A Valentine's Flower at High School

On Valentine's Day florists are busy, but sometimes the office staff down at the local high school is busier. This age group of teens takes Valentine's Day very seriously, and it can be the end of the world if a Valentines flower is not delivered to their desk at some point during the school day. The delivery of a Valentines flower or multiple deliveries of flowers among classrooms is full-day disturbance and battle-ground issue each February in many schools.

The practice of sending a Valentines flower to a classmate started to become popular during the late 1970's as manufacturers started to produce and promote Valentine's Day as a multiple gift giving holiday. In prior times, Valentines cards were exchanged between friends, and flowers, chocolates, or diamonds were reserved for very special romance situations. Today, this is not the case among teenagers who believe that a display of gifts is mandatory for the occasion.

For many high schools, the delivery of a single Valentines flower began as an in-school approved project. As non-academic funding was being cut during the late 1970's, sports teams, pep band groups, and cheer leading squads used the sale of single flowers as a fundraising project with all teachers in approval of a singe one-time delivery of flowers into the classroom at some point on Valentine's Day. This fundraising scheme tumbled into being out-of-hand quickly as florists started advertising sales to compete with clubs.

By the mid 1980's, flowers were not the only gifts turning up in high school offices for Valentine's Day classroom deliveries; chocolates, teddy bears, balloon bouquets, sports related greetings, and elaborately wrapped 'mystery boxes' were being shuffled between the office drop-off location and teenage individuals sitting in classrooms. As the situation grew more troublesome yearly, by the end of the 1990's the single Valentines flower delivery's had almost stopped in favor of complete and elegant bouquets of flowers.

Today, many schools are trying to discourage the practice of the teens using their cell phones and credit cards to order-up some unique classroom disruptions for their Valentines Day sweeties. Unfortunately, schools are meeting with parent objections from the parents who were in high school themselves when the single Valentines flower situation became unruly. Trained by media promotions, some parents believe that they must send their children expensive gifts at school to ensure popularity and success.

Concerns in schools today go a long ways beyond the delivery of a single Valentines flower. Inappropriate sexual activity, drugs, and gang activity are among the top fears that many schools are battling today and all have found their way into Valentines Day gift deliveries. Wrapped 'mystery' boxes must be run through a bomb scanner, innocent flower colors are related to gang activity or sexual favors, and the art of hiding drugs inside of teddy bears, flower bouquets, or candy boxes has been taken to great heights.

Current trends in the delivery of a single Valentines flower at school have left this practice as unpopular for both students and staff. For students, the offering of a single Valentines flower has turned into a sexual game with each flower color having a meaning. Multiple flower bouquets are not included in this game so that they are preferred by many young gift getters. As the Valentines Day celebration matures at area high schools, many are sure that it will be completely banned in the future as an inappropriate activity to be taking place on campus.