Stereotypes are bits of information associated with social categories such as, if you have all A’s or are good at school you would be considered a “nerd.” If you are in sports, you are a “jock.” At many schools, students are placed in social groups, or cliques, which defines which group students are associated with. Yet the actual question is, does St. Louis High School have these typical cliques or stereotypes?
Dr. Doug Martin from University of Aberdeen School of Psychology has been helping uncover the origins of stereotypes. According to the article, “Have you ever wondered…how stereotypes form?” Martin found that, “Over time social information that is initially random, complex and very difficult to remember, becomes a simple system of category stereotypes that can be learned easily. People are more likely to confuse the identity of individuals when they belong to the same social category than when they belong to different categories. Similarly, people are more likely to mistakenly think that individuals who belong to the same social category also share the same attributes. Because we all experience the same category-based memory”
This research suggests cultural stereotypes are the unavoidable and unplanned consequence of human interaction and as a result are slowly but constantly evolving. Martin also states, “If this is right, then understanding how cultural stereotypes form and naturally evolve might allow future interventions to positively influence their content.”
Students and teachers recently discussed cliques at the school and whether or not SLHS has them. Senior Kailee Reese said, “You can see it all throughout the school day. Some you can see more than others, but it is definitely noticeable. The cliques I’ve noticed are popular, unpopular, nerds, band kids, and jocks. Most of these aren’t too bad, but popular and unpopular have a huge conflict in students. If I was to say who belonged to what group, I would say people who are nerds and band kids are in the unpopular category. These are the people who tend to focus on their academics more and be interested in something not mainstream. If you are more preppy and a jock you are popular and have it easy,” Reese said. “The most overlap I see is in band. We have a big band for a small school and band kids are shared over multiple sports and clubs. I would fall into ‘band kid’ and be unpopular. I’ve been in band for seven years and I’ve never been a popular kid since kindergarten,” She concluded
Principal, Ben Brock, had a conversation with students about cliques in the high school. Brock said, “The Shark Tank is a unique and special place. The environment is unlike any other school I have ever been a part of in my career as an educator. In most schools, you have situations where cliques exist and sometimes that occurs when groups of students come from different economic or cultural backgrounds. At St. Louis, we all take care of each other. Everyone is in the same boat as economic times are tough for a lot of people and school is an opportunity to get away from certain struggles in life.” Brock also said, “We have a diverse group of students and in my opinion, this is one of the reasons why we all show respect for one another. I am very proud of the fact that our students can come from different backgrounds and become best friends. St. Louis High School is a great representation of how Americans can live together as one and achieve a lot of success in the process.”
Sometimes stereotypes can sound negative to some people but for SLHS it just shows how people can be different and have others show that it is okay to be different. Students don’t focus on their social status when it comes to making friends at the high school instead they focus on growing their bond with each other and appreciating their differences.
