February is the time for romance as Valentine’s Day is approaching on the 14th! Recently, senior at North Arlington High School, Bryan Ugaz, has been known to be NAHS’ very own “Mr. Valentine” due to his creativity and genuine love for his girlfriend. Bryan is a varsity soccer player and is in off season training for crew. He also is a member of the NAHS band and always stays in the band room to perfect his music for upcoming concerts. When asking Bryan about Valentine’s Day Bryan states, “I believe Valentine’s Day is time to spend with someone special and someone that is very close to you, even if you are not in a relationship with a person, you should still be spending Valentine’s Day with someone you care about.”
Bryan was flattered by being thought of as our very own “Mr. Valentine”. Last year, he sent his girlfriend, Eileen Gonzales (senior at NAHS), a lollipop with a note attached. The note was sent directly to a faculty member (Mr.Zukatus) who held the note until period 2 – the class that Eileen was in. When Eileen was given the note it said, “Look up at Zukatus” and when she looked up it was Mr. Zukatus holding a poster that said “Will you be Bryan’s Valentine?” Then, Bryan proceeded to walk in with flowers and a teddy bear with Valentine’s Day themed music playing in the background. When asking Bryan if he had any advice about gifts someone could give on Valentine’s Day he stated, “Don’t search things up, just be creative, anything original that comes from the heart will always matter more.” What does Mr. Valentine have in store for this year? Students of NAHS will just have to wait and see!