Every crush begins at lunch

Erica Shen

With the girls dressed in different shades of pink and boys holding

onto boxes of chocolates, sixth-graders at Eastbluff Elementary

School in Newport Beach gathered at the community park to celebrate

their day of roses, chocolate and cards.

Every year, sixth-grade teachers June Elsten and Juliet Hilde

designate the lunch hour on Valentine’s Day as a friendship lunch

exchange, encouraging students to show appreciation for their peers.

“Today is not only about demonstrating our love and emotions, but

it is also about appreciating others, being thankful and remembering

the less fortunate,” Elsten explained to her class.

The week before the lunch exchange, students each filled out a

list of things they would like in the lunch. The teachers collected

and redistributed the lists randomly so that each student had a

secret gift-exchange partner.

When it came time for the students to do the exchanges, they ran

across the room anxiously, finding their partners to give and receive

their secret lunch packages.

Students enjoyed the array of candy, chips, drinks and sandwiches

in their packages while sharing them with their classmates.

Although most of the students simply viewed this event as a great

way to receive a special lunch and a good excuse to play at the park,

some students took advantage of the event as a way to express their

admiration toward classmates of the opposite sex.

“He got me this bracelet and I got him the Muse CD,” said

12-year-old Hannah Hagemann, sitting next to her gift giver,

11-year-old Tyler Wright, while showing her bracelet to her

classmates.