166su

Autumn, a 10-year-old student at Mountain View Elementary School in 166su County, died by suicide March 21. Since her death, her family has been trying to spread her story to raise awareness about bullying and to call for change, both locally and nationally.

Booths for face painting, bracelet making and spreading information about bullying and mental health were set up in the Berglund Center’s lobby. The service took place in the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre.

Mark Bushman, Autumn’s dad, said that his daughter was a giver. She loved making little handmade gifts, like bracelets, and would “radiate with joy” when she could give someone a gift, he said. He brought some bracelets that she’d made, along with other objects from her room like Polaroid pictures she’d taken. He also brought the card he gave her for Valentine’s Day this year, which she’d kept in her drawer.

“Autumn’s favorite thing to do, probably first and foremost, was to give,” he said. “Give bracelets, give compliments, give hugs. She wanted you to know you were loved and cared about. She wanted you to remember that.”

Mark Bushman also reflected on Autumn’s confidence and faith. Through this situation, he said that he has gathered strength from his faith.

“Autumn knew who she was,” he said. “She knew that God does not make mistakes, that she was beautiful and unique, as we all are.”

Mark Bushman closed by reading “A Child of Mine,” a poem by Edgar Albert Guest that someone from Michigan sent to Autumn’s family.

Autumn’s mother, Summer Bushman, As of Sunday, it had raised $7,020 of its $10,000 goal.

“She took her own life in my home and I’m in desperate need of a fresh start for my family. Please help me raise funds in order to move and make new memories,” Summer Bushman wrote in the fundraiser description.

Kathleen Thorell, executive director of spoke during Autumn’s Celebration of Life about mental health and suicide prevention. Tudor House is a local nonprofit focusing on suicide prevention, education and support.

Thorell brought three members of the along to answer a few questions about mental health among adolescents. Tudor House has 24 teen ambassadors across 14 high schools in the 166su Valley, all trained to provide peer-to-peer support.

“Tudor House has helped me become so much more aware of the people in my community that are here and want to support me,” Landrie Bell, a student at Salem High School, said.

People can text or call 988 to connect with the suicide and crisis lifeline, but people don’t have to be in immediate danger to utilize it, Thorell said. Additionally, the lifeline is meant to be used by anyone who is trying to support someone who is struggling.

The biggest myth Thorell often hears is that talking about suicide will put the idea in someone’s head and “somehow make it happen,” she said. In reality, research shows that talking about suicide with someone who may be considering it can bring them relief and hope, she said.

“If they are thinking about it, the research shows that they feel relief, they feel comfort, that someone is aware of them, that someone sees them, and someone cares enough to ask that really difficult question,” Thorell said. “If they aren’t thinking about it, all those things still apply.”

Thomas McCracken, senior pastor of CommUNITY Church in Salem, was invited to speak at the event. As an educator, and as someone who was bullied as a child, he’s become passionate about the issue.

“I can’t see another kid suffer, hurt themselves or die — I sort of feel like this is my watch now,” McCracken said in an interview on Tuesday. “I didn’t go through all that I went through, experientially or educationally, to sit on the sidelines for this to happen ever again.”

In 2022, McCracken received his doctorate in education from Liberty University. He used a local school as a case study for his dissertation, which focused on peer intervention in bullying incidents.

“We know that 60% of bullying incidents would stop within 10 seconds if someone just spoke up and said ‘stop,’” he said. “Peer intervention is the key, and we’re not really doing that.”

While researching, McCracken said he found that nationwide, an estimated 160,000 students stay out of school each day because they’re being bullied. Autumn was one of those students, her parents said.

Educators and other staff are well-intentioned, but the issue lies in a disconnect between policy and practice in schools, McCracken said.

During an emotional meeting Thursday, the 166su County School Board unanimously voted to approve its bullying policy. Minor changes, like correcting a grammatical error, were made to the policy.

“I’m starting to get frustrated and angry that we’re going in the same circles, seeing the same results, and we’re not seeing change and reform in our policy and in our practice,” McCracken said Tuesday.

Jamie Soltis, deputy superintendent for 166su County Public Schools, said during the meeting Thursday that the policy can be changed at any time. He encouraged parents to

In order to be able to use a local school for his research, McCracken agreed to keep his dissertation private. Now, however, he hopes the school system will allow him to make it public if he redacts the school’s name. He feels like the data he collected isn’t doing anyone any good if they can’t see it.

“I feel like I have a fire hose, and houses are burning down all around me, and I’m not allowed to turn the hose on,” he said.

Like Autumn’s family, McCracken hopes that some good can come out of this tragedy. There’s currently no federal law that directly addresses bullying, but he’s working with an attorney and a senator in the hopes to change that, he said.

“I do not want this to be a flash in the pan moment where everybody’s emotional, everybody’s upset, everybody’s angry, and then one year from now, we’re back to discussing SOLs.”

Editor’s note: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at