We have seen movies like Mean Girls and The Breakfast Club that perpetuate the idea of a social hierarchy in a school. Does our school have a stereotypical social ladder like the ones you see in movies and TV shows? Normally the social ladder of a stereotypical high school would follow the lines of jocks/cheerleaders on the top and nerds on the bottom.

Mrs. Maguire, a freshman biology teacher, said, “I would say the social hierarchy at Bob Jones had the athletes on top and the gamers on the bottom.” She thought that our student body could be categorized into groups like “athletes, social outcasts, band kids, theatre kids, gamers, and eccentric kids.” She noted, “From what I witness, yes, Bob Jones fits the “typical high school” stereotype when it comes to social lives.” 

Others had different opinions about the social ladder of Bob Jones. Isabel Fursdon said, “I do not believe there is a social hierarchy in Bob Jones, but there are popular people. Bob Jones doesn’t have a stereotypical social ladder because we are all equal and given the same opportunities, and if we wish to be the same way as others, we can.” When asked to describe what constitutes a “popular person,” she said, “I would describe these people as preppy students and good students.” She added, “The almost non-existing social ladder doesn’t seem to follow the Mean Girl’s pattern because I haven’t noticed bullying, fighting, and harassment. Most people are nice.” 

Ben Meyer, a senior here at Bob Jones, said, “Freshman – Sophomores – Junior – Seniors. Within these groups, Sports are put at the top, Arts are pushed to the middle, and everyone else is like…there.”  He further explained, “Classes, Fine Arts, Football (any sport is football), and everyone else. The Fine Arts groups tend to be either really intelligent or really outlandish. Football tends to include bullies/people who are very loud. Everyone else drones along.” He also pointed out that “not all the nerds play video games, and not all the jocks are bullies.”

High school is a short period of time that we all share, but all of us have different experiences. Whether you just see friends or classmates or cliques in a social ladder, you hopefully find friends that share your interests and accept you. Though some people may be more popular than others, it us up to the entire student body to make sure each person feels like a Bob Jones Patriot.