Valentine’s Day is a global holiday celebrating the day of love and affection. Whether it is spent with a romantic partner or close friends, many people participate in the tradition of Valentine’s Day by delivering loved ones heartfelt presents.
The Class of 2027 student council ultimately decided to host the Cupid Shuffle to boost morale surrounding the love-centered holiday. “The Cupid Shuffle was a fun and welcoming event with the purpose of bringing people and friends together while celebrating the love in the air,” stated Event Coordinator Emilly De Farias Weihrauch, Event Coordinator and a Lead Reporter for The Blue and Gold.
The council decided on hosting the dance in Cafeteria B. Weihrauch shared, “Even with such a big space, we had little ideas on how to make Cafeteria B look less like the cafe, and more like a Valentines-themed event.” President Alexia Lima, who is also another Lead Reporter for The Blue and Gold, added on, stating that with the “ joint effort of the student council and amazing volunteers,” they were able to transform the space into a lively nighttime function.
Across the cafeteria, various stations were set up for students to interact with. Upon entering, they were greeted with the concession stand, which offered pizza, soda, and baked goods to purchase. To the left of the dance’s entrance, a DJ booth was set up, where the council and volunteers stood by to select music, take song requests, and make announcements.
At another table, they arranged an arts and crafts station, which provided many supplies to create cards. Next to that, there was a table with a spread of props to take pictures with. If people wished, they could take these photos at the Polaroid station that was run by sophomore volunteers Anniyah Azhar and Kailey Bae.
Initially, the energy was lacking, many people stuck to the sidelines with their friends. “The beginning was quite slow, but it got quite fun as it kept going,” claimed Azhar. However, as time passed and more people arrived, students progressively gained more excitement and became more comfortable with each other. However, Lima regretted not “having another activity to do at the start” which would have “gotten the energy up early on.”
To further ease the tension, the council hosted a game of musical chairs, which consisted of four rounds. The first three rounds were open for any students to join, and the fourth round was a final showdown between the previous winners. The atmosphere afterwards was noticeably more lively, as everyone came together in one large group to socialize among themselves. “Everyone seemed to be sticking to their own groups, but the musical chairs broke the ice and made the dance a more fun experience,” highlighted Secretary Cat Nguyen.
The rest of the dance progressed smoothly. Students enjoyed singing and dancing along to songs, spending time with each other, and, overall, having fun and celebrating.
The student council members were extremely pleased with the outcome of the dance. While many did not have high hopes, the attendance and enthusiasm surpassed their expectations. “The dance was a huge success, especially as the CO ’27 student council’s first dance. It got a lot more popularity and interest than I originally thought,” expressed Treasurer Sofia Vargas.
The council is unsure of their future plans, but they hope to continue hosting enjoyable events for students. “I have faith in this council to plan something else just as successful,” concluded Volunteer Coordinator Sofia Evoras.
