Dr. Shane Hopper, high school principal

Q: What are you looking forward to at GCAA?

A: What I like in really been interested in is the whole arts aspect of the school. I think it’s interesting how we have our pathways in that you can choose from fine arts, theater, music or dance. I never had dance teachers in a school before so that’s a whole totally foreign concept I actually appreciated in like it. So I like the corkiness in the creativity of our school environment.

Q: What made you want to be a principal at GCAA?

A: I was coming back from being gone out of the Saint Louis area for a year and I started looking around. So it’s just one of those opportunities I wasn’t really expecting. I was used to working in big high schools. I’ve had 2,300 students last year and so for me to work in a smaller environment here’s something. I’ve always said ‘sometimes when you are looking for the path, the path finds you.’ I like that quote because sometimes when we have in our minds what we were supposed to do, we do something that’s slightly different but I definitely appreciate it.   

Q: Do you have any long term goals or any projects that you want to talk about?

A: Yeah, just to make the school better as a whole and so that can be day to day stuff that can be long term but just try to make it a positive environment. One that where people know that you love to care for. At GCAA those are immediate type things I just want when you walk into the school you know it’s different in a good way.