If given the choice between pajamas, a bowl of cereal, and a television, or dressing up to deliver a 10 minute speech, most fourth-quarter seniors would choose the lazy option.

But not Foothill seniors. Last Friday, the class of 2011 gave their Hero Project presentations, and everyone was dressed to the nines in business attire.

“I am extremely proud of many of my students,” said Melanie “Captain” Lindsey, senior adviser and English teacher. “Some of them didn’t just step out of their comfort zone, they leapt. I have seen kids grow exponentially from whiny seniors to powerful leaders. They have shown us what the future will look like with them leading the way. ”

In preparation for this day, each senior performed around 35 hours of community service, and they wrote extensive papers validating and reflecting on the details of their project.

Students picked a wide variety of projects. One group hosted a series of all-night LAN parties at Foothill to raise money to buy video games for a local hospital. Another group worked all year to raise funds to build a school in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

“They did an amazing job…every superlative adjective you can think of,” said senior government teacher Cherie Eulau. “The goal was $50,000, but they actually raised $55-56,000… For the rest of their lives they can say, ‘I helped build a school’, which is really cool.”{sidebar id=22}

Other students worked individually in a field of their future career interest.

“We’ve had a lot of students volunteer in the hospital, and then they go into nursing,” said senior adviser and art teacher Justin Frazier. “For some kids, it challenges them and causes them to learn something about themselves… they push themselves.”

Students who didn’t know it was presentation day Friday may have thought that the seniors were going crazy because for the first six class periods, they filled the hallways talking to themselves, practicing their speeches.

After sixth period the seniors were served Milano’s pasta and salad in the quad while they waited for the presentations to begin.

When it was time to present, everyone piled into their assigned classrooms. Students gave their speeches accompanied by PowerPoint presentations in front of seven of their classmates, a Foothill staff member and other members of the community who volunteered to assess the students.

Desiree Martin volunteered at the Blanche Reynolds elementary school Garden Club. Martin, who will major in environmental science at Humboldt State University next fall, said, “Being a senior hero is all about making a difference.”

What does being a senior hero mean to Alex Cabral, who volunteered at the Douglas Penfield School as a classroom aide?

“Being a Senior Hero means serving your community to the best of your ability…and making a change locally.”

Cabral worked with special needs students in order to benefit her community; she will attend Santa Clara University in the fall.

Lindsay Boyd’s goal for her project was to bring back arts education to an elementary school by creating a drama club. She and other Foothill seniors who participated in this project wrote a play for the students to perform.

Boyd will attend Ventura College next year and hopes to continue the drama club, as well as promoting art education.

“It was a really wonderful experience,” Boyd said.

Kristen Faulconer, Education in the Digital Age instructor at Foothill,  commented, “Every year I get teary eyed and emotional because you’re grown up, capital G capital U, and when I have you, you’re like little wiggles that need their tail nailed to the ground. And now you’re all grown up and making a difference in the world and going off to college. I am in constant awe. I come prepared to cry, I have this bulging pocket full of Kleenex.”

Captain Lindsey reflected on the ultimate meaning of the project for the Class of 2011.

“Most of the students are continuing with their project even though, technically, they could have stopped in April,” she said. “I have heard from a few kids that they plan to continue the same or similar service next year. I think this has taught many students what path they want to be on in their life and has make them realize that they are a force that can move the world into a better place.”

Additional reporting contributed by Emma Huebner, The Foothill Dragon Press.