As a high school student, you grow pretty accustomed to seeing couples acting lovey-dovey all over school; as Valentine’s Day draws closer, all the Arcadia High School (AHS) lovebirds start scrambling to make elaborate and romantic arrangements for their significant other. Let’s take a closer look at the Valentine’s gifts that AHS students are planning for one another.

Senior Lauren Tran had her gift perfectly planned out. Along with small, thoughtful presents in a basket, Tran decided to plan a Valentine’s date for the two to spend some time together.

“I got my boyfriend a Valentine’s basket [filled] with tickets for us to go to an aquarium together, a cute blanket, a mug, candy, flowers, and a letter!” said Tran. “I chose to get aquarium tickets for us to make it a fun and relaxing date.”

An aquarium date seems like the perfect way to spend the day with a significant other. Making a personalized gift basket adds a fun and unique spin!

When picking the perfect gift to give, Tran always goes for “sentimental and thoughtful items or something handmade. Gifts don’t have to be super expensive, but it means the most when there’s effort and genuine thought behind them!”

Not all gifts have to be stereotypical, like flowers and chocolate. Following Tran’s train of thought, sophomore Amy Crissey chose a gift that one might consider strange for Valentine’s Day.

“I’m getting [my partner] a chessboard,” said Crissey. “He said [previously that] he wanted a really nice chess board…so I wanted to get this for him. I think he’ll probably get me some flowers and a couple of books.”

Similar to Crissey, junior Kaitlynn Rae Minguez believes that her significant other likely got her flowers for Valentine’s. Always a staple of romantic gifts, different types of flowers can hold different meanings based on their color, origins, and shapes.

Emphasizing that her gift was not quite final yet, Minguez planned to get her boyfriend “flowers and a matching bracelet for [them] to wear together. I chose this gift because he gave me a necklace for Christmas, and I wanted to give him something like that as well.”

Jewelry is the perfect gift for a romantic keepsake. Not only is there a huge range of designs and material you can choose from, but it can also be customized to your special person. However, some may prefer more fun and interactive gifts.

“I’m giving my boyfriend a Lego set and some self-care items we can use together,” said senior Lana Menck. “He introduced me to Star Wars, and he’s a big fan of building things, so I got him a Lego set of his favorite ship that he’s mentioned a couple of times before. He doesn’t tend to buy nice things for himself, so I wanted to get it for him.”

Sometimes, it’s the small gifts that are the most meaningful. Knowing a person well enough to get them a gift they would truly appreciate is what makes gifts from your loved ones so special.

When asked what gift she thinks her partner may have gotten her, Menck replied, “I think he got me jewelry and something sentimental; he’s really bad at keeping secrets, so it wasn’t too hard to guess. Gifts that are sentimental to the receiver are the best kinds…it’s nice to know your partner notices things about you and keeps them in mind.”

Putting a unique spin on DIY gifts, sophomore Ellie Wu is making her gifts, meaning multiple items, by hand.

“I’m making a bouquet of badminton birdies with pictures and an interactive book of memories,” said Wu. “I chose the bouquet because we met [while we were] playing badminton, and I wanted to remind [him of] our first memory.”

Clearly, handmade gifts take the cake as the most-appreciated. Receiving handmade gifts truly demonstrates how much time and effort a person is willing to put into you, making it the perfect gift to show someone how you feel about them.

“I love making things for people; by spending my time making [the book] I [can] show how much he means to me,” said Wu. “I can customize it however I want, so I have the freedom to add little details and my favorite memories with him.”

The interactive book contained a creative sequence of photos arranged in a “memory lane”, and Wu intended to draw a multitude of flowers, each with their own meaning written down. At the very end, Wu drew her boyfriend’s favorite flower to show him how much she cared and paid attention to him. 

Despite the care and attention to detail she put in her gift, Wu admitted, “I have no idea what he got for me…the hints are not hinting anything. I don’t really care what he got me, I would be extremely happy if he thought about it a little and got me something small. I believe it’s the small things and details that mean the most because it shows that you pay attention to your partner and care enough to get them something they would enjoy whether you bought it or made it.”

Wu’s boyfriend, sophomore Howard Sun, had big plans for his Valentine’s gift. The couple definitely put 100% into their gifts, going all-out and meticulously planning their ideas out.

“I got [Ellie] a pair of Jordans and [an official] star named after her,” said Sun. “I chose to gift her shoes so that we could match on Valentine’s Day.”

Symbolizing his love, the star means to signify that “no matter how far we are, you [Ellie] can look up in the sky and my love will be there,” explained Sun.

When asked what his speculations for his own Valentine’s Day gift was, Sun was almost spot-on.

“I think she got me some kind of picture wall or something that has to do with handmade items,” said Sun. “I think the best gifts are inexpensive. I would prefer something handmade because it would be more memorable.”

On that romantic note, it was wonderful to see AHS students enjoying their time with their significant other. After seeing all the wonderful and thoughtful things that AHS couples have planned for each other, one might feel a little sad and lonely inside, but don’t worry! Spring is here, and love is in the air. Maybe you’ll meet that special someone sooner than you think.