Words of love in the air,  and a gift of happiness on each locker. What a way to walk into the school—students beaming over notes and buying gifts for one another. It’s just like Valentine’s Day came early this year; except the meaning behind the day—how it started and why we try to get the message across to people all over America—is the true hero of the day and why we come together to celebrate it and spread the love…and the awareness.

P.S. I Love You Day is on the second Friday of February each year. It was started by a girl named Brooke DiPalma, who lost her father to suicide back in 2010. The last words he said to her were I love you. She decided to take those last three words he told her and created P.S. I Love You Day, a day when everyone would wear purple to stand up against bullying, and to help prevent suicide. “On P.S. I love you day, we’re sending love to those who are struggling right now, suffering, in pain. Know that people out there love you. Seek help from the right individuals and be well,” says FHS Social Studies teacher Mr. Bush.

The goal of P.S. I Love You Day is to show people that they are cared about to try to prevent people from taking their own lives. It is a school effort, headed by the Student Government and sponsored by various clubs throughout the school. It’s celebrated to focus on the beauty of life and the love that every single person has, whether they know it or not. As Peter Viskoc, SGA president, says, “Be happy all the time, don’t get too down on yourself…  and on top of that don’t just be nice to yourself, be nice to others. Don’t be another problem for someone, be their solution and help people out. Always be positive, everything gets better.” It may not end suicide completely, but it is an effort to push things in the right direction.

On P.S. I Love You Day, the school is bustling with purple, pep, and positivity, be it on the lockers of students or carried on the words of everybody in school. There are a few ways to celebrate the up and coming holiday, and all are great fun. Be it taking pictures in the Commons, slapping a purple heart onto your face, or buying chocolates and various other things to support the clubs of the school people in them, there is no end to the excitement of P.S. I Love You Day.

Maybe in the future, P.S. I Love You Day will be recognized as a national holiday—maybe even a worldwide event. If people continue to work towards suicide prevention, maybe we can get the suicide rates of the U.S. and the world to decrease. At the very least, it’s a nice sentiment to help people feel loved and to understand the importance of respecting others and spreading love and positivity. It’s always good to let brightness shine through the dark.

Love,

CeCe and Lizi

P.S. We love you. ♥