(February 2022)—P.S. I Love You Day is held every second Friday of February, created in honor of Brooke DiPalma’s late father, a retired NYPD officer who took his own life when she was only 14 years old. Shortly after, P.S. I Love You Day became a movement where schools across the nation participated in kindness activities. On this day everyone is encouraged to wear purple to stand up against bullying and fight depression.
“It was truly heartwarming to see our school buildings covered in purple hearts for P.S. I Love You Day. This day is another opportunity to remind our staff and students that they are cherished and they are never alone,” said Dr. Judith LaRocca, Superintendent of Valley Stream 13 School District. “We want our students to know that their emotional and mental well-being is just as important to us as their academics.”
Howell Road Elementary School teachers read aloud I Am Love: A Book of Compassion by Susan Verde to their classes. After, students engaged in a classroom discussion on what they think about love and what love looks like to them. The students wrote motivational quotes and sentences about self-love and love for others on a small purple heart. Students and teachers created a sign of P.S. I Love You and the walls were covered with their purple hearts.
James A. Dever Elementary School students wrote positive affirmations and kind notes to each other. They put up post-it notes of encouraging words on their giant purple heart wall for all to see. Students learned that it is healthy to talk about their emotions and how encouraging others to speak up if they need help can make a big difference. Classes engaged in activities such as ‘Fill Up My Cup with Kindness’ where students crafted a paper mug and glued their paper hearts with kind words on them.
Purple hearts were distributed to Willow Road Elementary School’s students and staff to write positive messages of friendship and kindness. The purple hearts were filled with compliments, quotes, and pictures that were then used to decorate the school building’s main hallway. Each of the classes took a field trip to the hallway to hang their hearts together.