Sophomore Leore Nates hangs up the phone after talking to her best friend, sophomore Sophie Hinh, for over an hour. After catching up with Hinh, Nates reminisces about how much she misses spending time with her friends, and she pulls out her arts and crafts box from behind her desk.

 Nates plans to continue a yearly tradition she shares with her best friend. 

“We have exchanged letters and small gifts every Valentine’s Day since I can remember,” Nates said. “Over time it has become an unspoken tradition for us to share our feelings and how much we value each other’s friendship.” 

 This year, she also plans to meet a few friends at Evelyn’s park where they will have a small picnic while social distancing.

 “Before the pandemic, I would bring cupcakes and chocolate to share with my peers on the way to classes, but this year such close contact is not an option,” Nates said.

Also planning a picnic, senior Jordyn Smith hopes to spend her Valentine’s Day with her boyfriend. 

“Because of the pandemic, we decided that avoiding restaurants and sticking to outdoor activities such as a picnic and Top Golf would be the safest way to spend our Valentine’s Day,” Smith said. 

 Smith also plans to surprise her mom with a box full of the special edition heart shaped donuts from Dunkin Donuts.

“One of my favorite memories to look back on is when my mom would pick me up on Valentine’s Day from middle school, and she would hand me a freshly bought Dunkin’ Donuts box filled with heart shaped donuts,” Smith said. “Now, I’ve made it a tradition to pick up a box of Valentine’s Day donuts for her. I feel that after all she has done for me, I owe it to her. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about hanging out with your significant other. It’s a day to show the people that are most important in your life how much you appreciate them.”

Unlike Nates and Smith, sophomore Max Slater treats Valentine’s Day as any other than day.

 “I think that Valentine’s Day is a day that is special for those who are in relationships, and those who aren’t in one are just not going to do anything,” Slater said. “As a result of the pandemic, not as many people are going to be in serious relationships. Most people haven’t spent time talking to people aside from their close friends since March last year in order to stay safe.”

Slater plans to spend his day on the phone with his friends while playing Valorant, his favorite video game. 

“I’ll wake up around noon, eat a light snack, and spend the rest of my day catching up with my friends while gaming,” Slater said. “Just like any other day off from school, I will stay on the computer playing with my friends until midnight.”

Despite not being in any relationships, both Nates and Slater each plan to spend time with those that are most important to them. 

“The guys I play videogames with are my best friends and even though I don’t really care about Valentine’s Day, it’s still great to hang out and talk to them about random events in their lives,” Slater said.