Every one of Ventura’s high schools has their fair share rumors, mysteries, and gossip. But far beyond these things, each school creates their own trademark, which, in one way or another, leads to stereotypes and misconceptions.
After pondering the generalizations that people make about other schools, I started to think about the stereotypes concerning our humble campus. After much thought, I have compiled a list of the five most common misconceptions about Foothill.
1. All “Foothillians” are nerds
As Foothill evolved into the school it is now, it earned an unfair reputation centered around the misguided belief that Foothill is a campus filled with introverted and “geeky” students.
The reality is that our school doesn’t simply have an excess of school supply lovers. Rather, it’s a place where people of mixed beliefs and personalities come together and coexist.
Not only does this add creativity and diversity, but it also shows newcomers that there is a place where they will fit in. I can see this now as the incoming freshman become more comfortable with our school, and begin showing us more and more of their unique selves.
2. Foothill students don’t have school spirit
At Foothill, there is an excess of school spirit. The ASB kids practically sweat spirit on Fridays, spirit days, and every other Dragon-filled day.
As for spirit days, I honestly don’t understand what bargains the ASB kids are making with one another that compel them to dress in crazy fashions and perform in front of the entire school.
Here, we regularly see students and teachers show their wild side in the name of school spirit.
We have seen “onesie” footie pajamas on our ASB president, interpretive dancing by one very special EDA teacher, and many other somewhat disturbing acts such as: a Miley Cyrus parody by the Journalism adviser, a Napolean Dynomite appreciation by one student, and the infamous male staff performance of “Y.M.C.A.” last year.
So, to say Foothill has no spirit is almost humorous for those of us who are involved in it. {sidebar id=66}
3. Foothill students aren’t good at sports
Considering the fact that many of Buena and Ventura’s varisty athletes go to Foothill, this is a very misguided rumor.
Outsiders most likely believe this misconception due to our lack of a proper gym or field to practice on. But, this doesn’t mean that Foothill students aren’t athletically gifted. Would a musician be considered “bad” simply because he’s not near a concert hall?
The students at Foothill make use of our small school by passing around their footballs or soccer balls in the quad during lunch. Also, there are random flag football games that go on after school at other campuses, and sometimes Principal Joe Bova gets involved too. And at least once a year, our school particpates in a student versus teacher basketball game.
4. A student is only smart if they enroll in AP courses.
More exclusively at Foothill, it is assumed that all the “smart” kids are in Advanced Placement or honors classes, and those who are not are, well, less smart.
As a junior, I’d like to imagine that I am still smart even though I’m taking college prep English and U.S. History. Now, I’m sure there are those who think otherwise, but I believe that a class does not define one as a student; the students define the class. And, it’s very possible that there are “regular” students who are smarter than their colleagues in AP.
5. School clubs are lame and overrated
Our school is lucky to have the very energetic Jennifer Kindred and Anthony Villa as leaders of our Speech and Debate team. This club treats its members like family. Even though there are the strictly debate-oriented students and strictly speech-oriented students, all of the participants get along and bond together.
Contrary to what is the stereotypical norm at many high schools, the Speech and Debate kids here are some of the most popular students. A lot of Foothill kids want very much to be part of that group. I’ll be the first to admit that I wish I could be cool enough to hang out with the Speech and Debate kids. The members are charismatic and hilarious, the type of people all students want to be like.
The other club that sometimes gets a bad reputation is Bioscience. This is a program that allows students to learn about real medicine and witness live births, surgeries, and other medical procedures. These are opportunites not found at most high schools, and I know that when the Bioscience students come to school dressed in their scrubs, my friends and I are secretly jealous. Although these are just two examples of the many awesome clubs Foothill has to offer, the same goes for all of them.
