Ongoing Change at Hopkins

Over the past few years, Hopkins has undergone a series of changes in the form of new courses, new teachers, and even a new Head of School.

Some of these changes have come from the addition of new courses for upcoming school years. In 2017-2018, two new electives will be incorporated- “Humanities Symposium: African-American History and Literature” and “Design Engineering.” Though these courses have only been recently introduced, many students have already expressed interest and expectations about what the classes will offer.

Mike Lazarre ’18 spoke about his hopes for the African-American History and Literature course, saying, “[The class is] going to be a great opportunity for people to learn about African-American culture that is usually overlooked. It will show people that there is more to Black History than solely slavery.”

History teacher Zoe Resch is also looking forward to the addition of this new elective, saying, “I do like how it allows us to go into more detail in topics that have often been treated superficially. It allows us to see the African-American story more clearly as part of our American story.”

Many students feel the addition of these courses has been benefcial in providing more focused studies not usually introduced in high school settings. Student Council President Phil Ross ’17 was enthusiastic about the new courses, explaining, “For people who fnd their interests early on in life, it used to be very difficult to pursue them here without delving into extracurriculars, but that is no longer the case.”

The Hopkins Authentic Research Program in Science is one such elective that allows students to participate in hands-on scientifc research at a lab program, an opportunity rarely ofered to high school students. Kristina Yarovinsky ’18, who took the pioneering HARPS course this past year, said, “This class makes Hopkins really unique because it is one of the few schools that has a research program as part of its curriculum.”

Along with the introduction of new courses for the upcoming year, eighteen new members of faculty and staff joined Hopkins in the 2016-2017 school year. Robert Jaques ’19 said, “New teachers can help expose students to new teaching styles, teachers who are more exposed to our generation can especially help connect with students better.”

Change has also come to The Razor, as it is no longer solely a print publication, but is now regularly published online. News- papers around the world have had to accommodate the needs of digital journalism, as David Leonhardt, a columnist at The New York Times, said: “The world is changing really rapidly, we have to keep up, and even get ahead of it.”

The introduction of Hopkins’ new Head of School, Dr. Kai Bynum, has inspired many changes, as well. Freshman Class Head Advisor Marie Doval noted that such changes“...have helped alter the face of Hopkins, and under the guidance of new teachers and our new Head of School, will continue to infuence and improve the Hopkins community.”