Angeles DeCastro MODERN LANGUAGE / SPANISH
Benjamin Johnson ENGLISH
“The one moment that epitomized what 15 years at Hopkins means to me was captured very well by a recent alum in a thank you card, filled front and back, recalling her experience in one of my Spanish classes. It was a capsule of the whole year in the Spanish class: ‘Our laughs have been some of my favorite moments of the class, but I’m also grateful for all your help. As you know, I was not an amazing Spanish student at the beginning of the class, but with your help I understand the material more and have become a better student.’ We have the fortune of having many students like her; students who enjoy the journey while reaching their full potential. The sentiment of this amazing student is why we teachers do what we do year after year at Hopkins.”
“Hard as I’ve thought about it, I can’t think of one moment that distills my fifteen years as a Hopkins teacher. That’s a big lift. I can say that there’s been a lot of joy (for me, anyway) in seeing my students recite Shakespeare in those third floor Baldwin classrooms, often with gusto, sometimes with a fake crown on their heads and a plastic scepter in their hands. I do remember one student who performed Lear’s ‘Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!’ speech with such vocal thunder that I worried teachers in neighboring classrooms might take issue with it. I contradict myself! That’s my moment.”
Matthew Treat DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT
“I’ve had an incredible run at Hopkins over the past 15 years. I started the Academic Support Program (ASP) in 2008, and ever since then, I have been so impressed with Hopkins students. They are bright, talented, dedicated, curious students. However, from time to time, some of our students have difficulties in the classroom. In these moments, I am able to help them develop and employ strategies to support themselves in school. Watching my students develop the necessary life skills to find success in the classroom has been such a gift to me. Many students have passed through my door looking for guidance and support and have exited ASP with the skills and confidence to be independent successful learners. It has been my honor and privilege to be part of this important support service at Hopkins. I’m proud to say that our student support services have grown over the years, and we now have school counselors and a school psychologist to help students on their journey through Hopkins. I’m excited to see what the next 5, 10, and 15 years will bring as the support services at Hopkins continue to grow and develop to meet the needs of our students on the Hill!”
Pamela McKenna DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT & STRATEGIC MARKETING
“I don’t have one moment, but many, that define my Hopkins experience over the past 15 years. An important one is that, annually, I am reminded how lucky I am to have such hardworking and caring colleagues at our annual Admission Committee dinner in June. We have a tradition of getting together to take a deep breath after enrolling students in the School for another year. We are a group who have developed tremendous trust in each other over the years, and we know and rely on each other's strengths in making our journey, be it easy or hard, through each admission year. On the student side, I think impromptu advisee visits for candy and a chat in the afternoons is a crystallizing Hopkins experience for me. They often tell me, ‘I don’t want you to fix anything, I just want to vent’ and having them trust me to listen and giving them that space to be themselves is a rewarding moment.”
VIEWS FROM THE HILL | 2023 • ISSUE 1
29
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