Poudre School District Loses Two Middle School Students to Suicide

As a parent of a sixth-grader in the Poudre School District, I find myself with a broken heart. I find myself not wanting to, yet compelled to write this story, of two 11-year-old students who have taken their own lives. When I received the email on Sunday, that Blevins Middle School had lost a young boy, in my own daughters grade, I broke into tears. For the second time in a week, a sixth-grade student took their life at their own hands. According to the Coloradoan, on November 16, a female sixth-grader from Lincoln Middle School, passed away due to self-inflicted injuries, allegedly after being bullied.

Over the weekend, a second child, an 11-year-old boy from Blevins Middle School, took his life on Saturday (November, 21) evening. On Sunday, the principal of Blevins Middle School, sent out an email to parents, informing them of the situation. They informed parents that a classmate had passed away, and that there would be crisis counselors on site both Monday and Tuesday, and if parents chose too, they could keep their children home.

My wife and I decided to keep our daughter home. At the time of the email, the identity of the student was not released to parents. Not knowing the identity of the young boy, we wanted to be there to comfort her in this tragic time, especially if our daughter was close to the boy. Like many students, our daughter is coping. They are all dealing with it in their own ways. We have been talking to parents of other children who are in shock, others are just trying to stay in their normal routine and our daughter is trying to find her way to help make others feel better and loved.

It's not know at this time, if the two suicides are connected. The first was believed to be related to bullying, and according to sources, it's not believed that bullying is the reason for the most recent, though it has not been ruled out.

As I write this, I'm not writing this as a broadcaster trying to report the news. If that's what you're looking for, I suggest the Coloradoan, they are informed and great at what they do. I am writing this as a parent who is filled with pain and rage, and happens to have a voice that can be heard on the radio, and blogs that are read by thousands of people. I don't pretend to know what these two children were going through, and I refuse to trivialize what has happened. Like many children, I too was bullied as a child. There were many times that I felt alone, and I can't even imagine what could have been done or said that would lead an 11-year-old to do such a thing. I only pray that they are at peace, and my heart and prayers go out to the families involved.

If you would like to join the community, there will be a candlelight vigil for the two children on Tuesday, November 24, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the parking lot of Colorado State University's B.W. Pickett Equine Center, located at 735 South Overland Trail.

There has also been a GoFundMe page created in the two students name, with the proceeds going to stompoutbullying.org.