PHOTOS: Alice Smith Students Celebrate Their Heritage

The school had a parade and International Heritage Festival on Thursday.

Alice Smith students paraded through the school’s hallways Thursday afternoon in outfits and handmade crafts that celebrated their ethnic heritage. The parade is a colorful part of an event celebrating the school’s diversity. Later on Thursday, Alice Smith hosted an International Heritage Festival with potluck dinner, book fair, fair trade market, storytellers, cultural displays and more. The evening was capped off with an international fashion show followed by an Aztec dance group.

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Forgotten Toddlers, Restaurants and Segregation: Top Stories of January

Did you catch all these stories?

Here’s a recap of the posts that generated the most interest on Hopkins Patch in January. Did you catch all of them? *** Aunt Leaves Toddlers in Car to Go Drink, Departs in Taxi Without Kids Boston Garden to Close for Good Jan. 31 American Grill to Open in Old Mayon Plastics Building Open Enrollment Isn’t Making Hopkins Schools More Segregated 60-Year-Old Hopkins Woman Knifes Man During Cocaine Argument

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Open Enrollment Isn’t Making Hopkins Schools More Segregated

While it’s segregating white students from minority students in neighboring districts, it’s actually diversifying Hopkins.

Hopkins is among the few school districts in the state where open enrollment is not leading to greater segregation between white and minority students, according to a University of Minnesota Law School study published Friday. The study found that open enrollment increased segregation in the metro region overall between 2000 and 2010, with 36 percent of open enrollment classified as segregative in the 2009-10 school year. By contrast, just 24 percent were integrative. The rest were race neutral. “Open enrollment allows parents a wider choice in matching a school’s programs to a child’s needs and creates clearer competition between schools that could encourage innovation or improvement,” the study reported. “Yet, open enrollment also enables…

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Brad Koehn

7:33 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013

Is it better to spend all that money (to say nothing of kids' time) on bussing rather than on high-performing, talented teachers? So Hopkins has increased diversity, so what? That's one measure of success, but what parents are (correctly) concerned about is the impact of open enrollment on the goals the parents have for their kids. If a parent doesn't value diversity as highly as other criteria …   more ›

(PHOTOS) Hopkins Celebrates Its Diversity

The community hosted a ‘Multicultural Celebration’ on Saturday.

Hopkins came together Saturday afternoon at the Pavilion for a Multicultural Celebration celebrating the community’s diversity. The festival—organized by the City of Hopkins and the Joint Community Police Partnership—included musical performances, dances, informational displays, food and demonstrations by Hopkins police and fire. Attendees learned more about Hopkins and the many cultures that make up the community.   (Photos courtesy of Butch Johnson. Do you have photos from the celebration? Click “Upload Photos and Videos” above the main image to share them with your neighbors.)   Stay up to date on all your local news. Sign up for the free Hopkins Patch newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Editor James Warden's …

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Hopkins to Host Hopkins Multicultural Celebration June 30

The event celebrates Hopkins' diversity.

Hopkins to Host Hopkins Multicultural Celebration June 30

The event celebrates Hopkins' diversity.

(PHOTOS) Alice Smith Students Parade Their Culture Through School

The parade celebrated the school’s diversity.

Alice Smith students paraded through the school’s hallways Thursday afternoon in outfits and handmade crafts that celebrated their ethnic heritage. The parade is the most colorful part of a week dedicated to celebrating the school’s diversity. The week kicked off with a musical assembly Monday that included Martin Luther King Jr. speeches and songs from around the world. Later on Thursday, Alice Smith hosted a potluck dinner, Book Fair, Fair Trade Market and International Fashion Show.   Stay up to date on all your local news. Sign up for the Hopkins Patch newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Editor James Warden's Pinterest boards.

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(PHOTOS) Alice Smith Celebrates Diversity

Monday's assembly kicked off a week that culminates with Thursday's International Festival.

Alice Smith students kicked off a week celebrating the school’s diverse cultural heritage with a musical assembly Monday morning. Students sang songs from around their world, recited a Martin Luther King Jr. speech, watched King’s “I Have a Dream” speech from the 1963 March on Washington and shared their own dreams. “Today’s assembly is about you and all of us as a community,” Principal Jody De St. Hubert said. “This is my favorite assembly of the year.” The week’s diversity celebration culminates Thursday with the Alice Smith International Festival. At 3 p.m., students will parade through school representing their ethnic culture. There will also be a potluck dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.—plus a Book Fair, Fair Trade Market and …

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Meet the Alice Smith Elementary School ASEAP Steppers

Alice Smith Elementary School is home to a several growing step dance programs.

An after-school dance team that began as a two-person talent show routine has turned into a growing dance program for students at Alice Smith Elementary School. For the last five years, Al Johnson, Stephanie Bagstad and Carrie Johnson have coached the ASEAP Steppers. The coaches see the team as a way to improve academic performance, teach teamwork and help the Steppers travel to various parts of the Midwest. ASEAP stands for Attitude, Sacrifice, Excellence, Accountability and Partnership — values to which coach Johnson holds all of the Steppers. The team has grown to more than 20 members and has performed at the Midwest Greek Step Show, Carleton College and high schools throughout Minnesota and Iowa. They are preparing for an upcoming …

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