SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Students in South Fork schools put their hearts and hands together Friday to celebrate PS I Love You Day, an initiative that aims to end bullying, depression and suicide, while focuses on goodness.
Southampton Primary School pupils celebrated PS I Love You Day throughout February.
In recognition of the initiative, whose 2023 theme is “Love All Your Chapters,” students participated in a variety of philanthropic activities.
Students decorated their school with purple hearts, wrote kind messages to their classmates and staff, enjoyed a school dance and participated in conversations around kindness. They also wore purple and posed in a heart shape for a photo at the school on Feb. 10, the district said.
According to the PS I Love You Day website, on April 23, just one week after her 14th birthday, the DiPalma family experienced tragedy.
“On that beautiful Friday morning, Brooke was dropped off at high school by her father, Joseph DiPalma. Joey was a man who was always smiling, laughing and very involved in the community. As she got out of the car, her father said, “I love you” and she said, “I love you” back. Little did she know, only a few hours later, she would be picked up from school and told that her father had died by suicide. Ever seen, she felt frustrated, lost and unsure of where to turn,” the site said.
A month later, a West Islip high school senior also died by suicide, the website reported, bringing the town together and looking for a solution.
“Tragedy should not be the strength of fellowship. Unity should be the force that puts an end to tragedies,” the organizers believe.
Brooke created PS I Love You Day, held on the second Friday of February. On that day people are asked to wear purple to stand up to bullying, help end depression and prevent suicide, the website said.
“We hope that this day you walk into your community, school or workplace and see a sea of purple. We hope you hear nothing but positive messages that make you feel special, loved and reminded that you are not never alone,” the site said.
In Hampton Bays, the high school's Tri-M Music Honor Society promoted PS I Love You Day by writing notes of encouragement and placing them in their peers' lockers, and distributed hundreds of letters that students had written to each other as a reminder that they are loved and they care. They also wore purple to raise awareness of the cause, the district said.
Hampton Bays Middle School held a week-long initiative that culminated in PS I Love You Day on February 10th. Students embraced the theme by showing kindness to their classmates throughout the week, the district said.
They wrote positive messages on Post-it notes and puzzle pieces that are displayed throughout the school. They also engaged in an activity where they shared a word that represents them, with the collected words displayed in the main hallway of the school. The week culminated with students wearing purple and forming the phrase “I love you” for a large group photo in the school gym, the district said.
The Middle School plans to expand the celebration next year by bringing PS I Love You Day activities to the elementary school.
