A Valentines Day Dance for all ages
Students and members of the Council on Aging dance together. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Some members of the council enjoy the dance.
The dance was a lot of fun!
Judy Cambra was excited to get out on the dance floor. 
The students serving lunch.
Many couples were very good dancers, such as spinning their partners.
The Macarana was a fan favorite.
Many guests participated in the Cupid Shuffle. 
Everyone seemed to have fun dancing. 
There were a couple slow songs that were enjoyed.
Students and members of the Council on Aging dance together. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Some members of the council enjoy the dance.
The dance was a lot of fun!
Judy Cambra was excited to get out on the dance floor.
The students serving lunch.
Many couples were very good dancers, such as spinning their partners.
The Macarana was a fan favorite.
Many guests participated in the Cupid Shuffle.
Everyone seemed to have fun dancing.
There were a couple slow songs that were enjoyed.
Valentine’s Day is all about love; typically the day focuses on romantic love, but the Dartmouth High School and Council on Aging focus on another type of love – love for the broader community.
“The young people here go out of their way to make you feel welcome and they help you with your lunch and they’ll even ask you to dance,” said Claudette Cote, who has attended the dance for four years now. “They’re so receptive. I think it’s a good lesson for them too, so we both get a lesson out of this.”
She added, “There’s a lot of love in the room.”
The Dartmouth High School National Honor Society and Council on Aging held their annual Valentine's Day Dance on Friday, Feb. 13. This event has been going on for over 20 years now, according to Nancy Miller, the program coordinator.
“The intergenerational events are always nice to bring people together,” said Miller. “The older adults here love to see the kids, no matter what age they are.”
The students from the National Honor Society throw the entire event. They plan the decorations, the food and the music. They helped coordinate donations from area restaurants for the lunch, such as Ricardi’s, Olive Garden and Subway.
Assistant Principal Graham Coogan pointed out this generation socializes much less in person and spends much more of their time online.
“So putting a different generation in the room to kind of show them these interactions and what things can be and how these events can be, I think is really important,” said Coogan.
After lunch, the kids and adults flocked to the floor to dance to songs like Cupid’s Shuffle, the Macarana, the Electric Slide and L-O-V-E.
“We kind of kept up the tradition and also it’s a nice gesture our school does for this community,” said Margherita Spinelli, 17 and president of the Honor Society.
