Cliques, although thought to be a cliché about high school, could very well be a problem that exists on the Granite Bay High School campus currently.

  “I wouldn’t say (campus) is full of cliques, but they definitely do exist,” senior Anderson Marks said. “That’s something that just happens anywhere you go.”

  During lunch or passing periods the campus seems to lack that cliquey atmosphere that is shown in the stereotypical high school movies, but the truth is, there is still a presence of these groups on campus.

  Most people like to keep to their friend group and expand little outside of those people.

  “Most people are scared of meeting new people,” freshman Hunter Bassett said.

  Bassett would rate the cliqueness of GBHS at a seven or eight on a ten point scale.

  “There are so many friend groups that just stick together and are afraid to branch out,” Bassett said.

  However, some students disagree.

  “ I actually don’t consider this school to be that cliquey,” junior Adil Qureshi said. “Personally I’m not a part of any cliques, and I am allowed to hang out with whoever I want to.”

 Both Bassett and Qureshi speak from their own experience at Granite Bay, but there is a difference in age which may be the cause of this problem.

  “People at my age are like ‘I don’t wanna meet new people’ but as they grow up they can start to see that ‘oh if I make new friends than I’ll have more friends for the future,’ because your friend group will change,” Bassett said.

  It is true that often times people leave high school with a different friend group than they started with.

  This change is something lower classmen haven’t experienced yet, which could be the source of cliqueness at that age level.

  “I had a group of friends and it was very cliquey,” Anderson Marks said. “I never felt like I fit in with the clique, so I found a new group senior year to get away from that.”

  As people progress through high school, they are able to navigate and understand the people that they want to surround themselves with.

  Some people however, may not make this progression and remain steadfast to those that they’ve always gone to school with.

  Transitioning into a friend group where the members have all known each other for years can be awkward.

  And although there are some small groups that seem to be exclusive, that isn’t always the case.

   “I have a lot of friends that are always making sure everyone (is) included,” Marks said.

  There are many people on campus that do constantly reach out to check in on people and include other.

  “Most people are really inclusive at this school,” Adil Qureshi said

  However, these interactions can seemingly be superficial and often don’t urge students to progress further than acquaintances.

   “I don’t feel as connected to the students here as I could be. Some people I can relate to but others are too involved with their friend group to expand out towards other people,” Bassett said.

  The lack of connection we have on campus is not due to cliques that have been purposely created to exclude others, but rather a fear of going outside of their comfort zone to meet new people that creates a culture of small friend groups.

  These groups, while not neglecting others, are too fearful of the judgment they may face for branching out.

  “Just go out to meet new people,” Bassett said. “(If people) weren’t scared of what other people think (branching out) wouldn’t be a problem,” Bassett said.