West Hopkins was formed in 1962 when Charleston, Dalton and Nebo Schools consolidated their high school classes into one centrally located high school. The three feeder schools continued operation as K-8 schools.
In 1996, another consolidation took place. West Hopkins closed its doors as a high school with the construction of a new high school in Hopkins County; Nebo, Dalton and Charleston closed their doors entirely as students and staff from the three schools joined together to become West Hopkins School, Home of the Cardinals.
Narvin Darnall, the principal at Nebo, took the principal position at WHS and with Assistant Principal Darrell Allen, the former principal at Dalton and Charleston, the two led West Hopkins until Allen's retirement. At this time, Valerie Cobb stepped in as assistant principal. Darnall retired from the school system in the fall of 1997 and the principal position was taken over by Mike McNeily. McNeily retired in the summer of 2005 and assistant principal Valerie Cobb stepped up as the Principal. West Hopkins current Principal is Eric Stone.
Families of our students are positively involved in the goals of the school and expect a high quality education for all children. They send their children to school each day ready to learn.
The support staff at West Hopkins School takes pride in their work and see that the basic needs of students are met so that they can learn. This support staff affirms the value of each student.
The carefully considered curriculum is aligned to national standards and Kentucky Learner Goals. It supports the mastery of basic reading, writing and math above all else and prepares all students to move successfully into high school.
The educators, having high expectations for all students, use powerful learning activities to build on the strengths of each student. They expect a high quality of work from all students and affirm the value of each one. In working together toward the same mission, they study the specific needs of the school and its students in order to plan accordingly.
The students are motivated to learn and feel secure, happy and comfortable in their surroundings at West Hopkins School. They take control of their behavior and accept responsibility for their actions. They show respect to others and can apply what they are learning to real-life situations.