High school is said to be the best four years of your life, from entering as a freshman and experiencing a new environment, to spending your senior year making the most of every moment. Among the many aspects of high school life are relationships. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the talk around around town is who’s dating whom and what gifts they are buying. Many believe that high school love doesn’t last forever. However, some “can’t help falling in love” and staying in love for the rest of their lives.

Many experts claim that teenagers don’t have the capacity and maturity to fall in love. They reference teenage relationships as “puppy love” due to the focus on physical attraction rather than any emotional connection. So how can one find “love” in high school if they don’t even understand it?

“My husband and I met in high school. He was a transfer student from California. He was trying out for soccer while I was trying out for volleyball. We met in study hall here at St. Dominic. We kind of grew up together and both felt like we had the same interests. It felt right from the beginning. I would say it was definitely love at first sight,” said Ellen Prendergast, mother of senior Erin and sophomore Kyle.

High school sweethearts prove that teenagers can fall in love, as these people met as teenagers and created healthy and beautiful lives together. Mr. and Mrs. Overberg, Mr. and Mrs. Duncan and many more can confirm that it is possible to find your soulmate at a young age.

“My wife and I dated off and on all throughout high school. However, we got married just before we turned 21 and we love each other even more today than we did back then,” said Mr. Duncan.

That being said, high school can contain unnecessary distractions such as the pointless drama, cliques and numerous surface-leveled crushes. Trying to balance a serious relationship with current friendships, school work and extracurricular activities can be challenging. Sometimes, that effort is worth the time when you’ve found the one with whom you plan to spend the rest of your life.

“We dated through high school but made our friends a key priority too. I always tell my nieces and girls that high school friends are for life and it’s important to make sure you both make time for hanging out with girls and guys. Many of our best friends today are our high school friends!” said Juli Rothermich, mother of junior Chloe.

Although society today is different than it was back then, these couples’ relationships still show similarity to their old school love.

“I am still excited for him to come home at night, even today. However, when we had children, things changed. The kids became our priority. He was raised one way and I was raised another. So, compromising on a way to raise kids was hard,” said Prendergast.

“Compared to the past, our relationship is still strong. We are incredibly blessed to have three miracles because we fell in love. Our relationship is strong in faith, family and friends!” said Rothermich.

Every relationship has its hardships and struggles. But when you find the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, the challenges are well worth all the hard times. Although the idea is not widely accepted, finding the love of your life in high school is very possible. With Valentine’s Day approaching, maybe it’s time to embrace the idea of love and set your sights on finding the one.