Courtesy Mason City Schools (NEW YORK) — After a student’s recent suicide left Mason High School in Ohio reeling, five teen girls left encouraging notes on thousands of lockers as a way to start healing.
The campaign was initiated by MHS sophomore Anna Aronson, who said she and her friends — Erica English, Michelle Crispin, Ellie Uematsu and Jessica Morse — spent nearly eight hours writing messages like “You are strong” and “You are unbreakable” on thousands of Post-it notes.
Aronson told ABC News that the girls finished at 10 p.m. on Monday night, when they placed the sticky notes on over 3,600 of the high school’s lockers. They also placed notes on teachers’ doors and administrative staff members’ desks.
The following morning, smiles and tears filled the faces of students, teachers and staff who stumbled upon the surprise messages, according to MHS principal Dave Hyatt.
“It literally lightened the entire building’s heart,” Hyatt told ABC News. “It felt like this huge weight had just been lifted on Tuesday morning.”
One student posted the note she found on her locker to Twitter using the hashtag #CometStrong, referring to the school’s mascot.
“We say things like ‘CometStrong’ and ‘CometCountry’ to refer to our family,” said Erica English, one of the girls who helped with the Post-its campaign.
“Even though we’re a big school, we’re still a tight-knit community,” English told ABC News. “After this tragedy hit, everyone was hit pretty hard. We just want everyone to know that you’re not alone and you’re loved.”
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