Three boys at an Olathe middle school made sure Valentine’s Day was special for every girl in their school: They gave all of them a flower.
Summit Trail Middle School in Olathe, Kansas, show the grinning boys on social media posts holding a bucket of bright pink carnations. Dozens of girls are also pictured posing with their flowers.
The boys’ generosity was a carefully planned effort, according to the school’s principal. Sarah Guerrero told USA TODAY on Thursday that one of boys approached her with the idea a few weeks ago.
Tristan Valentine, center, an eighth-grader, said “it felt really good to give them a flower.”
Tristan Valentine, an eighth-grader, wanted to do something special for Valentine’s Day, Guerrero said. “He wanted every young lady to feel special that day and accepted.”
Valentine and two other boys, Kyan Rice and Lincoln Holmes, arranged the funding and used some of their own money to buy the flowers, according to Guerrero.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to give back because being able to make every girl in school at Summit Trail happy on Valentine’s Day means a whole lot to everybody,” said seventh grader Kyan Rice.
“When I was handing out the flowers, it felt really good to give them a flower and then see the reactions on their face,” said Valentine.
They carefully planned how they would distribute the gifts at various school doors on Valentine’s Day, doing their best to make sure no one was skipped. They distributed the flowers with words of encouragement, she said, such as “Happy Valentine’s Day” and “Hope you feel special today.”
They even gave the male staff members carnations, Guerrero said.
In total about 270 girls and 70 staff members were given flowers. To some, it was a touching moment.
Guerrero said one girl approached her with the pink carnation in her hair. She told the principal that at her old school, she used to hate Valentine’s day because she wouldn’t get presents.
The experience made Guerrero feel like the school, which is in its first year, has built a sense of community. It made her feel as if the school has become a family, she said.
In a Facebook message to 41 Action News, one mother said, “In a time where kids are mean and don’t take time to show a caring heart or hand, these three boys arranged to have a flower for every young lady in the school. What a sweet gesture to make sure every girl felt important.”
