High school students find positivity in a unique art project in an unusual place

Students at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Bradford can find messages of positivity in the form of a unique art project in an unusual place.

"Bathrooms have been an unwelcoming space for some of these students. There's a lot of bullying. Unfortunately, that happens, and people don't feel safe in the washrooms, so we thought we would try to put some positive quotes up," explained Josie Patera, one of the faces behind the initiative.

Parents Patera and Lisa Artuso wanted to change the narrative and teamed up with school staff to bring the Spread the Love project to life on the washroom stalls.

"We thought to ourselves having an inspirational quote around the school would be great, but where students hang out the most? They hang out in the washroom," said school principal Heinrich Bebie.

Artuso and Patera said the project's goal is to inspire students and give them a dose of love every day.

"Just a positive message will just change their thought pattern. Because the more you read and listen to positive things, the more positive things come out of you, so it's very important to program your mind on a regular basis," noted Artuso.

And so far, the new artwork has been a hit among students.

"I didn't know it was gonna happen, so I thought it was cool," said Grade 11 student Alessia Patricelli.

"If you have a little stress, it's great to have a positive message in your day," said Grade 11 student Olivia O'Brien.

"The first day, it was kinda nice seeing those words there," added Grade 11 student Yiddy Encarnacion.

The artwork will remain on the stalls for years to impact as many students as possible.

"Really just being ourselves and spreading that energy and pouring it out on people, if we can all do that in the world, it'll be a better place," said Artuso.

There are plans to expand the project to the school's other washrooms.

The school's principal said he also plans to meet with other schools in the county to spread this positive movement to other students.