Breaking the Status Quo this School Year

What is normal anyway?
The question, “Am I normal?” has probably crossed your mind more than once, the same is true for many teens. Normalcy, in the dictionary, is defined as “conforming to the usual customs”, which then brings up another question: What are '‘usual customs’'? We live in such a diverse community that accepts all sorts of cultures, customs and attitudes. For teenagers, though, we act like we have it all figured out.

Variety is the spice of life..
In a way, media shapes what is normal and what is not, and we acquire it through what we see on TV, read in magazines or books, or simply what we observe. Normalcy, as we know it, is fitting in. Being able to ‘look normal’ clearly changes with time, but doesn’t every teenager want to fit in just a little bit? Blend in with the crowd instead of being the laughing stock of the entire school? In high school, there’s always the group that students refer to as “the weird group” or “that group”, which I guess doesn’t fit in with the rest of us ‘normal’ kids. If normal is looking like everyone else, acting like everyone else and doing the same stuff as everyone else, then what kind of fun is that? Wouldn’t you want to stand out and be a leader and a role model for the rest of the student body?

How will you strive to be different this year?
Being ‘different’ is something teens like to say that they embrace, when the reality is, is that they aren’t anything but normal. It’s the different people that succeed in life. The actresses, comedians, singers, writers and politicians. They are the ones that have ideas they make known to the rest of the world, and try to stand up to make a difference. So why does this school year have to be the same as always? Join a new club, sign up for the school newspaper or run for school president – step up, be different and make a difference. It makes you think, maybe stepping out of the status quo a little bit might not be as bad as some people make it out to be.