We are having the same issues with dd12 at her gifted school. There are still cliques, "popular" girls and girls who want to be popular. DD just went through a difficult time when best friend played a trick on her just to impress the popular girls. I try to talk to her about what is important in a friendship and to help her look for what she wants in a friend but it's difficult. At this point, I'm looking forward to high school and hoping that a larger student population will offer more opportunities for her to find her group. Since dd is quite introverted, negotiating (speaking up) all of this is difficult for her and painful to watch. I keep reminding myself that I can't "solve" these issues for her; I can just try to give navigation tips.
