Romantic relationships in high school affect teens

By Molly Igoe

March 2, 2023

(Albany NY) Romantic relationships in high school differ for each person, but many agree that they affect student mental health, social life, and school work.

Antonia Delaney, CCHS senior, has been in a relationship for two and a half years. She works two jobs and is involved in theater at school. She finds it’s difficult to make time for her relationship and keep a good balance between her boyfriend and her friends.

Delany explained that her relationship has been harder to maintain as she gets older and prepares for college; it has caused stress upon herself and her boyfriend.

Tori Riddick, CCHS junior, has gone through a break-up recently. Some people choose to be sad and cry, but others are angry and decide to physically fight it out.

Riddick explained that she was hurt that her best friend slept with her girlfriend and it has negatively affected her social life and mental health, because her friends choose her girlfriends side.

Payton McGeough-Gamache, CCHS senior, is single and has never been in a relationship. She feels pressured to be in one because of her friends but has witnessed how detrimental a toxic high school relationship can be.

“Just being so close with someone for a year and then losing them, that’s really hard for anyone, I think”, she says.

McGeough-Gamache believes it’s better for her to stay single, especially since she’s going to graduate and go to college in a few months.

Erin Botta, teacher at CCHS, says that she was in a relationship in high school. She says that relationships at this age can be sweet but dramatic.

Botta believes that social media causes a lot of stress and arguments between relationships and she’s glad that she grew up without it. She encourages teens to not let being in a relationship affect their life choices.

“I’m glad that I didn’t allow the fact that my high school boyfriend was staying home, make me decide not to go away”, Botta says.

Botta says that as a teacher she has observed how relationships in high school can be distracting to social work and students may not be able to focus during school.

The students and staff of Colonie High School have differing opinions on relationships in high school based on what they have witnessed and experienced, though there is a shared belief that teens should put and focus on themselves first, no matter their relationship status.