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Celebrate Hopkins! 2010: a gala evening!
The Parent Council held their annual auction, Celebrate Hopkins!, on Saturday, April 17. The gala event was a huge success with over 350 parents, faculty, staff and alumni/ae in attendance.
The Parent Council held their annual auction, Celebrate Hopkins!, on Saturday, April 17. The gala event was a huge success with over 350 parents, faculty, staff and alumni/ae in attendance. The evening began with cocktails and hors d'ouevres while guests perused and bid on silent auction items including bountiful gift baskets, tickets and weekend getaways, memberships and gift certificates. The excitement built as David Bailin and Bruce Barber took to the stage to facilitate the live auction. Live auction items such as luxury vacations in Cabo and Anguilla, dinner at Barbara Riley's house, a Boston Red Sox experience and a private cooking lesson/party in New York City were auctioned to the highest bidder. Private performances by the Hopkins Choir and student singing groups Spirens, Triple Trio and the Harmonaires were also offered. The highlight of the evening occurred when the many guests showed their incredible generosity in donating money for an endowment fund for faculty support. Ken Paul, a Hopkins Trustee for over 20 years, introduced the bid item, and spoke about the value of endowment to the School and it's faculty. Student Bryan Pannill '10 then recited the poem What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali (listed below). The result was unprecedented achievement for the Parent Council Auction, over $100,000 was raised in a matter of minutes to endow faculty support.
The auction would not have been such a success without the tireless efforts of Parent Council chairs Caroline Daifotis and Kathy Stone, Parent Council president Mary Hoffman, as well as the many parent volunteers who donated their time and many of the auction items. It was a night that truly succeeded in celebrating all that is Hopkins!
Click here to see the three photo galleries from the 2010 Auction.
What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school
By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com
He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about ?teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"
And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?
Back
The auction would not have been such a success without the tireless efforts of Parent Council chairs Caroline Daifotis and Kathy Stone, Parent Council president Mary Hoffman, as well as the many parent volunteers who donated their time and many of the auction items. It was a night that truly succeeded in celebrating all that is Hopkins!
Click here to see the three photo galleries from the 2010 Auction.
What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school
By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com
He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about ?teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"
And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?
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Bruce Barber and David Bailin
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Bryan Pannill '10
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Kathy Stone, Barbara Riley and Caroline Daifotis
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Barbara Riley, David Newton, Deena Mack, Caroline Daifotis, Kathy Stone, and Barbara Monahan.
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Voted #1
Best Day School
in CT, 2024
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Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
