“The most fun time of the school year,” said Ali Passarella, senior student from Yorktown High School, as groups of students attended the meeting for the annual February 14th Valentines Day Singing Grams. More than 15 students from different grades dress up in pink and red outfits to bring joy to staff and students.
“The whole experience of creating a dance with your friends and making a song mashup that we know is going to be performed for people is so fun.” said Passarella as she explained the enjoyable experience she had. She then said, “This was my second year that I have done this and it definitely is an experience I will never forget!” As a graduating senior, the significance of little school events becomes way more important. Having a few final little moments in High School left makes you realize how you really will remember these times forever.
The goal of singing grams is to spread memories in a unique way. The concept of these singing telegrams was introduced by the Western Union Telegraph Company all the way back to 1933 which was meant to deliver messages with a personal touch.
Mrs. SooHoo, YHS English teacher and graduate in 2004, says, “This originated as a way to make Valentine’s Day fun for the students and definitely a way to make some money for the Soupstone Club.” As a student, Mrs. SooHoo was a part of the Soupstone club herself. Soupstone is the literary magazine of the school and the club that runs these singing grams. When she was a student, these singing grams were already happening. Currently, SooHoo organizes the Soupstone club. This whole event is a successful way to make publicity to the club and to have students join.
There are two opinions on this whole idea. Are singing grams fun? Are they useful? Or are they not? Most say yes, they are fun. Ellie Glicksman, a senior at Yorktown, says, “I go to a lot of school events but this experience had to be one of the most memorable because of how entertaining it is. I am not a dancer or a singer in any way, but coming up with a little performance with my best friends was so fun.” The students who did the dances could agree on how much fun you have all together.
The negative part of this is when someone actually buys one for you. Performing for others may be fun but when it is being done to you, some say it is truly humiliating. “It puts an awkward spotlight on you as people are dancing and singing around you,” said Henry Renken. Another student at Yorktown, Lucia DiFrancia, concurs with Henry and says, “I think it is fun to watch but I would never want it done to me.”
Ultimately, every February 14th at Yorktown High School should be a fun day. The tradition of singing telegrams has been going on for many years and hopefully will continue on. Though there are mixed opinions about the day, everyone should enjoy it because of the fun interactions, memories, and entertainment it brings. Whether you are celebrating with a partner, family, or friends, being able to let loose and have a nice day is important.
“Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate all your loved ones, from friends to family,” says Lea Bryant, a sophomore at Yorktown High School. This is a common opinion across the board. Many people in the Yorktown High School community believe that by including friends and family to the celebration of couples, it invites even more people who are now able to celebrate the holiday, and that’s all that matters!
But what should you get your valentine on Valentine’s Day? Of course there’s the classic heart shaped case of chocolates, a beautiful bouquet of red roses, or even an expensive piece of jewelry such as a pair of earrings or a necklace. But are those traditional ideas really the ideal gifts for the person you love, or would a more personalized and individualized gift be the better route? Yorktown staff member Sunny Killeen states, “Something that’s thoughtful like making dinner.”
While this is a fantastic idea, another fun option popular with the Yorktown High School students is singing grams. This is where groups of cheerful students go from classroom to classroom singing and dancing to the most upbeat songs around their friends. They wear bright pink outfits and accessories to bring out the smiles on everybody’s face.
These singing grams are definitely meant more for your friends rather than your partner, further proving the idea that at Yorktown High School, Valentine’s Day is celebrated amongst everyone.
So this being said, there’s no doubt that candies and flowers are a great gift option, but they definitely aren’t the only option when showing your gratitude for another person.
While on the topic of what to get your valentine, is Valentine’s Day really that good of a holiday? Would we miss it if we cut it out completely? Well Marshall Garrido, a junior at Yorktown High School believes that, “It’s very fun. I got chocolate, which is really nice!”
Marshall’s sentiment is most likely agreed upon by many. A lot of people don’t care what the holiday is necessarily about; they like to focus more on receiving gifts or giving gifts to their friends and loved ones.
So aside from the question of who should celebrate the day, we can all agree that getting gifts on Valentine’s day is one of the best parts of the holiday, along with spending quality time with the ones who you love and showing your appreciation in a fun and loving way.
Valentine’s Day is a well known holiday and is celebrated all over the world, but how does the general population feel about this day? On Wednesday, February 14th, the YHS journalism class carried out interviews with students and staff members to receive input on how the school views Valentine’s Day. Responses to this survey varied greatly and showed a mix of feelings about this holiday.
A divide of feelings about Valentine’s day can be seen from two different interviews with students. Kristan Lee feels as though it is just another day and there is nothing significant about it. To him, Valentine’s day is just a day where you tell someone that you love them.
Another student who participated in the survey, Jaden Lopez, expressed different opinions on the holiday. He said that Valentine’s Day is a time to share your love, but that idea of sharing love should also be expressed every day.
Both students also believe that the holiday should be more inclusive of friendship, not just expressing romantic feelings.
Opinions on the holiday also varied in surveys with staff members at YHS. “It’s not my favorite holiday,” said Ms. O’Meara. She believes that Valentine’s Day is over commercialized. Ms. O’Meara used to celebrate the holiday, but doesn’t celebrate it any more. Much like Kristan and Jaden, she also believes that Valentine’s Day should also be a day of friendship, not just expressing romance.
Mr. Meltz expressed similar opinions on the holiday. Although he believes that it gives people a reason to be happy, it is a rough day for people who aren’t in a relationship. Many people may feel left out on this holiday. He also said that Valentine’s day isn’t inclusive of friendship, but he believes that anybody can express love for someone else on any day.
As expressed by the interviewees, Valentine’s Day is a rather disputed holiday that evokes many different feelings. Despite the general popularity around Valentine’s Day, positive views on the holiday were rather uncommon. Some viewed it as a day of spreading love, but common belief says that expressing love should also be done on any other day.
Responses were sometimes negative, as it was expressed that Valentine’s day is over commercialized and makes people who are single feel left out.
Despite the negative feedback on the holiday, most interviewees also expressed positive feelings about the holiday, and many believed that Valentine’s day gave people a reason to be happy.
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