High school is all about cliques. From the moment you step into the school to the time you graduate, you will be stereotyped into some sort of group.

It seems that it is impossible to avoid, but is it?

At the top of the social ladder are the jocks and cheerleaders and then comes the people thejocks and cheerleaders associate with.

These people are followed by the everyday people, such as the shy people, who do not fit into any other group, and lastly, the “band geeks” and “geniuses” who once out of high school, will probably be the most successful graduates.

Yet, in every set social ladder, there are people that can break the rules.

For some, this seems like a paradox. How is it possible to be a band geek and popular?

Apparently, at Thompson High School, the impossible has now become a possibility.

As I walk down the hallway, on a day-to-day basis, I see very few cliques that do not welcome anyone to join their group.

They encourage more people to come sit with them at lunch, and it is a relief that kindness is a new trait several teenagers are showing. I, myself, have picked up on it.

When sitting at lunch, if there is an open seat, I do not mind meeting a new person and maybe even making a new friend.

Is that not what we should do. The Beatles once said, “All you need is love.” I like to believe that this is a fact and not an opinion.

If the cliques at the school follow the example some groups have been making, our school will be a much better place.

Last week in English, we were discussing bystanders.

For example: 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust, but more than 50 percent of people in Germany were bystanders that did nothing but turn their heads.

Bystanders follow the crowd. Most times this is a negative thing, but if we jumped on the bandwagon for a positive reason, such as being kind to the new kid or respecting a band geek, people would join in and make public schools a better place.

So, let’s all create a better place and get rid of the social ladder.

Let’s enjoy these four years of our life, and most importantly, let’s make sure we show love instead of hate.