On Thursday, the Hopkinton School Committee heard the results of the Metrowest Adolescent Health Survey, which asked students their feelings about support, connectiveness and social media use. Board members picked out some of the results, such as 58% of middle school...
Susan Gonsalves
HHS students shine at Brain Bee competition
Five students from Hopkinton High School were among the nine finalists at the 17th annual Central Massachusetts Brain Bee hosted by UMass Chan Medical School on March 18. The Brain Bee tests high school students’ knowledge of neuroscience by asking them questions of...
HHS Business Professionals of America students head to national competition
Twenty-two students from Hopkinton High School’s Business Professionals of America club qualified at a state event to attend the National Leadership Conference on April 26-30 in Anaheim, California. In addition, Dhruv Shah was elected state president and Vainavi...
Hopkinton schools lose pair of administrators as Zaleski, Bilello accept positions in other towns
The Weston School Committee on Friday voted unanimously to appoint Karen Zaleski as its interim superintendent for a year, beginning July 1, pending successful contract negotiations. Zaleski has been director of student services in Hopkinton for nine years. Weston’s...
School Committee approves $59.9M budget with 3-2 vote
The School Committee on Thursday voted 3-2 to approve an amended budget for fiscal year 2024 totaling $59,937,752, a 7.9 percent increase over the previous year. Members Holly Morand and Jennifer Devlin cast the opposing votes. The original budget approved and then...
ESBC reviews design changes, considers materials, procurement laws
As plans progress for a proposed Elmwood School replacement, Robert Bell, educational programmer/principal for architectural firm Perkins Eastman, provided an update on tweaks that were made following three more meetings with faculty and staff as well as community...
Windheuser returns to hometown for Boston Marathon run to benefit HEF
A physician’s assistant living in New York plans to run the Boston Marathon to benefit the Hopkinton Education Foundation. Ashley Windheuser grew up in Hopkinton and has fond memories of the schools, community and watching the Boston Marathon, which she called the...
School Committee questions 14 percent hike for private SPED tuition
School Committee members on Thursday agreed to send a letter to legislators outlining their concern about a 14 percent increase in costs to send students to private special education schools. The tuition hike was imposed by the Operational Services Division and goes...
Committee emphasizes importance of input for proposed new school
Visually seeing what is possible at the proposed Elmwood School replacement is exciting for teachers, according to Elmwood Principal Anne Carver, “especially those who are at Hopkins School trying to wrap their heads around making a shift.” Carver was speaking at...
Appropriation Committee considers school budget gap, future needs
Following a budget presentation Monday, members of the Hopkinton Appropriation Committee told the School Committee that looking at long-term capital needs should be a priority. First, Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh reviewed the district’s proposed $60.1 million...
Elmwood School principal candidates meet with officials, public at forums
Two finalists for the principal’s job at Elmwood School met with faculty, community members and the School Committee on Thursday to answer questions during several forums. Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh said the replacement for retiring principal Anne Carver will be...
School Committee reaffirms support of original budget plan
The Hopkinton School Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to “reaffirm” support of the $60.1 million fiscal year 2024 budget it originally passed on Jan. 19. Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh reviewed the process thus far, noting the proposal began as an 8.3 percent...
Select Board forwards adjusted FY24 budget to Appropriation Committee
Following a lengthy discussion, the Select Board voted unanimously Tuesday to forward a revised fiscal year 2024 budget of approximately $113 million to the Appropriation Committee. A stipulation was made to restore $115,000 from a $350,000 reduction to the schools...
Select Board, School Committee continue budget talks
The budget still has many moving parts, noted Town Manager Norman Khumalo during a joint meeting Thursday night with the School Committee. While he acknowledged that people want definitive answers and numbers, Khumalo said the immediate need is to continue...
Facilitator works with school leaders to move forward with SEPAC
Consultant Amy Rebecca Gay led members of the Hopkinton School Committee, administrative staff and the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) through a two-hour working session on Wednesday to see if they could repair their communication issues and work...
Carver set to retire as Elmwood principal ‘on a high note’
When asked what advice she would give to her successor, retiring Elmwood School Principal Anne Carver said, “Be true to yourself, and when you make decisions, keep kids at the forefront. If you make a decision that is right for kids, then it is the right one and you...
School Committee chair: Requested budget cuts would ‘end district as we know it’
Hopkinton Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh and School Committee members said they were taken by surprise when the Select Board requested they come back with a budget reflecting a 5.1 percent increase rather than the $60.1 million fiscal year 2024 proposal, which has an...
Elementary School Building Committee discusses LEED checklist, MSBA reimbursement
On Wednesday, the Elementary School Building Committee got an update on tweaks to its preferred schematic design, reviewed an energy and environmental credit checklist, and learned more about the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s reimbursement formulas. Noting...
Anatomage table enhances anatomy, physiology studies at HHS
Students at Hopkinton High School now can learn anatomy and physiology using authentic and interactive 3D images of the human body thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Hopkinton Education Foundation. The grant funded an Anatomage table, a learning tool mainly used in...
HHS students win state STEM competition
Kaizar Rangwala and Jacob Dold, two Hopkinton High School sophomores, were named state champions in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition and have advanced to the national-level competition. The $2 million national competition for public schools in Grades 6-12...