In order to promote spirit for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, the HSSC hosted Cupid’s Attack, a speed-dating activity, during office hours on Feb. 12-13. However, due to the lack of participants in the voluntary event, the Valentine’s Day Committee of HSSC has seen unsatisfactory results.

Although the HSSC had initially planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Valentino-grams, the Valentine’s Day Committee, composed of six members, hoped to create a more engaging event this year. As a result, the members came up with Cupid’s Attack, a speed-dating game where boys and girls, respective to their genders, rotate in a circle answering questions for thirty-seconds.

“Valentino-grams were not successful in previous years,” said Sophia Chi, senior council president. “We wanted to increase school spirit and run a more student-involved event, disregarding profit. [Also, there are] other activities that are similar to sending out Valentino-grams that [are hosted by] a variety of different clubs, such as Green Club. Therefore, we wanted to be different, especially in a school that lacks spirit when it comes to such days.”

However, due to various to reasons ranging from personal to cultural, the event was not successful on both days. In fact, many of the participants answering questions were either highly pressured by HSSC members or members themselves.

“[I don’t think] the [HSSC] should do this event in the future, to be blatantly honest,” said Sung Park (10). “The effort and dedication to entertain students on certain days is excellent, but due to the culture of SIS, Cupid’s Attack is hard to be successful. Unlike the culture of America, Korean culture does not advocate for public mingling.”

Contrary to the low turnout, Cupid’s Attack has been an important step for the HSSC in trying to involve the student body in activities. Ms. Hogshead, HSSC adviser, believed that the event was actually successful as the executives took courageous step to lead with example.

“I actually do think that Cupid’s attack was a success,” said Ms. Hogshead. “I saw some people engaging and [they were] not just HSSC members, but also a group of freshmen. From all the things we have done to give and not sell to [the students], each year we cannot cater to everyone. So if we are able to get different groups and make them feel connected, then the event becomes successful.”