For the 50th year of Fernando Rivera, we interviewed Mrs.Hopkins to ask about how it was when she was principal at Fernando Rivera and how the place and environment have changed over the past years of Fernando. How do you think Fernando was before, and how do you think it will change in the future?

FRS TIMES: Looking back at the school’s early years, how did it evolve in its approach to education, and how did the surrounding community contribute to its growth and success?

Mrs.Hopkins: Education-wise, before they had state standards that were set for different grade levels, it was a little more open as to what would be taught. It was a similar curriculum that is going on now. There wasn’t as much hands-on at first, but then math became the thing where ‘you have to figure out why this works instead of just memorizing all your multiplication facts.’ So the standards did make a big difference in the way teachers had to teach and how students were learning.

FRS TIMES: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a principal, and how did you and the school staff overcome them to ensure the success of students?

Mrs.Hopkins: What was hard to do was to have a class with a mix of students in terms of ability. The community, as far as languages and cultures, was a pretty mixed community and has been for forever. As far as academics go, the goal is to help students who were not as successful become successful. So we’d involve teachers and mentor teachers who would pick a set of students who needed a little extra push. They’d check in with them when it was progress report time or regular report cards, and try to have a different kind of relationship that was more like a father-son type of relationship. We’d also have after-school programs, after-school tutoring, and counselors who were hired through the government to help students be the first in their families to go to college. That program went on here for a while. We had another program with Asian recovery services that also did a lot of after-school things.

FRS TIMES: As we celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary, what are some of your most memorable moments, whether they involve student achievements, community events, or moments of personal pride from the school’s legacy?

Mrs.Hopkins: One of my favorite things was the Fiesta De Colores. That was a huge thing, and just to see other communities kinda thing, and see the parents coming, the dinner that went with it, just everything. It was just the students being able to show us about themselves, and that was just always a great time. Academically, we were a distinguished school, but we got the California Distinguished School Award when I was here.