January—the light of the new year and the spawn of new beginnings. As it comes, it is dampened by a wave of contagion brought onto the students across Bonita Vista High (BVH). As this wave continues to run rampant, surging from classroom to classroom, a new light appears as the morning sun of February rolls on the horizon. Waves of emotion come forth from students as pink and red colors spread throughout hallways, informing them of the upcoming holiday: Valentine’s Day. A day celebrated by love and affection as it evokes emotions and gives people opportunities for romantic gestures to their significant others. 

Valentine’s Day can offer couples new ways to celebrate emotions and can provide the opportunity to give something nice to their partner. For those who celebrate Valentine’s Day, it can put forth a new way to surprise their significant other.

“[In my mind,] when you’re in a relationship, you celebrate your partner every day and you’re happy to be with your partner. On Valentine’s Day, you both get to do sweet and kind things. I think it’s just a day that’s very validating,” senior Carolina Levine said.

Love can be presented in several ways and can differentiate when people express their feelings for their significant others. However, Levine comments that Valentine’s day can be more than partners and can include many types of people with whom they share different relationships.

“[My partner and I] haven’t really planned [what we are going to do] yet. But, I really wanted to buy a bunch of flowers and both of us would get dressed up. [We’re going to] go somewhere that’s crowded with a bunch of people and pass out flowers to people,” Levine said.

In Levine’s case, giving out flowers is the best way to express celebration on Valentine’s Day and share the emotions of love with others. Doing this is their way of creating a memorable experience on that day for many people.

“Valentine’s Day isn’t necessarily a relationship thing [and] partners aren’t always needed to celebrate it. The years before I was in a relationship, I used to [celebrate] Valentine’s Day with my friends,” Levine said. “It’s a day to celebrate love [and] doesn’t have to be romantic love; it can be a platonic love or even a familial love.”

The sentiments of love, possibly being familial, platonic or romantic, are all equally important to Levine. They go as far as to say that on important days such as Valentine’s Day, the people of BVH should be able to enjoy themselves, whether or not they have someone special to celebrate with. 

“Valentine’s Day isn’t that special [to me.] What matters most is the day-to-day [lives you have with your partner],” senior Bibiana Martinez said. 

As love lingers in the air at BVH, relationships begin and can differ in age and grade level. As this is the case for senior Jayme Engen, a slight difference is found between herself and her boyfriend, Fabian Mauberis.

“At the start [of the relationship], it was really rough, because I was a freshman and he was a junior. We were kind of still figuring ourselves out and we still are to this day. So it definitely wasn’t easy at first, but you just got to get through that hard patch,” Engen said.

The relationship between Engen and Mauberis began two and a half years ago. Engen explained how the relationship had its difficult times. However, they persevered to find love despite Mauberis’ graduation and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I think [Valentine’s Day is] special to us because we’ve fought the past few years, especially in high school and during COVID. [The relationship] definitely wasn’t easy, so it’s special to us because of what we’ve been through,” Engen said.

As time went on, both Engen and Mauberis grew to enjoy each others’ presence and were able to become comfortable with the relationship they formed together. They would eventually find solace in one another, acting as a break from the stresses of their lives.

“When we hang out [together], we can just be ourselves around each other,” Engen said. “Those are the best moments that have always stuck out [to both of us and makes it unique to] the past relationships I’ve had.”

As the relationships sprout around BVH and plans continue to be made for Valentines Day, Valentine’s Day rolls on full spin and continues to provide chances to those who wish to produce something special for someone they hold dear.

“[My partner and I are] planning to bake something at my house,” Martinez said. “I like baking bread a lot, so we are going to bake bread together or a cake after we go out to eat.”

Ultimately, Valentine’s Day is a day of love, acceptance and being with those who matter most. A special day of admiration and affection is shared with partners, friends and even family. Love is at the center of Valentine’s Day and can be celebrated by any means of relationships. 

“You don’t need a relationship to be happy. You definitely just have to find the right person to grow with. [That doesn’t mean you should] feel discouraged if you don’t have a Valentine because even though some of us [students] are 18 or so in high school, [we’re still kids]. So, we’re just gonna grow [at the end of the day] and it’s not the end of the world [if you don’t have someone,]” Engen said.