Who will catch you first? Cupid and his magical arrows, or the Strath Haven Silvertones, racing to deliver their melodious message?
Tickets were on sale Monday, Feb. 2 through Friday, Feb. 6 during all lunches. Each valentine cost 5 dollars. The money will be used to fund the Silvertones’ spring break trip to Austria.
Preparations begin months in advance in order to pull off the decades old tradition.
“Since October-ish they have started singing usually once a week, and we kind of ramp up as we get closer. They’ve been preparing for a long time to learn all of the solos and get their parts down,” music teacher Mrs. Lindsay Reinhard Silva said.
All members of the Silvertones participate in the event, taking turns selling them at lunch, however two students in particular took on the brunt of the planning.
“In terms of the logistics planning, that really kicked into gear a couple weeks ago, and that’s spearheaded by two students, [Silvertones members and juniors] Madeline Garson and Delaney O’Reilly,” Silva said.
According to Garson, preparing for the event is a weekly commitment.
“We started doing the organization things probably mid January. When it comes to learning the actual music, we start around the holiday season, around December, and we work on Tuesday mornings,” Garson said.
Songs are passed down from previous years, with the integration of new pieces arranged by current Silvertones. They use popular songs such as “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé, “Honey, Honey” by ABBA, and “Toxic” by Britney Spears.
“When someone in the group arranges something new, then we bring it to the group and see if they’d like to do it. So last year, the tenors and bases learned a new one. It was arranged by Jeremy Payton Jones, with help, I think from Brendan Hogg, maybe also Jack Davies. So that was really cool,” Silva said.
Valentines aren’t just confined to classrooms: you will also see spontaneous deliveries throughout the halls.
“My favorite part is when we do surprise valentines for random people in the hallway, or hall monitors, because they always get really excited, and they usually enjoy it, and it’s just fun for everybody,” Garson said.
The day of the event is not only exciting to those receiving valentines, but also for the singers.
”The actual day itself is so fun because we don’t go to class or anything, so we just run around the hall,” Silvertones member and sophomore Asha Miller said. “So it’s great.”
This isn’t just a fundraiser, but a bonding experience for the Silvertones students.
“[My favorite part] is the people because they are all really fun and lively, and fun to hangout with,” freshman Silvertones member Sinaan Maqbool said.
The tradition brightens up the day not only for students, but for the school community as a whole.
“It’s a super fun day that I think is really unique to Strath Haven,” Silva said. “And I think as a teacher, I’m really grateful that my colleagues allow for people to kind of interrupt their classes for the day to have a lot of fun.”
