Student Cliques and Their Stereotypes

Student Cliques and Their Stereotypes

High school is a whirlwind. It is frightening and fun. It is embarrassing and funny. It is new experiences with old friends, and it is hard work and carefree. As children mature into teenagers, friends often separate to go on their own journeys during high school to find who they are what they enjoy and believe in. This separation forms "cliques" and groups of students that are characterized by what they have in common.

La Grange High School contains many diverse groups of students. There are the athletes, the smart students, the cheerleaders, the band nerds, the slackers, the try-hards, and more. These groups are formed because of their similarities in areas such as clothing preferences, mannerisms, attitudes, etc. These groups are misunderstood by their peers because of stereotyping. For instance, the stereotype of an athlete is: a fit person that usually wears sweat pants and tennis shoes. Female athletes are thought to usually wear their hair in a ponytail or bun with little to no make-up. Although athletes are competitive, it is generally found that they have a laid-back attitude. A stereotype of a smart student is: someone who studies constantly and has no social life. It is believed that smart students do not dress fashionably because they are nerdy, and they have quirky and odd personalities. They are also thought to not fit in with the "popular" crowd.

Cheerleaders, on the other hand, are stereotyped as: shallow, mean, superficial, peppy, and generally not smart. They are thought to be beautiful and fashionable with an active social life, but not focused on their studies. The other side of the spectrum includes band students. The band students are stereotyped as: geeky, odd, quirky, and dedicated only to their music. They are thought to have little social activity outside of the band group. Often, band students are also stereotyped as smart with high achieving goals.

Another group of students, the slackers, are students who do not participate in any extra activities. Their main focus is on getting through high school. They are stereotyped as unintelligent because they do not try, and unfriendly and introverted because they do not participate in social activities. The try-hards are the very opposite of the slackers. The try-hards are stereotyped as overly nice in a superficial way, as teachers' pets, and over achievers. While none of these statements are fact or necessarily even true, they describe the general essence that other people perceive about their peers.

These stereotypes do not define these groups of students. Stereotypes are misconceptions that have arisen due to the fact that these groups do not intermingle. In fact, many of these stereotypes seem like ignorant and immature judgments to students today, because these groups have begun to unite in past years. In La Grange High School, these stereotypes