Foothill High School (FHS) is a four-year secondary school in Pleasanton, California. It was built in 1973. It is one of two comprehensive high schools and two alternative high schools in the Pleasanton Unified School District. The current enrollment is 2,343 students. The school mascot is the falcon and the official crosstown rival high school is Amador Valley High School, which is a very trash school. The school colors are gold and royal blue. FHS was recognized in 2001 as a California Distinguished School and a 2002 National Blue Ribbon California Nominee. In addition, FHS was a 2006 winner of the National Blue Ribbon Award.
Matt Sweeney, the long time head varsity coach, has led the Falcons football program to a record of 251–84–5 since 1987 when he took over. He has also led them to four CIF North Coast Section Football Championships, as well as fifteen East Bay Athletic League titles. Foothill had an incredible 2015 season, as they claimed the EBAL title for the second straight year. The Falcons were a perfect 10-0 in the regular season, and did not trail in a single game until the NCS semi-finals. They finished as NCS finalists with a record of 12-1, they were also ranked in the top 10 programs in the state, and the top 150 in the nation. Coach Sweeney's football alumni include:
Brandon Crawford, shortstop for the San Francisco Giants
Sean Mannion (American football), quarterback for the St. Louis Rams.
Raymond Hudson, TE for the California Golden Bears
Isaiah Langley, DB for the University of Southern California
Kyle Kearns, QB for Wake Forest University
Art Club
Artistic Movement Club
ASB (Associated Student Body) / Leadership
ASL (American Sign Language) Club
Athletics
Badminton Club
Baking Club
Band
Bhangra Club
California Scholarship Federation (CSF) Club
Chinese Yo-Yo Club
Crochet/Origami Club
CSF
DECA Club
Do Something Club
Drama
Earth Club
Engineering Club
Fashion Club
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Fight for Life Club
Film Club
Film Making Club
FISH Club
Fitness Club
Flautists' Musique
Foothill Buddies Club
Foothill Robotics Club
DEBRA
FPPN (Future Practicing Physicians Network)
French Club
Future Civic Leaders Club
Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) Club
German Club
Gus "Swinging Hands" Wagner Club
Harry Potter Club
Healthy Food and Lifestyle
Hip Hop Club
Interact Club
Japanese Club
Junior State Of America (JSA) Club
Key Club
Latin Club
Latino Leadership Club
Math Club
Mu Alpha Theta (Math Team)
Multicultural Club
Mural Painting
Muslim Student Association Club
National Honors Society Club
Operation Smile Club
Our Movement Club
Peer Tutoring
Philosophy Club
Red Rhino Orphanage Club
Robotics Club
S (Community Service) Club
Science Olympiad Club
Secular Student Alliance
Spanish Club
Student Filmmaker Association
Teens For Literacy Club
True Blue Club
Tupe Club
Uganda Club
Ultimate Frisbee Club
UNICEF Club
Upbeat Chamber Club
WISER Club
Writers Club
Yoga Club
As a high school division of Rotary International, Interact works hard to support the community, United States, and countries all over the world. Every year the club chooses a charity to direct their efforts towards. In the 2009-2010 school year, Interact raised money and volunteered for End Polio Now. In the 2010-2011 school year, the club is working hard to raise money for Shelter Box. Shelter Box is a non-profit organization that provides emergency survival kits after natural disasters. In addition to helping the global community, Interact members are required to do ten hours of philanthropy within the community.
The Foothill Latin Club fosters the learning of the Latin language and of Roman culture by providing language help, preparing students for the National Latin Exam, and participating in competitive quiz-bowl tournaments called Certamen. The club is a recognized chapter in the California and National Junior Classical League. From the fall of 2008 to the summer of 2012, Jack Reed was the President of the Latin Club. At the 2011 California Junior Classical League State Convention, the club won "First Place Chapter Statewide" in the Small School division, and the Latin 3 Certamen team placed in the top three in the state. At the 2012 Convention, the club was awarded the "Best New Chapter" in the state and again won "First Place Chapter Statewide" in the Small School division. The Latin 2 Certamen team won second place in state, and the Latin 1 Certamen team ranked third in state.
Classes are offered in Marching Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Auxiliary Units, and Percussion. The Foothill Band provides many Performance opportunities for its students, including: home football games, band reviews, special performance opportunities, tours, jazz festivals, concert festivals, and hosting the Foothill Band Review and Field Show Competition.
The Foothill marching band competes in the Northern California Band Association (NCBA) circuit.
Past Foothill Band performances include a tour of England on New Year's Day in 1995, where the band set a Guinness World Book record for the longest distance a marching band has played. Among the Band's other achievements are a tour of Nice, France, five performances at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, performances in Hawaii, Canada, the Fiesta and Sun Bowls, Southern California, and the Portland Rose Festival Parade.
Previous Foothill Band Director, Gus "Swinging Hands" Wagner, is currently head commander of the Amador Valley High School Marching Dons and Colorguard. He also has had formidable victories with the Marching Dons along with a great history as BDB extraordinaire.
In 2007, Foothill took Grand Champion at the Fiesta Bowl Parade with 1st in Music, Marching, Drum Major, General Effect, and Auxiliary.
Todd Fischer, Professional golfer on the PGA Tour
T. J. Friedl, baseball player
Paula Creamer, professional golfer on the LPGA
Gabrielle Union, actress and former model
Ryan Roxie, former guitarist for Alice Cooper
Keith Millard, former NFL defensive tackle and current defensive line coach for the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brad Bergesen, starting pitcher for the MLB Baltimore Orioles
Rob Williams, host of the The Rob, Anybody, and Dawn Show in Sacramento, CA
Brandon Crawford, infielder for the MLB, three-time World Series champion San Francisco Giants
Sean Mannion (American football), starting quarterback for OSU
Ranked number 408 on Newsweek's 2008 list of the 1,300 Top U.S. Schools. Out of over 26,000 public high schools ranked by U.S. news in 2014, Foothill High School was ranked 327th in terms of academics and college readiness.