Zodiac signs: Bettendorf students weigh in on love

Photo by pixel parker on Unsplash

By Olivia Ramirez

With Valentine’s day upon us, most Bettendorf students are scrambling to find themselves someone special to spend the holiday with. Everyone has different requirements when it comes to finding a partner, ones that usually pertain to either personality or physical attributes.

Romantic standards are different for everyone and can often range from how tall the prospective partner is to what kind of media they like. For example, according to senior Kaira DeBoe, someone disliking the ‘Twilight’ saga is an ‘instant deal breaker.’ However, for other students their deal breakers differ from DeBoe’s.

“Before I get too involved with someone, I need to see if our zodiac signs are compatible,” senior Emily Huser said.

For those who are unfamiliar with zodiac signs, Britannica describes them as, “Referring to one of 12 specific constellations of the zodiac that the sun passes through. A person’s particular sign of the zodiac is the one that the sun was in when they were born. It is a belief in astrology that a person’s personality can be predicted using their sign of the zodiac. According to astrology, it is also possible to predict the future by looking at the position of the sun, moon, and planets in comparison to the zodiac constellations.”

Because zodiac signs are used as a method of predicting personalities, they can be helpful in establishing relationships, romantic or otherwise. Though not proven to be accurate, some people like senior Ella Harbaugh take this information to heart.

“I absolutely believe in zodiac signs,” Harbaugh said, “and I think that they’re a good way of seeing if you’d be a good match (with someone else) or not.”

But are zodiac signs accurate? Are they good predictors? To test the correlation between zodiac signs and romantic compatibility, several couples at Bettendorf High School agreed to be interviewed on the subject.

This year, seniors Macy Wilkins and TJ Bogan will be spending their first Valentine’s day together. Having only been a couple for a few months, Bogan and Wilkins are still getting to know one another on a deeper level. In an effort to aid that process, Wilkins searched the internet for the compatibility of their zodiac signs.

Bogan is a Virgo, which means he is supposed to be hardworking, detail oriented, modest and helpful. Wilkins is an Aquarius, believing herself to embody most Aquarian traits. She is independent, innovative, deeply compassionate, and a tad stubborn. According to zodiac charts, while they are not completely incompatible, they aren’t exactly a perfect match.

They have a lot of differing opinions, especially when it comes to astrology. Wilkins firmly believes that zodiac signs are real and impactful.

“I think they definitely have something to do with relationships, but I don’t think our signs are going to make or break us,” Wilkins said.

Bogan’s beliefs on zodiac signs are much different than Wilkins.

“They’re completely made up. They don’t mean anything,” Bogan said.

Sophomores Ethan Herring and Kylie Jones share the same sentiment as Bogan when it comes to their relationship. Herring is an Aries and Jones is a Leo, making them both fire signs. According to astrology, they are a near perfect match. Both Leos and Aries are brave, ambitious, optimistic and confident.

Jones and Herring find themselves fairly compatible and say that they get along very well for the most part. Though they agree that they are similar, neither believe that their high zodiac compatibility is responsible for that.

“I don’t really know what zodiac signs are, and I don’t really care much,” said Herring, who had no idea what his sign was before the interview.

Like Herring and Jones, senior couple Macie Zimmerman and Jackson Gross are also fire signs. Macie is an Aries and Jackson is a Libra, two signs that are very compatible.

“I think we have similar personalities,” Zimmerman said, “but that’s about it. We don’t have a ton in common.”

Zimmerman believes that their likeness is due to their zodiac compatibility, but Gross disagrees.

“I don’t believe in zodiac signs. I’m more of a crystal guy,” Gross said.

Seniors Ethan Dennison and Olivia Anderson have been dating for the majority of their high school years. The couple is one month away from celebrating their three year anniversary. Anderson, although not entirely convinced, does see how zodiac signs can play a role in compatibility.

“I guess, otherwise we wouldn’t have made it this far. We’re pretty similar, I think he tries to be me,” Anderson said.

Both Anderson and Dennison are Libras, which means they are sociable people with a positive outlook on life. They are also natural peacemakers with a strong sense of justice. Though both identified with some or all of these qualities, Dennison denied the fact that his zodiac sign had anything to do with who he is as a person.

“I don’t think it matters if I’m a zebra or whatever that is,” Dennison said, “and it doesn’t have anything to do with us (as a couple.)”

When Anderson found out that their matching zodiac signs meant that they are very compatible, she figured it may be a contributing variable in their relationship.

“It probably does impact (our relationship.) Sometimes we’re way too similar,” Anderson said.

It's clear that for some, the stars hold meaning when it comes to their love life. For others, however, no amount of universal forces can decide who they have a relationship with.

“Don’t let the day you were born dictate your life. Love who you want to,” junior Ava Utsinger said.

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Olivia is a senior. This is her first year

as a staff writer for The Growl.