Gabriela Parini Cordova also contributed to this article
With only four days left until the seniors leave high school forever, the class of 2026 has decided to send them off with a few kisses.
The class of 2026 begins to wrap up their successful first year with a simple yet sentimental fundraiser that is unique to Malden High, to both satisfy the graduating seniors and also help raise money for junior year. Class of 2026 event coordinator Linh Do explained “The seniors are leaving this week and it was our last chance to make something extra special for them. It was also like a replacement for a bake sale which allowed us to make some money before the soiree,” she continued, “We wanted to switch it up a bit, and since it’s exam season. The kisses were easy to keep track of and allowed for meaningful student and faculty participation.”
The process was simple; students who wanted to gift a senior with a kiss would have to fill out a Google form stating who they were sending it to and attach a little note to go along with the five Hershey kisses. The kisses were distributed to the seniors’ homerooms before the first period started to hopefully brighten the seniors’ final days. “Receiving kisses made me feel happy, appreciated, and noticed,” explained senior Sarah Boucher who further offered a recommendation for the council to give out mini goody bags with a variety of different candies for the next batch of seniors.
However, as great as the idea was, there were still a few bumps in the road for the class of 2026. “We delivered all the kisses yesterday, there were some complications with homerooms and the amount of kisses to be delivered though,” explained Do. Class of 2026 President Eldana Abrhame stated, “It was a bit of a challenge delivering the kisses to homerooms as there were only 11 minutes and we had over 20 homerooms that ordered kisses. We tried our best but some of the kisses were delivered during the grace period so the seniors got it the day after.”
Although there were some challenges for the council, students were still happy with the event overall. Beatriz Oliveira, a sophomore who sent kisses explained, “I kept it a secret from the seniors that I was sending the kisses to and it was so sweet when they found out.” She continued, “Cathy was the first to get hers, she was so excited, she texted ‘I feel loved’ and it made me laugh. Josh and Elina were also very grateful…It definitely brought us closer together in this last week.”
“I am so so very appreciative and warmed by the kisses and the note attached. It felt so sentimental and heartfelt. Especially since we seniors are about to depart it was a very sincere way to wish the seniors goodbye. The cute baggie with the kisses and note will be cherished forever!” described senior Tyler Edmond.
As today is the last day for seniors, they are all leaving with a feeling of being loved and appreciated by the underclassmen. The seniors have been kissed goodbye and are on their way to graduation on June 2nd, 2024.
