Crier wants to know: how relevant is Valentine’s Day?

With Valentine’s Day in the air, people want to spend time with friends or partners to celebrate. However, it doesn’t look like everyone is doing so. The Crier staff interviewed Conant staff and students to see if they feel the holiday is still relevant in today’s society. 

Chloe Hickland, ‘23

Chloe Hickland, ‘23

“I think it’s pretty relevant mostly because a lot of restaurants and places prepare for Valentine’s Day. You see it all over in stores and people talk about it a lot. [For high schoolers], yes, but I feel like over time, it becomes less and less relevant, just because people are in a lot of different relationships.”

Jacob Kim, ‘25

“No. I think it’s useless, there’s no point in it and it’s overrated. Why would you use an item to show how much you love someone? Why would you show that you love someone only on a certain day even though you love them every day?”

Max Leong, ‘23

Max Leong, ‘23

“I mean, it’s something for people to show appreciation for each other, I don’t really celebrate it because I don’t have the reason to, but I guess for friends I do. It’s kind of like a special day to show appreciation to others. I think it’s more relevant for people who do have those people because it’s kind of targeted towards them.”

Vishnu Vijay, ‘26

“Valentine’s Day is really significant in our current society because it encourages people to show affection and kindness towards others. It’s really great for businesses too because many companies make millions off prospective lovestruck young people buying flowers, chocolate, and other goods. However, since Valentine’s Day is a Christian tradition, it can exclude other cultures and that can have negative effects [such as being ridiculed]. However, the pros of Valentine’s Day are much more impactful than the rarely-occurring cons, so in general, Valentine’s Day is an important integrated part of our current society.”

Charlotte Panek, ‘24

Charlotte Panek, ‘24

“I personally don’t see Valentine’s Day as all that relevant, especially for high school students. I just never hear about it, even from those that I know are in relationships, and it’s even less relevant for those who aren’t. Valentine’s Day is widely advertised though, so it is at least well-known, alongside being a generally good concept.”

Shannon Malone, Chemistry and Forensics teacher 

“I think it’s kind of a personal thing. If you are in a relationship maybe you want that excuse to have a day to celebrate each other. But I don’t think it’s a big deal if you don’t celebrate it. When Galentine’s day became a big thing, just celebrating your friends instead of being in a relationship cause that’s not the end all be all, [I think that’s more relevant].”

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