Elementary School Celebrates Love on Valentine’s Day
March 8, 2023
Kelly Elgin first grade class. Left to righ: Franklin Schneider, Vincent Davis, Charlie Reddy, Bentley Gaddy, Barrett Neidert, Madison Brown, Rebel Neely, Bailey Stanley, Aliya Twaddle, Kayson Stafford, Owen Ray, Oliver Loveday, Baylor Baxter, Cannon Ebbrecht, Dani Azeez, Madison Brown. (photo taken by Christian Allen)
Around the world Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, this celebration even occurs among the youngest of us. Last Tuesday the elementary classes threw parties for their students.
The parties saw crafts made, games played, and food eaten. Parents are invited to partake in the festivities. First grade teacher Kelly Elgin explained, “It will be a craft, a game, and a snack. Parents are invited so they get to partake in all of the fun. We are doing ice cream sundaes for our snack, each class gets to pick something different but that is what we’re going to do. There are all sorts of toppings. We will do some ‘minute to win it games’ and then we will do a heart paper craft and the kids will pass out their valentines with their fancy boxes that they made.”
Students showed their creativity in the boxes that they designed and created for the celebration, there were many different designs and themes for the boxes. They took the form of Pokeballs, basketball hoops, or even a toilet. Barns, cop cars, and superbowl winning quarterback Patrick Maholmes served as inspiration for the kids as well.
The partying was a hit among the students, many of the students loved the snacks available to them, first grader Oliver Loveday stated, “It’s fun because of candy and all this sugar I got.” His classmate Charlie Reddy said it was wonderful because of the ice cream.
Another first grader Aliya Twaddle believes the fun of the party is from getting to be with her friends and have fun with them for the celebration. She explained her view as, “It’s really fun and I get to see my friends.”
The joy of the celebration extends beyond the first grade building joyous memories that are important to building a community, Elgin elaborated, “I think the kids really enjoy it, and those are memories that I remember from when I was little. I think those are the important ones that may help build a classroom community and all of those things. I also think that I have not had a year where kids have not been able to participate, like, by not bringing valentines, but that is something I have extras of just in case because I do want everyone to be involved and feel like they are a part of it.”
The elementary students continue to enjoy their valentine’s day parties and will hopefully continue to enjoy them for the years of parties to come.