The Breakfast Club, a 1985 John Hughes film, depicts a Saturday morning detention where five students, who portray different high school stereotypes, are forced to spend the next eight hours together. From the jock to the brainiac, the film reveals that much more is beneath the surface for each kid, and breaks down the stereotypical labels. The Kirkwood Call picked five stereotypes and found kids who may appear to fit the label, yet in reality possess characteristics and passions that illustrate their true depth and the inability for a label to accurately describe a person.

Luke Beattie- “The Jock”

When he was 4, Luke Beattie’s dad strapped on heavy hockey pads and began teaching him how to skate. Beattie, junior, started his hockey career competing against 6-year-olds, which he now feels gave him an advantage in terms of experience.

“I actually have a picture and I was the smallest kid out there by far,” Beattie said. “I’m definitely not the smallest player anymore though.”

Besides hockey, Beattie was a right offensive tackle for the varsity football team this past season, and previously threw discus and shot put until he was forced to stop after a torn tendon in his knee.

Despite injuries, over the course of his life Beattie also swam, golfed and played basketball and tennis. He also briefly tried lacrosse in eighth grade until he joined a select hockey team. However, Beattie plans on trying out for the KHS lacrosse team his senior year once his knee heals.

Though Beattie trains and works hard at his athletic pursuits, he disagrees with the stereotypical perception of a jock.

“People think jocks are dumb and don’t care about anything but themselves,” Beattie said. “Or they just care about playing sports and lifting weights.”

Beattie takes his schoolwork seriously, as well as his participation in clubs such as DECA and Young Republicans. Volunteer work also plays a significant role in his life, since he used to donate his time at the Veteran’s Association in Jefferson Barracks and is looking into a potential opportunity at an animal shelter.

Beattie’s experiences at the Veteran’s Association helped him gain perspective about other people, especially those who served in the war. He helped move them between activities, and played endless games of poker.

“We didn’t help them medically or anything, but it gets boring there and they love to tell their stories and have us listen,” Beattie said.

Jake Kreamer- “The Bad Boy”

In a world where entertainment is dominated by the music industry, Jake Kreamer dreams of making it big as a rapper. Perceived by other students as the “bad boy” type, Kreamer, senior, feels the image could have come from skateboarding, classes in Atlas, previous behavior and his musical pursuits.

Kreamer spends his free time posting videos of his partially completed raps without the music on Facebook and Youtube, often receiving between 200 and 300 views per video. The most crucial part to Kreamer are the lyrics, which became his focus during his junior year.

“I say what I feel needs to be said that remains underground,” Kreamer said. “I want people to know what I’m saying, so I’m trying to build up hype even though I haven’t dropped anything yet.”

Although he may be viewed as the “bad boy” by other students around school, Kreamer said he is a positive person, down to the thumbs up tattooed on his stomach.

“I’m never out to do harm. Some people get the image and want to stick with it, getting into fights or vandalism,” Kreamer said. “I just do what makes me happy, and I want to bring people into it.”

Though Kreamer said most people seem impressed by his raps in person, he has received some negative comments online, which he feels are unfounded judgments of his abilities and character.

“None of them knew me, all they hear is from what I rap,” Kreamer said. “All they can do is make assumptions about the rest of my life.”

Hailey Busse- “The Klutz”

 
For the first time since she could remember, in early March, Hailey Busse did not have any bruises on her legs.

“I’m the kid that if someone pulls the chair out from under them, I won’t only fall, but I’ll also hit my head,” Busse, senior, said.

A self-proclaimed klutz, Busse is constantly falling, tripping, knocking things over or accidentally hitting people. Recently, Busse was walking behind a freshman boy when she stepped on the back of his shoe, making him fall down the stairs. According to Busse, she frequently finds herself in uncomfortable or embarrassing situations.

“Everything about me screams awkwardness,” Busse said.

Though getting injured in clumsy accidents is the norm for Busse, the incidents taught her to not take life too seriously and build confidence.

“It makes me okay with awkward situations,” Busse said. “I can talk to almost anyone without getting embarrassed.”

Though Busse acknowledges she is goofy, she knows when to take things seriously and buckle down. Over the summer, Busse works as the head lifeguard at CSA, a summer community in Crystal Lake, Michigan, and takes charge when it comes to scheduling and keeping watch over the other lifeguards.

“If I need to be strict or straightforward in getting things done, I can do it,” Busse said.

 Ganesh Gangasingh- “The Brainiac”

Being stereotyped as the “Brainiac” not only means always getting As, that math comes easy, or finishing a 2,000-page chapter book in a day. It means doing all of that without trying.

Ganesh Gangasingh, freshman, uses his time at school to the fullest. Using the last ten minutes of class that not many students take advantage of, he gets all of his homework done. Rarely does Gangasingh get a day where he comes home to a night full of studies.

Although Gangasingh feels his schedule is not very challenging this year, next year he is planning on using his knowledge to the fullest. He will be taking on every honors and AP class offered to sophomores including AP computer science. Science has always come easy to Gangasingh and plans on being a doctor when he grows up.

Many would think pushing for a 4.0 all of the time would be enough of a challenge but for Gangasingh, its not. Gangasingh runs Cross Country and long-distance track. He has ran Cross Country since the seventh grade and decided to take on Track this year as a freshman.

It may be surprising that a hard working straight A student believes running Cross Country is more of a challenge than keeping his grades up, but that is not the case for Gangasingh. Using the extra time he has from not having much homework, Gangasingh dedicates himself to the track.

“I would say running [is more of a challenge] because school is not really challenging to me,” Gangasngh, said.

A true “Brainiac” is not always someone who spends hours on end studying when they do not have to and reading books just for fun. They are someone who knowledge comes easy to and something like running track is a challenge. That is what makes Gangasingh a true Brainiac.

Madison Stream- “The Princess”

According to Madison Stream, sophomore, being a “Princess” is not an easy job. Between dance classes, Young Republican meetings and shopping sprees, she hardly has time to breathe.

Stream refuses to go a day without Starbucks and The Bachelor, and practically lives at Nordstrom. She lives in a bedroom painted to match the color of a Tiffany’s box, and has a pet cat named Prince. She is a varsity Pommie and sleeps with her well groomed Bichon Frese puppy, Louie, every night. She hates every animal except for “kitties” and can not stand the outdoors. She is not afraid to throw a temper tantrum in order for everything to go her way. But behind the bleach blonde hair and spray tan, there is much more.

“I don’t care how I dress for school,” Stream said. “When I am at school, the work is all I really care about.”

Taking almost every honors and AP classes offered to sophomores, Stream is known for crushing the Dumb Blonde stereotype with her 3.8 cumulative GPA. She loves to joke around and have fun, but when it comes to school work, there is nothing she takes more seriously.

“I am very particular about my work and I always want everything to be perfect,” Stream said.

Outside of being a lifelong dancer, Stream plays lacrosse and was one of very few to make JV freshman year.

“I don’t play as much to stay in shape as I do for the fun. I love the sport,” Stream said.

Beyond all of the hot pink glitter nail polish Stream breaks the Breakfast Club stereotype for “Princess.”