'P.S. I Love You' Day Combats Bullying, Suicide In LI Schools

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Students at South Fork schools put their hearts and hands together Friday to celebrate "P.S. I Love You Day," an initiative aimed at putting an end to bullying, depression, and suicide while focusing on kindness.

Southampton Elementary School students celebrated P.S. I Love You Day throughout the month of February.

In recognition of the initiative, whose 2023 theme is “Love All Your Chapters,” the students participated in a variety of kindness activities.

The students decorated their school with purple hearts, wrote kind messages to their peers and staff, enjoyed a school dance and engaged in discussions surrounding kindness. They also wore purple and posed in the shape of a heart for a schoo-lwide photo on Feb. 10. , the district said.

According to the P.S. I Love You Day website, on April 23, just one week after her 14th birthday, the DiPalma family experienced a tragedy.

"On that beautiful Friday morning, Brooke was dropped off at middle school by her father, Joseph DiPalma. Joey was a man who was always smiling, laughing, and was very involved in the community. On her way out of the car, her father said, 'I love you' and she said, 'I love you” back. Little did she know, only hours later, she would be taken out of school and told that her father died by suicide. Brought home to a scene nobody should ever see, she felt let down, lost, and unsure of where to turn," the site said.

A month later, a West Islip high school senior also died by suicide, the site said, bringing the town together and seeking a solution.

“Tragedy should not be the force for togetherness; Togetherness should be the force that ends tragedies," organizers believe.

Brooke created "P.S. I Love You" Day, held the second Friday of February. On that day people are asked to wear purple to stand up against bullying, help end depression, and prevent suicide, the site said.

"We hope that on this day you walk around your community, school, or work office and see a sea of purple. We hope that you hear nothing but positive messages that make you feel special, loved, and remind you, that you are never alone," the site said.

In Hampton Bays, the high school Tri-M Music Honor Society promoted P.S. I Love You Day by writing notes of encouragement and placing them on the lockers of their peers, and they distributed hundreds of letters that students had written to one another as a reminder that they are loved and cared about. They also wore purple to bring awareness to the cause, the district said.

Hampton Bays Middle School held a weeklong initiative that ended in P.S. I Love You Day on Feb. 10. Students embraced the theme by showing kindness to their peers 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 school’s main hallway. The week culminated with students wearing purple and forming the phrase “I love you” for a large group photo in the school’s gym, the district said.

The middle school plans to expand the celebration next year by bringing P.S. I Love You Day activities to the elementary school.