From “Mean Girls” to “The Breakfast Club”, stereotypes are the backbone of almost every teen movie. For the most part, high school students in these movies fall into one stereotype, and they fulfill that stereotype completely.

Stereotypes are a natural part of high school. As teenagers, we are trying to find our place in the world, so we conform to other teenagers who have similar hobbies and interests. However, high school students may fit more than one stereotype, none at all or completely defy the stereotype that people give them.

At Free State, seven common stereotypes are jocks, preps, hipsters, country kids, music nerds, theater kids and stairwell kids. Each of the following students feel they are put into one of these stereotypes by their peers.
Jock
Logan Hassig, sophomore
What about you fits this stereotype?: I spend most of my time doing athletics so it is a big part of my life.
What is a common misconception because of your stereotype?: I do not really see any, because I feel like there is not anything bad about being a jock.
What about you defies this stereotype?: I am in choir and I can be sort of a bookworm sometimes.
How would you stereotype yourself?: Jock

Hipster
Colin Bain, senior
What about you fits this stereotype?: I do not listen to mainstream music.
What is a common misconception because of your stereotype?: That I judge people and think less of them if they go with the crowd.
What about you defies this stereotype?: I am really fond of cowboy boots and cowboy hats, I bail a lot of hay and I love spending the weekends in my garden.
How would you stereotype yourself?: Country kid

Prep
Matt McReynolds, sophomore
What about you fits this stereotype?: I wear a lot of Ralph Lauren, drive a Volvo, like to play golf and my family is pretty preppy so I live that sort of lifestyle.
What is a common misconception because of your stereotype?: That I listen to really mainstream music, which I definitely do not.
What about you defies this stereotype?: I feel like most people think preps are really uptight and not open to anything that is not preppy but I am open to pretty much anything. I will also do really random stuff like going to listen to an indie vocal artist or watching a weird movie at Liberty Hall.  
How would you stereotype yourself?: Prep

Theater
Sophie Laufer
What about you fits this stereotype?: I love theater.
What is a common misconception because of your stereotype? I’m interested in a lot of other things besides theater.
What about you defies this stereotype? I’m a hipster because I really like fashion and I like dressing differently than everyone else. I try to most of the time.  Sometimes I slack off. I don’t specifically try to be different but I try to have my own style.
How would you stereotype yourself?: Hipster

Country Kid
Cheyenne Patton, junior
What about you fits this stereotype?: I am from the country, my favorite pair of shoes are my cowboy boots, I ride horses, go mudding and am in FFA.
What is a common misconception because of your stereotype? That country music is my favorite, when I actually do not prefer it that much.
What about you defies this stereotype?: I am from McLouth and the kids there do not have the greatest education, while I try to strive for a higher level of education.
How would you stereotype yourself?: Country kid.

Music Nerd
Nolan Frank, senior
What about you fits this stereotype?: I am in Chamber Choir, Chamber Singers and Marching Band. I just do all music stuff and I do not do anything else.
What is a common misconception because of your stereotype? That I, and music kids in general, only focus on music at school when really we make up a big part of what Free State is as a school.
What about you defies this stereotype?: I am on the swim team.
How would you stereotype yourself?: Music nerd

Stairwell Kid
Alden Slote, junior
What about you fits this stereotype?: I wear black.
What is a common misconception because of your stereotype?: That I am a total jerk, when I feel like I am really nice.
What about you defies this stereotype?: I feel like stairwell kids get the stereotype of smoking and sleeping around and I do not do either.
How would you stereotype yourself?: I do not have a stereotype for myself.