Stereotypes are a given in high school. Some students are dubbed “theater kids,” others “band kids,” and as in any typical high school, there are the “nerds.” Archetypal identities shape one’s self-esteem and contribute to how one interacts with outside communities. According to the Greater Good Science Center, even if the behavior of a group changes, the stereotype will often remain fixed in place, concluding that changing well-ingrained stereotypes is not as straightforward as it might seem.
In Robotics Club, the community faces its own set of assumptions. Co-president senior Nareshatama Nainggolan (he/him) has been a member of Robotics for all four years of high school.
“People think we’re nerds, and I cannot really deny that,” Nainggolan said. “People would think that as a negative thing, but when you’re actually working on a bot or coding, you start to realize that these nerds actually are really knowledgeable. They’re people who you can rely on, and they’re really passionate.”
While the stereotype of only tech-savvy students belonging in Robotics persists, Nainggolan said it misrepresents what it means to be in the club. In reality, members can focus on just one area, such as the design, and build skills gradually with the help of others.
“Honestly, robotics is all about learning on the way,” Nainggolan said. “We have a lot of themes, so robotics is not just about building robots.”
Members work with finance, outreach and the arts. Through it all, one of the club’s leading goals is to have fun. Nainggolan said that the members especially enjoy bonding during their get-togethers at Saint Edward State Park, where they traditionally eat pasta.
The same idea of navigating stereotypes by fostering excitement and community is also present in Math Club. Members spend club time preparing for the annual American Math Competition, which focuses on solving creative, multi-step problems that often prompt deeper and more conceptual thinking. As a member since her freshman year, junior Anastasia Makarevich (she/her) said she develops lifelong math skills and helps students explore the many joys of problem-solving beyond the classroom.
“Some people might think it’s kind of boring. They have a thought that they might have for school math, and they’re like, ‘All math is like that. It can’t be anything else,’” Makarevich said. “But I want to show people, ‘oh, it’s fun’ — it’s not just sitting and listening to the teacher talk.”
After the competition in November, the club holds small-group math relays and focuses on specific formulas and strategies later in the year. Beyond the numbers, Makarevich also values the Math Club’s supportive community.
“If one person is struggling with the problem, there’s always going to be someone who wants to help them,” Makarevich said. “I think it’s pretty nice, right?” Makarevich said that among members with varying math skills, an interest and willingness to learn is the common denominator. However, the stereotype that Math Club is only for those who excel in math can discourage new members from joining.
“People think, ‘I have to be good enough and be really ahead, and if I’m not, then I can’t join math club,’” Makarevich said. “I want some people to know that you don’t have to be really good at math to be in the club. You just have to have an interest and maybe even a desire to improve or do something that’s not sitting in a math class.”
A similar passion can be seen in the arts. In band, a love for music harmonizes the community. For senior Joshua Zhong (he/him), playing music has been his passion since middle school, where joining the band was more widely accepted. By high school, Zhong said band was viewed more negatively, causing people to distance themselves from it. “I hate how it’s kind of stigmatizing — the way we’ve gone through our high school lives,” Zhong said. “Honestly, I don’t believe in a lot of these stereotypes that have been placed on us.” Zhong said that the band community is extremely positive and kind, which can bring him joy on hard days. His genuine passion for music helps him look past the band kid stereotype that seeps through casual jokes or social media.
“Obviously, the stereotypes are very real and they exist,” Zhong said. “I never really care. I just love playing music. That’s it. I never think it should really be that serious.”
Another club focused in the arts, theater is a community built on the bond of exploring deep and emotional topics under the spotlight. Up on stage, senior Allie Beeman (she/her), the president of Theater Club, found one of her passions at just three years old. Ever since, she has stuck with theater for its lively and humorous atmosphere. As part of the improv team, Theater Club and Thespian Society, Beeman is no stranger to the quick assumptions that pop up around the community.
“There’s definitely the ‘theater kids’ stereotype, which is typically very dramatic people and very expressive, loud, sometimes kind of annoying,” Beeman said.
Beeman believes that even though this stereotype is not entirely baseless, it doesn’t fully capture what the community feels like from the inside. Over months of rehearsal for a show, she said that members build special bonds within the community while immersing themselves into acting out heavier topics, such as identity, death and familial life.
“People who haven’t joined or experienced theater might definitely only see the more annoying, ‘oh my gosh, this person is so much,’ rather than the story that they’re telling through their emotion,” Beeman said.
Beeman believes that these stereotypes may prevent people from trying something new. From painting props to acting, theater offers a variety of roles that aren’t as well-known.
“I don’t think (stereotypes) should cause you to be ashamed of something that you really love doing and that you really are passionate about,” Beeman said. “Just because there’s a stereotype doesn’t mean that it’s true for you or the people around you and your community, and you are completely allowed to enjoy something even though it’s seen as embarrassing or strange.”
