The Valentine-grams sale held by the sophomore class provided students with an enjoyable and fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day and resulted in meaningful contributions being made to the sophomore class’ funds.On February 14, as high schoolers celebrated Valentine’s Day, love was in the air. 10th grade class officers Alicia Leung, Olivia Neri, Yilin Huang, and Alizeh Hussain sold Valentine grams in the dining hall to students as well as parents. The Valentine grams were gift bags sold for $2 each, containing either candy or a rose. Additionally, students could add a personalized note or make it anonymous for an extra dollar. 

The class officers also added a surprise twist to this special day: anonymity. The secret admirer would give the class officers the phone number of the gift’s intended receiver, and the class officers would contact them to pick up their gift: “If necessary, we will schedule a time to meet with them and give it to them instead, but they will be delivered via pick up on the DHC on 2/14 otherwise,” said Olivia Neri, the sophomore class treasurer. 

So, what gave them the idea? Sophomore class president, Alicia Leung ’24, came up with it: “It was kind of a spur of the moment decision, but I think that after discussing it more with the other officers, the idea spawned into a finished plan.” 

The 9th grade class officers also had this idea in mind. Mason Levens, the 9th grade class treasurer, said, “We had some meetings about it, but ultimately we didn’t get it across in time … The sophomore class officers did a fantastic job with it, and there was a lot of profit generated.” 

The Upper School enjoyed the sale. Sarah Huynh, a freshman, both bought and received Valentine grams: “It was definitely pretty crowded when I was [buying the Valentine grams] … It was fun to buy gifts for some of my friends and give them out, and it was nice to receive them as well.”

Another ninth grader, Maddie Calixto, received one from one of her friends. She said, “It made me feel really loved and appreciated! I had gone to my locker and then the person came and gave it to me.” 

The sophomore class officers thought the Valentine grams were a hit as well. Leung said, “I do think the event was really successful! We had a good amount of preorders, people who bought at the door, and even a mass order from one of the sophomore parents. We ended up selling every bag, and we only had a few roses left over, which we managed to sell as bouquets later.” 

Leung summarized the event by saying, “Activities like these are important for students, not just because it can create some sort of buzz of excitement amongst the community, but it also allows our school to have an event where people can show their appreciation through a gift.”