Unique Valentine’s Day Celebration at School in QC Goes Viral

A unique Valentine’s Day celebration at a school in Quezon City goes viral and elicited comments online.

The School of Saint Anthony (SSA), a private school in Lagro, Quezon City, has captured the attention of netizens with their creative gimmicks in the library for Valentine’s Day. The school introduced “Blind Date With a Book” and “Book Speed Dating” exclusively for their students, teachers, and staff.

According to Agnes Balicudcud, Library and IMC Coordinator of the school, SSA adopted this idea from other schools that had previously executed similar activities. Schools and libraries in the Philippines and abroad conduct similar events to highlight the love for reading.

“Itong Blind Date with a Book ay hindi naman original na idea. Ito ay ginagawa na rin ng iba pang mga Libraries tuwing Valentine’s Day dito sa Pilipinas at pati na rin sa ibang bansa. Ang goal nito ay mai-promote ang book collection ng library sa ibat-ibang subject at genre. Makakatulong din ito para ma-explore ng mga mambabasa o para sa amin dito sa SSA, mga mag-aaral yung iba’t ibang books.” Balicudcud explain.

As the head of the school library, Balicudcud believes it’s important to cultivate a love for reading among students.

“It’s important to develop our love of reading, for ourselves and for our students. The knowledge and joy we experience while reading, no one can take that away from us, but we can share it with others. Reading helps us expand our knowledge and develop our character as individuals,” she added.

The school personnel expressed her gratitude for the collective efforts of her fellow librarians, Joan Mangahas and Love Joy Panchito, in planning and executing the two activities for their school.

The Department of Education (DepEd) promotes a love for reading through initiatives like “Catch-up Fridays,” where the first activity is “Drop Everything And Read” or DEAR.

Award-winning writer and professor Genaro Gojo Cruz also offered suggestions on how to conduct the activities effectively without losing sight of their true purpose.