A text to determine the time, a trip to Caribou, chilling at his or her house, home at midnight, and then Skype until two in the morning. Forty years ago this would not have described the typical date.

Dating nowadays has become an action hugely dependent upon technology. “Dating today…well for lack of a better word it’s very informal. It seems like it’s the text message age. There’s not as much interaction face-to-face,” said science teacher John Porisch.

In fact, older generations could not even take advantage of some of the simplest forms of communication and technology. “We never even used the telephone in those days unless it was an emergency to call somebody. We didn’t have that type of communication,” said Carolyn Pulju, grandmother of students Chris and Anna Landis.

Many dating rituals of the past can’t even be fathomed by today’s generation. “In a small town it was cruise the loop. You’d get in your car, you’d drive around the same circle, and everyone in town would do the same thing. You just saw everyone on a Friday night or Saturday night doing the loop,” said Mr. Porisch.

This time period not only fostered different social activities but also different expectations. “When somebody was dating in my days you only dated people like your neighbors or your friends at school. You didn’t date anybody you didn’t know,” said Pulju.

This made it difficult for a lot of people to hang out and keep in touch with someone whom they liked. “I remember going to baseball games so that I could see the guy that I was interested in dating. And the closest we probably got then is he would bring me home from the ball game. I watched lots and lots of ball games because I wanted to see him,” said Pulju.

Today, most couples maintain a very equal and fair relationship, while in the past there was an unbalanced environment between males and females. “I still remember my mother saying, ‘good girls don’t call boys. They won’t respect you,’ said English teacher Bobbi Davis.

Despite these setbacks, not all of the dating characteristics of modern-day society have earned their approval by older generations. “We always had to come in and meet the parents before we went out. Now kids go out at 10. I had to be in the house at 10 until I was 16 years old. We had a curfew in town, and a bell rang, and that’s when it was 10, and you had better get home,” said Pulju.

Although dating traditions may differ throughout the ages, today’s dating culture has continued some of the same customs as before. “We’d go to a movie. Have parties at kids’ houses. His family would invite me to do things all the time. And making out. I mean it’d be abnormal otherwise,” said Davis.

Even some of the most classic dating diversions have endured throughout the years. “One of the favorite pastimes in those days was going roller skating. Everybody went to the roller skating rink, and they were pretty romantic because they put the lights out, they played great music, and you got to dance with that special person,” said Pulju.