Maddy Posner – Co-Editor-In-Chief
English 2H teacher, Theory of Knowledge teacher, IB Coordinator, Chair of the English Department, Mock Trial advisor, Girls Varsity Tennis Coach: Josh Hermanson has filled many roles and made many contributions in his time at Foothill. Sadly, Mr. Hermanson’s teaching career is drawing to a close, as he will be retiring at the end of the 2022-23 school year.
Mr. Hermanson has been teaching for 18 years, all of which were spent at Foothill. As to why he decided to retire in 2023, he merely said, “It was time.”
His students can attest to his unique contributions to Foothill. “I really enjoyed Mr. Hermanson’s wacky writing and presentation prompts that made the writing interesting and fun, they were a great refresher from the monotony of other English classes,” said Oskar Sheets, a sophomore who was in his English 2H class this past year.
For Mr. Hermanson, teaching was about giving back to others just as much as he gained from them.
“My dream when I became a teacher was to become a part of a community that would hopefully embrace my ideas,” he explained. He added, “I feel like in a small way I was able to do that.”
While Mr. Hermanson will be leaving behind his English 2H sophomores — in addition to countless other students — he is leaving midway through the year for the Theory of Knowledge, or TOK, class. An IB required course, the class begins in the second semester of junior year and concludes during the first semester of senior year.
Ruby Reynaud, a current TOK junior and a Mock Trial member, said TOK will not be the same. “He is the perfect teacher for [TOK], and he encourages us to really delve deeper into every discussion and activity,” she said.
As for next year, Reynaud added, “I will mostly miss Mr. Hermanson’s positive attitude and bright energy. He brings so much joy to the entire school.”
Mr. Hermanson said he will miss the students the most.
He isn’t completely certain what will be on his schedule in the coming year. But it will start with “traveling, going to the beach, and whatever my wife asks me to do,” he said. Some students will remember Mrs. Hermanson, who worked as a counselor at Foothill until she retired in 2021.
The one piece of advice Mr. Hermanson has for Foothill students? “Be kind to one another and don’t stress too much,” he said.
Without a doubt, Mr. Hermanson will be missed next year. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors, and we thank him for everything he has done at Foothill!