Despite what can be important subject matter, assembly presentations often see students tuning out rather than tuning in; but when it came to discussing healthy relationships, the school decided to do something different.

“It was different from previous presentations,” junior Alex Lesley said. “But it was  a good different.”

Instead of inviting a guest speaker the students have never seen before, the school decided to use its own staff as speakers, and they talked openly about past relationships and how they were handled.

“It made the students more likely to take it seriously because the students could connect to the teachers; people they know,” senior Kassidy Cox said.

Relationship advice is a tricky subject, but the teachers got their point across well.

“Dating should be an experience that lets you know who you are,” teacher Allison Lyles said during the presentation.

The presentation also allowed students to see a rare and personal side of their teachers.

“I’ve been divorced for two weeks,” counselor Lance Hendricks said during the presentation. “And I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard. I’ve spent so much time giving other people advice, but now I had to take my own.”

The teachers encouraged students in a roundabout way to involve themselves in healthy relationships, or to terminate unhealthy ones.

“It’s human nature to be jealous,” assistant football coach Ryan Cox said during the presentation. “But part of being a mature human being is curbing jealousy. If you’re with someone that can’t control that, they’re probably really insecure about themselves, and they probably don’t need to be in a relationship at the moment.”

There were a lot of laughs during the presentation, especially when Cox was speaking.

“It was intriguing,” Lesley said. “And above all, humorous.”

The healthy relationships presentation was a success and even though it was risky on a personal level for the speakers, it definitely won over the students.

“It was way better than usual,” Kassidy Cox said.