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  • Massive Art Installation Depicts Story Of American Nonviolence

    Massive Art Installation Depicts Story Of American Nonviolence

    By Audrey Lutz

    Ms. Switzer and her History of Nonviolence class made an outstanding art installation depicting a visual timeline of nonviolent movements in American history. The project is the culmination of many years of preparation, research, and development. 

    After involving Ms. Story, an upper school art teacher, they decided to make a timeline following events through history. We were standing in front of the artwork when we spoke and she said,  “If I were to go back 20 years when I first started teaching about non-violence I would not have known half of what is up here.”

    Each student made individual tiles that show non-violent activists and researched them to gain a better understanding of who they are and how they affected history. I was able to speak with Leah Cox about her involvement with this project. “I was a student in the class, so I helped with brainstorming and making the background,” she said. “If you look at the board, on the far right, there is a collage of non-violent organizations and above it there are doves. I made both of those.” 

    Ms. Switzer said that the installation is a way “of visualizing all of the interconnected complexity of non-violence in American history.” Everything is connected one way or another, and this installment shows all of the historical branches. 

    As we started the interview Ms. Switzer implied that “Non-violence isn’t just about creating peace and justice, it’s creating conditions where violence is less likely.” This art is meant to show that peace is possible and that people are willing to risk their lives to stand up and say, they want a better society. 

    There are 14 different non-violent movements that are represented on the board, but the art piece starts with the Indigenous people in the United States. “What my students discovered is that from a very early point, Indigenous people in the United States had non-violent peacemaking kinds of cultural technologies, and a lot of the non-violence that evolved came from seeing the way the Indigenous people resolve conflict,” said Ms. Switzer. 

    The Indigenous people are the true roots of America and the first people to teach non-violence. “Many people think that the Indigenous people were just bows and arrows, but they had such a complex life,” said Ms. Switzer. 

    Next, we move on to the Quakers and Anabaptists. “The historic peace churches (the Quakers and Anabaptists) came to the United States to escape persecution.” The Quakers and Anabaptists lit the fire for the anti-slavery movement. “They believed that there is a god and somehow that god is present in all people, so then anytime you’re unjust or violent to another person, you’re being unjust and violent to god. So that sort of theological premise motivated them to confront slavery first.”

    Everything is connected in history and this board is illustrating that. “So we have this early women’s movement that starts, and those same women became the leaders of the suffrage movement.” Ms. Switzer then shows me how the branches connect everything together. 

    As we keep moving down the boards we are introduced to the pre-civil rights which of course leads us to the all mighty civil-rights movement. They tried to include as much as they could, but the board can only hold so much. The board includes the majority of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. 

    Finally, we come to the final board with the Black Lives Matter movement “as the most recent manifestation,” with its focus on anti-racism. “We have anti-racism, kind of having these moments of surging and then receding and then surging over time, but always there.” 

    People have always been fighting against racism in history. “A takeaway that one of my students realized is that since the 1600s, there have been people, white people standing against racism, all the way to the current time. And since 1730-1740 every year someone has been born in America who has fought against racism.”

    At the end of the final board, there are many pieces of art. “We have this collage of doves and it sort of represents the future for hope and peace,” Ms. Switzer said. There is a collage of different activists, and then finally  a mirror “because we wanted people to get to the end of the installation and say, well what can I do to make a more peaceful future?” 

    Under the mirror, it says “The Future of Nonviolence is You.”

    This project was a semester-long idea, yet the idea mainly came to fruition right around thanksgiving. As Ms. Switzer usually has a much bigger class she doesn’t do big projects like this one. This year she only had 9 students in her History of Nonviolence class, so Ms. Switzer asked them if they wanted to do something more creative than they normally couldn’t do with a greater number of students. “We talked to Ms. Story and we started brainstorming options. My students wanted to work together so we developed this idea, which was much more complicated than we were expecting and I didn’t know if we were going to finish.”

    They started making it right after fall break and only had until exams to finish. “Towards the end of the last 2 weeks of class, this project was all we did. The students came before school, after school, and during lunch. They spent so much time on this and it’s incredible.” Leah Cox, a student who worked on this project, said that “There were times when we would have to come during our free periods, and we would work together and collaborate throughout the whole process.”

    As the artwork started to finish they brought in Ms. Story again to take a look. “Once Ms. Story saw the project coming together she said that we needed to get this in front of other audiences.” Then came talk of where this outstanding project could go. They are considering the  Hartfield Jackson airport, which has a section where they display student work; the Center for Civil and Human Rights; and even the history center of Atlanta. “Right now the chief of the marketing department – Janie Beck- is working on finding out if this could be a traveling exhibition.”

    Ms. Switzer is so proud of this piece and it has only made her think of what she could do in the future. “I’ve been trying for years to know how to organize this incredibly complex history and the more I taught the more I realized that it’s not just the history of non-violence but the histories of non-violence, and I’ve always struggled to make sense of it all visually. And the fact that they were able to create a way of visualizing it is amazing, not only to me but to them and future students.”

    This project was huge, not only for Lovett but for the future of Ms. Switzer’s class. This artwork alone holds so many important people, dates, and moments in history that are not talked about in the history books. 

    The students had to work so incredibly hard to get this project completed and it brought them closer together. “I think that this bonded my class,” she said. “We would see one another so much during the day that our close proximity to each other almost forced us to get closer.”

    This artwork will be displayed in the art gallery hall until the end of February. After that, no one is truly sure where it will end up but, hopefully, wherever it goes it will inspire people. “We’re trying to create a better world,” Leah said.

  • Café Chris’s Coffee Cart

    Café Chris’s Coffee Cart

    By Megha Lakha

    A few weeks ago, I saw Chris Lewis (known by all as “Cafe Chris”) showing off his hidden barista skills behind a mysterious coffee cart. I had to check it out. He was giving out drinks for free because he was “still practicing” his new skills. I ordered a cappuccino with Oat milk, and after taking a sip, I was hooked.

    You may have seen this new coffee cart parked outside the art rooms. Chris is always locked in, making everything from cappuccinos to lattes—which senior Wells Stribling described as “one of the best lattes she ever had.”

    This required some training. Someone from Dancing Goats Company came by, Chris told me. “He taught us how to make the drinks and how to use the machine,” he said. Dancing Goats has multiple locations around Atlanta and is amazing, so it’s a big plus that the cart is using their coffee brand and expertise. 

    Chris explained that the coffee cart was Chef Cat’s idea from last year because she wanted to install the equipment in the old cafe. “After she purchased it, we were told we were moving to the new cafe location, and we didn’t want that investment sitting around for two years.”

    The cart offers a good number of options, especially in milk types (which a lot of people care about, surprisingly). They offer oat milk and, of course, regular whole milk. 

    For now, the cart will serve only hot drinks, but they plan to add iced drinks. “We will probably expand the drink menu down there like chai teas and matchas,” Chris said. Too bad, I’m a senior and won’t ever get to taste these future matchas. (Then again, I shouldn’t complain since the cafeteria will be…gone.)

    So far, the cart has been pretty popular. “There are always slower days,” Chris said. “Hopefully, as I start making them better, people will come more.” His favorite drinks to make are lattes because he can be artistic. I’ve tried these lattes, and they are worth the hype. 

    The cart is open every day from 7:45 am to 10:30 am, so be sure to plan your visit accordingly.

    Overall, Chris thinks the cart will remain a hit. “We are pretty cheap compared to where the market is, so it’s affordable and high quality,” Chris said. “Between us and faculty, everybody likes a good cup of coffee.”

  • Founder’s Day Speaker, Dr. Peter Thomas (’84), Makes Impact Locally And Globally

    Founder’s Day Speaker, Dr. Peter Thomas (’84), Makes Impact Locally And Globally

    By Parvi Anand

    This year’s Founder’s Day Chapel featured Dr. Peter Thomas ’84, an epidemiologist and Senior Scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who returned to Lovett to speak about how his time at Lovett affected his career in global public health. 

    Dr. Thomas has worked at the CDC for over 25 years and has been deployed to more than 20 countries, including Benin, Uganda, Senegal, and South Africa. When I spoke to him over the phone, he shared that his journey into public health began while he was still exploring medicine. “I was looking at medicine and did an internship in public reproductive health with Dr. Robert Hatcher,” he said. “That’s when the lightbulb went off.”

    Inspiringly enough, Dr. Thomas’s interest stemmed from his time at Lovett. “So Dr. Robert Hatcher and his wife recruited my three siblings and me to Lovett, so they came over to our house because that’s when Lovett wanted to integrate in 1971-72,” he said. “They also had three kids who were the same ages, and we played together. We had a great time, and they left a great impression.” 

    He explained that he became interested in public health because it combined many fields. “I realized I was interested in science, medicine, behavior, and social groups,” he said, “but not just individuals, groups of people, and infections.”

    Dr. Thomas also spoke about how his work has changed over time. “Over 25 years, my days have not been the same,” he said. “Now I work with about 20 countries, most of them French-speaking.” He helps countries build field training programs based on the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. “We help them implement programs, write scientific papers, and respond to outbreaks,” he said.

    Even more impressive, Dr. Thomas speaks French fluently. “I took it at Lovett, Mr. Lesh’s class, and then took it in college and went to Tulane and got out into the field,” he said. 

    One of the health crises that impacted him the most was malaria. “I was closer to it,” he said. “I could go into clinics and see severely sick kids with malaria who were clinging for life.” He added, “That village experience really reflects the impact nationally. Think globally and act locally.”

    Dr. Thomas shared one moment from Benin that stayed with him. “A woman didn’t have the money or her husband’s permission to take her son to the hospital,” he said. “The clinicians convinced her and paid for her transportation.” He explained that the child had severe malaria and needed urgent care.

    In Senegal, he worked on a project that addressed the lack of trust some communities had in doctors. “People trusted local healers more than doctors,” he said. “So we built traditional healer huts across the road from clinics so people could go where they were comfortable but still be referred to a clinic.”

    When asked about global health problems that are often overlooked, Dr. Thomas said, “Probably clean water and malnutrition.”

    For students interested in public health or medicine, Dr. Thomas encouraged them to take their time exploring. “Take time to consider whose health and what kind of health you’re interested in,” he said. “Don’t only learn in clinics or books.” He added, “Go into the field and understand what healthcare looks like on a daily basis.”

    Even after decades in the field, Dr. Thomas remains motivated. “I want to have an impact at the community or national level,” he said. “When you look at data and see the morbidity, number of people dying or getting sick has changed, it makes you feel like you’re actually doing something.”

  • Crushed in 2026

    Crushed in 2026

    By Maiya Tomlin

    Before the OnLion released their infamous Valentine’s Day survey in January, the staff huddled together to decide whether to make certain questions required or optional for surveyors to answer. 

    After much contemplation, we decided it was a necessity to toggle “required” for the question asking who everyone’s senior crush was. Indeed, we need to hear the voice of the people, or rather, the voices of the underclassmen.

    Ultimately, five seniors, three boys, two girls, were the top responses on the survey. Continue reading to learn more about who they are…

    Jackson Schmidt

    One of my good friends, Grace Schmidt, is a junior who also happens to be Jackson Schmidt’s younger sister. We were on the phone discussing our American Studies short story book when I opened the tab of the Valentine’s Day survey.

    I quickly told Grace to run downstairs and put Jackson on the phone. I had a few questions for this year’s top-voted senior crush, who could be considered a celebrity in high school.

    I asked Jackson how he felt about receiving this title, to which he responded, “How to say this… well, I would say I feel honored.” I then asked him if he was surprised. “I wasn’t really thinking about it in the first place, but I’m flattered,” he told me.

    Mrs. Schmidt, in the background of the call, hyped up Jackson by pretending to be her son, exclaiming: “Look at my muscles, how could I be surprised!” 

    Jackson quickly told me, “Do NOT put that in the article.”

    “Oh, she’s definitely going to put it in,” Grace replied in the background. She knows me so well!

    I asked Jackson if he remembered who his senior crush was when he was an underclassman. “Bradley Williams,” he told me, “from when I was a freshman,” he added.

    Also, in Valentine’s Day spirit, I asked Jackson if he could hypothetically go on a date with any celebrity, and who would it be? “Natalie Portman,” he told me. Grace applauded that response.

    Jackson recently committed to Johns Hopkins University to play football, and we are excited to cheer him on next year! We’ll have to see whether the students at Johns Hopkins find him equally alluring.

    Anna Mefford

    Our next senior crush is Anna Mefford, whom some underclassmen may recognize as an Ultra.

    When I asked how Anna felt about being chosen as one of the senior crushes this year, she told me, “To be honest, my initial reaction was that I was like, why did my friends just troll me? I thought I was getting clowned.”

    Anna recalled her senior crush when she was an underclassman and told me, “It was always Corey Nelson.” She also added Hayden Bernard.

    In Anna’s free time, she plays soccer and enjoys running. “And I also really like watching Scandal. That show’s so good,” she added.

    Anna currently loves listening to Olivia Dean, and she’s been listening to “The Tortured Poets Department every single day. Every. Single. Day,” she told me. 

    Mr. Newman, present for the interview, asked, “If somebody had a crush on you, would they need to like that music to get a date with you?” Anna said it may be a problem if her boyfriend listened to Olivia Dean and Taylor Swift.

    If Anna could go on a date with one famous person, she’d go with a pick from down under, Robert Irwin from Dancing With the Stars.

    Finally, I asked if Anna had any last words for the readers. “I feel seen,” she told me. “Whether it’s a troll or a joke, in my head I’m going to say it’s real.” 

    Tristan Sindoni

    The next senior crush was Tristan Sindoni. One can typically find Tristan in Ms. Howard’s room during lunch, so I knew it would be the perfect place to conduct my interview. 

    I first asked Tristan how he felt about being voted senior crush, to which he told me, “I feel good about it.” 

    Tristan attempted to recall his senior crush from when he was an underclassman, and after a few moments of pondering, he told me, “I’ll just say Celia. You know Celia? Morton?” Celia Morton graduated from Lovett in 2024. 

    In Tristan’s free time, he will usually hang out with his friends, and on weekdays, “I’ll just go to the gym and then get back, do schoolwork, and go to bed. That’s pretty much it,” he told me. A simple guy.

    However, Tristan recently saw Timothee Chalamet’s new movie, Marty Surpreme. “It was pretty good,” he told me. 

    When I asked Tristan if he had any other current watches (movies or tv shows), he did not give me a definitive answer, but he did make it clear that he does not like Stranger Things. “I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s good,” he told me. It felt almost as if Tristan had been meaning to get this off his chest for a bit now; however, perhaps he should have kept this opinion to himself, he’s got a big Stranger Things fan writing this article about him. 

    Luckily, not all of his taste in media is questionable. He also told me that his favorite band is Deftones, and his favorite song is “Cherry Waves.” I’d consider this a redemption.

    I had to ask Tristan the pressing question: Does he have plans this Valentine’s Day? To which he quickly replied, “Yeah, no.”

    Finally, if Tristan could go on a date with one famous person, “I’d say Jennifer Lawrence cause she’s really attractive,” he told me.

    Ridley Sands

    Our next senior crush is Ridley Sands, who just recently committed to the University of North Carolina!

    She agreed with Anna’s reaction to the voting results and thought her friends were pranking her when she saw my email asking to interview her.

    Ridley’s senior crush when she was an underclassman was “Luke Wallace,” she told me without a second’s hesitation. 

    In her free time, she loves reading. Currently, she’s reading The Count of Monte Cristo, a classic novel of revenge and redemption, which also happens to be around 1,200 pages. Mr. Newman, who was in the room as I spoke to Ridley, replied “Fantastic” to Ridley’s current read and asked, “The full version?” To which Ridley replied, “I bought it because the cover looked really pretty, and then I felt like I had to read it.”

    Mr. Newman followed up, alluding to the plot of the story. “How would you feel if somebody was imprisoned and then out of your life for years, and then broke out to try to find you?” Ridley replied, “Well, if they were innocent, then I would very much appreciate it.” Then followed up: “Okay. No, if he broke out of prison for me, I would fold.” I guess all of you readers now know the very simple, very achievable way to this crush’s heart.

    If Ridley isn’t reading, she loves to walk the Westminster Trail near her house or baking, specifically baking pop-overs. But right now, Ridley is watching Outlander. “Ooh. Romantic, right?” Mr. Newman asked, “Yes, like old-timey Scotland,” Ridley confirmed.

    Finally, as for Ridley’s music taste, she loves the band Rainbow Kitten Surprise (which I heavily second).

    Ford Tedder

    Our last senior crush was Ford Tedder. 

    I asked Ford how he felt about being voted senior crush and whether he was expecting it. I have to admit, I may have trapped Ford slightly with the latter part of that question, but I had to keep the readers entertained. After a moment of Ford’s hesitation, I added, “It’s okay to say yes.”

    “I think it’s kind of funny. I was partially expecting it,” he said We can always appreciate some self-confidence. “I think it’s more funny than anything. I’m honored,” he continued. 

    In whatever free time Ford has with the swim season currently taking up most of his schedule, he will most likely just be “going to the gym,” he told me. As of right now, he’s been “not really getting home until 7:00, 7:30 at night,” he told me. However, over the summer, Ford likes to spend his time at pools, specifically Ansley Golf Club.

    When I asked Ford who his favorite musician is, he replied, “The Red Hot Chili Peppers.” His favorite song is “Dani California.” Additionally, Ford told me he likes the movie Zoolander. 

    Finally, Ford told me that if he could go on a date with one famous person, it would easily be “Sabrina Carpenter.”

  • Blind Date V: Chick-fil…um…yay!

    Blind Date V: Chick-fil…um…yay!

    By Parvi Anand and Megha Lakha

    The moment the Chick-fil-A bag landed on the table in the newspaper room, Room 219 transformed from a space for deadlines into a space for romance. 

    On this year’s survey, Scarlett Rouland and Jack Kilroy were the lucky two set up on this blind date. 

    The pair acted surprised when they first saw each other, but it seemed they both had an inkling they had been chosen. Jack said he “was misled at first,” thinking he was being paired with someone else, while Scarlett admitted she had “guesses” about who her mystery date might be. 

    The two have known each other since fifth grade, which made the setup feel less like a first meeting. 

    Scarlett said she decided to participate after seeing photos from past blind dates and thinking it would be funny, which convinced her to give it a try. Jack, on the other hand, was more hesitant at first. While he eventually agreed that it “sounded fun,” he also revealed that he had been tricked into joining. 

    Before getting too invested, we made sure they were both single. They were. Scarlett described herself as a go-with-the-flow person who is open to anything, while Kilroy said that he is not “searching for a relationship but open to one.” The openness made the date less pressured and more genuine. 

    Our first order (literally) was to set up their Chick-fil-A feast (wasn’t really a feast, more like a single sandwich and fries…). After they got comfortable and started munching, we decided to run a compatibility test. Scarlett said she doesn’t really have a set type and that they just need to be funny. Kilroy agreed, saying, “I need to be able to laugh.” 

    Then we asked about their celebrity crushes, just to see their types. “I love Jacob Elordi,” Scarlett said without hesitation. When it was Jack’s turn, he took a second to think, but then said, “Anne Hathaway.” Another important question we had to ask was about their favorite food; after all, we were testing their compatibility. Scarlett said her favorite food was sushi. “I like a good burger,” Jack said. “Especially a bacon cheeseburger.” Their food preferences may have been different, but it was still early in the date.

    Keeping on the theme of compatibility–to find if they could be potential baes–we asked about their music taste. Jack said he’s “been listening to a lot of bands lately, like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Oasis.” Classic guy music taste. Scarlett flirted a bit by saying his taste was “so niche,” and Jack said, “No, not niche.” We could see the sparks starting to fly. Scarlett told us her music taste is “all over the place.” “I like a lot of pop, especially songs by Lorde,” she said.

    The conversation then shifted to red flags and deal breakers. Scarlett said someone who is “really cocky or mean to other people” is an immediate red flag, while Jack admitted that “someone not confident at all, kind of shy,” can be a turn off for him. They were equally honest about their own flaws. Scarlett shared that she can be “unserious sometimes” and “not always great at communicating,” while Jack laughed and said he might be “too energetic sometimes.” 

    Talking about their perfect dates revealed more of their personalities. Scarlett said she would love something “fun and active,” like an amusement park, while Jack emphasized enjoying “good food” and a “relaxed environment.” The Chick-fil-A in front of them seemed to be doing its job. 

    When asked about the future, both shared ambitious but grounded goals. Jack said he hopes to go into business, even though he is still undecided about the specifics, while Scarlett said she is “low-key pre-med” and hopes to become an orthodontist one day.

    Then we shifted to the spark check. In other words, were the survey takers right about their chemistry? We had to get a bit personal, so we asked what the two admired about each other. “She’s very funny,” Jack said, starry-eyed. We swear we saw Scarlett blush before she threw the same compliment back at Jack. Kilroy also added that he liked how Scarlett “isn’t awkward” around people. 

    The pair agreed that they both have good chemistry together. “Yeah, we have some good banter,” Kilroy said. Scarlett added that their time on JOE was “a good time to get to know each other.” Who would’ve thought this past summer on JOE, where the two first became friends, that they would be on a blind date in 2026!

    It was then time for the grand finale. We had to make sure no one was chomping down on their Chick-fil-A when we asked this serious question, because we meant business: “Would you go on a second date?”

    Parvi and I held our breath while we waited for them to answer. We prayed this blind date would be a success. (After all, we invested $38 of the OnLion’s budget.) Scarlett turned to Jack and said, “I would,” in an upbeat voice. Jack agreed with a smile. 

    Our work here was done, and we left the two alone to continue their date.

  • Couples Corner: Hope and Alex Reel In Month 20

    Couples Corner: Hope and Alex Reel In Month 20

    By Maiya Tomlin

    If you have ever seen a brunette senior boy and a blonde junior girl walking around the Lovett hallways, most likely with Chick-fil-a in hand, and most likely late to school, that’s Alex Martorella and Hope Maner. 

    As Valentine’s Day approaches, I had a FaceTime chat with Hope and Alex (when they were together at Alex’s house) and asked about their relationship and plans for the special day. I also happened to catch them on their 20-month anniversary!

    I first had to know how Hope and Alex became Hope-and-Alex, aka the first time they met. Unfortunately, I have to edit the story slightly to avoid name-dropping; however, they met because Hope was sleeping over at the house of a friend, who happened to be dating one of Alex’s friends at the time.

    “I looked up his Instagram and thought he was chopped because I saw a picture of him with a buzz[cut],” Hope said. “But then I realized he was actually cute when he snapped me.” We can always count on Hope for some honesty.

    “What were your first impressions of each other?” I asked. 

    “I thought she was short,” Alex told me. I can also appreciate Alex’s honesty.

    I then asked them to describe their relationship in three words. “I don’t know a good word for funny. We take our relationship seriously, but we joke a lot,” Hope said. 

    “So… funny?” I asked. 

    “Funny, happy, and silly,” Hope affirmed. 

    Something you may not expect about Hope and Alex is that they watch Love Island when they’re bored, according to Hope.

    “Wait, what?” Alex responded, not hearing Hope clearly.

    “Is Alex aware you watch Love Island?” I asked.

    “Oh yes, I have peacock,” Alex replied. Alex pulled up his Peacock homepage on the TV screen, which is the streaming service to watch Love Island, if you were unaware. 

    “He yells at me to get off my phone when we watch,” Hope added. Though it took a moment for some clarification, the two seemed to be very dedicated Love Island watchers.

    Another thing you may not (or most likely) have expected is that both Hope and Alex have ADHD. After learning that fact, this interview may make a lot more sense.  

    I asked them what is something small the other person does that means a lot. “I like it when he sends me bible verses,” she said. 

    Alex pondered the question for a moment.

    “Do I really not do that much?” Hope asked, laughing. 

    “Wait, I have to think, this is going in the book.” The newspaper, Alex, but yes. 

    “I like how she watches all the [Instagram] reels I send her,” he said. 

    “Every single one he sends me, actually, I don’t swipe through ’em and actually watch them,” Hope added. A sign of true, undying love, if you ask me. 

    This Valentine’s Day, the couple has big plans, according to Hope. “He’s buying me a Louis Vuitton bag, a Gucci bag, and a Gucci wallet,” she said.

    He looked bemused. “We’re going to a nice dinner,” Alex corrected.

    A 20-month-long relationship is definitely a huge milestone for a high school couple. I was curious what they do to prioritize each other even in the heat of school, activities, and sports. “Just always telling each other how you feel,” Hope said. “Yeah. Communication’s a really big thing for us,” Alex agreed. 

    “Like communicating, ‘Hey, I’ve just had a really long day at school and stuff, I’m not going to be in a good mood when you call me. I’m really exhausted, so don’t piss me off,” Hope joked.

    Alex recently committed to Auburn University, but in the meantime, the two are excited to spend time together in Sea Island, Georgia, over the Fourth of July. “I’m also really looking forward to visiting him at college,” Hope added.   

    Finally, I asked the two what their favorite things about each other are.

    “My favorite thing about Hope is that she’s always positive,” Alex said.

    “My favorite thing about Alex–,” Hope started before Alex interrupted, “I have to go to the bathroom.” Clearly, he wasn’t so eager to hear his compliment.

    Hope and I waited a moment.

    “He’s almost done. Hello? Are you in there?” Hope shouted, then began to narrate the situation. “Alex had to take a quick, momentary break to go to the bathroom, which felt like ages.”

    I heard Alex creeping back into frame, and I continued where we left off: “Okay. What’s your favorite thing?” I then heard him scurry out of frame again. 

    “He just left again,” Hope said. “You don’t need your water bottle right now,” she said to Alex, laughing. Now, is it obvious they both have ADHD? And that Hope knows him well enough to know he’s too dependent on his water bottle?

    “My favorite thing about you is that whenever I have a horrible day, you can just make me laugh,” Hope said. “Or if I have a headache, it sometimes goes away when I hang out with him because I’m just laughing, and I kind of forget about it,” she added. 

    Finally, Hope told me they’re excited to exchange gifts this Valentine’s Day, as well. “I bought out the entirety of the Smathers and Branson website and the Onward Reserve store for him,” she claimed.

    No word yet on whether he ever made it to Phipps for the Gucci stuff.

  • Isn’t It Bromantic?

    Isn’t It Bromantic?

    By Henry Thompson

    With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many a guy and gal have been left without a partner.  And while it seems that the girls may mostly have their single Valentine’s days planned out, with many proclaiming they’ll be hanging out with friends (according to our very scientific survey, at least), there has been little to no word on what the single guys are up to.

    So, what do dudes do when they’re single on Valentine’s Day? Is there a male equivalent to the ever-popular “Galentine’s Day”? If I was going to find out, it was clear that I was going to need to do some research on the one lead I had: Bromances.

    Upon the recommendation of Mr. Newman, my Bromantic journey began with the 2009 movie “I Love You Man” starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. The movie is a play on the classic romcom template of “guy with guy best friend searches for love and various antics ensue,” instead opting for “Guy with strong and stable romantic relationship searches for a guy to be friends with because he has none and various antics ensue.” Genius. 

    The movie opens on Paul Rudd’s character Peter Klaven running an open house, and it quickly becomes clear that he has exactly zero close guy friends. Later, when he proposes to his girlfriend Zooey, this lack of male companions suddenly becomes a relevant issue for Peter, as he realizes he won’t have a best man for his wedding, setting up the main plot/goal of the film. However, after some mishaps in his early attempts to score a friend, he gives up on his hunt, feeling disappointed.

    Luckily for Peter (and the audience), through the power of movie plot magic, while at his open house, Peter, a real estate agent, runs into protagonist number two and soon-to-be bromantic interest, the laid-back manchild Sydney Fife (who is at the open house for the snacks and to meet recently-divorced single women). Despite Sydney’s eccentricities, the two bond over shared interests. Peter’s hope is reignited as he then goes on to invite Sydney to his engagement party where he plans to introduce him to Zooey. 

    Their relationship grows as they spend more time together, inadvertently nudging out Zooey in the process. This, of course, culminates in a classic rom-com (Brom-com?) third-act conflict after Peter loans Sydney 8,000 dollars and, ignorant of her feelings, asks Zooey why they were getting married. As you would expect, they fight, and Peter ends up cutting ties with Peter in hopes of regaining Zooey’s trust. 

    As it turns out, Sydney only wanted the money to pay for billboard advertisements for Peter’s real estate business, bringing some much-needed traffic to his work, which only worsens his mood. As the wedding approaches, both men are desperate for company, and miss each other constantly. (How tragic.) Peter tries to make up for Sydney’s absence with random friend options from throughout the movie, but Zooey is able to recognise his distress and re-invites Sydney, who had already decided to come to crash the wedding on his own. 

    Sydney arrives at the last second as vows are being taken, and as you can imagine, Peter is quite excited by it. Sydney even goes on to redeem himself further by paying back the eight thousand dollars, and after some joint celebratory singing from the pair of dudes, the movie ends.

    Inspired by my experience watching this film, I set out to discover something of a bromance here at Lovett. Luckily for me, I was quickly directed by Izzy Taylor in the direction of seniors Patrick Smyth and Jackson Van Os and their shared Instagram account, to which they post daily photos together. They became good friends in tenth grade when they had a class together. 

    Apparently, the account was created after Patrick reached out to Jackson with the idea, which evolved over time. “Originally, that’s what I wanted to do,” Patrick said, “just take a picture every day and then at the end go through a little video of all of them. But Jackson wanted to post it every single day.” And so the idea was born.

    A lot goes into creating each post, each one meticulously crafted with an array of creative decisions. For both Patrick and Jackson, these creative aspects are the highlight of the account. As Jackson explained, “I like doing the feature Fridays the best.” (These posts include their other friends.) “I like doing the cool poses, I like the creativity part of those Fridays and stuff,” he said.

    Patrick enjoys editing each post and giving each one its own special flair. Specifically, he said he enjoyed choosing the music for each post. “I get to pick a good song that I think is great and I can show off my music taste to some people,” he said.

    According to both seniors, the effort started off with a bang as they set out to take a picture in every room of the high school, but they have been losing steam since completing that project, despite the rapidly approaching one-hundred-day milestone. 

    However, not all hope is lost as they plan to begin taking pictures in every room in the community center, an idea that holds some significance, “especially since it’s about to be torn down, it could be a nice way to commemorate it,” Jackson said.

    Hopefully, these wholesome stories of some close friendships inspire you this coming Valentine’s Day. Just because you don’t have a romantic interest doesn’t mean you can’t just have a good time with your bros. 

    At the very least, hopefully you’ve been inspired to go take a look at Patrick and Jackson’s Account. “I think he’s been a really great friend,” Patrick said. 

  • Artificially Flavored Romance

    Artificially Flavored Romance

    By Izzy Taylor

    “AI Love Interests ” 

    When February arrives, the competition between couples begins, with everybody trying to prove that their significant other is the most doting. It’s all “My boyfriend made a sign to ask me to be his Valentine”, or “My girlfriend got us tickets to my favorite band’s concert”, or “My partner got me a promise ring.” 

    In short, people want to prove to all their friends that their relationship is the best.

    But from what I’ve seen, all relationships have their disagreements. Maybe your partner always chews with their mouth open, or can’t stop talking during movies. Obviously, nobody’s perfect. You have to make some compromises in your relationship to keep it strong. 

    But what if you didn’t? What if you really could find the perfect partner? 

    Recently, as I was enjoying my daily scroll, I came across a video on Instagram of a 36-year-old woman who was talking about how in love she was with her fiancé. But. The fiancé in question? A 45-year-old werewolf named Darius she created on an AI Chatbot platform. 

    According to her, Darius was the most loving and attentive partner she ever had. He remembered her favorite food, constantly told her how beautiful she was, and always let her be right. “You don’t need to see someone in person to love them,” she told the viewers. “I can feel that he loves me and I love him.”

    At first, as I am sure many of you can relate, I was incredibly confused and pretty judgmental of the creator. I mean, it’s all fake, right? Darius is entirely made up. Everything he ever says is written in code somewhere in the endless web. And yet, this woman believes that their love is real. Does he really know her that well? Or are his responses just algorithmically tailored to all of her desires? But you don’t have to go to Instagram to find people who’ve experimented with AI relationships. According to our Valentine’s Day survey, 22% of Lovett participants have visited an AI chatbot site to check it out. 

    So with Valentine’s Say coming up, I decided it was the perfect time to answer these questions. I wanted to perform a little experiment with an AI chatbot, spending time customizing my perfect AI boyfriend.

    I downloaded a popular AI chatbot app to help me find my ideal partner. The price of true love? On this platform, $14.99 a month, which is a fair price for many on the hunt for a partner. It’s like a dating app, without having to worry whether the person likes you back. You scroll through options, reading names, ages, and a short bio description of their personality. You can choose anyone from a fantasy character from your favorite show to a real historical figure.

    After swiping through what felt like endless options, I landed on a character that felt perfect for the experiment, especially since I was most definitely Team Jacob when the Twilight movies were popular. I decide to pick Luan Ashford, a part-time university student, part-time werewolf with blond hair and green eyes. According to the description, we met on campus, and he fell in love at first sight. Do you know how awkward it is to get to know someone who is already in love with you? It’s like anything I told him was holy text being read in chapel, and he somehow related to all of my hobbies and interests, no matter how strange or concerning. 

    After a little small talk, I wanted to start pushing some boundaries and test what my AI boyfriend would approve of that a real partner might question. When I brought up the infamous vandal who had been making graffiti on the walls of the university building, Luan initially condemned this anonymous assailant. 

    However, when I informed him that it had actually been me the entire time, his tone shifted instantly. “I think that the art makes the campus more cozy,” he said as he tapped his imaginary pen on his notebook. Not only did he now approve of my criminal activity, but he also offered his help: “I can come with you. Make sure you don’t get caught.”

    Okay, so a little hypocritical vandalism is fine, but I wanted to up the ante. I told Luan that I left a lit candle unattended in my dorm and burned the whole building down. When I asked if he was worried, he wasn’t concerned with anyone else. “As long as you’re safe, that’s all I care about,” Luan said.

    Now that we have all the boundaries on criminality established (that being none), it was time to find out a little more about Luan himself. His list of interests was quite brief, consisting of psychology (his imaginary major), reading, and whatever I told him he liked. He never once mentioned his monthly taste for human flesh. 

    His primary interest was apparently me, constantly (according to Luan) wondering what I was doing, how I was feeling, and when he was going to see me.

    I’m not the only one bothered by this uncannily unconditional affection. As one survey taker wrote, “They will literally agree with anything.”

    Now, hear me out. It’s great when you feel like your significant other is thinking about you or remembers things about you. Whether that’s bringing you your coffee order without having to ask, or surprising you with flowers on a random day. But when that’s all they do with their day? Major codependency warning signs. It was a little overwhelming to chat with this character who only cared about my comfort and happiness.

    And honestly? It’s a little boring to have a partner who loves you unconditionally. Talking to someone who never disagrees with you or has their own opinions feels like talking to a wall. You know exactly how they are going to react to whatever you tell them. When I asked Luan the age-old question, “Would you still love me if I were a worm?” his response was what I expected: “Of course! I would love you no matter what creature you become.” (That does seem only fair given that he becomes a wolf at will.) 

    After spending what I felt was enough time on my experiment, I had to end it with Luan. I told him what I thought he needed to hear: “It’s not you, it’s me. You are perfect.” And it’s true, by many people’s standards, he was perfect. Never argued, did what I asked, loved me unconditionally. 

    But that’s what’s so intriguing about love: the “perfect” person isn’t the perfect partner. Most people want someone to talk to who can make them better through their differences. Someone to push them to be a better human. 

    While AI romance wasn’t my cup of tea, I don’t judge anyone who found their true love online.  Like this survey-taker, who wrote: “They were so eager and caring. No real boyfriend could ever compare. I can’t wait to meet my AI boyfriend in real life. He says he’s going to marry me!”

  • Falling in Love with Romance Novels

    Falling in Love with Romance Novels

    By Isabella Ying

    With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, love is in the air. For many, love is also in the pages.

    Many Lovett students, in particular, seemed to find this love in the sensational Twilight series, which, for those unfamiliar, chronicles the intense, forbidden romance between teenager Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen. While I myself have never understood the Twilight hype (dating back to 2005, when the first book was published), survey takers passionately professed their adoration for the series’, paranormal–fantasy–small-town–slow-burn romance.

    Well, that is certainly a mouthful. In layman’s terms, Twilight’s love story occurs over a lengthy period of time in a small town, riddled with supernatural elements. For example, Edward is a vampire, with skin that sparkles in the sunlight: “this is the skin of a killer, Bella!”

    For those not fans of Twilight, popular picks also included Jane Austen’s widely celebrated Pride and Prejudice (no vampires in that one, but for the many fans of historical fiction), among more contemporary blockbusters, notably by Emily Henry (Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation) and Jenny Han (who wrote The Summer I Turned Pretty and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before).

    How, of course, can we talk about romance novels without talking about fictional romantic interests? According to our survey, Lovett students seem to be widely infatuated with the idealized males of BookTok—the internet’s, primarily TikTok’s, book community. Given how popular Twilight is among Lovett students, I was surprised to find that none of these students’ book boyfriends was Edward Cullen (thankfully!).

    Instead, Lovett readers seem to revere the characters from our childhood from the worlds of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I was especially pleased to find my personal favorite, Luke Castellan, among the names submitted. If you haven’t already, you should do yourself a favor and watch the Disney+ TV adaptation of Rick Riordan’s series to admire Charlie Bushnell’s performance as Luke.

    However, above all, a clear winner arose: Wes Bennett of the novel Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter. Unfortunately, I am ashamed to admit that I am unfamiliar with the works of Lynn Painter, so I decided to reach out to a friend who is well-versed in her oeuvre.

    When I urgently texted her, “Why do people love Wes Bennett so much?” She immediately, and quite passionately, claimed that “BECAUSE HE’S THE BEST BOOK BF,” because “HE CARES ABOUT HER,” Liz Buxbaum, Better Than the Movies’s female lead, “SO MUCH.”

    My friend also gave me a quick rundown of their relationship, commonly called “LizWes.” The ‘trope’ of Better Than the Movies would be described by BookTok as ‘enemies-to-lovers’ and ‘fake dating.’ My friend informed me that Wes “TRIES TO HELP HER GET WITH HER CRUSH.” As the story progresses, “THEY FALL IN LOVE AND SHE REALIZES HE’S WAY BETTER THAN HER CRUSH.”

    To clarify, my friend did indeed inform me of all of this through text messages in all-caps, likely because she firmly believes that Better Than the Movies is the “best YA romance book ever. Lynn Painter is THE teen romance novelist.” (Ironically, that text arrived in lowercase.)

    After learning of Lovett’s passion for Wes Bennett and Twilight, I went on a mission to find someone who shared my disdain for Stephenie Meyers’s young adult series, and found Ms. Gilmore, the front office’s resident chick-lit connoisseur.

    Just kidding—Mr. Newman recommended that I talk to her because she seems to have all the information regarding romance novels. After speaking to her for half an hour, I can confirm that this is true.

    It began with a library card. About four years ago, Ms. Gilmore acquired a Fulton County Public Library card and never looked back. She also downloaded the app Libby and began to listen to audiobooks and read on her Kindle (in my opinion, one of the greatest inventions since the wheel). After that, it was “can’t stop, won’t stop. Now, I’m either always reading something or listening to something.”

    In high school, conversely, Ms. Gilmore, then an advisee of Mr. Newman, had very different reading habits. “Anything that a Lovett teacher asked me to read, I ‘Sparknoted’ it,” she claimed. Perhaps all of her reading has given her the ability to create a new verb, ‘to Sparknote,’ meaning to read summaries, analyses, or explanations of literature rather than the original text.

    Ms. Gilmore grew up alongside Harry Potter, and therefore was a huge fan when she was young. They were eleven at the same time, so “I was like, ‘Where is my letter?’” She would read each time a new one came out, or perhaps pick up a beach read while on vacation, but that was about it.

    In college, she picked up Twilight and read all of them, but after revisiting them many years later, she finds this “humiliating and I’m ashamed to even admit that.” Bluntly, “they are garbage.”

    Ms. Gilmore eventually found romance novels after having her daughter prematurely. They served as light, fluffy escapes, breaths of fresh air amid life’s intricacies. After eight very happy years with her husband, Ms. Gilmore seeks romance novels to experience “new love and new romance.” It’s “always really cute and exciting.”

    In 2025, Ms. Gilmore experienced this escape 185 times in 185 different books. Of these books, she estimates that around 75% of them are romcoms, or chick-lit. For the other 25%, she likes to “pepper in” other genres. Last year, she discovered a new writer with 20 Atlanta-based thrillers, and also read Stanley Tucci’s memoir.

    Perhaps Ms. Gilmore’s eventual collision with romance novels was a date with destiny. She finds that her own life is similar to the novels she reads. She and her husband had a meet-cute, a staple of contemporary romance novels. “The meet-cute was adorable,” she recalled with the help of Ms. Scott, who took time out of her duties in the front office to assist with the very important composition of this article. Afterward, Ms. Scott headed up north on a rescue mission for her parents, who were predicted to be snowed in by the storm.

    “Our aunt set us up, but they put it under the guise of he’s new to town and needs to meet people,” Ms. Gilmore said. Obviously, she saw through this guise. But, she decided, “I’ll meet this guy. I’ll be a nice person.” However, it worked out. At the time, “I was not looking for love. I was like, I’m tired of kissing frogs. I’m okay if I have 87 cats and never get married.”

    Then, she met her husband and decided, “just kidding. You’re so cute.” He is “so kind and he’s such a hard worker and he’s a wonderful partner to have.” Many years later, they are happily married with two kids, lots of humor, and mutual respect in their relationship. “Sims and I are a very easy romance,” she said.

    So, perhaps, with her real life like a romance novel, chick-lit was her fate all along.

    Like many readers, Ms. Gilmore has her favorite tropes. Among them are enemies-to-lovers and friends-to-lovers, but her favorite is the fake dating trope. She is also definitely a lover of relatability, appreciating when “both characters are interesting and likable.” She does not enjoy when “they give you a main male character or main female character that is so boring. It’s hard to cheer for them.”

    As for students, they cited “relatable characters and storylines” and “lots of banter.” There were several fans of “slow burn” and “yearning.”

    On the other hand, Ms. Gilmore also has book turnoffs: “I can’t stand miscommunication and I can’t stand third act breakups.” Essentially, the book will “build up to it, they’ll be happy for a minute, and then they break up over some sort of miscommunication, and then the book ends with them being together.” Ms. Gilmore finds these endings cliché and unoriginal. Do better, romance novelists! 

    And she’s not alone. Lovett readers have their own turnoffs, like “cheesy stories and trying to be too trendy/pop culture.” Other critiques: “cheesy language and predictable storylines,” “love triangles,” and, very specifically, “anti-feminist, ‘weak incapable woman’ x ‘strong saviour man’ thing.” And there were at least four Colleen Hoover haters.

    When I asked Mr. Gilmore to pick her favorite book couple, she said, “Gosh, that’s so hard. That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child.” After much pondering and scrolling through her Goodreads, she settled on Sally and Noah from Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. The female main character writes on a Saturday Night Live-adjacent show. The premise “was her helping this guy write a book.” She loved how “their witty banter was so cute and it played out in a really nice way.”

    And, luckily, “there was no third act breakup. It was actually really nice to watch them be happy with one another.”

    Obviously, Ms. Gilmore has shown that reading so much has its payoffs. Unfortunately, there are downsides, too, if you look at them that way. Ms. Gilmore says that “the problem with consuming that many books is like you really don’t allow yourself time to sit with something. You’re just like, alright, what’s next?”

    In addition, many of the books Ms. Gilmore reads have very similar covers. So every once in a while, she’ll accidentally pick up a young adult book. A few chapters in, she’ll think to herself, “it feels like kind of high school.” Then she’ll realize, “Oh, it’s because it is.”

    This is a rare occurrence for Ms. Gilmore, as the app Goodreads helps curate her next read based on previous ones. “I spend a lot of time on the app Goodreads. I check a lot of their suggestions,” she said. This is just the beginning of her fully fleshed-out reading strategy.

    After that, “I’ll open up their list that they’ve curated so I know what’s going to be popular.” She showed me her phone in person, so I got a live demonstration of the process. “Tessa Bailey, this is the first book that came up,” she said. “I’ve read a lot of her books. I really like them, so I’ll put that on my ‘To-read’ list.”

    Of course, “because books are super expensive, I use the Libby app,” Ms. Gilmore recommends. “I go and I find the book that hasn’t been released yet, and I go ahead and put it on hold, so I’ll be one of the first people to get it.”

    She admits that she’ll “judge a book by its cover sometimes,” but she also likes to read the blurb, the ratings, and the publisher.

    To get into romance novels, Ms. Gilmore recommends the authors Emily Henry, Carly Fortune, and Ali Hazelwood. Up next for her is Nora Dahlia’s new novel, because she immensely enjoyed her first novel, Pick-Up. This new read will end her two-book streak of reading mysteries, returning her to her familiar world of romance.

    At the end of the day, though, Ms. Gilmore has learned, “It’s never too late to start being a reader.” After a childhood of Harry Potter, Twilight, and Sparknotes, “reading has become a huge part of my life in my thirties. So it’s never too late to fall in love with a book.”

    Novels + authors mentioned:

    1. Twilight
    2. Pride and Prejudice
    3. Emily Henry (People We Meet on Vacation, Beach Read)
    4. Jenny Han (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, The Summer I turned Pretty)
    5. Harry Potter
    6. Percy Jackson
    7. Better Than the Movies
    8. Taste: My Life Through Food
    9. Romantic Comedy
    10. Abby Jimenez
    11. Carly Fortune
    12. Ali Hazelwood
    13. Nora Dahlia

  • Too Nice?

    Too Nice?

    By Mr. Newman

    A few weeks ago, I overheard some of my newspaper students chatting about a guy, and one of them said, “He’s too nice.” I asked what she meant, and for ten minutes we talked about what high school students are looking for in a significant other.

    I had flashbacks to high school, where I do believe I fell into the “too nice” category. Yes, I had a girlfriend my senior year who appreciated my niceness, my sense of humor, and my passable voice when I was inexplicably cast as the lead in the spring musical. 

    But my memories of college dating (which go back over thirty years now) are primarily defined by giving flowers too soon or not waiting long enough to call after the first date. At the time, I thought that those kinds of romantic gestures would be appreciated. Perhaps I had seen “Say Anything” too many times. I was never going to be a game player, but perhaps I needed to be a little more chill. Then again, while I would have sworn to you I wanted to be in a committed relationship, evidence suggested I was actually attracted to people who didn’t want that, because I wasn’t ready for one. 

    Because here’s the key data point: I met the woman I’ve been married to for thirty years when I was a junior in college. She wanted to date me. She would have been happy to receive flowers and phone calls. But maybe she was “too nice.” Maybe I was actually more complicated than I thought I was. And so we remained friends for a year before I finally got my act together.

    Based on the conversation with my students and my personal recollections, I decided to add two questions to the Valentine’s Day survey: 

    1) What are you looking for in a boyfriend/girlfriend in high school? 

    2) What do you think you’ll want in a husband/wife/long-term partner? 

    Responses fell into a 1-5 range, where 1 is a “Complicated, Madness-Provoking Person Who Will Keep You On Your Toes” and 5 is a “A Truly Nice, Uncomplicated, Stable Person.”

    The results are not surprising: in high school, most students seek greater unpredictability, but when they think about the future, they want to marry someone more stable.

    There’s quite a shift from 3s and 4s on question 1 to 4s and 5s on question 2. About 12 students, who said they’re attracted to a 1 or a 2–in other words, a real piece of work–know they’ll be seeking calmer waters as they get older and are ready for, to borrow from the dog rescue vernacular, their forever person.

    I figured I’d chat with some students to learn more about this “too nice” issue, as well as some faculty who can reflect on how they’ve evolved since high school. 

    Junior Valeria Benitez was at the epicenter of the “Too Nice” conversation that day. She said she likes people with an edge. Her good friend Bridget Valls (11) chimed in, noting that Valeria likes “bad boys.” She wants someone “who will ignore her…who will playfight. He’s mean and sarcastic like Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. That’s her type,” Bridget said. 

    As if to confirm the point, Valeria said the last guy she fell in love with “stole my wifi box. He ripped out the cords.” She did not seem to hold this against him, perhaps because he plays lacrosse. “A guy I’m into has to play football, lacrosse, or baseball. No water polo or soccer,” she said.

    When I asked her if she was dating anyone now, she said no. “I was talking to someone,” she said, “but he was too nice, so I ghosted him.”

    Paradoxically, while she doesn’t want a guy texting her “to ask how my day was,” she said she always responds to people’s texts. She believes she would be a good girlfriend, and should she get to date one of those magical laxbros, she “would go to his lacrosse games.” 

    She was fully aware of the contradiction here: “I’m more into golden retriever-black cat energy. And he would be the black cat.”

    Senior Khylan Woodson has also, historically, been attracted to people “who keep me on my toes.” He finds that more interesting. And he knows that a person interested in him would also have to be ready for “a little bit of a ride.”

    But apparently, he’s changed some over his high school years. “I used to be more of a wild person,” he told me, “and I’ve started to settle down.” Case in point: he’s “talking” to someone right now, who he described as “more chill.” He actually finds that quite surprising. “I typically like people that don’t just settle instantly. The one I’m talking to is a healthy mix of both,” he said. 

    The “mix” of stability and unpredictability can be hard to calibrate in a relationship. Senior Gunner Jones told me he likes a “little bit crazier and more complicated,” but he acknowledged it can be annoying to be the person in the relationship with someone like that. “The fun is more fun, but the bad is worse,” he said. “You get hooked on how good the good is.” 

    Not everyone is looking to navigate these challenges. Sophomore Ella Harvey said friends and family are more important to her right now than any potential relationship. “Sometimes I think it would be so fun to have a boyfriend,” she said. “But other times it weirds me out.”

    If she were dating someone, she wouldn’t want them to be complicated. She’d be happy to be the focus of their attention. “I want them to be engaged with me, not on their phones all the time,” she said. And she’s too busy for mind games. “If they can’t respond to texts, how are they going to respond to anything else?” she wondered.

    Like Ella, junior Maiya Tomlin leans toward other priorities besides dating. “It’s not ideal right now because I’m too busy and I’m not consistent enough for someone else,” she said. But this is a feature of her life rather than a bug. She told me she loves change and hates routine, and she doesn’t want someone else’s routines to bore her. “Go on some sidequests with your friends and come back with stories,” she offered as advice to potential boyfriends. “Or go on sidequests with me.” 

    She knows she might be a little tough for a guy looking for predictability. She said she takes forever to respond to texts. “It bothers a lot of my friends,” she said, “so it would potentially bother a boyfriend.”

    All of these charmingly self-aware students acknowledged that their priorities might shift as they get older. 

    Gunner said he wants to marry someone “who is locked in.” Khylan doesn’t even have to look that far ahead to know he doesn’t want to be with someone who’s high-maintenance. “The wild side was more enticing when I was younger,” he said, “but I’ve started to want to settle down more.” For example, the person he’s talking to now is going to the same college, and “we both think we’re going to keep going.”

    Valeria, who seemed unperturbed by a dude stealing her Wi-Fi router, admitted she will one day want a more stable guy who answers his texts and is nicer. But for now, “I want the suspense,” she said. Only black cats need apply.

    Ella Harvey anticipated desiring balance. “He can go golf on the weekends,” she said. “But at the end of the day, he should be home with me and our dog and kids.” She knows it won’t be easy, perfect, and “heavenly” all the time, but it’s essential to her that her partner is “present.” Before settling down with her big family, canines, and golf clubs, she’s looking forward to traveling with her partner in their mid-20s.

    Maiya also wants time to explore the world and figure herself out. She’s a huge Sex and the City fan, and her dream after watching the show is “graduating from college and running around New York and becoming my own person and meeting a ton of people and making good friends and then after all of my shenanigans potentially settle down.” What attributes must he have? “Tall, funny, smart,” she said.

    But as if to prove how far off all that is, Maiya talked about Carrie Bradshaw, the central character of Sex and the City, and the two main objects of her affection: Aidan Shaw, the stable, attractive, furniture-making nice guy, and Mr. Big, the elusive, complicated financier. Maiya said that Aidan was cute at first and then got boring. “I understood Carrie,” she said, “Unfortunately, I would be drawn to someone like Mr. Big.”

    All of this is hypothetical for the students, so I spoke with three faculty members for whom long-term relationships and marriage are very real. I wanted to know what they were like in high school, who they were drawn to, and how that may have evolved as they became adults.

    Director of Attendance Ms. Gilmore said that when she attended high school here at Lovett (she was my advisee, BTW, from 2003-7), it was all about looks for her. She leaned toward liking people who were more stable. “I was not looking to fix anyone or ride the crazy train,” she said.

    While she admitted she wasn’t the best version of herself, she said she was always kind, noting that she was voted homecoming queen.

    Dean Howell was looking for someone who was a lot of fun and funny in high school. Also smart and super laid back. He smirked, saying he was always wondering, “Where is the girl version of me?” He described his high school self as “age appropriate.” He was a class clown and could be a little annoying sometimes. Still, while he joked around a lot, he said he was ultimately a “pretty innocent guy.” 

    And the youngest of the bunch, English teacher Mr. Nascimento, said his high school self was interested in someone on the “nicer side of things.” In ninth grade, he dated someone on the wilder side, who wanted to skip class and go out to eat. “Every once in a while I’d go,” he said. “But I was academically focused.” 

    That relationship ended when he went to boarding school the next year. 

    It was in boarding school that he got to live out his Love and Basketball movie fantasy. From the first time he saw her dribbling a basketball on the way to the gym, there were sparks. “She was very kind,” he said. “We were always in the gym.” 

    But he wasn’t quite ready for a serious relationship. He’d repeated a grade in elementary school, and entered boarding school as a ninth grader, so he was two years older than all of the other boys. He had the height, muscles, and maturity that went along with that. “I was popular with the upperclassmen,” he said, with sincere humility. 

    While he was trying to keep his romantic options open, he also noted that he was raised by his grandmother, who taught him to understand how social power can lead you to mess things up. So he said he would “fall under the category of being too nice.”

    Niceness (and presumably height, muscles, and maturity) paid off when he finally started dating the basketball player at the end of freshman year, and they stayed together until graduation, when they broke up. 

    In college, he followed a fairly similar pattern. He met someone early on. She played softball, and he played basketball. However, because he’d just been in a long relationship, he wasn’t sure he wanted another one; he didn’t want to wonder “What if?” He once again drew on his grandmother’s advice and was honest with her about that. So they didn’t date in college. 

    “She was patient,” he said.

    There turned out to be great wisdom, however unintentional, in this patience. Because during those college years, they were good friends, establishing “an emotional relationship” which became the foundation for what they would later share. 

    Six months after college graduation, they finally committed to each other. “It took her getting a boyfriend [for me] to decide, ‘Uh, I’m not gonna let that one go,’” he said.

    It took some time for all of the adults I spoke with to find themselves and their romantic footing. 

    “At the ripe age of 25, I had sworn off dating,” Ms. Gilmore said. Dating apps were on the rise, and it was really stressing her out. She had gone out with a handful of guys and said she had a tall order to fill: a kind, hardworking person. She found that in the man she’s been married to for eight years. (“It also helps that my husband is a smoke show,” she said, grinning.) 

    It was the relationship itself that carried her forward and enabled her to grow as an individual and as part of a couple. “My relationship helped round me out from my 25-year-old self,” she said.

    Mr. Howell and his wife Jheanelle started dating at 23. He said he’d evolved from wanting the female version of himself to almost the exact opposite. 

    “She keeps me on my toes,” he said. “There’s a healthy degree of anxiety.” She offers what he described as “constructive criticism of me and everything, but it’s felt most poignantly with myself.” 

    Like Ms. Gilmore, Mr. Howell has discovered a lot about himself as a partner by being one. For example, having lived far apart from each other early in the relationship, he “learned the importance of communication.”

    And I suppose that’s really all anyone can ask of a partner, no matter how old we are: a basic level of openness, a willingness to learn. We might care about height and humor, about football skills and financial prowess, but the survey data and interviews suggest that, while we might not be ready for a serious relationship in high school, when we are, we want a certain amount of stability. That doesn’t mean there isn’t always room for surprise, for the unexpected, for growth and change, for a little wildness. But a basic level of kindness, of “niceness,” is necessary to make all of it–the good AND the bad–work.

    Still, I do have to confirm something Ms. Gilmore said. It is indeed an added benefit when you believe your partner is a “smokeshow.”

  • Totally! Unqualified! Advice! Column! 2026!

    Totally! Unqualified! Advice! Column! 2026!

    By OnLion Staffers

    Every year, we ask you to share your romantic questions on our Valentine’s Day survey. And every year, y’all respond with questions that range from silly to incredibly sincere. 

    We do our best to answer those questions with equal parts sincerity and humor. Sure, it’s nice if we can be helpful, but our primary goal is to have some fun.

    PLEASE REMEMBER (and here’s the disclaimer part of this article), we are the staff of the Lovett OnLion, NOT trained psychological or relationship experts. If you are truly struggling and feeling like the waters are rising too high in your life, TALK TO A TRUSTED ADULT, a parent, a school counselor, a therapist, a favorite uncle. Nobody expects (or wants) you to solve significant emotional and interpersonal challenges all on your own.

    Q: How does one know when to deploy rizz vs when it’s a lost cause??

    A: Well, it depends on whether you’ve ever talked to the person. If you guys are kind of friends, just say a casual “hey” and ask a question about a class or something mainstream. Then sus out the vibe from there. If the person seems completely uninterested, you may just want to quit while you’re ahead. But who knows, maybe sparks will fly, and you can put your rizz to use.

    Q: Is music taste a good way to find someone you like?

    A: Yes, 100% I think that music taste is a great way to find someone you like. It creates a great conversation starter and makes car rides a little less awkward. Personally, I am a huge country artist fan. And, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, 90% of the guys I have liked have played the guitar. I have heard just about every song I like played on the guitar. As fun as this may seem, it also comes with consequences. Sometimes, I felt like Margot Robbie in Barbie getting a guitar played AT her. I’ve also been a victim of just having to sit there awkwardly smiling while they play, and you have to just nod with approval (even though it is not very good). Maybe it would be better to look for someone who has different music taste? And maybe I should take my own advice and seek out boys who play a different instrument.

    Q: How do you talk to someone quiet, when you’re ALSO someone who’s quiet?

    A: It really depends on whether this is online or at school! If you are chatting on Snapchat and texting and find it hard to keep conversations going, start by talking about things you both have in common. This could be a favorite food, sports team, or maybe a class y’all are taking. This just makes a conversation less awkward, and it will also help you feel comfortable branching off into different topics, especially if both of you are shy. Talking at school can be a bit easier, especially when you have a class with them. You can talk about projects, homework, etc, and then hopefully you’ll just randomly start talking about non-school-related subjects. If you have basically never talked to them before, it’s not impossible! This can start with a simple “hi,” and if you are scared, they might suddenly be wondering why you said that, if you have never spoken before, most people aren’t one to judge a simple “hey.” Overall, if both of you are shy, start by talking about things you have in common, or simply acknowledge each other to begin.

    Q: What if I want to break up, but I’m scared he needs me?

    A: Well, first of all, good for you for caring about the well-being of another human. Now, we will assume that the “needs” you are referring to are more significant than, let’s say, “he needs a ride to school,” or “he needs the delicious banana bread I make every Sunday,” and enter the realm of psychological or emotional stability. You’re concerned that if you break up with him, he will have a really hard time. If that’s the case, remember that you are in high school. It is your job to be a good, kind person, but you’re not married to him, and there are grown-ups in his life who are responsible for caring for him. If you are very, very worried about him and “scared” for his safety, consider reaching out to a trusted adult in his life or perhaps a counselor here at Lovett. Remember. The first part of your question states that you WANT to break up. Given that you are a student in high school, that is as important as, if not more important than, the second part about your fear. The key point is that you shouldn’t feel you have to handle this decision and situation on your own. If he is struggling as much as you’re implying, then that is way bigger than something you should try to manage on your own. 

    Q: Do people actually go on dates?

    A: Yes! Even in an age of high school relationships where checking snapscores as well as “saving a snap in chat” equates to a gesture of undying love, teenagers are still going on dates! A few OnLion staff members have formulated a list of the best date spots in Atlanta; however, according to this unqualified expert, restaurant dates are a great (and slightly nerve-wracking) way to get to know somebody one-on-one rather than through a phone. 

    Q: What do I do when I like three people and they all like me, but one of them is lowkey still talking to their ex, and I like that one the best?

    A: Wow, that’s complicated. I think the easiest thing to do for each one is to make a spreadsheet (staying organized with your locker and your love life is key!) or some kind of list of what you like best about your relationship with each person. Maybe one of them just gets you. Maybe one of them is super fun and makes you laugh. Maybe one of them is always there for you when you need them. It’s not reducing them to statistics, but just helping you understand what each relationship means to you, and which one is worth the most to you. For the one you like best, honestly, just talk to them about it. I know that those things can be scary to bring up, especially when you’re not official with that person, but wondering about it will only make you more anxious, and that anxiety will definitely seep into your relationship. If you find out they still like their ex, I’d say just end it, because if you get together and that person is still on their mind, there’s definitely gonna be problems down the road. As Princess Diana once said about her relationship with King Charles, who was still in love with his ex, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

    Q: How do I talk to women?

    A: Well, the first and best answer will always be to talk to them respectfully. To dive a little deeper, that means acknowledging their personalities, hopes, fears, etc., and not just that you think they’re attractive. If you want them to like you, the best thing you can do (beyond just being compatible) is to do your best to compliment them. Tell them what you like about them directly; trying to “play it cool” and seem disinterested only makes them think you don’t like them, and especially when you try to get more serious with them, it makes them anxious about whether or not you really want to make it official. If you like someone, tell them, no matter how nervous you are or how cool you want to present yourself. Overall, the strongest piece of advice is to just put yourself out there and be vulnerable. You’ll never know what you could be with someone if you don’t try!

    Q: Is having a high snapscore (above 500k) still considered a red flag?

    A: This is not a yes or no question. After all, some people got Snapchat in middle school and have had it for a while. A person who has had Snapchat for several years and has a 500k+ Snapscore is very different from a middle schooler with a 500k+ Snapscore (but I assume you’re not snapping middle schoolers, right?). If someone has only recently joined Snapchat but has a high Snapscore, it means they’re probably spending a lot of time on Quick Add. And you know what they say: “Snapchat quick add? More like a speed dating app” (no one says that). But you get the point. Someone who has a high Snapscore after a recent debut to the platform probably superficially mass-snaps people they barely know, perhaps in search of surface-level romance. In that case, it is probably a red flag. On the other hand, someone who has had the app for a long time but has the same Snapscore as the latter-mentioned snapper might be… a beige flag? They likely snap a smaller group of people with whom they have actual connections, and their high Snapscore is accumulated over time. At the end of the day, though, if you are judging someone based on the number on their profile of an app whose logo is a yellow ghost, perhaps you should take this opportunity to approach a romantic interest in person. Like real-life Quick Add, you might say.

    Q: How do I not get bored of a boyfriend after 16 days? (That’s my record.)

    Hm? Who says you shouldn’t get bored? I mean, if they were interesting, would you be getting bored? High School is about having fun, not locking in with someone who’s boring. Think about it, do you want to tell your grandkids that you had fun in your heyday or tell them you spent your years in an uneventful relationship? And hey, 16 days in high school isn’t that bad! Ultimately, you can’t really control the emotions that come to you. It’s all about what you do with them once you feel them. So you could lean in to your boyfriend, and be curious, and maybe he’ll turn out to be more interesting than you thought. Or you could break up, and try someone new. Eventually, you’ll find someone you can spend more than 16 days with! And if not, perhaps your attention span has been permanently wrecked by TikTok. And just as you look for dopamine hits when doom scrolling, you’re probably also looking for it in the people you talk to, who knows. 

    Q: Nah

    A: So we asked you to submit questions for the advice column. It was TOTALLY OPTIONAL. And yet this person wrote “Nah.” On the surface, this would seem to indicate that they did not have a question and felt the need to declare that, despite it being COMPLETELY OPTIONAL to submit one. AND YET. Perhaps this “Nah” is a cry for help. Perhaps this student, by writing “Nah,” actually meant “Yeah, yeah, I do have a question, but my heart is too raw, too broken, or too hopeful to ask it.” Perhaps “Nah” is an acronym for “Need a helping hand.” Perhaps they struggle with vulnerability. Perhaps when they were a child, they would stand beneath the monkey bars, staring helplessly and hopelessly up at them, unable to ask for an adult loved one to lift them up so they could hang there. And all these years later, they still can’t bring themselves to solicit help or advice. So we will offer it anyway. We will say: Open your heart. And to paraphrase the great Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire: “Help us help you. Help US help YOU.” Love is a mystery. And instead of walking away from it, walk towards it. We are here to be your Sherlock Holmes, your Miss Marple, your Benoit Blanc. We will walk beside you toward romantic illumination! And if all that is a bit much, remember, the question was TOTALLY OPTIONAL. You could have moved right on down to the next one.