By Navpreet Singh and Christina Wilson
Every year on February 14, Valentine’s Day is celebrated by the masses. Valentine’s Day at New Hyde Park Memorial is celebrated by many different clubs such as Best Buddies, Get Excited About Reading (G.E.A.R.), and the French Club.
The French Club roses are an annual tradition at NHP in February. From late January to early February, the French Club goes around the school and sells roses for three dollars. Then on Valentine’s Day, club members and officers deliver roses to individuals that other people ordered roses for. Students give roses to their teachers, friends or even their crushes. Whether anonymous or not, it is a holiday that many people cherish to celebrate those they love.
“Students often send roses to prank each other, show their appreciation to friends and staff or even anonymously confess to their crushes! It's wonderful seeing the responses people get from getting their rose, though I do feel bad for the custodial staff for all the petals in the halls,” French Club president Ishita Bansal said.
“Selling roses was very successful this year! Many of the roses I sold were to my friends and I am excited to see the smile on people’s faces once they get the roses on Valentine’s Day. Roses symbolize love and compassion and many people gave them to their favorite teachers, friends and partners. I really hope this French Club tradition continues for years to come,” French Club publicity coordinator Kushpreet Kaur.
While the rose sale tradition is an experience at NHP, it is important to acknowledge the time and effort that goes into the meticulous process involved.
“First, Mr. Pierre ensures that our provider for the roses can accommodate our lowball goal in sales. Then, we design the slips to go with the roses to indicate their recipient. We then sell the slips and log each of our sales in a spreadsheet to ensure that even if the physical slips get damaged/misplaced, we have a digital record of the information on the card and can reproduce it,” Bansal said.
Source by Tina Torre
Seniors Joel Massey, Ishita Bansal and Jarrel Tondreau stand tall after a long day of delivering roses to students and staff all over the school.
Students at NHP have a range of opinions on the rose sale itself.
“I think the rose sale is a cute idea. Not only can you give the roses to someone special (anonymously if you would like) but you can give it to someone that you admire like a teacher or a friend. For many, expressing emotions are difficult so this can be an easy way to showcase their love for one another platonically or romantically. Along with that, sometimes a rose is all someone needs to brighten up their day,” senior Ruth Solomon said.
““I think that the rose sales are a great way to surprise someone you care about and make them feel loved,” sophomore Emilin George said.
G.E.A.R. celebrated Valentine’s Day by creating the “Blind Date with a Book” challenge. It is the first year that G.E.A.R. has returned to reading since their transition to makerspace activities. As a book club, G.E.A.R. members choose books they wish to read independently. At meetings, members converse about what they read and the advisers provide discussion points if they are needed. Snacks are also provided.
Source by Christina Wilson
G.E.A.R.'s station in the library has a variety of books organized by genre that are available for its members to read at any moment.
G.E.A.R. club adviser Ms. Brusca was asked about the planning process for the “Blind Date with a Book” challenge.
“We [Ms. Brusca and Ms. Resnick] looked through books that were being discarded and chose ones we thought would be interesting to students,” Ms. Brusca said. “We then wrapped the books so no one could tell what they were, but on the wrapping we included the genre of the book and a few pieces of information about the story. The books were then displayed and the club members got to pick based only on the description on the wrapping. The club members get to keep the books they chose. At our next meeting, the club members are going to do a brief review and recommendation of their book, and we are encouraging them to share their books with other members if they are interested.”
To many at NHP, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that can serve as a reminder to show appreciation for students and staff. Galentine’s Day is a name coined for its celebration of platonic friendships. Students at NHP often celebrate Valentine’s Day with gift exchanges or hangouts amongst their friends.
“Well, I would say that if you’re single then this holiday is just about hanging out and nothing more, but I believe if you have someone, then you’ll enjoy the holiday with your significant other. I would probably just hang out with friends, maybe just watch a movie,” junior Ysabel Valverde said.
“It shouldn't be the only time you show or express your love to other people. You should show the people you love that you love them every day," English teacher Ms. Caruso said.
Best Buddies had their annual Valentine's Day party on February 14 during the first two periods of the school day. At the party, members engaged in arts and crafts, danced to music, took pictures by a photo backdrop and ate festive desserts.
Source by Tina Torre
(Clockwise from top left) Best Buddies members personalize hearts using red, pink and white paper strips; The treat table is full of holiday-themed goodies; Buddies use colored pencils to fill in a coloring sheet; Melissa Cooper and Gianna Bonetti hold props in front of the photo backdrop.
Source by Tina Torre
Chris Cooney wears a shirt dedicated to his girlfriend as Valentine's Day attire.
Overall Valentine's Day is a day many students at NHP celebrate whether that be through the French Club roses, the G.E.A.R. club activities, Best Buddies parties or even through their own lives.
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