The month of February — many know it as “The Month of Love,” but did you know that February is also National Bird Feeding Month? What about all the holidays that are not as popular as Valentine’s Day yet still a part of this special month?   How many people do you think celebrate National Trading Card Day on February 24^th?   It makes more sense than you may realize that on February 14^th  people may say that they love someone so much that they would give their heart away for them.  That is because February 14^th is also National Organ Donor Day.   If you are unhappy with your name, then you might want to circle February 13^th on your calendar because it is Get a Different Name Day! Also, families are important and if you are not getting enough time with your family, then make a note to remind yourself that February 18^th is Family Day!   If February is a long and exhausting month for you, you can start making plans to wrap it up on February 28^th with Public Sleeping Day.

February also hosts some important birthdays within its weeks including, but not limited to, those of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Ronald Reagan. Beyond those notable birthdays are also those of Babe Ruth, Charles Dickens, Thomas Edison, John Steinbeck, Rihanna, and Michael Jordan. And, for those celebrating a February birthday, they may feel even more unique because February has fewer births than any other month of the year. February is, from beginning to end, bundled with special days, ranging from Groundhog Day on the 2^nd to the end of the month on the 28^th unless, of course, it’s Leap Year and the month is punctuated with another day on the 29^th.  What other month of the year periodically celebrates itself by adding another day to the calendar?  February is a month that notably celebrates Black History, Parent Leadership and the Academy Awards.

For Shawnee Mission West, February is packed with activities and events. The next couple of weekends for West are important with WPA on February 16th and on February 23rd, West holds the 4th Annual Mr. Viking Pageant. Also, many students are looking forward to the final week of February at West for spring sports to begin.