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 was the victim of constant bullying.
The teen was in her first year at the school and was tormented both in person and over text with cruel taunts that made fun both of her appearance and her mother’s.
Heather Miller, her mom, had recently been dealing with complex health problems, including recovering from recent brain surgery that had left her with a shuttered eyelid.
She recounted how on the day of Isabelle’s suicide, Isabelle came home extremely distressed from school. Heather gave Isabelle some time to work through her feelings, but unbeknownst to her, the abuse had driven her to breaking point.
Isabelle Vezina-Dykema, 14, right, from Winooski near Burlington is seen alongside her mother Heather Miller before taking her own life on September 15
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,’ Heather said through tears 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,”‘ she recalls her daughter saying.
On September 15th, the day of her death, Heather shared her devastating news with friends and family.
‘My world stopped today. We lost our precious Isabelle Vezina. I am forever changed. I can not and will not ever be the same without my baby girl. None of us will,’ Heather wrote.
‘Fourteen years with you wasn’t even close to enough. I’ve always thought of myself as strong. Never have I felt so weak. I am consumed with a pain too immense to measure and too deep to heal,’ she added.
Isabelle was known as an outgoing, bubbly energetic girl reads an obituary to the teen.
Heather was in tears as she told of the struggles her daughter faced to a local TV station
Her mom Heather said Isabelle’s bullies made fun of her mother’s appearance
She enjoyed sports, ice skating, baking and cooking, dancing, and making TikTok videos with family and friends.
‘Isabelle was a bright spark and destined to be a huge personality,’ the obituary reads.
Her mother went to state 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,’ Heather wrote.
In a another posting, a photo of an urn containing Isabelle’s ashes can be seen sitting atop a cabinet in the family’s living room.
‘This isn’t how you were supposed to come home,’ Heather wrote in a heartbreaking post.
‘I miss you so much baby. I miss everything about you. The pain is unbearable but we are doing everything we can to honor you and help others .’
The teen was in her first year at the school and was bullied both in person and over text
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 Mill School are investigating the claims of bullying and have not elaborated on the claims
Christ Allen, left, of Vermont Department of Mental Health says at least one third of high school students experience poor mental health. Matt Wolf, right, an experienced Community Organizer, says teens experience very strong emotions
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.
Isabelle’s family are hosting a celebration of life event at Waterworks Park next to the skate park in Burlington on Saturday 28th September from 2-9pm.
For confidential help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
