The aptly named Valentine’s Noontime,”a Spirit Week activity hosted by leadership, took place at lunchtime on Feb. 12.
There were several tables set up in front of the theater, supervised by leadership students, and all of them were crowded with eager participants almost immediately at the start of lunch. Supplies like colored paper, markers, scissors, and lollipops were provided at no cost for participants to make and decorate their own Valentine’s Day cards, origami hearts, or even “sweet butterflies” — lollipops with paper butterfly wings attached.
The activity was intended to encourage overall Valentine’s Day spirit among students, sophomore leadership student Vishnu Warrier said.
“We decided that since we’re not having a Friday (event) due to it being a minimum day, that we’d host an activity for people to make little hearts and butterflies that you put candy in,” Warrier said. “They can also use our construction paper to write notes.”
In addition to making Valentines for others, it can be beneficial to make them for yourself, Warrier added.
“It’s better to love yourself than to love others, but if you can love others and yourself, that’s even better,” Warrier said.
Moreover, this event provides students with the time and supplies to make thoughtful gifts for loved ones, senior leadership student Meiyi Chung said.
“They can also get Five-Star spirit points for this because it’s in collaboration with our Spirit Week,” Chung added.
Leadership is already planning to host more events ahead of the upcoming Trojan Olympics (T.O.), Chung said.
“We’re basically trying to do one noontime for every Spirit Week, at least, so that it’s not just check-ins — there’s something interactive,” Chung added.
The crafting supplies provided during the Valentine’s noontime activity were sponsored by ASB fundraising efforts, such as the sale of school merchandise, Chung said.
“Everything that people buy from us, especially the merch and the Trojan army cards, always goes back into funding our events,” Chung said. “None of it gets pocketed or anything; it always goes back in.”
Though leadership promoted the Valentine’s noontime on the official school Instagram, some students, like sophomore Daniella Torres, were drawn to the activity upon seeing it in person.
“I think that it’s pretty awesome,” Torres said. “I mean, you get to have fun making hearts and stuff, and everybody here is super cool and super sweet.”
