Since the start of the pandemic, many beloved traditions have been scrapped in the name of staying safe. However rose grams, a fundraiser for AVID, luckily is continuing this year with help from leadership. Of course, due to the pandemic, the M-A tradition will look a little different this year: students will now receive multiple roses and a few chocolates in their order, which cost $10, but includes delivery to recipient’s houses.
Junior and leadership student, Jason DeHaff, who is one of the students spearheading the campaign, said that “for the leadership and AVID it’s very important to continue with the traditions that have always taken place. We don’t believe that the restrictions that are in place should make us cancel them.”
Senior AVID student Tiffany Valencia explained that for AVID, “Rose grams are our biggest fundraiser. It’s really important for avid people to kind of get more money for the program because it helps students who aren’t able to pay for college trips or any other field trips.”
According to Valencia, Rose grams along with being their biggest fundraiser, also offers AVID publicity: “it [rose grams] gives students more exposure to AVID because unless you are in the AVID program we feel like a lot of students don’t know about it. So it’s a perfect way for students to learn more about the program and possibly want to join in the future.”
Safety is also a top concern for DeHaff who explained that “Only a few (four or five) leadership students are going to be putting together the gifts and then distributing them to people’s doorsteps so there’s no touch.”
The committee is motivated to offer some Valentines day joy to students and any difficulties they face will “will not keep us from achieving our goal and getting people their little Valentine’s Day gifts.” according to DeHaff
AVID and Marine Biology teacher Erika Shepard was very happy that rose grams were continuing because “This year, people need something to make them happy. It’s a silver lining to their week.”
Shepard also gave credit to leadership, saying that “we were going to try and figure something else out and not do it, and leadership was like ‘no, we will do the deliveries, we’ve got you covered’ and so they truly stepped up.”
Overall everybody involved is hoping that this year rose grams will offer students some sense of normalcy amidst everything going on. This was a sentiment shared by DeHaff, who said, “I’m just grateful for the opportunity that AVID and the Leadership Program has given to students like me to keep traditions alive and make a year that can be pretty dark … little brighter.”
