There are Hallmark movies and love letters from soldiers overseas, but some fanciful love stories occurred here, at Powell High School. 

Crystal Eden met her husband Dennis Eden within the walls of Powell High School, and she married him between her junior and senior years. 

“We thought we knew it all and wanted to be married,” Eden said. “I’m not sure why my parents permitted us. I think they could feel that Dennis was a good guy.” 

Mandy Betters, an alumni of Powell High School, met her husband Bill during her high school career as well. 

“I was a freshman, and he was a senior,” Betters said. “We first spoke in swimming in PE.  He was a [student] aid and I was in the class. We have been married 30 years [and] together around 32 [years].” 

Tenna and Noah Faxon shared a similar love story; however, they began their relationship after knowing each other from high school. 

“We first met on our first day of 8th grade,” Tenna Faxon said. “I moved that summer from Sidney, Montana, to Powell. We have been together for 3 and a half years, and married for a week and 5 days!” 

Eden shares the impact that meeting Dennis had on the relationship. She shares her own experiences and advice for others in the same position. 

“Being high school sweeties has made us grow up together, but it hasn’t been easy,” Eden said. “We have had to work really hard on communication. We choose to be together….I personally wouldn’t change what we did but I strongly advise people to not jump into marriage too young. I think you need to be ‘ok’ being on your own.” 

Timing plays a significant role in a relationship. Faxon divulges into how the timing settled in the perfect place for her and her husband after their graduation. 

“You are still so young in middle school, so it’s hard to have a serious relationship,” Faxon said. “I was so scared when I first moved to Powell, but I made such a good group of friends, which included Noah. Most of them that we are still friends with now and were a part of our wedding!” 

Betters explains how maturing simultaneously influenced the course of their relationship. 

“I think it made an impact because we grew up together and experienced everything together,” Betters said. “If we would have met later we would have experienced a lot of those things separately and would be in different places in life.” 

In addition to growing up together, former high school sweethearts share that communication plays a vital role in a successful connection.

“I would say to always communicate with each other,” Faxon said. “Communication is the biggest part of a relationship, especially if you end up going to a different school than your partner. It is important to always know how the other is feeling and putting in that effort towards each other.” 

Eden contributes her input as well on potential success in a relationship. 

“Be with someone because you want to be with someone, not because you have to be with them,” Eden said. “I feel blessed that we made it and we genuinely still love each other. We are best friends.”

Powell Wyoming might be small, but full of incredible love stories seeded in the town’s high school.