Whether it’s through an unbreakable bond with your Netflix account, the companionship of your homies, or the satisfying presence of a furry pet, everyone has their own way of forming relationships that make getting through the day a little bit more enjoyable.

Every now and then, romantic relationships spark between students spawning boyfriends, girlfriend or even a casual “thing” amongst two people developing the presence of a “relationship culture” at our school.

“I would say the relationship culture at our school is fairly normal,” junior Sarah Marcus said. “People normally don’t call their relationship dating, but have exclusive relationships with people. People go and do things, or just hang out, but never call it dating until later in the relationship, when they realize that a label won’t make a difference.”

Senior Maya Tellez said that the presence of relationships has increased exponentially this year. However, despite the surge of couples, PDA is relatively subtle.

“I think it’s an issue for certain couples, not to name any names, but I don’t think public displays of affection are a problem at our school for the most part,” Tellez said.

While Marcus and Tellez believe that couples are relatively common at Piedmont, College Preparatory School (CPS) senior Julia Fraenkel said that the relationship norm at her school differs from that of Piedmont.

“Couples aren’t very common at my school,” Fraenkel said. “Since my school is so small, there are not only lower chances of finding a significant other, but there’s also the possibility of making a social dynamic very awkward once they breakup.”

While Fraenkel admits that couples are not predominant at CPS, she said that there still are at least three couples in each grade, and most are very public in terms of public displays of affection.

“The PDA between couples is more on the cuddling than romantic side,” Fraenkel said. “The couples at my school come off kind of like a coed best friendship that lasts very long.”

Sophomore Olivier Suter-Ternynck has been dating sophomore Maddie Copeland for a year and five months and believes that his relationship is a well-balanced mix of romance and a really close friendship.

So far, Suter-Ternynck has not noticed any negatives that come along with being in a relationship wit Copeland.

“I think being in a relationship with Maddie has been a positive influence on my life, high school and otherwise,” Suter-Ternynck said. “She motivates me to do what I love and is a great person.”

Seniors Natalie Phillips and Will Brown are representative of a long lasting Piedmont relationship, still going strong after three and a half years.

Phillips likes that she was able to start dating Brown at a younger age because it enabled her to have a very typical, shy dating experience.

“Many of the relationships I’ve seen, especially as high school progresses, start with hooking up,” Phillips said. “I think that is a totally valid way to start a relationship, but it’s definitely different from classic dating. I liked being asked out and going to a movie and hoping he’d put his arm around me.”

Spending all of her high school experience in a relationship, Philips believes that she would not be the same person without Will.

On an individual level, Phillips said that this relationship has made her not only more perceptive and confident, but has taught her to compromise and communicate in a very serious way.

However, Phillips acknowledges that there are some limitations with being in a long-term relationship.

“It’s pretty crazy to go through high school, which is typically a very self-centered time, caring about another individual so much and really sharing your life with that person, and I think it’ll affect the kind of person I am forever,” Phillips said. “It is hard to have a deep, long-term relationship that feels very real while having to deal with the realities of high school, living with your parents, doing homework every night, and being, truly, a child.”

In addition, Brown and Phillips feel that it is difficult knowing in the back of their minds that their relationship has an expiration date. Phillips said that being in a relationship has the capability to hold you back from some experiences and the fun egotism of being a teenager.

“But it feels amazing to truly love someone and feel loved, and that stability, and Will, have helped me so much with growing up and becoming a person I’m proud of,” Phillips said.