Emily Clark
A face glistening with sweat, wind-blown hair, and a football jersey are all things that reminds Clark of the boy who asked her to her senior prom. Your first thought may be, “what a heartthrob”; but, Mrs. Clark found it anything but romantic, since the asking took place in the middle of football practice, as she was diligently working as a one of the football team’s trainers.
High school has changed drastically over the past few decades, with the practice of high school dating being no exception. Clark feels that technology has played a huge impact on dating, because instead of going out on dates, couples will just message or call each other instead of interacting face to face.
Places to go for a date haven’t changed too much. Clark remembers living near Newport Beach, which was a common place that she and her friends would go to for group dates. However, group dates are definitely not as common as they were when she was in high school. Nowadays, many more high school students have their own cars so group dates are becoming less popular.
Clark had many of the same high school dances that we currently have, along with Winter Formal and a Yearbook Signing dance, nonetheless what happened before and during the dance has changed drastically. The way students ask each other out to dances now is far more romantic and elaborate than how Clark ever remembered it being done. Back when she went to school, flowers were pretty much all students used, while now, creative planning such as surprising them at their house or asking them out with a musical entourage are all ways that students pop the big question. Also, during her time, Clark says that the students never had to wear a wristband because inappropriate acts such as “freak dancing” rarely occurred.
She thinks students should be allowed to be in a relationship in high school because she feels that relationships can benefit the couple by teaching them “how to navigate emotional entanglements and how to express themselves.” She also feels that in high school, students should be mature enough to learn and contribute to a healthy relationship.
Her advice to high school couples is to “be honest both with yourself and with your partner, be respectful both of yourself and your partner, [and] small courtesies go a long a way.”
Daniel Roubian
We are often consumed with material wealth, so it is no surprise that what we enjoy doing often reflect that worldly mind. However, Roubian recalls that in his high school days, dates didn’t always have to carry such a high price tag.
Restaurants and movies were classic date spots when Roubian was in high school, as well as “cruise” locations, which were ideal spots to “cruise” on a car. Students were able to enjoy their surroundings, such as pedestrians, their friends, or nice cars while slowly driving around a street.
The biggest difference Roubian sees with dating would be the stages of it. He finds it extremely hard to differentiate between each stage, such as “talking” or “seeing each other.” Whether it’s the beginning of a relationship or the end of one, everything muddles together now.
The impact of technology on a relationship has found both a positive and a negative place in Roubian’s heart. Positive in the sense that it can help to start a relationship by communicating online, but negative in that breaking up in an email or a text builds no character and just allows people an easy way out.
Roubian also feels that Diamond Bar High School parents are much more strict with dating than parents from his day. However he finds that a positive thing. Aside from family views, Roubian finds the cultural background of the student to also have a large impact on dating.
With all of that said, Roubian feels that students should be allowed to have a relationship in high school if they deal with it as a “high school relationship.” Couples who think of each other as “their one and only” could very possibly “hurt [their] grades and the person can drift away from close friends.” So what lesson have we learned today? We have learned that Justin Bieber’s lyric, “And girl you’re my one love, my one heart. My one life for sure” holds no ground.
