Dating is a subject that is not often discussed at St. George’s. We’re not talking about people gossiping about other people’s dating lives and what not, we’re referring to the difficulties and even the differences of dating at St. George’s compared to a co-ed school. To gain a decent perspective on the general differences, we interviewed Ms. Gin and Mr. Sauer, teachers who have both worked at co-ed and single-sex schools. Both Ms. Gin and Mr. Sauer agreed that dating is completely different at St. George’s than it is in any co-ed school. A common belief is that it matters much less at St. George’s compared to co-ed schools. The usual gossip and banter within the halls of the school carries little talk about dating or romantic relationships, especially when compared to co-ed schools, where it’s apparently the most popular topic of conversation. It is believed that the biggest reason this is true is simply because there are no female students attending St. George’s. Because of this, boys at St. George’s have ultimately less time to spend around girls than boys at co-ed schools, so boys may get used to not being around the opposite sex often. This is not always for the best though; Mr. Sauer echoed this sentiment saying many boys who have become so accustomed to being around the same gender, they become terrified, even almost to tears in some cases, of simply being in the same room as a girl.

Being a fairly prestigious school, St. George’s students have high expectations placed upon them. They are expected to excel in all of their endeavours, especially in the classroom. With this immense pressure on them, many students are unable to neither find the time nor see the point of being in a relationship. The students are more focused on their education rather than interacting with the opposite sex. Both Ms. Gin and Mr. Sauer also stated this fact saying that students at St. George’s seem to be more worried about the future rather the present. The end goal of Saint’s students is to attend university and have a good career, so, many of them see dating as a distraction from this goal, even though it can be a vital part of growing up and maturing.

Because St. George’s is a single-sex school, some of the students may not have much experience interacting with the opposite sex. The school has some activities, such as ultimate and school socials, that allow Saint’s students to interact with girls from York House or Crofton House. This gives the boys some interaction with the opposite sex, but not as much as the boys would like and not enough to make students comfortable around the girls. Next year, the school will begin to test out inter-campus learning, where students from St. George’s go to Crofton or York and vice versa, every few classes, to take the class together. This is a great way for boys to get some interaction with girls and will hopefully make them more comfortable with their presence.

Simply put, dating at St. George’s is not nearly as important to the students as it would be in a co-ed school. Most students have different priorities, and in some cases is a result of being focused mainly on their future, or even because of the lack of confidence one may have in the presence of the opposite sex. Many students at St. George’s actually fear being in the presence of the opposite sex, simply because these students aren’t used to being around the opposite sex due to attending a single-sex school.

Gallery • 3 Photos

The boys playing some Super Smash Bros. in the Grad Lounge