Valentine’s Day is a day to appreciate the people in your life that you love dearly, whether it’s friends, family, or acquaintances. Many people celebrate the holiday in various ways. Some share it with their friends, gifting candy and watching romantic movies. Others share it with their significant other and buy roses, chocolates, cheesy cards, and even shiny helium balloons. However, few people actually know the history behind Valentine’s Day. There are many different legends for the purpose of this special day. It is based off a man named Valentine, yet we are unsure which legends are true about him. According to one legend, an imprisoned man named Valentine who tried to free Christians from Roman prisons actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Some believe the holiday was made to commemorate his death, others that it was created by the church to try and “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival.

No matter the background, today we use the day to spread joy and love. Here at South Shore, many students participated in the holiday in their own way. Down in the elementary school, students bring in candy and cards for each fellow classmates. At the end of the day, they get to share their candy and goods with each other. For the young kids, it is a way of appreciating each classmate. The Kindergarten class had plenty of fun sharing their Valentine’s Day gifts! Mrs. Olsen and her students shared snacks of popcorn, watermelon, and all their candy! One high schooler, Shauna Kavajecz, works as a teacher assistant for the kindergarten class. Shauna surprised the kids by joining their party. Many of the kids had gifts to give to Shauna and were eager to share them with her.

In the high school, the band set up a special fundraiser for this holiday. The band made Valentine’s Day cookies for students to purchase and give to their friends or significant other. The local cafe in Port Wing, the Bear Paw, sold cupcakes or cookies with a stuffed bear for only $5! Other students got gifts from their significant other. Rylee Nicoletti, a sophomore, got a heart- shaped box of chocolates from her boyfriend, Connor Sorenson. Rylee comments on the holiday, “Valentine’s Day is a great day to show how much you care about the important people in your life, I also love chocolate and candy a lot.”

We hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and enjoys all their candy and chocolates!