Love was in the air as students celebrated Valentine’s Day, and one group of students stole the show by bursting into classes to sing to students.
Every Valentine’s Day, the Aledo Players separate into groups to burst into classrooms and sing to students who have received a singing valentine request.
Although singing valentines is one way to express the talent among the theater students, Aledo Player member senior Jackson Blake said it’s one of the most important fundraising events for the theater department.
“For me, it’s awesome just because it gives us an opportunity to share what we are good at what we love to do,” Blake said. “It also gives us a chance to embarrass some people, some of our friends and some of the other people as well. I think for me, it was that I joined theater, and it’s always been the foundation for singing Valentines, and for me to just be able to sing to people and have fun, that’s what really got me intrigued.”
The Aledo Players performed songs like Treasure and Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars and Falling For You from Teen Beach Movie.
Aledo Players president senior Logan Kasper said the group spends the weekend before Valentine’s Day perched up at a Starbucks for a few hours to plan out the day by organizing each period, but the planning is well worth it.
“My favorite aspect is definitely [when] they think it’s funny,” Kasper said. “When the class is having a good time, it just makes it so much more fun for everyone.”
Counselor Trisha Hackfield and AP English teacher Jamie Rhinhart started the singing Valentine’s almost a decade ago as a fundraiser between Leading Ladies and the theater department and split the profits, and the fundraiser took on a life of its own as a day students look forward to.
“Fundraising for the theater department is super important because it gives us the opportunity to actually buy and purchase shows, and it is shocking how much those can actually be,” Blake said. “Almost all of our revenue comes from fundraising and through the booster club and stuff, so we will put on shows, but to do that, we have fundraising like singing valentines and just some other Aledo Players things.”
With about 40 students involved in the Aledo Players, theater director Reed Chappel said any amount of donations and fundraising helps cover expenses from bonding events and show costs. The next opportunity to catch what the Aledo Players will be Bearcats on Broadway in May.
