After the long stretch of snow and before the anticipation of spring break and prom season, the Maverick community once again will come together to celebrate February’s iconic holiday, Valentine’s Day, through Sweet Week. From Feb. 9 through 12, Maverick Leadership will host a series of activities and competitions in the quad and prepare treats for students, creating opportunities for new memories and connections.
Though centered around the theme of Valentine’s Day, Sweet Week is not just for couples. Maverick Leadership coordinates weeks in advance to ensure the events are inclusive and welcoming for all students.
“Sweet Week is our school’s Valentine’s week, but it’s obviously more than that,” sophomore class co-president Mounish Mavuduru, 10, said. “This one is meant to foster engagement, participation and a sense of community between everybody.”
In order to garner student engagement and interest, the Leadership team shaped this year’s planning process to utilize a more student-driven approach for its theme and activities.
“We decided to shape it around the theme of Care Bears. So, each day has a bear, and it has a lunch game, dress up [theme] and a phrase that aligns with the theme,” Mavuduru said. “Then, one other thing is that this time we implemented a student poll … [to] base the events entirely off what the students chose. So, I think that’s something that I’m really looking forward to. We looked at the top four dress up days and lunch games that the students chose.”
Along with introducing new ideas based on students’ interests, Sweet Week continues to highlight one of its most popular traditions: the sweetheart search.
“I’m really excited about [the] sweetheart search mostly because people got really into it last year, like they were scouring around the school,” senior delegate Grace Torres, 12, said. “Around the school, we’re going to have hidden bears with candies. Then, [if] you find it and bring it back to the class, you get a big gift bag.”
In addition to returning favorites, Sweet Week will launch a range of themed activities designed to draw more student turnout throughout the week.
“We’re gonna do something similar to Pink Week, but [in] a Valentine’s Day theme,” Torres said. “So, there’s gonna be a face painting station where students can come and get their face [painted], … heart temporary tattoos and pink lemonade to anyone who wants to come and grab.”
Beyond interactive games and competitions, Sweet Week offers students many different ways to get involved and make the most of the celebration.
“Students can participate [through] pep rallies and candy grams. Helping out in the work parties is [also] a big one,” Mavuduru said. “Leadership has a wonderful team, but we can’t really maximize the outcome unless we have some general support. Work parties channel the skills that the overall student body has in order to make our outcomes better.”
At its core, Sweet Week serves a larger purpose than its events alone, with its focus on building new traditions and connections. Mavuduru shares what type of school spirit Sweet Week aims to bring.
“I’d say it’s mainly being convivial and jovial. Obviously, Valentine’s Day is based on romance, but it’s much more broad than that,” Mavuduru said. “So, what we’re trying to achieve is to encompass that broader vision of conviviality. I feel like this is a very early prelude to the end of the year … and it establishes a connection that academics alone can’t.”
Sweet Week is ultimately about cultivating a campus environment where students feel a sense of community and belonging with other peers.
“What I hope will happen during Sweet Week is [that] everyone’s just really involved … because it just really brings us together. I hope Sweet Week gives students a reason to be like, ‘I wanna be at school. I like being a part of this school … and the culture here,’” Torres said. “Sweet Week is just about connections. That’s what all of our weeks are for: to create those connections.”
