A Los Banos teenager made hundreds of chocolate roses to make sure every girl in his school got one for Valentine’s Day.

Daniel Herrera is an 11th grader at Pacheco High School.

“I know it can be a difficult day. We’re teenagers; we have emotions, and we don’t know how to relate to anyone,” Daniel said. “So I wanted to make this – that way just in case anyone felt left out, they wouldn’t. Sometimes the inclusion is more important; even if it’s a small gesture, it’s something.”

The rosebud in Daniel’s project was a Hershey’s Kiss. He attached it to a stem and wrapped tissue paper around it to form a rose.

The project started in early January, Daniel said, but he got the idea in late November.

“I had just finished running at the state meet for cross country, and I was like, ‘I don’t have nothing to do for two – three months,’ and I like to keep busy,” Daniel said. “But I want to do something not for me this time. I want to do it for my school; I want to make a difference and hopefully leave a lasting impact.”

Daniel’s mother helped him assemble the roses in a quasi assembly line fashion. His little sister and his aunt also took part in the project.

It took close to a month to make all the roses. Daniel’s mother would often make him stop to do his homework.

He said the roses got a positive reaction at his school.

“You could see big smiles. If one girl smiled, it would be more than enough – it would be worth it.” Daniel said. “Just one smile out of the 850 that there are, it means you did something good.”

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