Forming relationships and finding that special someone is a normal part of any high school career, but some people doubt it’s worth the potential trouble it brings.

“I think it’s a good thing,” senior Sierra Moore said. “It gives you experience before you go off into the real world. It also helps you understand how relationships work so you don’t mess up a relationship with someone important. I don’t even know what I want in a guy, but that’s part of why I’m dating. I want to figure out what I want.”

Moore isn’t the only student using their years in high school as preparation for the real world.

“High school is a time to experiment and find yourself in everything, especially dating. It’s better than figuring things out when you get a job or career,” junior Todd Brooks said.

This sentiment was shared by many other students who thought dating in high school is important.

“It’s like a right of passage,” senior Sara Michaels said. “Everyone dates in high school and it’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a thing.”

However, there are many students who argue that dating in high school could meddle with grades.

“There’s no problem with dating in high school as long as it doesn’t interfere with your schoolwork,” said sophomore Blair McCeaver. “When you get older, do you really want to look back at your life and be mad that you didn’t get a scholarship or whatever because you were more concerned about someone you don’t even remember dating than your grades?”

While McCeaver believes that it’s possible to find a balance between the two, sophomore Lucy Mallors thinks it should be avoided all together.

“It’s not like it lasts anyways,” Mallors said. “Nothing ever comes from high school romances. It’s just a distraction.”

Senior Melody Rammussen believes that the biggest distraction with dating stems from breakups.

“I personally don’t think dating in high school is worth the distraction,” Rammussen said. “I mean, it’s not the actual dating part that is distracting. It’s the breakup. If you really like the person that breaks up with you, you’ll be heartbroken and it would be distracting. And if it’s a bad breakup, you’ll be more concerned about that and lose track of your schoolwork. Besides, I want a guy who is smart and confident and actually a good person, and I can’t find many of those in high school. Maybe I’d feel differently if I found someone that was nice and cute and funny, but I doubt that would happen.”

Although freshman Danny Simmons hasn’t found his high school sweetheart yet, he’s witnessed it first hand.

“My aunt and uncle are high school sweethearts, and they have three kids. It doesn’t happen all the time, but sometimes you’re lucky enough to find the person you love in high school. If they hadn’t dated in high school, there’s a good chance my cousins wouldn’t exist right now. It’s just a matter of putting yourself out there,” Simmons said.

Despite all this, students feel like dating just adds complexity.

“Dating is just a complicated thing, too complicated for high schoolers,” said junior Lorna Partridge. “You have to balance school, work, and home. Why would you complicate all that by trying to balance a relationship on top of it?”

Ultimately the decision lies with the person seeking a relationship.

“I don’t think it should matter if you date in high school or not,” junior Liam Meyers said. “If you find someone you like, cool, go ahead and date them. If you don’t find anyone you’d like to date, that’s cool too. Just keep up with your obligations, and it shouldn’t matter.”