WALKER, Mich. — After 15 years leading Kenowa Hills Public Schools, Superintendent Gerald Hopkins Jr. is retiring — and the district he's leaving behind looks nothing like the one he walked into.
Hopkins — folks call him Jerry — is wrapping up his 32nd year as an educator, spending his career moving toward students, not away from them. He started as a teacher at Grandville Public Schools, then worked his way through curriculum and central office roles, then intentionally stepped back into a building-level job as elementary principal at Wyoming Public Schools just to get closer to kids again.
"When you're having a down day, it doesn't take much when you get yourself around students — they will put a smile on your face, invariably, every single time," Hopkins said. "Watching the light bulb go off for them, seeing the level of curiosity and excitement they have for learning — it's hard not to love being around students."
That philosophy carried over into his tenure at Kenowa Hills, where students, staff and community members say his presence was felt far beyond the superintendent's office.
Jayden Reynolds, a senior at Kenowa Hills High School, said Hopkins made a point to show up — at every school, for every student.
"He goes out to all the elementary schools all the time. He's very there for the community," Reynolds said. "He was great to talk to, especially as one of the students that was always getting in trouble. He kind of helps those students a lot."
A District Transformed
Hopkins points to sweeping changes across the district during his tenure — in its student body, its facilities and its academic programs.
Student diversity has grown significantly, which Hopkins views as one of the district's greatest strengths. Facilities have been overhauled through a series of community-backed proposals — the first of which took three attempts before voters approved it.
"I owe our community a tremendous amount of gratitude," Hopkins said. "Those proposals weren't easy, but since then we've had two others passed, and as a result, our learning environments are better than they've ever been."
Among the programs he's most proud of: a partnership with Grand Rapids Community College that allows 30 to 36 students per year to graduate with a fully paid associate's degree in their 13th year. Kenowa Hills was the first in Kent County to offer such a program.
The district's STEM Academy has also evolved over the years, beginning as a one-of-a-kind setup inside a working small business and eventually relocating to a newly renovated space at the middle school.
Hopkins also credits his staff's COVID-19 response as one of the defining chapters of his tenure. From the third week of March through the end of June, bus drivers delivered meals to families across the district every school day — including through spring break — while food service staff showed up daily and teachers pivoted to virtual instruction.
"I don't know that anybody was really ready for COVID, but we were as prepared as anybody," Hopkins said. "I'm super proud of what we accomplished during that time."
'Life is Catching Up With Me'
After years of attending evening events, community functions and school activities — none of which, he acknowledges, were ever required of him — Hopkins said the relentless pace he set for himself finally caught up with him.
"I hold myself to some pretty high expectations and work at a pretty heavy pace," he said. "It's becoming harder and harder to keep up that pace. I just feel like it's time — time to give somebody else an opportunity to do so much more than what I was able to do here."
He expressed hope that the community support, board confidence and staff dedication that defined his tenure will carry forward under new leadership.
"I firmly believe that a thriving school district is the foundation for a thriving community," Hopkins said. "I feel like we've been able to accomplish that over the years, as a result of everybody that has surrounded me."
As for retirement plans — Hawaii is on the horizon. Hopkins said his wife, Chris, has long wanted to make the trip, and after nearly 30 years of marriage and a career spent giving to others, it sounds like her wish is finally getting granted.
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