Mia Shields, William Albury

Valentine’s Day has prompted people to splurge on the perfect gift to swoon their crush since the 1850s. From balloons to chocolates, any item or action is thought to have extra sentimental value on Feb. 14. At Miami Palmetto Senior High, and many other high schools across the country, this serves as an opportunity for school clubs to benefit their fundings, while still aiding the consistent flow of love in the air.

Providing a modern twist to traditional sweet treats, the Rho Kappa Honor Society (previously known as the National Social Studies Honor Society) proved the long-term belief that the best way to someone’s heart is through food. This Valentine’s Day season, the club went all out offering “Rho-grams” for $8 that included a history-themed card, red heart balloon, artificial rose, mini candy bag and the leading component — a mini Crumbl Cookie.

“I actually had given out last year to my coworkers a cookie with a history-themed card, and I thought that it would be really nice to do that for the kids and have them have the opportunity to purchase it for again their friends, their loved ones, their teachers, etc.,” Rho Kappa Sponsor and Honors U.S. Government teacher Kailey Almonte said.

Not only do these “Rho-grams” fulfill your friend, crush or significant other’s sweet tooth, but sweeten the hearts of all Rho Kappa members, as the funds go towards their national history bowl competition.

“I was not expecting at all to get the amount of orders that we did, so it was really nice to see how many people across campus became interested in it and how excited they got for a cookie, some roses and a balloon,” Almonte said.

On the other hand, the American Sign Language club has transported back to the 50s and 60s with their serenading Valentine’s grams. For $4, any student can schedule a signed song for their friend, crush or partner that comes with a stuffed animal and candy. Buyers can choose from nine songs, ranging from Disney classics to romantic hits. The song list includes: “Deja Vu” by Beyonce, “Beauty & the Beat” by Justin Bieber, “Somebody to Love” by Bieber, “Determinate” from Lemonade Mouth, “See You Again” by Tyler the Creator, “OMG” by Newjeans, “Starships” by Nicki Minaj, “Telepatia” by Kali Uchis and “Better Place” from Trolls 3. Although not a boombox blasting outside one’s window, the ASL club brought its own twist to public gestures, combining popular songs with American Sign Language.

“The Valentine’s Day grams are actually used to support the ASL show, that is happening April 23 and 24 and spread the awareness of sign language because even though the school knows it exists, [students] don’t have the opportunity to see sign language unless they go to one of the school’s shows that happen after school,” ASL Club Sponsor Bianca Mejias said. “This gives the [ASL] students a chance to pop inside the classrooms and spread awareness of the language and show how cool it can be.”

This season, Rho Kappa and ASL alike took a chance on love, using the holiday as a new way to promote their work and spread love.