There are those people who argue that high school has and always will remain the same: a social hierarchy where the strong thrive and the weak suffer and parish. However, this is not exactly "Darwinism" we are discussing, because in high school, the term strong is often severely misused. In the life of a teenager "strong" doesn't necessarily mean the most intelligent or hard working. No, instead, this word is reserved for the most beautiful, or even the wealthiest. Now I ask you, are these people the fittest? Should so-called "weak" people give up their individuality and morals to play follow the leader and become yet another sheep following his or her herd? The answer is no. This essay is being written to prove these people wrong, and show that cliques are not necessary to make high school the best years of your life. And to show that often, forming these "exclusive" groups of people helps to do just the opposite. Our own school is no different. All cliques succeed in doing is robbing many of the people at Harbord Collegiate of their identity, as well as make those outside the groups feel isolated and unappreciated. .
The cliques that exist at Harbord are not easily recognized. Actually, those people inside the groups are frequently unaware that they are even involved in a clique. This is because the majority of us have grown up thinking of cliques in the way they are portrayed in American movies. These include the typical divisions amongst the students, such as cheerleaders, jocks, nerds, etc. However, this is not how cliques exist at most schools in Canada, and definitely not how they are at Harbord. Despite this, they are present, and the negative consequences that come along with these cliques are just as real as they are in America.
It is understandable that when a person enters a new school, they are going to find that they get along with certain students better than others.