Julie Mastrella, a senior at Floral Park Memorial High School, will try to set a world record for the most hugs while honoring the memory of two fellow students who passed away last year.

With the help of students in Grades 9-12, 17-year-old Mastrella will attempt to hug at least 613 different people in one hour on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, at Floral Park Memorial High School.

The hug-a-thon is part of a day of fundraising at the school for the Bobby and Kevin Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship was created in memory of Robert Getschel and Kevin McArthur, two 18-year-old students who died in the same week last June, leaving the community grief-stricken. McArthur perished in a tragic auto accident in Floral Park June 14 and Bobby Getschel, a volunteer firefighter who assisted at the accident scene, died of heart failure a day later. Students will also raise money by selling T-shirts, buttons, food and drinks.

"More than money, remembering Bobby and Kevin and the special people they were is the most important thing," Mastrella said. "We would like to make sure no one ever forgets them."

The families of the two deceased students have been invited to the hug-a-thon, which will be held from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Feb. 14. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most hugs given in one hour is 612, set by a woman in Finland in 2004. Mastrella would have an average of less than six seconds to embrace each student lined up in the school's hallways.