In annual tradition, on Feb. 14 students from Enloe’s Chamber and Tenor/Bass choirs will be performing Singing Valentines throughout the school. They’re on sale now until Jan. 31 for anyone to purchase online or in person during both lunches in the West Gym Lobby!
Your $6 purchase of a Singing Valentine includes the following: on Friday, Feb. 14th, a group of Enloe chorus students will sing your selected song to your chosen Valentine whilst interrupting their class, delivered with a handwritten note and a flower.
Students, parents, and teachers are encouraged to buy Singing Valentines for anyone they know at Enloe: teachers, friends or even a significant other (ooh la la!). Anyone who orders can choose for their name to be included with the delivery or to remain anonymous.
Lauren Hallihan, Enloe’s chorus teacher, oversees Singing Valentines each year. However, beyond setting up the eight groups for the event, Ms. Hallihan takes a hands-off approach.
Ms. Hallihan says, “I really try to mix the groups up well so you have a good blend, but the rest of it is all entirely on the students. They get to choose what song they want to sing and then it’s up to them to create their arrangement. I think it is incredible that these high schoolers are able to do that.”
The logistics of the event are also student organized. Students from the Choral Department and Enloe’s Tri-M Music Honors Society are responsible for advertising the event, setting up the forms, creating the schedule once orders are finished, and transferring the notes to paper to be handed out.
With almost 400 orders each year, it can be quite an organizational ordeal for everyone involved, but it is an overwhelmingly positive experience all around!
Nate Branscomb, an Enloe Junior, has performed Singing Valentines since freshman year.
“I appreciate working with a bunch of talented people to create a really fun song and getting to present people’s love or embarrass their friends for a whole day. You’re telling me that you’re going to miss out on the opportunity to have your friends sung to in front of the entire class? It sells itself,” says Branscomb.
As Enloe Choral Department’s largest fundraiser, your purchase of Singing Valentines is not only a fun addition to the most romantic day of the year, but directly supports one of the most fundamental arts departments in the school.
If you are interested in supporting the Chorus Department by buying a Singing Valentine, you can find them for sale online or in the West Gym Lobby during both lunches until Jan. 31. Payment can be made via GiveButter online, or alternatively on Jan. 17, 24, 27, 30 and 31, parent volunteers will be available to accept cash in the West Gym Lobby. Go to linktr.ee/singingvalentines and follow both links to place your order!
“I love Singing Valentines because it gives us a break in a typical school day. In the past a teacher shared with me, ‘Wow! What an amazing break from reality! That was so joyful!,’ and that really spoke to me because why is joy a break from reality? I wish this could happen more often,” says Hallihan.
