First day of school. 10:35 a.m. The race to secure a cafeteria table begins.  

9th graders flock towards the area around the Grab-and-Go. 10th graders populate the next rows of tables. 11th graders sit closer to the desired spot. 12th graders finally made it to the front, but everybody knows who will be sitting at the tall tables.

There is an unwritten, yet well-known rule when it comes to who sits where in the MSHS cafeteria, as explained by 11th grader Daniel Lorenzen.“Seniors have the priority, but within them, it’s normally the most popular and predominant groups that get to sit up there.”

He added that this popularity is something that changes over the years.

“Popularity originates in part, from beauty, but also, it has to do with your social skills and social life inside and outside of school.

“For boys, popularity originates from the ones that were part of the ‘repre’ at an early age, with a few exceptions.”

Senior Andrea Nader challenged this idea. “Popularity stems from mothers, who group their daughters based on their friends,” she commented. “Popularity doesn’t impact who gets to sit on the tall tables, the group who gets there first wins it,” she added.

A common observation shared by teachers who are new to ASFM is the fact that students always sit with the same people throughout their middle and high school years. “What surprised me the most is that you guys all got along even though you got your own group of friends. I thought everyone was friendly towards each other and knew who everyone was. Where I’m from there is a lot more animosity,” stated Mr. Aguilar, Philosophy and Modern World History Teacher.

The unspoken rule of who gets to sit in the high tables has certainly been in effect since they were added to the cafeteria four years ago. From a very young age, we define the popular kids by the best dressed, the best athletes, and the ones with the most friends. Being popular is neither good nor bad, but the real concern is whether ASFM students will let a social hierarchy define their seating arrangements next year.