Features Editor, and Aurelia Wen ’27 Assistant Features Editor
    Who says superlatives are just for seniors? Hopkins faculty members have worked hard this entire school year. They have officially earned their moment to shine, thanks to a round of nominations by our students, and they are way cooler than we thought! Here are the winners of this year’s Faculty Superlatives.
  • Matt Glendinning leads the Class of 2024 through their graduation. Photo credit: Hopkins

    Trisha Paytas? Barack Obama? Seniors’ Dream Graduation Speakers

    Abby Rakotomavo ’26 Lead Features Editor
    As seniors prepare to leave Hopkins behind and begin a new chapter, they face one final event: graduation. The ceremony often stirs a mix of emotions, much of which centers on the speakers chosen to lead the senior class into the future. This year, the Class of 2025 shared their dream graduation speakers.
  • The New Haven Holocaust Memorial honors the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis. Photo credit: yellowlight.info

    Yellow Light: Doris Zelinsky and the Holocaust Memorial

    Rebecca Li ’27 Features Editor
    There was no passport, birth certificate, or diploma — just a single sheet of paper issued by the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt stamped with the words: “In Lieu of Documents.” 
  • Girls Lacrosse practicing in Florida

    From Court to Coasters: Hopkins Spring Break Training in Florida

    Rebecca Li '27 Features Editor
    During the second week of spring break, members of the Girls Tennis, Girls Lacrosse, Golf, and Baseball teams experienced a week of sand, sweat, and serious spring training under the sun in Orlando, Florida. The Spring Break training trip has always been a tradition for the Hilltoppers.
  • One Hill, One President: Q&A With Candidates

    Elona Spiewak '26 Features Editor and Ashley Deng '27 Assistant Features Editor
    Every year, the race for Student Council President at Hopkins brings excitement, with each candidate demonstrating strong arguments and a flurry of promises, along with a Bingo card that pokes fun at speeches. The president's role is not just about leading assemblies twice a week—it’s about being the student voice and collaborating with other school leaders, among many other responsibilities. By the time this article is published, Hopkins will have elected its 2025-2026 StuCo president. Nevertheless, the Razor interviewed each of the candidates before election day, asking a series of questions to get to know them and their ideas better. (Terrell Tolsen could not be reached for an interview.)
  • Executive Chef Michael Hembly, Director of Dining Services Chris Alfano, and Sous Chef Cassan- dra Dunn pose in the Heath servery before the lunch rush begins. (Stephen May)

    Behind the Scenes with FLIK Dining

    Eric Roberts ’25, Lead Features Editor, Elona Spiewak '26, Assistant Features Editor
    FLIK staff – the dedicated and welcoming unsung heroes of our campus community – work hard every day to fuel students, faculty, and staff alike. Although all Hopkins students benefit from the dining services and cafe on a daily basis, few Hilltoppers know many details about how their food arrives in their hands. From the energetic curly-fry chaos to special cafe items, FLIK staff help define the Hopkins community.
  • Students enjoy Block Blast together in  Upper Heath. (Elona Spiewak '26)

    Booming Breakthrough: The Rise of Block Blast

    Arya Mehta ’27 Campus Correspondent
    With the growing popularity of mobile apps, more and more Hopkins students have been flocking to their phones to play the new trending app Block Blast. Huddled in assembly, around the lunch table, or even in class, students are hypnotized, trying to beat their friends’ high scores.
  • A student takes a break to admire a picture of chopped chin.

    Brainrot for Beginners: Hopkins Students Weigh in on Slang

    Abby Rakotomavo ’26, Features Editor
    With Gen Z and Gen Alpha as the primary users of social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, slang is not what it used to be. It has even taken on a new name: brainrot. 
View All News
Editor in Chief 
Liliana Dumas 

Managing Editor 
Miri Levin 

News
Sarah Solazzo 
Rose Porosoff
Anvi Pathak 
Lena Wang
Sonali Bedi 
Features
Abby Rakotomavo
Elona Spiewak
Becky Li
Ashley Deng
Aurelia Wen
 
Arts
Aerin O’Brien
Saisha Ghai
Veena Scholand
Ellie Luo
Isha Seth
Op/Ed
Rain Zheng
Winter Szarabajka
Anjali van Bladel
Gitanjali Navaratnam-Tomayko
Bea Lundberg

Sports
Samantha Bernstein
Hana Beauregard
Elaina Paktuka
Beckett Ehrlich
Lukas Roberts
Content
Amelia Hudonogov-Foster
Edel Lee
Micah Betts
Ari Mehta
Olivia Yu
Karolina Jasaitis 

Cartoonists
Susie Becker 
Faculty Advisers
Stephen May
Elizabeth Gleason
Shanti Madison
The Razor's Edge reflects the opinion of 4/5 of the editorial board and will not be signed. The Razor welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to decide which letters to publish, and to edit letters for space reasons. Unsigned letters will not be published, but names may be withheld on request. Letters are subject to the same libel laws as articles. The views expressed in letters are not necessarily those of the editorial board.
     
The Razor,
 an open forum publication, is published monthly during the school year by students of: 
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