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FHS
MAY 2014 Vol. 40, No. 3
FOOTHILL
Photo: EMILIE FRACIS
MURAL CLUB
By EMILIE FRANCIS
FALCON SPOTLIGHT
MR. HANSEN By ARTHUR HWANG and KAITLYN WANG “When you know somebody’s name, you create a relationship.” Foothill’s new temporary vice principal, Jim Hansen is known around school to be able to memorize the names of students quickly. Working in the Pleasanton School district for 41 years since 1973, he has been an English teacher and the principal of Dublin High School, Wells Middle School, Valley High School, Harvest Park Middle School, and Amador Valley High School. Now retired, Hansen has returned from months of traveling to serve as Foothill’s vice president until the end of the 2014 school year. He has already made a lasting impression on Foothill students, from his warm, happy personality to his mission to remember every student’s name. Foothill’s Inflight News had the privilege to learn more about him. ••• Q: What was your first impression of Foothill? A: I was a little bit nervous because I spent my career on the other side of town. However, everybody was very welcoming, and I enjoyed meeting the kids and the staff. My first impression? It’s a very good place, a very happy place to be. Q: Is it any different from Amador? A: At Amador they wear purple, here they wear blue. There are far more similarities than differences though. Just as a side note, eight of my brothers and sisters went to Amador but the gym here is named after my cousin— the Tom Hansen gym—so we have family on both sides of town. | Continued on Page 2
Foothill High school is well known for its beautiful murals around campus, painted by the students themselves. This year, Foothill’s Mural Club is revamping old murals with modern replacements of old ones and new additions in remembrance of the 2013-2014 school year. The new additions to the murals are due to be done before the summer begins. Outside of the library, Mural Club is revamping the multicultural mural with a new color blocked theme. So far, they have painted over the original mural, patched old holes, and primed the surface. The students in the club have begun painting the different colored panels to form a background for the subjects of the mural. They are beginning to add figures and shading to prepare for the
final painting. This mural is meant to symbolize and show respect for the diversity at our school. It showcases just a few of the countless cultures and tradition practiced by our students. Gwen Kelly (14) is a member of mural club working on the multicultural mural. “Our beliefs and morals show through in our art, and it is important for a school to be not only diverse and friendly, but to have a way to show it,” Kelly says. Another project mural club is working on is a tribute to Mrs. Koobatian. The mural will be located outside of the choir room facing the gym. So far students have leveled the surface to begin their painting and have started to plan a design in remembrance of Mrs. Koobation. Kelly adds, “Art is a medium that we use to show everyone an idea in a way that is uplifting and pleasing to the eye, so Mural Club’s real job is to show our school’s ideals on its skin.”
By BRENNA SCOTT and CESAR SALDANA Just as most things, Foothill High School has changed over the years, particularly the Student Body Demographics. Since its opening in 1973, Foothill has seen an increase in just about every ethnic group. The school falls into the large mixing pot of varying ethnicities known as the Bay Area so this doesn’t come as a surprise. Foothill was predominently Caucasian when it opened; however, according to the 2012-13 PUSD School Accountability report, the student population is 51% Caucasian, 31% Asian, 17% Hispanic, and the rest is a mix of African AMerican, Pacific Islander, and other. History teacher Robert Mueller graduated from Foothill in 2002 and began teaching at the school in 2008 so he knows first hand how the school itself and the student body within it have evolved. Mueller says that even when he attended Foothill, there were little ethnic diversity. However he says that when he came back after 6 years of being away, he saw how drastically the school had changed. “The look of the school was definitely different when I came back,” Mueller added. “We didn’t have a pool when I was here and the D-Building didn’t exist.” He also said that he notices now that there is a lot more pressure to take AP classes and to surpass a GPA of a 4.0. Mueller said that when he went here, the school was more sport driven. “There’s a lot more ethnic diversity her now, but Pleasanton as a whole hasn’t experienced a big drastic change.”
Photo: CESAR SALDANA
FOOTHILL: THEN AND NOW FHS DEMOGRAPHICS
Betty Thoe, Senior English Teacher said that the school has changed a lot since she began teaching here. She says the school is less happy. Commenting on how school has changed since she’s been in school, Thoe said that it is less serious with less homework than she had and less strict rules. “Foothill has changed. It is not as happy as it was in 2000, but its getting happier. The budget cuts and the change in rules. The stress that’s been put on the teachers has trickled down to the students.