McNicholas students speak out on dating in high school

According to huffingtonpost.com, 2% of new marriages in North America are comprised of “high school sweethearts,” and 33% of relationships that survived high school continue in long distance college relationships according to nbcnews.com.

By: Spencer Schultz & Keeler Pansing

Dating in high school brings its own issues when it comes to keeping up with a relationship, grades, sports, and other activities students do inside and outside of school.

According to nhhsbeacon.weebly.com, pros to dating in high school include no longer having the dreaded feeling of being alone, having someone who is always supportive and proud of you, and someone to laugh with, cry on, yell at, and to sit and say nothing with. According to the same article, cons to dating include athletics, volunteer work, or a variety of extracurricular activities ranging from music, dance, and drama to the pursuit of outstanding academic achievement.

“Obviously playing a sport puts an effect on my relationship, but not my grades,” senior Cameron Voelker said.

Senior Abby Conatser said she has found it easy to maintain a relationship with senior Atticus Block and be focused on school and scheduled activities at the same time.

“I don’t think dating affects my grades that much. If anything it’s nice to always have someone to ask homework questions. Even with a busy schedule during the school year, we make time to hang out and go on dates such as dinner and Ault Park,” Conatser said.

Dating in high school could affect much more than the cons such as time spent with your friends while being in a relationship. According to thoughtcatalog.com, people who are in a relationship lose their friends from spending too much time in their relationship, which causes their friends to lose the desire to hang out with and care for them.

Sophomore Georgia Cheek doesn’t find it hard to maintain friendships and sports while being in a relationship.

“Playing a sport helps my relationship because it gives us opportunities to go and cheer each other on, and gives us something to talk about. My boyfriend and I hang out with the same group of people, so it’s easy to balance our relationship and friendships,” Cheek said.

“Dating isn’t as complicated as many people think if you prevent the conflicts that could come up. Yes, being in a relationship cuts into some of the time I would be spending with friends, but I manage my time well by having a separate girlfriend, friends, and homework day on the weekends. I’ve been in a relationship for 11 months now, and I haven’t run into many problems,” junior Michael Lang said.

“I think if you find someone who you enjoy being with, it’s a good thing,” Conatser said.