Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a day filled with celebration and love. It is supposed to be a day for celebrating lasting friendships and relationships, a day brimming with festivity. It was not supposed to be the day where 17 lives of students and faculty were stolen too early. On Valentine’s Day of 2018, everything would come to a change. This Monday, February 14th, 2022, marks the fourth anniversary of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

   Only days after the shooting four years ago, protests seeking to prevent similar shootings in the future erupted across the entire country, and the hashtags #msdstrong and #neveragainmsd flooded all social media platforms. “It was like a wake up call for counties across the country to keep the student body safe, not foster underlying fear to go to school. I think that Broward County providing community service activities is great because it allows the remembrance of the students’ lives that were lost, and all those who have been affected,” says Devadarshini Dhandapani, sophomore.

   A Day of Service and Love will be hosted this Monday in commemoration of the 17 lives lost, and this year’s theme will centralize around reconnecting. 17 beautiful futures were taken 4 years ago, and countless numbers still linger with wounds invisible to the eye. As the entirety of the country is still healing over the tragedy at MSD, it is important to maintain a strong sense of community with those around us. Monday will be designated as a service-learning early release day, and community service projects will be offered as a support system. Furthermore, at 10:17 a.m, schools across Broward County will designate time for a moment of reflection in honor of the lives lost.

   Some days, it can be hard to feel understood, especially in an ever changing world everything can change in an instant. This Day of Service and Love is meant to reconnect as a community, as we still learn to show love and compassion towards each other. Students are expected to utilize this service-learning day, and realize that they have the power to positively impact the lives of others. According to Matthew Castillo, junior, “It’s about remembrance, memorializing those who have died, whilst simultaneously highlighting the source of the issue that caused this tragedy: mental health. By making this a mental health day for the kids in Broward County, it accomplishes all 3 of the aforementioned values, seeing as it leaves students less stressed, allows them to grieve loss, and keeps them from being distracted by frivolous activities.” As long as we continue to emphasize the importance of positive relationships and continue raising awareness, as a community, our world can be a more peaceful place.