Students pour their hearts out on P.S. I Love You Day

Valley Stream district 13 joined dozens of other schools across Long Island to take part in P.S. I Love You Day on February 11. Created in honor of Brooke DiPalma’s late father, a retired NYPD officer who took his own life when she was 14 years old, the day aims at raising awareness about bullying and suicide prevention while encouraging acts of kindness. Each district school, in turn, showcased its kindness in its own way.

At Howell Road Elementary School, teachers read aloud I Am Love: A Book of Compassion by Susan Verde to their classes. Afterward, students had a heart-to-heart chat about the meaning of love and what love looks like to them. On a small purple heart, students penned motivational quotes and sentences about self-love and love for others. Under a bold sign titled: ‘P.S. I Love You,’ they then covered the school walls with their purple hearts.

In James A. Dever, 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 also 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.

“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 superintendent Dr. Judith LaRocca. “We want our students to know that their emotional and mental well-being is just as important to us as their academics.”