PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) — A Florida high school principal spent the last several months of the school year crafting personalized notes for each of his 459 graduates.

Matanzas High School principal Jeff Reaves left them on their seats to read before they received their diplomas during the school’s June 2 graduation ceremony.

He scoured through transcripts, emails and used his own personal memories to prepare the notes in time for the graduation.

He tells The Daytona Beach News Journal he wanted to be positive for students in a time where “there’s a lot of negativity and turmoil in the world.”