On Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, White Station High School (WSHS) recognized this year’s 10 National Merit Semi-finalists, sparking excitement and celebrations within the student body. The same week, videos of physical fights between WSHS students circulated across social media triggering, some might say, another form of excitement for students and a new wave of gossip.
WSHS, with its top ranks in many academic and social standards within the district and state, carries high prestige and pride with its name. Many people know WSHS challenges and nurtures the minds of hundreds of students academically, leaving them well-prepared for their future careers and endeavors. With top state-testing scores and a high diversity rate, why isn’t it considered picture-perfect? There is one main reason: the fight culture.
“Five years ago, I know we used to be called “fight station” and “weed station,” so I definitely think fighting has been prevalent in the culture here at White Station,” Robin Guthrie (11) said. “But I do think the academics is a big part of that … and so we have been really good at keeping our academics up.”
“Bright station” is a term that can be used to reflect the academic excellence that has been associated with WSHS for many years. The school has been selected as the number one public high school in the Memphis metropolitan area and is ranked Top 20 in the state for testing scores. Many students are able to excel in standardized tests and end-of-course exams, placing WSHS above the district and state average. With such a high reputation and regard for academics, this topic isn’t taken lightly at WSHS. Many students can agree that every teacher and admin has high expectations for everyone to succeed academically, therefore building a normalized culture of emphasizing academics over extracurriculars and sports.
“We have DE classes [and] AP classes and that makes us look better academically; it gives us a lot of opportunities to get scholarships and it’s really good that our school offers that,” Samaiya Garrett (11) said.
The term “bright station” can be deeply understood and seen from the outside perspectives of other students who attend other high schools. However, internally, many students can agree that fight culture has become even more prominent and popular within the student body. In many hallways, students can hear each other gossiping and saying common phrases such as, “Did you hear what happened in the East Annex today?” and “Oh my gosh, do you have a recording?” creating humor for some students, but seen as repetitive to others.
“I think [WSHS’s fight culture is] associated internally, and I definitely think there are certain people in certain groups that the fight culture is tied to,” Guthrie said. “However, outside of White Station, I don’t think that’s what we are known for.”
A common question that has come into debate is whether or not WSHS’s fight culture is ruining the academic reputation built by decades of prideful Spartans. In today’s society, some could argue that more people tend to see the bad before the good, causing worry within the student body that their reputation for going to WSHS will be tainted by the outcomes of frequent physical outbursts.
“I don’t think that [fight culture] has ruined our academic reputation, but I think it’s made it harder to maintain [WSHS’s academic reputation], cause … nowadays Mr. Ayers has been like locking down on security and metal detectors and all of these procedures,” Guthrie said. “And I think that really limits both the social and academic aspect, because it’s really hard to focus in class if they are making these announcements every so often about getting to class on time and what we can and can’t do.”
With all the titles WSHS has received and its preexisting foundational reputation, many students argue some other schools could see them as a threat academically. Several assumptions and expectations have been placed about the culture at WSHS, some good and some bad. Many stereotypes such as “WSHS kids don’t have a life outside of school” or “everyone at WSHS is a nerd” can be placed by some students from other schools. However, WSHS proves to be more than that, socially and in terms of extracurriculars.
“I think [other schools] see us as maybe uptight or we take our academic program too seriously, and I think that’s a good thing and [other schools] think it’s not cool to learn, but I think it’s pretty cool to learn,” Garrett said.
Many students could also argue that there is internal peer pressure to get into highly recognized programs and to take high-level classes. Some students even argue that getting into a good college or winning near full-ride scholarships feels “socially necessary,” in the sense that as WSHS sends many students off to the top universities in the country, the current seniors must do the same and follow the “tradition.”
“The optional program is like genuinely one of the most competitive environments to the point where it’s unhealthy,” Siddharth Vuppu (11) said. “There’s a lot of competitive people, and then because they are competitive, they are always trying to be better than someone else, so that creates a vicious cycle where everyone is sacrificing their mental health and free time.”
It is no exaggeration that WSHS has one of the highest state testing scores compared to other local schools or even other public high schools in Tennessee. However, some students believe there is a deeper meaning behind why WSHS has some of the highest scores in the first place. Some students could argue there is such a thing as a “smart kid clique.”
“There’s a group of people that carry the academic average at White Station cause there’s like what 2000 people at White Station … and not all 2000 of them are performing [at the average] and that’s just the honest truth,” Vuppu said.
With the addition of a smart kid clique, many expectations are placed on kids with a certain demographic. Some students could argue that the stereotypical smart kid clique is usually only the smart high schoolers who dream of going into an Ivy League one day. Many students say this clique is doing unnecessary things to get into a good school, “try-harding” their way to get into every program. However, if they are carrying WSHS’s test scores and maintaining WSHS’s beneficial academic reputation like some students argue, then what’s the need for the double expectations placed on them?
“They made us academically sound,” Vuppu said. “It’s two sides of an extreme … it’s just like super, super smart kids. I feel like there’s no middle ground at White Station.”
Apparently, WSHS’s administration team does not like to reward the infamous fight culture present nor the consistent streak WSHS is maintaining, which some students find kind of impressive. There have been a good amount of cases this year, especially last year, when the entire school received punishment due to a fight, which occurred between a few students in the courtyard. One of the consequences of this event was no one was allowed to eat lunch in the courtyard anymore. The courtyard was made for a space where students could enjoy the company of their peers and relax in an open environment. However, once this ban was placed, it was thought to be unfair to many students as they were not the ones who got in trouble — it was their peers. Should the consequences of the actions of just 10 students reflect over all 2,000 WSHS students?
“I shouldn’t be banned from the courtyard because some other dudes fought, like I didn’t even know the dudes for real,” Vuppu said.