Thursday, October 1, 2026
Students headed into February vacation wrapped in purple — and with a shared message of support.
Across the Wantagh, Seaford and Levittown school districts, purple shirts, handwritten notes and student-led initiatives marked P.S. I Love You Day on Feb. 13 — a growing movement to normalize conversations about mental health.
P.S. I Love You Day, held on the second Friday of February, was created by West Islip student Brooke DiPalma in 2011, to honor her father, a retired New York City police officer, who took his own life when Brooke was 14.
At Wantagh High School, members of Morgan’s Message, a club focused on mental well-being, set up in the lobby before the first bell rang, inviting classmates to sign a banner and talk.
Morgan’s Message is a nonprofit organization founded in the memory of Duke lacrosse player Morgan Rodgers, who took her own life in July 2019. With over 1,900 chapters in high schools across the country, the organizations goal is to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental heath.
Though cliques remain part of high school life, adviser Valerie Gompers said the social barriers softened.
“Just talking to them and saying, ‘Oh, how was your day today?’” Gompers said. “It was a whole vibe, and everything about how they wanted everyone to feel included and to be a part of it.”
This year’s theme at Wantagh was “Be the Light.” Students wrote encouraging messages on purple hearts, created kindness chains and launched a “Pin for a Purpose” initiative, in which clothespins with uplifting notes were passed from student to student. “They didn’t want to let go of those pins,” Gompers added.
Around 50 club members decorated the building the afternoon before, so classmates would walk into a visibly unified space. “There’s so much going on with mental health in our world that … you want them to feel like they have a safe place to go,” she said, “and that even in school, when it gets overwhelming, there’s always outlets, and there’s always someone to talk to and always a place to go. Everyone feels that way, and it’s not just them.”
Gompers said that students have grown increasingly open about discussing stress and anxiety. “They don’t hold back, and they’re not ashamed or embarrassed by it,” she said. “The outpouring of kids that really just want to be involved and want to help one another … is overwhelming. Everybody just really wants to come together to help the school community and be supportive of one another.”
At Seaford High School, similar themes played out through initiatives organized by Students Against Destructive Decisions and the Brackett Leadership Team, known as BLT — a student group focused on emotional awareness and leadership empowerment. This year’s Seaford theme was “You Matter!”
Students organized a districtwide purple shirt sale, created a “You Matter Because” wall in the main hallway and wrote letters to teachers and classmates thanking them for “showing up” and making Seaford stronger. Principal Nicole Schnabel noted that the day reinforces a broader cultural shift.
“It empowers students to recognize that they’re not alone in whatever feelings they might be having,” Schnabel said. “There are resources out there … you don’t have to feel that way.”
The high school maintains a Wellness Center that expanded around 2020, and Schnabel said that students regularly seek out support. She often references a phrase tied to the leadership curriculum: “If you can name it, you can tame it.”
The goal, she said, is simple: “They need to know that they do matter.”
At Seaford Manor Elementary School, younger students filled banners with ways they could spread love, creating heart boards with uplifting messages and writing notes of appreciation to classmates and staff. Fifth-graders ensured that every student received a number of compliments.
Whether in an elementary classroom or a high school hallway, Schnabel said, the message extends beyond a single day.
In Levittown, a message of positivity and perseverance echoed across the district. At Jonas E. Salk Middle School, a mural displayed in the front lobby represented every student in the building and reflected this year’s theme, “Be the Light.” Outside the cafeteria, students sold purple bracelets, stress-relief toys and sunglasses, and raffle tickets for prize baskets supporting the initiative.
Gina Pagnotta, a social worker at the middle school, emphasized that this year’s theme “encourages us to shine a brighter light on mental health, reminding us that each of us can support someone who is struggling.”
At Division Avenue High School, students decorated paper hearts with uplifting messages for their peers, while paper chains bearing every student’s name were hung throughout the building — a visible symbol of unity and shared support.
“This day brings our entire school community together to spread the message of care and belonging,” Pagnotta added.
While each district approached the day differently, the message remained consistent: fostering inclusion, reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and reminding students that they’re not alone.
“There’s absolutely no reason to treat anyone with anything less than ultimate respect and kindness,” Schnabel said. “Everyone does bring something so special to the table.”
