High school seniors build homes instead of exams

Hopkins School?s senior class is helping build homes for Habitat for Humanity instead of taking final exams this year. The 125-student class of the New Haven private school is committed to four days

News 12 Staff

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May 31, 2007, 11:21 PM

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Updated 6,349 days ago

Hopkins School?s senior class is helping build homes for Habitat for Humanity instead of taking final exams this year.

The 125-student class of the New Haven private school is committed to four days of work at five locations in Bridgeport.

Hopkins admissions officer, teacher and coach Martha Venter said the trade is beneficial to students and the community.

?So we're coming on our 350th anniversary and it seemed very appropriate to continue the mission of the school for community service,? Venter said.

Students said helping out the organization by digging ditches, cutting siding and rolling out chain link fences is hard work. Many also said, however, that they prefer it to taking exams.

Students and teachers said they hoped it would be the beginning of a Hopkins tradition. Some students said they would continue the community service over the summer.