In her most recent column, Ani talks about cliques. Here is a basic summary of her column (in her own literary style). There were cliques at my high school. There are still cliques in schools. Some kids form cliques because they like cars. Boys take "girl" classes. High school continues to be a place where kids find themselves.
Thats it. No, honestly, I don't think I missed anything. Do you see a point? I enjoy reading columnists who contribute something - have some interesting thoughts. Not that the GNP has great columnists (heck, there is one dedicated to grammar - but then again, that does seem to be something people enjoy)... but, Ani is seen as "the other Armenian columnist." There are two - Patrick and Ani. Patrick writes things of substance. Ani writes nothing. But the GNP sees her as a voice of the Armenians. Puh-lease!!!
Clear out Ani - keep her as a journalist if you'd like but find a new "token Armenian columnist" who can contribute something more worthwhile. Ani's stories hurt my head.
WRITING THE RIGHT:
The more things change ...
Times have changed since I was in high school more than 10 years ago. Almost every student was part of a clique, as is the case today, and the cliques were defined by the character, personality and appearance of the individuals who belonged to them.
During lunchtime, everybody would quickly get together with their clique and there would be no mingling, if any, among the groups on campus.
Back when I attended Crescenta Valley High School, you had the soshes, the Goths, jocks, hashers, skaters and the thespians, just to name a few.
These cliques would meet and greet at the same location every day, as if they had marked territories that belonged only to them. No one ever crossed any boundaries and, for the most part, everyone kept the peace.
There were the occasional after-school fights between students of different ethnic groups, but even that got to the point where everyone overcame the shock of kids fighting because of their cultural differences.
At Hoover High School, I met with an Armenian-American student who informed me that there is a clique consisting of Armenian boys who drive Honda cars with VTEC engines.
The boys are, naturally, referred to as VTECs, students band together all in the name of their vehicles and mutual love and understanding of their VTEC engines. When I was in high school, students drove around, but didn't really care about the engines. There were certainly no cliques designated for the car engine enthusiasts.
Another clique that seems to have become more common on high school campuses is the performing arts clique. Next to the thespians, this group consists of the dancers and choreographers who come together in support of the arts. This clique is comprised predominantly of girls with at least one boy interested in their cause.
But the bigger change is that it is becoming more common and acceptable among students to cross gender lines for activities and classes.
For example, more boys are taking the traditional "girl classes," such as cooking and child development. In my time, boys felt threatened in taking these classes because they didn't want to be stigmatized and subjected to mockery from their friends.
This may still be the case today, but the male students who take classes that are unconventional for their gender have more confidence and support from their peers.
High school was and is a place where kids find themselves. And while kids will always be kids, it is fascinating to watch the evolution over time.
ANI AMIRKHANIAN is a news assistant. She may be reached at (818) 637-3230 or by e-mail at ani.amirkhanianlatimes.com.
1 comment:
You actually read what she has to say?
I tried to once. I haven't tried since.
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