Sarah Walsh
Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day was a major holiday throughout childhood, as students get older, they have started to form their own opinions about the value and meaning of Feb. 14 as young adults.

As elementary school students, Valentine’s Day was a day for friends to have fun exchanging cards and writing notes to that secret crush everyone had in their class.

Celebrating this very loving holiday was always something elementary students eagerly anticipated.

Buying cute little Valentine cards and candy, making pockets out of paper to hold Valentines, and seeing who brought in the best Valentines, were all exciting parts of the celebration.

“I remember in elementary school we got all excited to see if we got any candy from other classmates,” said freshman Angelica Pollard. “I think what I miss the most is the fact that everyone felt special because we all got a little something from someone else.”

In addition to giving and receiving Valentines and candy, class time was always devoted to arts and crafts.

“I miss making art projects for our parents because it really showed that we love them,” said junior Julia Magno.

Cal students have different opinions about Valentine’s Day now as young adults, as opposed to the good old days of crafts and candy.
There are some students, such as junior Sarah Augustinsky, who keep the dream alive and go all out for Valentine’s Day.

“I go out and buy a bunch of candy and I make homemade Valentines cards,” said Augustinsky. “On the actual day itself, I dress up in a ton of pink and tell everyone I love them and then spend the evening with the people I love, watching movies, eating, and having a good time.”

Others believe that the days of making Valentines and buying candy are over, and students need to face the fact that it is just not the same holiday it once was.

“Valentine’s Day is a day that emphasizes the love between couples but not enough toward family and friends like it used to,” said senior Molly Walker.

Juniors Lauren Holden and Jake Lepere are in a long-term relationship, and look forward to all the emotions that come along with Valentine’s Day.

“I personally love Valentine’s Day, but that is probably because I have a boyfriend of a year and a half,” said Holden. “I believe that most people at Cal don’t like it.”

Holden’s boyfriend, Lepere, had some sweet words to say about the holiday, but he has a differing view on the way he believes Cal students see Valentine’s Day.

“Valentine’s Day is a day for couples to forget anything they’ve been through and have a full day of love and happiness,” said Lepere. “ I think that Cal sees it as a way to express feelings that someone has for another in an easy way.”

Love can be complex, and students’ opinions regarding this holiday differ depending on their situation.

With Valentine’s Day almost a week away, students’ true outlook on the holiday really comes forward.

“It is a good holiday because it gives guys an opportunity to show affection for their significant others,” said senior John Odell.

Science teacher Brian Coburn believes Valentine’s Day can be a day for family.

“I celebrate Valentine’s Day by going out to dinner with my family,” said Coburn. “But as it being a holiday, I think that it’s very commercialized and a day for people just to make money off of it.”

Some students don’t see Valentine’s Day as a day worth celebrating anymore because it’s just a couples holiday.

“I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day mostly because there’s no point if you’re not a couple,” said sophomore Kathy Camenzind.

“Couples shouldn’t need an excuse to treat each other well, they should be doing that on a daily basis anyway.”