Valentine, Oh Valentine

By Dorothy Bowerfind

In the midst of moody February, nothing picks up spirits more than some candy and compliments. At St. John’s, Valentine’s Day is all about community, connection, and love. I thought it might be fun to share some of our best traditions around February the fourteenth.

Valentine’s Waltz

Photo Credit: Cookie Chang

While the big day technically fell on a Wednesday, we kicked off the celebration a little bit early on Saturday night. Students gathered in the boathouse to dance the night away to the smooth sounds of a live band, a starlit view of college creek, and the sweetest taste of chocolate fondue. The Waltz Committee also provided paper, pens, and decorative supplies to create cards, which, in true Johnnie fashion, they misplaced before the fourteenth. They were discovered in a plastic bag on campus just in time to get them in mailboxes for Valentine’s Day.

Card Making Workshops

Photo Credit: The Mitchell Gallery

Whether you’re writing to Aristotle, Plato, or that cutie down the hall, everyone could brush up on their DIY card skills. The Mitchell Art Gallery celebrated 7-years of improving romance on campus with their annual Card Making Workshop. In a five-hour marathon the day before Valentine’s Day, the Art Gallery supplies materials and advice for making the sweetest cards around.

Kiss N Tell

Who says romance is strictly between partners? Here at St. John’s, we’re all about the books. Greenfield Library holds an annual Kiss and Tell week around Valentine’s Day. Polity members write sweet somethings about the library, and in exchange receive a [Hershey’s] kiss!

Staff Council Sweets

Appreciation is not limited to students, we love our whole polity. Staff Council flitted about like fairies of love (complete with Shakespeare shirts and flower crowns) delivering paper hearts to all of the people who make SJC such a great place to be.

Bon Appetit

There are some days I really miss living on-campus and eating in the dining hall. Valentine’s Day is totally one of those days. Bon Appetit always does a wonderful job of making the dining hall feel like home, but endless platters of chocolate covered strawberries and red heart cookies really seal the deal for the day of love.

Valentine’s Day is surely special to some, and to others it’s just another Wednesday Sicut Sing with red sprinkled heart-shaped sugar cookies in the Assistant Dean’s office. No matter when the flowers wilt and the chocolate melts, there is one thing I know to be true: at St. John’s we are all loved and appreciated, and we all belong. It might be a Valentine’s Day thing, but it’s also an everyday thing. We hope to one day share that with you!