5,000 People 1 Culture

This week we talked about different cultures and their norms and mores and aspects of that culture.  I always thougth stevenson was unquic but i wouldnt have considered it its own culture.  Yet when we took a closer look the things we find "normal" are only normal to stevenson and not to other highschools. Our materials, mores, folkways, language, symbols and values were distinct to Stevenson.  The more examples i thought of the more it seemed that Stevenson was a culture that united 5000 very different students and teachers. Some examples of material culture would be our club tshirts, freshman backpack, green and gold spirit wear.  There are also certian mores at stevenson such as Parking on the line, messing with little pats. These things are seen as bad and unacceptable and will have big consiqunces at stevenson.  Some less severe things (folkways) are walking on the patriot, walking slow in the halways, being late to class.  These folkways wouldnt make sense to an outsider thus making them part of stevenson's culture.  The most unquic thing about our culture is the language we use. Certian slang would leave another highschooler clueless. THese are the patriot, the point, PAC, RC, FMP, LOP, 2400, second day of the week, BOSS. Some universal stevenson symbols would be the purple pass meaning a deans pass. Red symbolizing the freshman and the patriot as our mascot.  We have very high values at stevenson to get good grades and take AP classes and be involed in everything possible.  As a strict highschool we do still have a moral hoilday. This meaning an event were it is ok to break the norm and the more is ok.  This is senior ditch day. It is reconized that the day after prom as a senior you will most likely skip school and hangout with your friends.  Skipping school is usually very frowned upon at Stevenson but for this one day it is less sevrer for a senior to skip school.  It would be very interesting for another highschool student to come to stevenson and see its culture and compare if it is anything like the other school they went too. I bet there would be overlap in values and mores. However the symbols and language is unquic to us and gives us something common to talk and think about at this huge highschool.