As Valentine’s Day approaches, students hurry to C-hall and the quad to buy roses for their friends and significant others. Every year, the Associated Student Body (ASB) hosts the rose sales a week before Valentine’s Day.
“One of ASB’s jobs is to ensure that students have an enjoyable high school experience. Rose sales serve as a perfect outlet to accomplish this goal, as it involves students writing sweet notes to their friends, which boosts the morale of kids all around campus,” said Jono Sison, the sophomore class president. “Rose sales have been a tradition at Carlmont for over 20 years.”
Flowers have been shown to help hospital patients with anxiety and can help with short-term stress relief, according to Push Doctor.
Academics can be a source of stress, but so can Valentine’s Day itself. Many people experience anxiety due to the pressure of finding a partner to celebrate the holiday with or disappointing the one they already have. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America recommends recognizing human flaws, expressing self-love, writing letters of gratitude, and expressing appreciation for platonic relationships to ease this stress.
“The rose sale allows students to express their gratitude towards one another and know that their friends and classmates appreciate them. This is great for students’ morale, as it allows them to stop and realize that people care about them,” Sison said. “Rose sales create an amazing environment for students, where the overall vibe at school is uplifting. This vibe can then carry onto events like Heritage Fair, where everyone is excited to celebrate the differing ethnicities around them.”
The rose sales help students express platonic appreciation around the traditionally romantic holiday with personalized notes written by the students.
“I wanted my friends to know how much I love them; it’s a nice gesture,” said Enya Luo-Wimmer, a sophomore.
While stress around the holiday has increased, this has not dented the amount of money spent on gifts. In the past decade, people have started spending more on Valentine’s Day. According to Forbes, the total amount of money spent in the U.S. in 2019 was estimated to be $20.7 billion.
Despite this massive amount of money spent, romantic interest in the last decade on Feb. 14 has fallen from 63% to 51%. According to the National Retail Federation, 25% of people in the U.S. were planning to give gifts in 2019, but 40% wanted to receive them.
However, at Carlmont, many students still buy roses for their friends, emphasizing platonic relationships and exemplifying the decrease in expensive romantic gifting.
“I wanted to show my friends how much I appreciate them,” said Erica Mendiola, a senior. “Whoever is receiving or giving, roses make people feel special.”
