How do you know they are “the one”? Staying with the person you began dating in high school sounds like something that only happens in sappy rom-coms. While this incident may seem rare, it isn’t impossible. According to Brandon Gaille Marketing, “only two percent of marriages are from a high school relationship.” Hormones are so high at a young age and change as you get older so meeting someone when you’re a teen feels like such a fairytale. Could this affect whether or not your relationship was made to last? We interviewed three couples; one that is married (dating since high school), one in college (dating since high school), and one that is in high school (dating throughout). They gave us insight into the struggles and future plans of their relationship. 

The first couple, Mrs. and Mr. Stolarski are happily married and have been dating for 34 years! In their teens, they knew they wanted to stay together and get married in the future.  Mrs. Stolarski’s piece of advice is, “I would recommend dating other people for sure, but definitely go back to that person if it feels right. There is nothing wrong with staying with the person you started dating when you were young if you are sure that person is someone you always want to be with.” Going separate ways doesn’t always mean it’s “the end.” It might mean that someday you might find each other again after you’ve both had time to grow and experience different aspects of life. A statistic from Brandon Gaille Marketing says, “high school sweethearts who wait until around the age of 25 have a greater chance of success by 78 percent.” With that, waiting might be the secret to success in these relationships.

Pennridge High School alumni Maddie Stolarski and David Schlotter have been dating since their senior year of high school, for 3.5 years now. Their relationship started as close friends and that bond still remains today. It’s normal to have some doubts about the relationship as Maddie said, “we have considered breaking up for the exact reason of us being so young, and for both of us, this is the only real relationship we have ever been in.” The breakup never happened. Maddie and David left high school knowing that they wanted to be in each other’s lives and college didn’t change that for them. Keeping good communication, having respect for each other, and ensuring you are best friends first are big key points for David and Maddie’s relationship. 

Lastly, our current high school sweethearts at Pennridge, Stephanie Gredone and Christian Beck, have been dating for 3.5 years. The couple has received doubts and hate regarding their relationship with Steph even saying, “a lot of people think it is stupid being in such a long-term relationship at this age.” This doesn’t stop the couple. They are now seniors getting ready to take flight on their next journey in life: college. Stephanie and Christian are both going to college in Philadelphia to stay close to one another. Stephanie said, “We want to go through our next chapter of life together. I am going to Temple and Christian is going to Drexel. We have stuck through high school a lot together and we believe that our relationship can transform even more. We know we can grow as people together.” As long as you have the right recipe for love, you can make it work.