On March 7th, Junior Student Council announced on the PA that they will be selling White Valentine’s Day candy and rose grams to students during high school flexi and lunch on both Thursday and Friday. The event was received relatively well, with junior Student Council receiving around 2480 rmb in revenue and approximately 1300 rmb in profit. However, the SAS Pudong High School student population has differing opinions on the event.
Sophomore Anna Snow supports Junior STUCO in their event. “I think it’s a really cute idea and it’s a fun opportunity to send cute things to your friends!” She also believes that the event showcases the creativity and organizational skills of STUCO.
Junior Ian Huang generally agrees with Anna Snow. “I feel like this event is a time that we give our appreciation to the people we loved and endured throughout the years.” He says that “by giving grams or flowers, you can fully show your appreciation without saying something really cheesy.” To him, material gifts seem to speak more loudly than “cheesy” words do.
However, he disagrees with Snow’s statement on what the event says about STUCO. “I don’t feel like [the event] highlighted the influence of STUCO because I was not really notified about this event. Our school is big, and STUCO should be more engaging with other students in their respective grades.”
A lack of engagement is what many cite as one of their concerns when it comes to the viability and efficiency of STUCO.
Publicity is a strong point among the student population.
“I think White Valentine’s Day isn’t a very relevant occasion,” said junior Daisy Shimoda, agreeing with Huang. “Some people don’t even know what it is. And that affects how effective sales are: if people don’t know about White Valentine’s Day, there is no interest in this event, so no one will buy the grams.”
She recommends STUCO to do such events on more significant holidays such as Christmas, Easter, or St. Patrick’s Day: events that the student population resonates with a lot more than the obscure White Valentine’s Day.
But, students are confused as to why STUCO is raising this money in the first place. Some students say that STUCO is exploiting this holiday for profit while others suggest that Junior STUCO is raising money for the Senior Picnic. In response to this, junior Alan Xu doesn’t appear to care much for what STUCO is raising money for or how they do it. “They are raising money on a holiday. It’s all just smart marketing.”
The collected student opinions seem to boil down to a subtle commendation of STUCO’s recent event, paired with several critiques of STUCO’s efficiency in their fundraising. While STUCO has received significant profit from this event, students are dubious as to what such an event says about STUCO as a whole – and if it says anything at all.