Nydia Monroy

Staff Writer

[caption id="attachment_3728" align="alignnone" width="300"] Seniors Gerald Porter, Jake Orlin, Julian Passman, and Alex Mendoza ready to serenade[/caption]

Valentine’s Day, the holiday composed of pink, red, candy, and, I guess, couples (if you must); at Latin, however, the argument could be made that the holiday’s all about the singing valentines. When asked to describe Valentine’s Day, Sophomore Scout Baker said it’s “a consumer holiday,” Alex Kaplan described it as “kind of funny,” and Emily Sinegal said it was “something that promotes buying things for people you love.” My opinion? Probably a mixture of all of the above.

It’s a consumer holiday, because, well, take the Best Buddies table that was strategically placed in the cafeteria as an example. You passed right by it after paying for lunch and I don’t know about you but I was tempted to buy each and every piece of candy on that table.  It was like asking a Netfix addict not to spend their four-day weekend on Netflix.  The funnier stuff came along when you planned these singing valentines ahead of time, like the little surprise Olivia Stoeckel, sophomore, received.  Her sister Britta Stoeckel, freshman, chose “All Of You” as a song and Olivia’s expression to the surprise is now remembered in some pretty memorable footage. Finally, the idea of buying things for those you love was most evident when Best Buddies member Tyler Hagedorn noted that “lots of people [were] buying” and that “all the proceeds [would be] going towards a great cause.”

Best Buddies’ singing valentines has been a tradition at Latin for as long as anyone can remember and the singers voluntarily spend their free blocks and spare time serenading students all throughout the building. A few of the singing volunteers this year included Freshmen Sophia Lancaster, Alden Sulger, and Sophie Norris, Sophomores Allie Kersten and Harland Reid, Juniors Brennan Besser, Johnny Buchanan, Tricia Crimmins, Molly Newmark, and Chriss Quzzzo, and Seniors Alex Mendoza, Jake Orlin, Julian Passman, Gerald Porter, Sydney Thomas, Madeleine McArdle and Caroline Volgman. Caroline enjoyed “running around and interrupting classes” and said that “you could tell [students] were relieved to have a break from class. However, she was “not sure how [her group] measured up to the group that sang “Buy You A Drank.”

Some of the highlights of this years singing valentines included getting to see Senior Prefect, Jake Orlin’s, musical skills along with Alex, Julian, and Gerald as their performance of “Buy You A Drink” could possibly be the next big thing at Latin. Alden Sulgar’s impressive high notes were also a great addition to his group’s songs. Last but certainly not least, Allie and Caroline’s rendition of “All of You” was sung in perfect harmony as Harland Reid played the guitar.  I look forward to next year’s Best Buddies fundraiser and the amazing performances that follow!

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