Editor’s Note: This column was written by Old Town High School students. Their adviser is Karen Marley.

Love is in the air, and we were interested in knowing what other students and our teachers feel about the coming celebration of Valentine’s Day. What is Valentine’s Day really about? Is it candy and presents? Or is it about showing true love?

We composed a scientific survey and embarked on our quest to determine people’s responses to this special day dedicated to love. We discovered that even though more people prefer their birthdays (78 percent) and the Super Bowl (14 percent) to Valentine’s Day (8 percent), there is still a sense of love in the air at Old Town High. We also encountered one person who prefers Groundhog Day celebrations to any others.

Even though we learned that the majority of the people we surveyed are selfish and would rather receive gifts than give them, we still caught many of those same people preparing to give gifts and participate in the holiday. Thirty-two percent of our respondents said they wear pink or red on Valentine’s Day. One student told us she likes to wear orange on Valentine’s Day in honor of Hunter’s Day.

When we asked our subjects to reveal their true feelings about Valentine’s Day, 39 percent replied that they like it, 41 percent said they hate it, and 3 percent said they really don’t care. Just 17 percent told us they really loved the holiday.

We also wanted to know how desperate some people become during this time of budding romance and flamboyant displays of love. Approximately 16 percent of the people we questioned told us they had sent cards or gifts to themselves at least once. Poor souls, we hope their luck is better this year!

We also asked if people feel obligated to get their sexy stud muffins and honeybuns a little something on Valentine’s Day. Seventy percent replied that they do indeed feel obligated. The other 30 percent told us they didn’t feel obligated but participate to show their affection.

We also asked questions about receiving and giving gifts. One person replied that Valentine’s Day is “just another excuse for the prom queen to get five dozen roses from her boyfriend and carry them around ALL DAY LONG, even though she has a locker like the rest of us!” Ouch!

On a different note, here’s a tip for all you girls who are stumped about what to give your main squeeze. The boys we surveyed said some of the best gifts they can get are a war movie, a car stuffed with Playboy bunnies, a massage, a great date or tickets to a baseball game.

Here’s a tip for the boys to help figure out what to get their best girls. How about giving them their favorite flowers, their favorite candies, a CD, jewelry, teddy bears, or a heartfelt message?

Some of the worst gifts, said both genders, are socks, McDonald’s gift certificates, vacuum cleaners and underwear. If you’ve already purchased one of those items, you might want to rethink your choice.

We wondered about the materialistic side of the day versus a show of real love. We asked whether people would prefer a box of candy or a romantic evening. Ninety-two percent said they would much prefer the romantic evening. We were not surprised to unearth the fact that 79 percent would rather receive a real kiss instead of a Hershey kiss, although 21 percent said they definitely would take the Hershey kiss over a real one any day. One person told us a “chocolate kiss doesn’t have bad breath.”

And what about that chubby little chap with the bow and arrows? Sixty-two percent of those polled think Cupid is heterosexual; the remaining 38 percent are convinced he is homosexual. One person even thinks Cupid is a girl. Yikes! Cupid is the son of Venus, also known as Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

After our exhaustive research, we were relieved to find that most people do cherish their snuggle bunnies more than any materialistic display, but often show their love in commercial ways.

Feel free to participate actively in a lovey-dovey Valentine’s Day, but don’t forget what the day really celebrates.