If I got a nickel for every time someone asked me a ridiculous question about me, as a Foothill student, or about Foothill itself, I would be rich.

Here are examples of questions I’ve been asked: Since you go to Foothill, do you watch Pokemon and play video games? Do you guys have homework parties, since, like, all Foothill kids like being smart and doing homework and all? Would you even know what to do if you were in a dark alley, and confronted with a knife, since, you know, Foothill is so sheltered? Do Foothill kids have sex? Do you get detentions at Foothill for getting a “B” on a test?

You’ve probably heard of the misconceptions. Foothill students are nerds. Foothill kids are obsessed with Star Wars and dress like Star Wars characters on regular school days. Foothill students are not good athletes. Foothill kids have no “street smarts” and are completely sheltered. Foothill kids are prudes. Foothill kids have no emotion. Foothill kids are not human.

And the list goes on.

Maybe, since Foothill lacks a sports team, music department, and theater department, some create these stereotypes. Maybe it’s the lack of a homecoming dance or pep rallies. Foothill might not have these departments or events, but that does not mean that Foothill students are socially incompetent.

As a Foothill senior who has spent nearly four years at this school, I can say that the majority of Foothill students are completely normal, and that most would not be seen as odd or out of place at Ventura or Buena. Yes, there are some kids who find it fun to dress like Harry Potter characters, or act out “World of Warcraft” scenarios in the middle of the quad. However, for every student like this, there are at least twenty five “normal” students.

In many cases, when my friends or acquaintances from Ventura or Buena make snide comments about Foothill, I sense a hint of jealousy. When we earn high STAR test scores, the entire school goes on a field trip to Magic Mountain. The other schools do not.

Foothill is home to the Bioscience Academy, where, over the course of three years, students can become CPR certified, observe surgeries and live births, work with dangerous chemicals in a lab, and discuss controversial medical ethics. Ventura and Buena High School both lack a program like this. Sometimes, I feel that some of the stereotypes about Foothill are created out of envy for our unique incentives and programs.

No, I do not watch Pokemon. I can count the times I have ever played a video game on one hand. No, I personally have never attended a homework party, and I have no knowledge of any of my fellow students attending or hosting one either. And believe it or not, no one I know enjoys homework.

So what if I wouldn't know what to do if I were attacked with a knife? I would probably act on instinct, just as any other human being would. 

Yes, Foothill kids have sex. Not all, but some do, just as they do at any other high school.

And no, you cannot and will not receive a detention for earning a “B” on a test. Most students do not dress like Star Wars characters. We do have athletes who are quite good at their sports. We are not prudes, and we have emotions.

And, yes, we are human.