Valentine’s Day always serves as a reminder of past love interests, and some Chamblee teachers look back on their first dates fondly.

Mr. Jesse Hamilton, who teaches 9th-grade social studies and AP Human Geography, had a first date that began a long-lasting relationship.

“I don’t recall my first date, but it was in high school. I dated the same person from my freshman year of high school through college,” said Hamilton.

He and his partner often went out on classic dates: watching movies, eating pizza, and going on picnics. Hamilton’s favorite date ever, which ended with an unwelcome surprise, was with this partner.

“I lived in Ohio, and we took a road trip to Pennsylvania for the day to go to the zoo and have a nice dinner. It was a swell time until my car broke down halfway home. We spent a large part of the evening at an auto shop, but it was our first time handling a major problem on our own without our parents. Relationships can be strengthened through shared adversity like that,” said Hamilton.

Another Chamblee teacher also recalls a bad memory associated with a first date. Dr. Holly Ingram, AP Seminar and AP English Language teacher had a beloved pet die on the night of her first date.

“My first date was Steven Rogers. That night was the first time I’d ever had authentic Greek food. When we got back to my house, I saw my cat dead in the driveway, and that poor, sweet boy had to bury my cat while my mom and I cried hysterically in the garage,” said Ingram.

Ingram’s first date story also contains a classic high-school-movie component: waiting for love.

“Steven waited three years to date me. When he asked me out, I was 14, and my parents were like, ‘hell to the no.’ So he waited, and the day I turned 16, he asked me out again. He was a big baseball boy, and all the girls loved him,” said Ingram.

Ms. Linda Lirette, Chamblee’s chorus, drama, and musical theater teacher, began dating in groups of friends, which she feels took the pressure off the dates and allowed her to think less carefully about how to act and simply be herself.

“My first dates were in groups of friends, which I think is a really good way to go because it takes off some of the pressure and puts the focus more on developing a deeper friendship with someone, which is pretty much what dating starts off being anyway. We would all go to the movies or the mall together,” said Lirette. 

Lirette feels that today’s teenagers experience dating differently than her generation did.

“I feel like teens now have a lot harder a task forming genuine connections with each other because so many wrong and unfair expectations get set so early. But if you can approach dating with kindness and respect for each other, like, ‘Hey this is someone I want to treat well because I like them’ as opposed to like a sport or something to win, I think that’s going to serve everyone better,” said Lirette.

Ms. Sally Stanhope, a 9th-grade social studies and AP Psychology teacher, had a first date with someone she met at a summer program that several current Chamblee students recently applied to.

“I went out with someone I met at the Governor’s Honors Program. On our first date, we went to this restaurant, and then we went and painted pottery. And what’s funny is that for a long time, my litmus test for dates was I’d either take someone to an art museum and judge them or take them to paint pottery and judge them,” said Stanhope.

Hamilton advises current high schoolers to take things slowly with romantic relationships and use high school to discover who they are.

“Some people come into our lives for a moment, others for a season and a few for the duration of our lives. All have their place and purpose. Focus on making yourself the best possible person you can become, and you will attract someone else who has done the same,” said Hamilton.