Here at RHS our slogan is “Better Together” but many students and teachers feel that the slogan doesn’t accurately represent Ross this school year.  

In high school, there is often an imaginary line created between teenagers that separates kids involved in various interests. What many fail to consider are the students who either fall in the middle or choose to stay unassociated. All perspectives of the situation fear one another equally for something that stands untrue. 

Sophomore Jenna Boyd stated, ”The middle group is where there’s that set of people that are not considered popular but aren’t considered nerdy or weird either there’s that group in the middle that doesn’t know which way to go.  Personally I am a middle person and I think it’s harder to fit in with either group because you want to try and fit in but there’s something about you that makes you different than that group.”

Ross is a big athletic school but many do not see the academic accomplishments or the other groups that make up the school. In a school survey of 19 students, 10 stated that athletes are what mainly cause the division. 

Junior and student athlete Dylan Hammons stated, “I personally feel that athletes can be put on a pedal-stool at times. This causes some fights between the opposing sides. It’s just because athletes are looked upon differently than students involved in fine arts.”

The past school year division has been brought on heavily because of the pandemic. Division has always been present within schools, but Ross does a great job trying to unify everyone.

In the survey 12 students suggested that gaining normalcy next year such as the Herd, pep rallies, and Homecoming that the division in the high school would change significantly. 

In any high school cliques are created, and usually it is with people they are around the most. Which creates the fine arts, athletics and the middle division. Ross puts in the effort of creating events that would unify these three groups as a whole. 

The administration can only push so much on the students. It’s ultimately up to the students to choose whether or not they unite together. 

Sophomore and performer Emma Johnson stated, “The choir programs do a good job at creating a unified space, but I do feel somewhat intimidated by athletes and their groups. I usually just move out of the way because I do not want to get on their bad side.”

Division is never going to get better until we as students take a step out of our comfort zone and make an attempt to meet new people outside our normal “cliches”. So go speak to new people. Sit with new people at lunch. Join a new club. Our staff here at RHS has done a great job at giving us opportunities to stay “Better Together” despite the pandemic. Now it is up to us, the students.