Encouraging One Another Daily: Students Show Each Other Love on Valentine’s Day

Encouraging one another. Berean Christian High School takes it seriously – so seriously that they have a dedicated student committee whose sole job is to think of ways to promote… encouragement. And in February, the month of love, these students re-purposed the traditional Hallmark holiday into a day to share Christ’s love and blessings with each other.

“We wanted to celebrate this commercial holiday from a Berean Christian perspective,” says senior, Mallory McCarthy. “We didn’t lean into the romance part of it. We wanted to show Christ’s deep love, not just the surfacy stuff.”

For three days prior to Valentine’s Day, committee members sat at a booth during lunch selling Valentine Grams. For four dollars, you could send a note, a candy treat, and a plush bear keychain to someone who needed a pick-me-up. These notes of encouragement were hotter than toilet paper in a pandemic. The students sold just over 200 grams and raised hundreds of dollars for the school.

The grams were so popular, even parents got in on it, sending notes of encouragement to their kids during the school day.

Carson McHuron (senior) asked if there was a limit on the number of grams a person could buy. Since there was no limit, he bought 30 of them. After going around school and getting students and teachers to write messages, he gave them all to Principal Harris. McHuron wanted to show Mr. Harris that the student body recognizes the burden that navigating COVID has placed on him. Getting a fourteen-year-old boy to comply with mask rules can be a real challenge. These students wanted to show Mr. Harris that they appreciate his leadership and how much he cares about students in the school.

The Valentine’s Day grams are an annual tradition, but the students were not able to do them last year.

“It’s nice to bring it back,” says Mallory McCarthy.

McCarthy enjoys this tradition. She says that it creates a sense of community and positive culture at the school. During online schooling last year, she says many students felt alone.

“This is a way for us to remind others that they are not alone,” she says. “We’re here to build each other up in love every day.”

McCarthy says that these notes can be really meaningful to people and might come at a critical time for someone. A positive note from a friend goes a long way to give a person a boost. It’s a simple way to show someone that they are seen.

McCarthy and the Encouragement Committee are already looking forward to next year. But in the meantime, they would like everyone to know that encouragement cards are available in the office year-round. She would love for students to use them more frequently than just one month of the year. Encouraging others should be a daily habit, she says.

“It’s a simple job, but it’s an important one.”

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