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Cliques at TMS


 Somewhere out there, everyone gets along. No one is judgmental, and there are no superficial social groups.
 Unfortunately, that isn’t the case at Tuckahoe or any other school for that matter. Not everyone gets along. There are certain judgmental people who aren’t as accepting of differences as others are. If you were to ask a student about this, I’m sure this occurs more than he or she would care to admit. Despite the fact that TMS is a great school, it still has a very “cliquey” social atmosphere.
 Whenever most students have extra time, they like to socialize with their friends. What bothers me is that they segregate themselves so much. There are the “preps” and the “skaters”, as well as the “jocks” and “tweeners,” who are in-between cliques. Of course, there are many others, but these are just a few examples. Naturally, there are also people that “lead” the groups.
 Cliques aren’t wrong, but they aren’t necessarily right, either. Think about when teachers put students in groups for a project. In most cases, there is that one kid who everyone shies away from. This is when cliques become hurtful and bad. Cliques make people’s social status more obvious. Cliques can hurt people’s feelings, and they can lower a person’s self-esteem. Basically, cliques are shallow.
Although cliques aren’t the greatest things in the world, we unfortunately cannot do much about them. Cliques have always been a part of life, and they probably will be for a long time. Cliques are only bad when certain superficial people make too much of them. They are just a small piece of our whole society, but we have to deal with them.
 The Constitution states that all men are created equal. Our generation most likely will not live to see the day when this statement relates to today’s society.

Patriot Pacers Become Running Rebels


by Michael E. and Declan G.

 Here’s something you probably don’t know- any Tuckahoe 8th grader can try out for a Freemen JV team if the sport isn’t offered at Tuckahoe.  One of these sports is cross-country running, whose season ended at the beginning of November.  The runners from Tuckahoe were Matt A., Matt F., Chief J., Ashley H., Mary Kate DeS., Anna M., and Declan G.  Practice for the team was every weekday and some Saturdays for two hours.  This definitely paid off for the girls, who won the regionals and came in second in the state. Helping the team win the regionals were Declan G., with  fourth place and Ashley Hogge with thirteenth place.  “There was a lot of team spirit, and the meets were a lot of fun,” said Declan.  The season consisted of fifteen meets, and lasted three months.  Practice for the team started in the late summer.  In the regular season, the girls JV team was undefeated.  “I thought being an 8th grader, I wouldn’t fit in on a high school team; but everybody was really friendly,” Declan stated.
 The boys’ team lost many top runners this year, so Coach Harvey wasn’t expecting them to do very well.  Surprisingly, they did better than he anticipated.  Former Tuckahoe student Graham Kearney was Freeman’s top boys’ runner.  Freeman’s cross country boys’ team was fifth in the district.  They were one place away from going to the state competition.  Among the other sports that Tuckahoe 8th graders can play for Freeman are indoor track and volleyball.