Skaters, preppies, jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, football players- these are some of the cliques found at our school. Everyday, we watch the school segregate into separate entities among the students. The question is: are cliques good or bad?

      In high schools, cliques serve as a refuge for students who have difficulties fitting in.  They form a tight group of friends that seem to be “there for each other” at all costs. In many occasions, cliques also help these students feel  like they belong to the school. This provides security and confidence to those students who are socially inept. Moreover, cliques promote involvement in school activities such as cheerleading and football.

      Unfortunately, the downsides of cliques outweigh the positives it provides, Cliques create peer pressure on certain students, forcing students to do certain actions that thy would otherwise not do if they were in a clique. Furthermore, cliques exclude other students from participating in certain activities only available to the clique. For example, a skater would be afraid of trying out for the football team because they would feel like an outcast and joining different groups can sometimes be intimidating. Besides, cliques also segregate the school into separate  groups, making it harded for students to make friends outside of their clique.