Best Pals celebrated Valentine’s Day with a fun-filled celebration for North High students. The event, held on Feb. 9, allowed students to engage in a flurry of exciting activities and meaningful conversations about the people, foods and hobbies that they hold close to their hearts.

To spread the caring and ever-loving spirit of North High, club members prepared delicately handmade goodie bags for each of the students, each bag including a card written to the receiver.

This event is the club’s most highly anticipated social event. In prior years, they have put tremendous effort into making the evening as enjoyable as possible.

“For our Valentine’s Day Dance in the past, we hired a DJ, got a professional photo booth, had pizza and popcorn machines going all night and spent the night dancing away with our friends from New Hyde Park,” said Ms. Nastri, a co-advisor of Best Pals.

Due to the pandemic, however, the club committed to navigating through their limitations and held the annual event to the best of their abilities—a powerful demonstration of their perseverance and strength.

“Things are a little different, but we will not let it ruin our favorite Best Pals holiday,” said Ms. Nastri. 

A number of students have also described how crucial these kinds of events are for the club.

“Social interactions are so important for the kids in this club,” said Kayla Kavakeb, a junior member of the club. “Especially now with such a tough year behind us, any friendly interaction is beneficial to all students. These events are the best way for the students in Best Pals to apply what they learn in a classroom environment and meet new people.”

The event began with a discussion based on the question, “What are three things you love?” and eventually transitioned into a Valentine’s Day-themed bingo.

For the following activity, participants created cards together to special people in their lives. To close the event on a sweet and heart-racing note, club members danced to entertaining pop songs with their fellow students.

The event proved to be an outstanding success, and members have expressed the joy they experienced in attending.

“The most meaningful, exciting and fun part of this Best Pals Valentine’s Day event was seeing everyone’s smile through Zoom and how bright and excited each of them were,” said Susanna Lee, a sophomore club member. “It was fun to meet all of them, and I was able to get to know everyone a lot more. Just being at the event put a big smile on my face.”

Kavakeb expressed a similar sentiment.

“The best and most meaningful part is definitely just conversing with the students,” said Kavakeb. “I love that Val asks me everytime I see her what I had for lunch, or that Grace tells everyone that she loves them. The event was such a good opportunity to spend time with each other and dance, and I’m looking forward to having these events in person again soon.”