JUNE 24, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Hopkins retires from Keizer Elementary
At the end of every school
year, Gay Hopkins gets out
her magic wand and turns all
her Keizer Elementary second
graders into third graders.
It’s a ritual that has meant
so much to students that one
recently asked Hopkins to
bring the wand to her gradu-
ation at Linfi eld College to
turn her into a nurse.
But Hopkins did her magic
for the fi nal time last week.
After 34 years, 31 in the
Salem-Keizer School District,
including 18 at Keizer El-
ementary, she is retiring.
Hopkins has wanted the
same thing for all of her stu-
dents—a great life and an in-
vite to their graduation.
“I hope my enthusiasm for
learning really makes a differ-
ence for all of my students,”
she said. “I want them to feel
positive that they can do it. I
want them to appreciate and
enjoy what they’ve got.”
While her mom was a
teacher, it was once the last
thing Hopkins wanted to be
when she grew up.
“In middle school, I was
absolutely not going to be a
teacher,” she said. “I think it
was rebellious. I’m not going
to be like my parents.”
But in high school she
changed her mind and en-
rolled at Western Oregon
University.
After graduation, Hopkins
accepted a position in South
America, teaching English to
kindergarteners in Colombia.
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“I always wanted to go
overseas and be a foreign
exchange student as a kid,”
Hopkins said. “I didn’t quite
have the guts to do it while I
was in high school. I learned
Spanish. I learned a new cul-
ture. It was marvelous.”
After three years, Hop-
kins followed her roommate
in Colombia to Richmond
Elementary in Salem. She
then came to Keizer in 1999,
taught fi rst grade for a year
and then moved to second.
“It was interesting when
I came to Keizer
because there’s a
more smaller town
feel here and more
volunteers,” Hop-
kins said. “I had a
couple wonderful
men who would
volunteer in my
classroom and take
kids and read to
them. It’s been a
really nice fi t to
be here at Keizer.
I really have loved
it, all these years,
and everyone is
very caring and
kind and there’s
a more spirit of
volunteerism here,
which I really ap-
preciate.”
Hopkins acknowledged
the profession has changed
over the years.
She once had a kid who
was interested in giant squids
so her class did animal re-
ports and learned a lot about
giant squids that year. How-
ever, due to Common Core
and other state standards,
that would be harder to do
now.
“I like a little bit more of
that fl exibility where you
can have a little bit bigger
choice,” she said. “I love the
creative element of teaching.
For me that’s been great to
design and develop lessons
and what will be meaning-
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Gay Hopkins stands in front of a pair of portraits her second grade students painted. Hopkins is retiring after being in the Salem-
Keizer School District for 31 years.
ful for kids and what activities
will spark their interest, what
will they learn and grow from
most. When you have kids that
are enthusiastic about learn-
ing something, it sticks with
them.”
Hopkins’ interests include
reading, dinosaurs and art.
As a kid, Hopkins remem-
bers not getting in trouble
when she would draw on the
walls. Instead her mom would
say, “Why don’t you use nice
paper.”
“Art is my speciality and I
told the staff if they invite me
back, I’ll teach art lessons if
they like.”
On the wall in her class-
room is a Vincent Van Gough
painting she brought back
from Paris.
“I like to bring a bit of the
world into my classroom,”
Hopkins said.
She is looking forward to
traveling more and plans to
paint Claude Monet’s garden
either this fall or next summer.
She’s going to Washington,
D.C. later this month.
Before Hopkins walked out
of Keizer Elementary for the
last time as a full-time teacher,
she made sure to sign up as a
volunteer.
“I have one boy, he lost
his mom this year to can-
cer,” Hopkins said. “It’s really
rough. I’m hoping to come
back and read to him and eat
lunch with him and his broth-
er.”
Hopkins hasn’t ruled out
teaching again, maybe even
overseas. Another teacher at
Keizer Elementary has taken a
job at Ho Chi Minh City in
Vietnam and invited Hopkins
to visit.
“Teaching is such a great
pleasure to me,” Hopkins
said. “I like being enthusias-
tic about learning new things.
I feel like a calling to it, like
driven towards it. It will be re-
ally interesting to see how that
transition goes to not doing
this everyday and not starting
a class in September We’ll see
where life takes me. It’s going
to be a new adventure and I’m
looking forward to it.”
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Legos, one of the world’s top selling toys, are on display at the
Keizer Heritage Museum and the Keizer Community Library
through the end of July.
The exhibit showcases original creations and a Legos Robot-
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WorshipDirectory
These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit.
Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051
John Knox Presbyterian Church
JOIN US FOR
SUNDAY WORSHIP
452 Cummings Lane North 393-0404
8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm
PEOPLESCHURCH
4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM
503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com
Celebration
Services
Saturday Evening
1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer
503-390-3900
www.dayspringfellowship.com
Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor
Worship - 10:30 a.m.
Education Hour - 9:15 a.m.
Nursery Care Available
www.keizerjkpres.org
Jason Lee UMC
820 Jeff erson St. NE
Salem OR 97301
9:00 am
Dr. Jon F. Langenwalter, Pastor
The church with the purple doors
10:45 am
Worship at 9:30 am • Child Care Available
6:00 pm
Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries
Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor
Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m.
Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m.
Sunday Morning
and
503-364-2844
Faith Lutheran Church
4505 River Rd N • 393-4507
Sunday Schedule:
9:00 a.m. Children’s Church
9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Children’s Activities
Pastor
Virginia Eggert 10:30 a.m. Worship with Communion