Words: Meghan Coble

Ellicott City, MD – Thursday, February 14, 2013 was a half-day overflowing with love and festive fundraising. Centennial was littered with tokens of affection from Red Cross carnations, a Valentine’s Day staple, to Spanish pick-up lines, but the choir department’s Valentunes fundraiser undoubtedly topped the charts. For $1 students could buy their boyfriends, girlfriends, best friends, or teachers a serenade performed by choir students.

The fundraiser was headed by the Madrigals but included members of the Women’s and Concert Choirs as the result of the overwhelmingly positive response from the Centennial community. On Valentine’s Day, singers, in every configuration from trios to ensembles accompanied by the ukulele, went from class to class singing their hearts out. The song of the day was “All My Loving” by the Beatles as arranged by senior Miriam Hanks.

The student body was pleasantly surprised by the 1963 tune as the Madrigals generally preform Renaissance pieces while in period dress.

“We figured that a more modern song would be better received than a love song in Latin,” senior Gabe Fernandez explained.

The group’s expectations were confirmed as the contemporary song selection appealed to recipients and bystanders alike.

“The reactions tended to revolve around embarrassment. Most of it was a happy embarrassment though as the people who got them usually got the Valentunes from someone special. Teachers tended to be just as entertained as the students were,” Fernandez said.

The performances were also a memorable event for the performers.

Senior Aisa Aliyeva commented, “I personally thought we did fantastic! I loved doing it! and even though I’m a senior this year, I would come back next year just to do this again.”

Luckily for those not graduating this year, Valentunes will be returning in the years to come. Overall the fundraising campaign was a success, being both profitable and entertaining.