For the second consecutive year, thoughtful students at the high school and Robert Frost celebrated P.S. I Love You Day by wearing purple to represent a stand against bullying and support for ending depression and preventing suicide.

P.S. I Love You Day was started in 2010 by West Islip teenager Brooke DiPalma, following the tragic suicides of her father and a senior at her school. The event, held each year on the second Friday of February, promotes positive messages of love, acceptance and community, symbolized by the color purple.

At the high school, the Community Service Club and student council hung notes with positive messages and sayings on every student's locker, every teacher’s door and all of the supporting staff members’ desks.

“The students’ efforts let everyone know how much they are appreciated and how much they matter at Deer Park High School,” said ELA teacher Christine DiProperzio, who serves as adviser for the Community Service Club and student council. “With all of the negativity on social media and on the news, we wanted to make sure that everyone in our building knew how much they mattered to our school and our community. We were pleasantly surprised that the signs stayed up for a few days, and even more surprised when we saw some of the kids saved their signs and hung them inside their lockers.”

Over at Robert Frost, the school’s student council shared the message of P.S. I Love You Day, guided by teachers Dani Iadevaia and Denise Tassey.

“This is an amazing cause,” said Associate Principal Philip Paniccia. “We asked everyone to wear purple to show support. We hoped that on that day, students and staff would be able to walk around the school and see a sea of purple, and hear nothing but positive messages that make them feel special and loved and remind them that they are never alone.”