lmao @ gingers. I can only imagine...
And the best thing to do is poke fun at them and play off their ignorance/stupidity for your own amusement. eventually they will stop being immature and annoying... or you will be gone in a year and it will still be a tolerable time. =)
As for the challenging stuff, if you're REALLY dedicated, you could talk to some friends and make a combo. then get your teacher to hook you up with some fake books or something and maybe even help you find gigs. I'm sure THAT would be challenging, but idk how much of a challenge you want lol.