February sparks love and kindness for individuals everywhere, especially in schools. A special day that takes place on February 14th, Valentine’s Day, allows individuals to not only show their love for others but also evokes kindness everywhere.
Though many people assume Valentine’s day traditions are for lovers, it is also a great day to spread kindness and compassion for those who are important in your life. Schools especially remind children of this by having activities that take place in February and usually last up until Valentine’s Day.
In elementary school, children usually buy or make small gifts for their peers and teachers to hand out on Valentine’s Day. This not only makes the students that received these little gifts of kindness happy, but it also makes the person who gave these gifts happy as well.
Here at Pitman High School, during the month of February, students kick off “Love Pitman,” which is a month-long celebration of kindness, positivity, inclusiveness and most importantly LOVE! ASB is in charge of it and promotes all of the kind acts that happen each day. There are also a huge variety of activities that are planned that help bring students, staff, and other members of the Pride together.
Love Pitman originally started in 2014 and this is the 10th year – the tenth anniversary! A teacher named Mrs. Olesen saw the Love Turlock signs that are hung up around the City of Turlock this time of year. She got inspired by this and thought it would be a fun and great idea to bring this to the campus at Pitman High. Students enjoyed it and started making a calendar for February that involved a kind act for each day. The Class of 2014 wanted to promote kindness.
Many clubs take part in this event like HYLC, HARRT, SAVE Club, each grade level’s class cabinet, Green Team, and the PHS English department. One club in particular, NAMI, has started a recent tradition that every student notices when they walk into their English class. Every year, for the past three years, NAMI club members hang up black posters outside every door in the English department. The posters are meant to write a kind message to someone who has that designated English teacher. For example, if you had a friend that you wanted to write a nice message to you would write the message on a sticky note and then hand it to your English teacher. Then, they would give it to that same person’s English teacher.
I decided to ask a few questions to the advisor of NAMI, Monica Cooke, who also teaches Sophomore English and AP Literature.
Question: When did NAMI start putting up the black posters in the English department?
Cooke: It’s our third year doing this.
Question: Why did NAMI start putting up these posters?
Cooke: NAMI members wanted to do something and the posters represent a part of their childhood. When students were younger in elementary school they handed out and received valentine’s grams. Doing this helps them sort of remember a part of their childhood.
Question: What’s your favorite part of the posters?
Cooke: Seeing the smile on kids’ faces whenever they have a nice note written about them.
Not only is Love Pitman a fun and exciting way to celebrate love and kindness, it also has had a positive impact on students. Clubs and ASB doing random acts of kindness puts smiles on everyone’s faces. Staff also get acknowledged for all their hard work and kindness that they show.
Some activities planned this year for Love Pitman were decorating cookies with Ms. Biddle’s class, decorating the front office and library, delivering donuts to the front office staff, decorating the campus supervisor’s carts, lunch activities like making friendship bracelets, tic-tac-toe, decorating staff lounges, writing kindness notes, and more.
One activity that took place the week before and the week of Valentine’s day was HYLC’s Valentine grams. Every year HYLC sells Valentine grams that consist of either a rose or a teddy bear.
There were also some community events that ASB has participated in like going to elementary schools to spread the importance of being kind and inclusive. ASB participated in A Night to Shine: Prom with a Purpose through the county on February 9th and were “buddies”.
Love Pitman, is a month full of kindness, joy, and love. Not only does this month consist of many activities but, it also puts a smile on everyone’s faces.