Hopkins High updates college-and-career program; Maya Learning, Royals Prep expand services

Hopkins Public School District leaders on Feb. 11 briefed the school board on a two‑year effort to expand college and career supports at Hopkins High School, saying a district-funded specialist, new coursework and a digital planning platform have increased counseling reach and streamlined applications.

The update, led by Principal Crystal Ballard and Dr. Michelle Cool, who serves as the high school's college-and-career specialist, described a package of services that includes small-group counselor meetings, a one‑term Royals Prep senior class focused on college applications, an ACT-prep partnership and districtwide adoption of the Maya Learning college- and career-planning platform.

Why it matters: Administrators said the work is intended to ensure each senior leaves with a plan for life after high school, to increase scholarship access and to simplify academic and application processes for scholars and families.

Ballard said the Hopkins Education Foundation initially funded the specialist position and that the role helps counselors by providing a professional higher-education lens and extra capacity. She told the board the district has developed a grade-by-grade “scope and sequence” for college and career planning and will share a one‑page postcard of milestones with families to explain what students should be doing at each grade level.

Dr. Michelle Cool described the center’s tactics in detail. She said counselors now meet with small groups by grade level before registration rather than relying solely on individual appointments, a change intended to reach the high school’s approximately 2,000 students more efficiently. She told the board she has held 650 individual college- or career-counseling appointments so far this school year and said students report the conversations are “very meaningful.”

Administrators described new classroom and co‑curricular offerings. Royals Prep is a one‑term, co‑taught senior course that guides students through applications and essays; Cool said the course grew from one small section to two 30‑student sections last year. The district also piloted a career‑search course, integrated college-essay work into select English classes, and launched in-class “sprints” where teachers embed 10 minutes of ACT prep several times per week.

Maya Learning rollout: Hopkins moved from Naviance to Maya Learning this year, leaders said. Cool said the platform integrates with the Common App and the NCAA, enables transcript and recommendation-letter requests electronically, and will allow parent accounts. Ballard said the district is training middle-school counselors this year and plans a middle-school rollout next year so students can carry a single portfolio across grades.

Application and scholarship activity: Cool said she and staff have used Maya Learning to submit thousands of documents: she reported roughly 2,200 college applications submitted for the Class of 2024 and said high-school students were awarded more than $10.4 million in scholarships last year (figures reported by presenters). Cool said the school plans an in‑school college fair on Feb. 25 and that 100 or more colleges typically visit Hopkins for recruiting events.

Capacity and sustainability: Presenters stressed capacity limits. Ballard and Cool said the specialist role is currently funded from discretionary district funds after an initial grant and is not yet a permanent full‑time position; they asked the board and community to consider sustaining the role. Staff also said outreach to families whose first language is not English and formal partnerships with community college-access programs remain areas for growth.

Next steps and goals: Leaders said they will finish a formal sixth‑through‑12th grade scope and sequence and continue middle‑school alignment, expand parent access to Maya Learning, and explore moving the specialist position to a permanent FTE. Cool stated a long-term goal of substantially increasing scholarship dollars for Hopkins students by 2031.

Sources and on-the-record comments: Principal Crystal Ballard and Dr. Michelle Cool delivered the presentation and answered board questions during the Feb. 11 board workshop; Superintendent Dr. Mary Perry Reid introduced the item. The board did not take formal action on the presentation during the workshop.

Ending: Administrators asked the board to consider long-term funding and community partnerships to maintain capacity and expand services, including language access, internship/job board features in Maya Learning, and stronger collaborations with postsecondary partners.