Mother's Day at EHHS: How Students and Staff Celebrated Their Loved Ones

Mother’s day this year was Sunday, May 14th, 2023 and students and staff hope to spend time celebrating their loved ones through special activities and gifts. According to History.com, Mother’s Day first originated in 1905 due to the efforts of Anna Jarvis, who created the holiday to honor her late mother and to celebrate other women who made sacrifices for their children. After seeing people participating in her initial Mother’s Day celebration, Jarvis started a large letter writing campaign directed at newspapers and politicians to argue that the holiday should be recognized on the United States national calendar. Towns around the U.S. already celebrated Mother’s Day annually by 1912, but in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure establishing Mother’s Day as the second Sunday in May.

One of the most popular ways students celebrate Mother’s Day at East Haven High School is through giving gifts such as flowers, jewelry, and perfumes to their loved ones. Sophomore, Justin Sieng, celebrates by gifting his mother her favorite flowers. Justin says, “I always celebrate with flowers, one year it was a card but it is usually her favorite flowers like tulips or hydrangeas.” Sophomore Ayvah Vincent also celebrates with flowers and other gifts her mother has been wanting. Ayvah says, “We get gifts for my mom and if we are all available we go out to eat and celebrate. We all make handmade cards for her and my dad gets her flowers and a gift that she has been really wanting.” Celebrating by going out to eat is also a common tradition for students at EHHS. Sophomore, Evan Maya, celebrates by honoring all of the mothers in his family by inviting them over for a special brunch. Senior, Mia Flores-Soto, also celebrates similarly by taking her mother out to eat. Mia says, “I take my mom out to her favorite restaurant and get her a gift. I got her something that she's been wanting for a long time as well as a nice letter.”

Other than just their own mother, students celebrate their grandmothers on Mother’s Day as well. Sophomores Alexis Streitweiser and Ayvah Vincent both visit their grandmothers and bring them a special card. Justin Sieng, who usually does not see his grandmother, is including her this year in the celebrations. Justin says, “This year, my grandma is visiting us so we will do something nice for her too. She may also get flowers.” Mia Flores-Soto celebrates her grandmother that lives in Mexico by also doing something kind for her. Mia says, “I also celebrate my grandma. She lives in Mexico and my mom and I plan for flowers to be delivered to her.”

Teachers at EHHS enjoy celebrating the holiday by spending time with their children and family. English teacher Mrs. Lisa Gardner celebrates by hanging out with her kids on the holiday. Mrs. Gardner says, “I like hanging out with my kids because they're the reason I'm a mom. They usually give me a gift and either a special dinner or a fun activity.” Mrs. Gardner also celebrates her own mother and grandmother by calling them and sending them a special gift such as a plant. Math teacher Mrs. Danielle Picagli celebrates a lot of the mother’s in her family on the holiday too. Mrs. Picagli says, “ I celebrate my mom, my husband's mom, and my husband's grandma this year. I will be going to my moms in the morning and spend time with my family and then have lunch with my husband's family.” This year is Mrs. Picagli’s second mother’s day and she hopes to spend a lot of time with her daughter. Mrs. Picagli says she is most excited to receive the homemade card her daughter is making for her.

Elementary school is a common place where students can create their own gifts to give to their loved one for Mother’s Day. Second grade teacher at Grove. J Tuttle Elementary School, Mrs. Jillian Jack, pays attention to the families of her students to determine the craft that they create. Mrs. Jack says, “I want to be sure that students have not lost a mother recently. Sometimes there is a dominant female they can make it [the craft] for. I usually know the students well enough by Mother’s Day to be sure.” Mrs. Jack chooses a neutral craft for students to make depending on the class, and pays attention to her students and adapts to their family dynamics.

Students and staff at EHHS agree that it is important to celebrate Mother’s Day as mothers and other important female figures deserve recognition. For example, Justin Sieng, Evan Maya, and Alexis Streitweiser all agree that mothers, aunts, and grandmothers do a lot and should receive recognition for it. This Mother’s Day, take time to appreciate not only your own mother but all of the important female figures in your life and thank them for all that they do.