A nine-year-old’s goodbye echoed through a memorial service in January as she told her older sister she loved her. “Fly high my angel,” she said.

Lexi Blackwood was 12 years old when she took her own life.

Her father, Ryan Marshall, says Lexi was once confident and outgoing, but that began to change when she entered middle school.

“She was so confident until she started facing harassment and bullying on a daily basis,” Marshall said. “It basically chipped away her confidence until it was very well zero, and here we are today.”

According to her family, Lexi confided in her parents last October about ongoing verbal harassment, including comments targeting her appearance. Marshall says the bullying often came from students Lexi didn’t even know.

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“No one she knew in her classroom,” he said. “She didn’t even know these people constantly putting her down, calling her names.”

The family said they contacted the school for help but were instead referred to a youth counselling centre. They question why the focus was placed on Lexi’s mental health rather than addressing the alleged bullying.

In a statement, Central Okanagan Public Schools extended its sympathy to the family as they cope with what it called an “unimaginable loss.” The district said it cannot comment on the specifics of the case and that it follows a provincial safety education framework.

Marshall says the family felt Lexi’s experience was not taken seriously enough.

Her grandfather, Dwight Blackwood, says some steps were taken, but they didn’t address the root of the problem.

“They had a monitor in the hall for a few days,” he said. “But our little Lexi wasn’t even in the hallway anyway, they let her out five minutes early so she could avoid the crowds.”

Marshall says the situation became so severe that Lexi missed two weeks of school. When she returned, he says communication from the school was minimal.

Now, the family is calling for systemic change, including more proactive mental health resources and regular wellness checks, rather than relying on students to reach out on their own.

“We’re hoping for change in the school board,” Marshall said. “More direct resources. Not just two or three options that are completely reliant on the student to reach out themselves.”

For the family, sharing Lexi’s story is about preventing another loss.

“If we can stop one other family from going through this,” Marshall said, “that’s our goal.”

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