Hopkins High School Alumni Foundation awards 19 scholarships
Each year since 1995, the members of the Hopkins High School Alumni Foundation make preparations for a gala or luncheon to celebrate their Alma mater and award scholarships through the generosity of foundation members and community support. The foundation sincerely expresses appreciation for each donation which gives recognition to each individual, company or organization for supporting our community and investing in the futures of so many young leaders. As of this year, the alumni foundation has presented 324 students with scholarships for college. These scholarship awards now bring the total to well over a quarter of a million dollars! Kenneth L. Corbin, current president of the foundation, proudly stated: “First, we thank our Lord and Savior for ordering our steps. This would not have happened without our dedicated and faithful members, our friends and neighbors and the generous support of our sponsors and donors.”
The Hopkins High School Alumni Foundation has a proud history in the Lower Richland community. In September of 1994, a group of Hopkins High School graduates reunited to organize the Alumni Foundation. What is remarkable about this is that Hopkins High School was merged into Lower Richland High School in 1971, so the group passionately clings to the memories of the Alma mater that once flourished on the grounds of the Hopkins Middle School. Beginning in 1953, the high school became a source of pride in the Lower Richland community under the leadership of principal
Ulysses R. Barber, a Richland One Hall of Fame honoree.
Former State Representative Joe E. Brown built upon that tradition of excellence at the school from 1959 until 1971 when it began the transformation into a junior high then later a middle school.
Usually overshadowed by Booker T. Washington High School in Columbia with a history dating back to September 1816, the smaller Hopkins school was created as a result of consolidation of small community schools throughout Lower Richland. Parents, teachers and staff worked together closely to provide the best education possible for
the hundreds of students who matriculated there. To keep the legacy of the school alive, the Hopkins High School Alumni Foundation established a primary goal to provide scholarships to high school graduates who are descendants of students, faculty and staff who attended the school. The first scholarship for $1,000 was awarded in September of 1995 to Ale:xanderia Smith, then a freshman at UNC Charlotte. Recently, this young lady completed her doctoral program in_psychology at USC in Columbia. Dr. Alexanderia Smith Glenn is one of many successful products of the Lower Richland community. The college graduation rate of our scholarship recipients is phenomenal!
Scholarship information becomes available each year in January. More information about the Hopkins High School Alumni Foundation can be found on their website: www.hopkinshighalumni.org
