Lakewood Ranch High offers a quiz to love

Mackenzie Meyer couldn't study for this test.

Two years ago, as a Lakewood Ranch High School freshman, she took a quiz to determine her "perfect match" or soulmate.

Her friend, Natalie Bertsch, remembered Meyer's results. "You matched with some of the cutest senior guys in school that year," Bertsch said.

Meyer thought back to those results. "It was cool to think that in some reality I have things in common with those guys." she said.

She noted, with a laugh, she never made a connection with any of her matches, because she is too shy.

But Bertsch is open to finding a match through the quiz.

"Hey, I'm single," Bertsch said. "Talking to someone and saying, 'Hey, we're matched,' could be a great ice breaker. I think the quizzes are fun."

She will get that opportunity when Lakewood Ranch High students in the Junior Advisory Board club play cupid before Valentine's Day. They have organized a matchmaking questionnaire for the more than 2,000 students at the school. The 33-question quiz is designed to reveal each student's top 10 matches.

The quiz is created by Computer Fun, an online company that specializes in creating custom personality quizzes, especially for students.

Students took the quiz at the end of January and expect the results within a week, just in time for Feb. 14.

"It's a big school," Junior Advisory Board member Eva Gonzalez said. "The results could introduce you to someone you might not have known. It's kind of fun. People enjoy finding out who their matches are."

Answers to questions have numbers assigned to them, so Computer Fun employees can tally students' totals. Results take a few weeks to be returned to the school.

Each quiz generates 10 results.

Gonzalez said the quiz can do more than pick out potential dates. "Maybe you can make a new friend out of it," she said. 

Students purchase the results for $3 and some of the proceeds go toward catering and other necessities for the prom, which will be held April 29.

"This is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year," Gonzalez said. "It's a fun and easy way to make money for the prom."

The club is also selling Valentine's grams, which will be delivered to classrooms during first period Feb. 12.

Students can purchase a carnation for $1, candy for $1 or a combination for $2, which comes with a personalized Valentine.

"You can send them to your boyfriend or girlfriend and they'll get them during class, which is kind of special," Gonzalez said. "It's just something fun to do. Or maybe you could send it to that person you matched with on the questionnaire."