Valentine’s Day is not only a time to spend celebrating a romantic relationship, but also a time to spread love to friends, family, and one’s community. This Valentine’s Day, love is being spread by SHS students in multiple ways after a tumultuous couple of years. SHS students are taking advantage of Valentine’s Day this year by jump-starting some of their own projects to spread positivity around the school.

SHS junior Julia Zegunia, president of the Community Service Club, is spreading her love by helping others. A longtime volunteer at the Scituate food pantry, Zegunia has organized a group of people to make Valentine’s Day cards and decorations to help spread love throughout the community. Zeguina explained that she enjoys working with the food pantry because it is “the closest place that needs something,” including donations.

Zeguina and the Community Service Club have created an “item of the month”: a specific food that the food pantry needs that the club will be collecting donations for. The goal of the club is to raise as many donations as they can. They plan to spread the word throughout the school with posters.

The Food Pantry’s Community Service Program Director, Juli McLaughlin, who is also an SHS parent, describes Zeguina as a “wonderful volunteer” who has been an active volunteer since the summer of 2021. McLaughlin noted that in general, working with SHS students is always a positive experience, from “helping us move to a new location, to stocking shelves, and dating food items to help prevent food waste,” SHS students have always been “polite, professional, and a pleasure to work with!”

Along with Zegunia and the Community Service Club, the Class of 2025 is also spreading Valentine’s vibes around the school through candy grams. The idea behind a candy gram is that you buy candy from a member of the Freshman Class at lunch for $2 each and you can write a note to the person who you would like to receive the candy gram. SHS freshman and student government treasurer Ingrid McLaughlin said they have a wide range of candy you can attach your candy gram to, including “all different types of Skittles and Starburst.” The fundraiser was successful, as the participants filled up an entire bucket of candy grams before Valentine’s Day–when the freshman student government will be delivering the candy grams.  It is one of the very creative and festive ways that student governments have fundraised throughout the years.

SHS senior Sarah Villa said candy grams are a “fun and creative way to surprise my friends with a little Valentine’s Day love.” Villa bought a candy gram for each of her friends, signing them anonymously, to help bring some excitement during the somewhat daunting winter months.

Valentine’s Day can get a bad rap as the stress of impressing can really weigh down on people. Through candy grams and community service, SHS students have done a great job at making this year’s holiday an enjoyable, inclusive experience.