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200 People Gather at Community Meeting After Lewiston Student’s Suicide

Parents, students and community members from across Lewiston shared their grief in an emotional meeting Thursday night following the suicide of a 13-year-old student.

The mood was somber inside Lewiston’s Green Ladle, where about 200 residents gathered to talk about the death of 13-year-old Anie Graham earlier in the week.

Some students said they wanted everyone to remember Graham for who she was — bright and accomplished — while others said the community needs to do a better job supporting students who might be at risk.

Holding back tears, Lewiston High School Senior Bradley Matthews told the story of two of his friends who he says were bullied in recent years, both in-person and online.

“Both of these friends of mine, I might not even have today because of those things,” he says. “But they were lucky enough to have people to reach out to.”

Mostly, though, community members wanted parents and teachers to come together.

Over the past few days, Graham’s parents have publicly shared the family’s struggle to find help from her school and mental health service agencies after their daughter had been labeled as “at-risk.” Both parents and educators say they want to bridge this divide going forward.

In a press release on Thursday, Lewiston Superintendent Bill Webster said that in recent days he’d spoken with Graham’s father, who had offered suggestions on how the school should change its policies to better help students who may be at risk of suicide. Webster said the district was currently considering the proposals.