A teenager from Vermont was harassed by school bullies relentlessly to the point where she took her own life.
Isabelle Vezina-Dykema, 14, from Winooski near Burlington had been attending Mill School, an alternative high school for students with complex needs but she was the victim of constant bullying.
The teen was in her first year at the school and was bullied both in person and through text messages that both made fun of her appearance and that of her mom who is dealing with health problems.
Her mother, Heather Miller, said how on the day of Isabelle’s suicide she came home extremely distressed from school and decided to give her some time to decompress, but unbeknownst to her the bullying had reached breaking point.
Isabelle Vezina-Dykema, 14, right, from Winooski near Burlington is seen alongside her mother, Heather Miller, left. Isabelle took her own life after constant bullying in person and over text
The 14-year-old from Winooski near Burlington had been attending Mill School, an alternative high school for students with complex needs but she was the victim of constant bullying
‘I thought I was doing the right thing, but in 35 minutes our whole lives changed,’ Miller said to WCAX, describing her as ‘spunky, so outgoing [and someone who] loved to dance.
‘She was excited about the school year, excited about being a freshman. “I’m finally in high school, I’m not going to let things bother me, I’m going to succeed.’
Her mother wrote on Facebook how she takes comfort from the fact her daughter’s organs were able to be transplanted.
‘She saved 7 lives and gave a child sight. Her brain was received by autism research which is a near and dear cause to us,’ Miller wrote.
Mom, Heather Miller, said Isabelle’s bullies made fun of her mother’s appearance
The Mill School are investigating the claims of bullying and have not elaborated on the claims
Isabelle’s ashes now sit in an urn atop a cabinet in the living room of the family home
Meanwhile, The Mill School are investigating the claims of bullying but have not elaborated on the allegations.
‘We, at the Mill School, have been devastated by the loss of one of our students. We are working with the appropriate agencies and continue to provide counseling support,’ officials said in a statement.
Teen suicides appear to be a growing problem in Vermont with at least one death every year since 2019 in 14 to 14-year-old.
‘Very much our adolescents not only feel things in extremes, they also feel like now will be forever. They may have this really strong emotion and feel trapped,’ said Matt Wolf, an experienced Community Organizer with the nonprofit Vermont Afterschool to CBS3.
The Vermont Department of Mental Health says at least one third of high school students experience poor mental health.
‘That is a cause of alarm for me because that means that close to half of high school students feel like they don’t matter,’ said Chris Allen from VDMH.
‘Our bullies are calling for help or crying out for help in the only way they know. I think if we address them in more of a therapeutic way, more of a concerning way instead of a punitive way, we might actually get somewhere to reduce bullying,’ Allen said.
