“Why fit in when you can stand out?” They've told you this your whole life. But whose responsibility is it to find out where you fit in, yours? Or your peers? The teenage years are all about trying not to stand out and making an equally intense effort to fit in with the "crowd." You use more energy trying to “fit in,” instead of spending all your energy on being who you really are. A group of friends is supposed to have things in common, but it's difficult when everyone makes up a fake personality. It is the responsibility of the student body to make sure everyone has a place where they can fit in and be themselves. People spend their whole lives trying to “fit in,” while the people who “stand out” are the ones who become something. Think about it, how many times have you watched a child eat alone and instead of asking him to join you, you ignore him and pretend that's how things work. Over the years you hear it from older siblings and in the media they say the number one tip for surviving high school is this: don't stand out, adapt and you'll make it. But this is not always true, when you adapt you are betraying yourself. You'll never know what you can accomplish. There's always that voice in your head that says, "What will people think of me? Will they think I'm weird?" As the article “Girls Bullying” points out, “These acts may include spreading rumors, secret disclosure, alliance building, backstabbing, ignorance, exclusion from social groups and activities, verbal abuse, and body language” (“Girls Bullying Girls; an introduction to relational aggression”). In high school, to avoid feeling ridiculed, most people walk on eggshells, just stay under the radar, so no one talks bad about… middle of paper… body,” (Beth Greenfield). School could easily set an example for the children of the school and those of the whole country. Instead they decided to demonstrate that people do not like what is different and have difficulty accepting it. Everyone deserves to find their place in school and in life adolescence are all about trying not to stand out and trying equally hard to fit in with the "crowd." You use more energy trying to "fit in," instead of spending all your energy on being who you really are friends have things in common, but it's hard when everyone makes up a fake personality. It's the student body's responsibility to make sure everyone has a place where they can fit in and be themselves. So, next time you see a child eating alone, invite them over to sit with you. You never know he could become your best friend.