Clear Springs: Sharing the Valentine's Day Spirit

Walking through the halls of  on Monday afternoon, there was no escaping that it was in fact Valentine’s Day. Bulletin boards in the halls were adorned with cutout hearts in a variety of colors and sizes. Nearly every one of the school’s 650 students seemed to be wearing red or pink clothing and Clear Springs Principal, was himself sporting a Valentine’s Day tie.

All 34 classrooms at even celebrated Valentine’s Day with a small party. 

“It’s a fun day,” Carpenter said as he walked down the decorated halls, peeking his head into classrooms. 

“Of all the holiday parties, it’s my favorite,” echoed Lynn Bleeker, who teaches half-day English Kindergarten at Clear Springs. On Valentine's Day, her classroom was filled with pink and red streamers, heart-themed plastic table clothes covered the desks and each of the student cubbies was brimming with homemade valentines exchanged between classmates.

“They get kind things from each other. They feel so valuable,” Bleeker said. The school has a policy that every child who brings valentines, must bring enough for everyone in their class. Bleeker said the holiday is really a chance to promote inclusivity among students-- especially important at at time when some kids often feel left out by their peers. 

Sarah Way was one of the eight moms who spearheaded the Valentine’s Day party in Mrs. Bleeker’s classroom. During Monday's party, while she was making Valentine’s Day crafts, with hands full of red paper plates and glue sticks, she said she kept one thing in mind when planning the festivities: “The overall goal is that they have fun."

By the looks of it, Way’s daughter, Regan, who spent much of the party deeply ensconced in crafting, definitely looked as if she was having fun.

And so did the rest of the kids in Mrs. Bleeker’s Kindergarten class, who divided their time during the hour-long party between decorating heart-shaped cookies, crafting and playing a toss game with a giant pink sequined pillow.

The school's classroom parties were staggered throughout the day to make room for parents who wanted to join in the festivities.

"Parking's a problem!" Carpenter said. He estimated that more than 100 parents showed up for the various Valentine’s Day shindigs. 

So at 2 p.m. on Monday, while the kids in Rick Buchholz’s second grade class learned math--- their party was earlier in the day— just down the hall in Cheryl Twedt’s third grade room, a Valentine’s Day bash was in full swing. 

The door of Mrs. Twedt’s room was decorated with long chains made up of pink, purple and red construction paper rings. Through those rings was a room filled with kids playing Twister, eating mini-cupcakes topped with pink frosting and sipping juice boxes.

While the kids were playing and eating, a group of five classroom moms, who had helped plan the party,  joined in the celebration too-- catching up with one another and occasionally stealing a sweet treat for themselves. It was a scene which teachers said repeats itself every February 14th.  

 “These parties help parents connect,” Bleeker said. “It’s really about community building.”

And one thing's for sure-- this Clear Springs community of students, parents and faculty really take Valentine’s Day to heart.