On Tuesday, Feb. 14, the Cherokee Choir program held its annual Valentine’s day fundraiser. A tradition that has lasted well over 20 years, this year’s Singing Valentine event caused much excitement, as many students in all grades couldn’t wait to buy Singing Valentines for their friends and teachers. This event, which occurred every class period including Lunch and Learn, was once again able to spread cheer and the element of surprise throughout the hallways of Cherokee High School.

Singing Valentines is an annual tradition that was started by the Cherokee’s Choir program in the 1990s, in order to raise money to improve their equipment and fund various trips. This tradition has lasted every year since then, including 2021 and 2022 when Cherokee was still experiencing the effects of COVID-19. In 2021, the Singing Valentines were pre-recorded, edited together, and sent out virtually due to the large number of students not physically in school. In 2022, the Singing Valentines were conducted in person, but the performers had to wear masks since they were a requirement at the time. Thankfully, 2023 saw the return of maskless performing like it was in 2020 and prior.

The process of ordering a Singing Valentine is simple. A Google Form is sent out a few days before the event with the list of songs being performed. The requester must provide the name of the receiver, what period and room number it must be sent to, and what song must be sung. Then, they had to pay $5 per Singing Valentine request and either Venmo it to the Cherokee Choir, drop it off in the choir room, or give it to a choir member. 

Contrary to popular belief, Singing Valentines aren’t only requested by students. They can also be requested by parents, teachers, and Cherokee alumni. A requester can also order a Singing Valentine for someone not in the school, which is delivered through a phone call within the school day.

Singing Valentines were delivered by thirteen selected students from the Cherokee Choir program: seven lower voices and six upper voices. They then broke off into four different groups: two groups of each voice part. They were then tasked to learn little snippets of three different songs. The upper voices sang “My Guy” by Mary Wells, “I’ve Got a Crush on You” by Ira Gershwin, and “Open Arms” by Journey. The lower voices sang “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole, and “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” by Elvis Presley. Interestingly enough, there were considerably more requests for lower voices than upper voices.

Receiving a Singing Valentine can either be a blessing or a curse. Some students felt embarrassed by the attention they were receiving from their Singing Valentines and couldn’t wait for it to end. Other students, such as Cherokee junior Anna Huddle, had a very positive experience from receiving a Singing Valentine. “I received three Singing Valentines, but only one I was expecting,” she recalled. “I thought they were super fun and I enjoyed it.” Singing Valentines are a great opportunity to send love to friends, family, and teachers to brighten their Valentine’s Day.

Huddle was also asked to describe her most memorable Singing Valentine experience. She stated:

“I was in the Mythology class presenting a project, and three guys came in and surrounded the front desk where I was. They started singing and my friend recorded the whole thing. It was very entertaining since I was in front of everyone. I also have a lot of friends in that class who were expecting it and recorded from different angles which was cool to look back at. They sang the ‘L-O-V-E’ song, and they all sounded amazing!”

With that, the 2023 Singing Valentines have concluded. To any underclassmen who didn’t receive one, there is always next year for your friends to send their love and appreciation. Additionally, a few Singing Valentines were recorded by Cherokee’s TV Broadcasting class. The recordings, along with a voiceover explaining Singing Valentines, can be found on Cherokee’s YouTube page.