Holding hands: How much is too much?

Junior+Chaz+Atchison+kissing+sophomore+Maggie+Hall%E2%80%99s+cheek+at+lunch.

Junior Chaz Atchison kissing sophomore Maggie Hall’s cheek at lunch.

by Olivia DuBro and Kate Mannarino

“No, I love YOU more” “No, I love YOU more!” “Aw, babe, no I love you most!” We’ve all heard the couple that just can’t get enough of each other, but in public, when is enough enough?

At Linganore High School, PDA rules are not very strict. Couples hold hands while they walk to class; other pairs make googly-eyes by the lockers; and sometimes, a lone couple is making out in an empty stairwell. Where are the boundaries?

Sophomore, Chris Brown says he doesn’t mind public displays of affection.

“If couples love each other, they love each other. Let them show it; it doesn’t affect my life,” Chris says.

Some students say that PDA is a nuisance to other teens trying to maneuver around them. Sophomore Valerie Becker says that a lot of couples tend to be unaware of their environment and the discomfort of their peers.

Juniors Jeffrey Lewis and Ashley Bodastain hold hands at lunch time.
Juniors Jeffrey Lewis and Ashley Bodastain hold hands at lunch time.

“Couples who stand in the hall make me hate PDA.  It’s so hard to get around them and they don’t even listen when you say ‘excuse me’. They’re so into each other they become inconsiderate to everyone around them,” Valerie says.

Although most kids say PDA gets on their nerves, not many say they would be in favor of rules to moderate it.

When asked about PDA, ninth grade counselor, Ilana Blum, said that in her experience at other schools, PDA has always occurred, especially in high school.  In terms of discipline, Blum is not particularly in favor of teacher involvement.

“It would be very uncomfortable,” says Blum, “not to say I wouldn’t do it.” Blum also says she hopes teens would be able to decipher what is appropriate and what is not.

Mrs. Barbara Ferguson has a different view on handling PDA. Ferguson, an LHS graduate and a teacher for over 30 years, says that when she was in school, there was also PDA, but the modesty level was much higher.

Sophomores Wade Steiren and Elizabeth Coletti piggy back riding in an empty hallway.
Sophomores Wade Steiren and Elizabeth Coletti piggy back riding in an empty hallway.

“Kids had a higher level of courtesy for teachers back then. You didn’t do certain things at school because you were more respectful to teachers and staff,” says Ferguson,

Ferguson does support teacher intervention.

“I’ve interrupted teens by standing uncomfortably close,” Ferguson says. “This is not the time or place.”

Ferguson believes that if there were rules about PDA, those rules would allow holding hands and little kisses goodbye. They would not allow “entwined bodies” or standing in the way of others.

“Hallway time is your social time, but there are limits on what is socially acceptable,” Ferguson says. “It’s no different than a work place.”

Several entwined couples were not available for comment.