As Valentine’s Day nears, Student Council is preparing for the annual King or Queen of Hearts fundraising event starting today. Representatives will be nominated by their club to collect money, and the club member that raises the most money will win the King or Queen of Hearts title for the American Heart Association.

“I’m excited for other individuals to be crowned and feel adrenaline once again as we await to know who is king and queen,” sophomore Rianna Rivera said. “I get to take the experience to remind myself that there’s so many different ways to help out people; there’s always a chance to help someone in need.”

Student Council Advisers Christina Bousema and Bryce Wada encourage their students to take charge with school events. 

“This is a tradition that was started before me and Mr. Wada took over,” Student Council Adviser Christina Bousema said. “There’s not a lot of opportunities where we get to see all of the clubs work together to fundraise for something. Not only does it allow us to include more of the people in the student body, but it also encourages other clubs to get involved.”

With the return of the fundraiser, Student Council is aiming for more inclusivity and school spirit within the events. The winners of the charity event will be revealed at the upcoming Sadie Hawkins Dance. 

“It was definitely missed because we weren’t able to do the donations to the American Heart Association and that’s a big fundraiser and community service for us,” Garcia said. “You choose what you want to be depending on how you identify or want to be identified. It’s important to have that option because in today’s day and age, we need to support everyone.”

With the return of the King or Queen of Hearts fundraiser, some club presidents are excited to share this experience with their membership.

“I am most excited to hopefully see HOSA members truly live up to the medical aspect of HOSA and donate for the American Heart Association,” HOSA Club President Mariel Batara said. “I would really like to see their participation since this cause is exactly what HOSA stands for. We have decided on our club representatives based on who we believe has the most spirit for HOSA and who is able to fulfill this duty best.”