Roaring drums, high-energy screams, the blaring madness and intensity echoes through the stands of another Tahoma Pep assembly, causing some to unite and some to flee. For some, it’s a chance to cheer for their school, a moment to share their pride in with loud noises and bright colors. For others, it’s noise.

Leadership speculators consider a rise in polarization because of Leadership while Leadership members stand their ground.

In Tahoma High School, there are prominent values of character, community, and commitment. These foundational goals that Tahoma attempts to meet tend to rival with opposing forces. Some believe these forces are defined by Leadership kids and non-Leadership kids while others consider that there might be a third force affecting the issue. Others don’t see a problem in Tahoma’s atmosphere at all.

Some students in Tahoma have shown an aversion to those in Leadership. What causes this aversion? Why does the friction rise between those who try to help the environment of Tahoma and who refute the idea? In a society that requires adolescents to attend school, to supply these students with a place they can be comfortable is vital.

No matter the atmosphere, isolation will always be a prolonged problem, but with Tahoma High School there is a possibility to attain some feelings of unity. This concept requires effort from all parties, consideration for others, and the implication that all students deserve to belong here.

Over the course of gauging the climate of the school, it is clear that participating in Leadership and distancing oneself from Leadership dictates a general bias in opinion. Tahoma students with Leadership positions consistently show their passion for the school.

Senior and Leadership member, Kiilee Gerona, advocates for Leadership’s members when explaining their goals. “[Leadership’s goal is] To make everyone feel welcome and feel like that One School atmosphere…Leadership knows that everyone has their own cliques and they’re not saying we need to be one clique, but they’re just hoping everyone feels welcome and has friends at school,”  said Gerona. This goal communicates an understanding that ultimate unity can never be attained in any situation, however, Leadership’s intentions are completely positive and are driven by what is best for the student body.

While there is a substantial support of Leadership from those involved in it, there are also those who question if Tahoma Leadership is actually the face of all Tahoma students.

A junior Leadership member who requested to stay anonymous voiced an opinion on if Leadership represents the student body. “Honestly I don’t think so…because most of the student body sees the Leadership kids as really annoying, really overly peppy. Most of the kids are considered ‘popular kids’ when if we got some outsiders then they could really enlighten how the other half of the school sees us.”

Junior and Ex-Bear Crew member, Lily Knutson, possess a vastly differing opinion, “No… I think they represent the 1%…The ones who are popular, play sports and have good grades.”

Knutson takes on a civil but direct tone when explaining her experience and ideas of leadership representing those with alternative opinions. When addressing the topic Knutson vented, strongly presenting her opinion which was similarly seen in other non-Leadership members.

Junior, Leadership and Bear Crew member, Saxon Piksa supports the Leadership team with confidence, “People can think what they want. We’re doing it to help people be a part of the school. I enjoy it…[We try to make sure] everyone’s happy and there’s no drama…[Our goal is] to promote positivity.”

Piksa holds a firm belief that Leadership intends to do good for the school and create a loving place to come every day.

By communicating this unpopular opinion the controversy is validated from both Leadership members and non-Leadership members giving Tahoma a chance to build new habits. The same anonymous source claims, “I don’t really think anyone feels alone in the school, everyone kinda has a place.” The combination of misconception of Leadership and frustration in all parties cause conflict between students.

The majority of the school population does not have any affiliation with leadership. This propels opinions of non-Leadership students to range from generally neutral to vastly negative. Members of Leadership, however, are a part of the club therefore automatically supporting what they are doing. The element of complexity comes from if Leadership is able to see the school through a normal student’s eyes and if students can do the same for Leadership.

Polarity is a way of separation through the masses. What binds the masses can also split them apart. Although Leadership’s goal is to help they still create a possible gateway to diverge the school. This separation comes from the miscommunication within the community and the tendency for students to complain rather than try to change the situation. This amplifies the way people feel and the further conflict it breeds.

Looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a famous psychological theory of moral development, it dictates that after meeting elementary needs such as health, safety, love and belonging, and esteem then people are able to have self-actualization. Self-actualization is inner peace and motivation to do more than the bare minimum, however, this can only be gained after meeting the previous levels of moral development. Teens in Tahoma and everywhere face obvious adversity at home, at school, and with friends every day. The constant issues that are an unavoidable part of life shows how “life experiences, including divorce and loss of a job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy,” said Sarah McLeod in “Moral Development.” Considering this, it brings an added layer of complexity to the idea of how a student’s moral level can affect their opinion on being a part of the student body leading to the idea that outlook can affect how this comes about and how it perpetuates conflict between peers. In essence, a positive outlook and willingness to show school spirit are more dictated by things outside of school than inside of it.

In the psychology article “Outlook Matters,” Alloway explains that “because the brain responds to negative stimuli quicker and more strongly than positive ones, we are more likely to adopt a pessimistic outlook.” Although optimism is ideal, pessimism is biologically written in the brain causing students to have all the more reason to feel alone and to show anger toward people who make an effort to create just the opposite.

Revisiting the primary goal of Tahoma’s 3 C’s, the way Leadership executes their plan is vital but the amount of effort the school as a whole is willing to put in is the most underestimated aspect of their mission.

Bias is the most unseen, uncontrollable and underrated aspect of how the perception of the world can be skewed. What students fail to see is the potential to rejoice as a true One School community. Isolation, disappointment, and stress are inevitable but this conflict remains due to Tahoma students’ assumptions of others. Ultimately this is a battle created by one’s moral outlook rather than a battle of two polar sides. The obstacle Tahoma students face now is choosing to recognize the different perceptions presented at Tahoma to better understand other people’s attitudes on social segregation.