Parent posts 1,200 handwritten notes of encouragement to students' lockers at son's high school

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. -- Students returning to their New York high school from winter break found hundreds of inspirational notes posted to their lockers.

Each of the colorful Post-Its decorating the halls of Amsterdam High School in the Albany suburbs has its own handwritten message.

"You can't go back to the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending," one of the notes read.

Though the writer wanted to remain anonymous, students eventually found out local parent Lori Stachnik teamed up with the school for the project.

Her 15-year-old son is a sophomore at Amsterdam.

"Everybody was joking with me that you're going to have carpal tunnel, but, you know, it was worth it," Stachnik told WTEN-TV.

She said she hoped the notes would be a sign of encouragement.

"You know, (the students) got so much pressure. It's that time of year when they're really gearing up for exams. People are going to have to make decisions, like the seniors, what college they're going to go to," she said.

Emma Kelly, a 17-year-old senior, said the notes could help overwhelmed students.

"The first thing I noticed was all of the colors and then I started reading them and saw they were all these positive messages and it was really, really nice," Kelly told "Good Morning America." "We just got back from break and it's pretty stressful and everything is starting up again."