When I began my teaching journey, I found myself in uncharted waters. Assigned to teach Psychology without a textbook, I relied on my background as a Social Science major and a handful of college courses. Among the units I crafted—ranging from psychological disorders to major personality theories—one stood out: the Psychology of Love.
My inspiration drew from thinkers like Leo Buscaglia, the “Dr. Hug,” who championed the power of affection as essential to well-being; Alfred Adler, whose work underscored the human need for connection; and Marianne Williamson, who, long before her political pursuits, authored A Return to Love, a book that resonated with the concept of love as a spiritual practice. Most significantly, Erich Fromm, a neo-Freudian psychoanalyst, provided a framework I knew students could relate to. In his seminal work, The Art of Loving, Fromm identified four fundamental elements of true love: care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. He emphasized love as an active process, explaining that “love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love.”
Fromm’s insights and his delineation of love into categories—brotherly love, motherly love, erotic love, self-love, and love of God—inspired me to create “Love Week” at Loara High School. What started as a classroom lesson evolved into a campus-wide initiative that continues to thrive decades later. In recent years, I’ve added Gary Chapman’s book “The 5 Love Languages”, which Phil Boyte introduced me to during one of our conferences. This book opened my eyes to how we express and experience love, and we’ve used the online quiz for kids to kick off our week.
The Origins of “Love Week”
Initially, my goal was simple: extend the joy and spirit of the holiday season to all students, especially those for whom school is a refuge. Statistically, the holiday season can be isolating for students dealing with housing insecurity, foster care, or financial hardship. While the myth linking this time of year to increased suicide rates has been debunked, it remains true that many students lose their vital connection to friends and caring adults during the winter break.
“Love Week” became our way of bridging that gap. By placing it just before winter break instead of Valentine’s Day—a commercial holiday that often excludes rather than includes—I hoped to cultivate a sense of belonging and community that reached every corner of our campus. When looking at other weeks, this one we felt focused more on the true meaning of love, whereas our other weeks like dude.benice (Kindness) weeks and others focus on acts of being human. (as an aside, Loara High School hosted the first dude.benice project over 10 years ago, see the video here)
The 2024 Winter Wish / Love Week
Hello, Saxons! On December 9th, our school held its Winter Assembly, which featured many enthusiastic students giving their best performances, all of which were enjoyed by everyone. To start, Christmas came early for Loara High School! Winter Wishes is always a big event each year, and thanks to our very own Mr. Chylinski, alumni, and various other donors, we were able to receive some amazing gifts. This year, the gifts included a brand-new TV, a bike, several guitars, a LEGO set, and many others that surely brought Christmas cheer to those who received them. Although only 40% of all Winter Wishes were granted this year, we hope to increase that number next year. But for now, that’s still an impressive achievement!
As for performances, our cheerleaders put on a spectacular Christmas-themed routine. However, the highlight of the assembly was the teacher-student dance-off, organized by our very own K-POP club. Ms. Oh, Ms. Keilty, Mr. Phi, Mr. Yousefian, and Ms. Cuautle—worked hard to rehearse and had a blast performing on stage. We hope to see them dancing again next year! Congratulations to everyone who received their Winter Wishes this year and to our ASB who made it all happen.
If you’d like to donate to the program click on the QR Code to Donate or look at this year’s wish list on Amazon OR Click HERE. Each year the items are similar, and gift cards always make a great wish. All items are sent to Loara High School and are accounted for so the Auditor has back up.
Wishes Granted
Each year, depending on the amount of money raised or donations sent in, we grant about 100 wishes. The person getting their wish granted is never known until that wish is purchased or delivered off our Amazon “Wish List”. This year we gave a wide array of wishes away from Electric Guitars to Laker Tickets. Here is a full list of items granted, so items we gave multiple things out, such as 5 Apple AirPods, below we will only list things once.
- Electric Guitar
- Acoustic Guitar
- Laker Tickets
- Disneyland Tickets
- Craft Items
- Mac Book
- Bicycle
- 65″ Television
- Private Photo Shoot
- AirPods
- Beats
- Stanley / Owala Stainless Canteen
- Plushies (Riakuma, Hello Kitty, Spiderman, Sally)
- Chocolate Nesquick
- Barcelona F/C Items
- Stuffed Animals, Jelly Cat Etc.
- Lego Sets
- Graphic Novels
- Sonny Angels
- Clothing from Shoes to Sweatshirts
- Several Food Items from Chips to Gift Cards
- Markers and Paint Sets
- Gift Cards (Amazon, Target, Local Fast Food Items, Google Play)
- Hair Cutting Tools
- Cleats
- Wrestling Shoes
- AP Book, other Classwork Items
- Funko Pop Items
- PS5 Controllers
- A Pop Up Shop for kids to find items for their parents for Christmas where everything is free (Jewelry, Clothing, Christmas Items and More)