art | Annabelle Brusky

For this Valentine’s Issue, the Wolfpacket asked teachers and administration around campus for their Valentine’s takes. Each teacher was asked the following four questions:

1. What are your biggest green flags?
2. What are your biggest red flags?
3. Was there a date you went on in high school/middle school that was particularly memorable/embarrassing?
4. What is your holy grail dating advice for CHS students?

Ms. Kandice: 

1. I appreciate a gentleman who respects and cares for me, who opens the door for me, and walks me to my car.
2. My dealbreakers are smoking, drugs, and arrogance.
3. Never to be mentioned again. Forgotten.
4. Don’t ever settle. They don’t have to be perfect, but they just have to be right for you.

Mr. Barcelona:

1. The ability to laugh at yourself, not take yourself too seriously. Empathy is another one—how they treat service workers.
2. My biggest thing is entitlement, assuming that you deserve something just because you said so.
3. When I asked my fiancé out for the first time, 10 years ago, she said, “I don’t know.” It was the most awkward car ride back. Unfortunately, the song “Love is an Open Door” starts playing, and I’m singing it by myself. Two hours later, she said I actually wouldn’t mind going out with you. Now we’re gonna get married.
4. Before having a deep conversation, I ask, “Do we want advice, or just want someone to listen?”

Mr. Easton:

1. Somebody who has a great personality, laughs, and can sit there and have a great conversation.
2. It has a lot to do with conversations. If it feels like they’re just waiting for their turn to talk, and they’re not listening to you.
3. My wife and I met in seventh grade. At the very beginning, her aunt decided to take us to an Italian restaurant for a supervised date. I ordered lasagna, and then her aunt asked me a question, and I looked up from the lasagna. There was this big cheese stretch coming out of my mouth. Probably not the best impression.
4. When giving a gift, your significant other is like a teacher. A teacher can look at a project, essay, or assignment and know exactly how much time you spent on it. It just matters how much thought you put into it. When you take somebody on a date, the most important thing is that you talk during the date. As a history teacher, kind of plugging history, museums are great because you’re walking through the museum, all you have to do is just turn, oh, look at this piece of art. What do you think about it? And spurs on conversation.

Mr. Carrillo:

1. I’m a very passionate person, so I like to talk about interesting hobbies or share things with people, whether it’s knowledge or activities.
2. The smallest ones that have the most anger built in (not referring to his girlfriend). Did I cook on that one?
3. When I was in college, I was at the mall, and I saw someone and wanted to ask for their number, right? And I went to approach them, somebody else approached them. And then I see an awkward interaction, and she leaves out of embarrassment, and then comes back. Then I was like no, I’m not doing this. I learned to run faster. Get there before the other guy, trip the other guy. The answer is violence.
4. Just don’t. The answer is, just don’t.

Mr. DiGrazia:

1. Communication and trying new foods. You should enjoy something new.
2. Not liking sushi, you can like regular rolls, I get, if you don’t like fish, but you have to like sushi. I need someone to go with. You also have to like the cold.
3. I went on this date with a girl in high school. We went to a vegan restaurant. I was very confused. Well, I learned at the end of the day that she was vegan, so I didn’t know that. I also talked to this girl in high school, she also played soccer, and at the first game I went to, she tore her ACL. So it didn’t work out, you know, because I was bad luck.
4. Take care of yourself, and the people around you will appreciate that. And just get a cat.

Maestra Suarez: 

1. Kind, funny, and a good listener.
2. Rude, being rude, that’s it. If you see that they’re being rude, leave.
3. My parents didn’t let me date, so I went on a date on a minimum day. I was so nervous, I barely touched my food. Afterwards, I went to In-n-Out, because I was so hungry, I walked in and ran into him, and then he looked at me, and I just looked at him. We just started laughing, and we ended up just eating together. And I was like, “Oh, my God,” I’m so shy to eat in front of you. He said, “Oh, my God, me too.”
4. No novios, no novias. Keep it fun if they’re fun, and you can be yourself, and they’re respectful, and those are good signs. Focus on your friends, your goals, and then novios.

Ms. Lee:

1. They have younger siblings—they take care of them/are kind to them without complaint—speak positively about their parents, have a healthy amount of confidence, and prioritize their best friends.
2. Cocky, never taking responsibility for any of their actions. Also, bad hygiene and closed communication.
3. So, on one of our first dates, my husband and I went hiking. When we started dating, I was very active. My husband wasn’t. We hiked Baldy, and I got winded so bad. And this fool said, “I think you lie about how active you are.” I’m dying, literally, I can’t breathe, I was just like, “What the heck?” This guy, who never even took care of himself and his body, was killing me on this hike. To this day, 13 years later, he still makes fun of me about that.
4. Never Settle. If you saw your friend with a significant other and you didn’t like it because it wasn’t perfect for them, why would you settle for that yourself? If they make you mad, leave them because they should be making you happy.

Mr. Thomas:

1. Compatibility and common interests. You should like to do the same things together, which connects you more on a friendship level.
2. Anger issues.
3. I went on a blind date to a friend’s prom. And it went sideways rapidly. On the way to dinner, she said we would stop by the hotel first. And I was like, “Hotel?”  She said, “Yeah, we’re staying in a hotel tonight.” I said, “I’m not.” Then my friend had all this alcohol in the trunk, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is not good.” When the dance ended, she wanted me to drop her off at the hotel, which I accommodated. At the end of prom, I just dropped her off at the hotel and said goodbye.
4. Don’t expect a relationship to fix all of your emotional needs or fill all of your emotional needs.