Elementary school
At Northmoor Elementary School in Englewood, most students celebrate Valentine’s Day with parties and valentine exchanges.
“It depends a lot on the homeroom mothers as to what the class does,” said Becky Gruber, the school counselor for both Northmoor and Englewood elementary schools. “It depends on how creative, motivated and energetic they are.”
Gruber added that the fifth-graders don’t always want to participate in the valentine exchange, and are allowed to opt out.
“If they do choose to participate, however, they have to give valentines to everyone,” she said.
For the sixth-graders at the school, Gruber said the school often throws one group party in the gym.
Gruber said Northmoor also is doing a fundraiser for the occasion this year called Hearts for Haiti.
“I had a student come up to me to talk about all that was going on in Haiti, and saying he wanted to do a fundraiser,” she said. “So we are raising money for the Red Cross.”
For Hearts for Haiti, early this week students can write a note and send it to a friend for $1 via a Valentine Candy Gram. Gruber said the valentine will be delivered with a candy sucker Thursday, Feb. 11.
Middle school
Bob Merker, the school counselor at Watts Middle School in Centerville, said they try not to make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day at the middle school level.
“Middle school is a real transition from childhood to adulthood,” Merker said. “There’s a lot of growth in a lot of ways. We want to contain some of that.”
Merker said there are sometimes parties in the individual homerooms, but the classes don’t do the traditional valentine card exchange parties.
Merker noted that for Watts, like many area schools, Valentine’s Day falls in the middle of a four-day weekend. Many student-teacher conferences are being held Friday, Feb. 12, and Monday, Feb. 15, is Presidents Day.
“Sometimes we have dances, and other times kids can buy flowers and have them delivered to their beloveds,” said Merker.
High school
Gretchen Rives, the public information officer at Xenia High School, said there are not homeroom parties at the high school level.
Rives said that Xenia High School does have a Valentine’s Day fundraiser each year that benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
“Students can buy candy or carnations for other students or a teacher, and the proceeds benefit the Society,” Rives said.
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