At the hospital bedside of her son Adam Stoops, Jennifer Stoops said she is patiently waiting for a miracle. Her son is a Niles student who was hospitalized after persistent bullying led him to attempt to take his own life.
At 6:30 p.m. Friday, in honor of Adam, the community will host a candlelight vigil at the Apple Festival grounds, 1740 Lake St.
In a phone interview Stoops said she wished to express her gratitude for the outpouring of support her family has received from the community. She said she only wishes Adam could see and feel the love and support that has come forth in light of this tragedy.
“Well first of all it is greatly appreciated,” Stoops said. “I wish Adam could know and see it because I don’t guess sometimes that he felt [support].”
Moving forward, Stoops hopes for more action from the school. She said she wishes for a safe place, where students can come forward and tell a trusted adult that they are being bullied.
More than anything she wants the bullying cycle to stop, starting with seeking council for students who do choose to bully.
“I don’t want any other lives destroyed,” she said. “We need to try to understand the bullies and why and how can we help them.”
In response to the tragedy, Superintendent Dan Applegate said he has been talking with the family. He released a statement saying that family was in their thoughts.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time,” Applegate said. “To that end, we have trained counselors available for our students should they need assistance during this difficult time.”
If students see or know of bullying, Applegate said the best thing for students to do is act.
“If you see bullying tell an adult: mom, dad and friend so somebody can tell. Once we know we will investigate,” he said.
Applegate said staff at the school is trained to handle bullying. Specifically he said staff should know the signs of a student being bullied.
“In our continuing efforts to provide a safe and engaging learning environment, training is provided to staff so that they are equipped to identify and deal with incidents of bullying,” Applegate said in a statement. “We also have developed peer support programs to provide additional assistance to our students.”
Still he said the schools need to do more and it is going to take the efforts of the community to make advances.
“We do not tolerate bullying,” he said. “And we need the community’s support.”
Stoops will remain by her son’s bedside on Friday when the vigil is scheduled. She said she was greatly touched at the thought of a vigil in honor of Adam.
The biggest message Stoops said she wants to get across is that no family should ever have to endure this pain.
“The main thing is try to make a difference if someone is being bullied,” she said.
“We do not want anyone else to have to go through this.”
Those who are interested can donate to the family. To find the website search Go Fund Me Adam Stoops on Facebook.