Funeral held for SEED School student who reportedly took her own life

WASHINGTON - Family and friends said goodbye to 12-year-old Stormiyah Denson-Jackson on Saturday. A funeral was held Saturday morning at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Southeast.

By all accounts 12-year-old Stormiyah Denson-Jackson had a promising future - she loved to dance, take pictures and smile.

Stormiyah was a student at The SEED School, which has a residential program, when she reportedly took her own life on Jan. 23.

"Storm will be remembered by her relationship with Christ. That's what I know about Storm. I saw a lot of things on the internet where she talked about Christ. She was a beacon of light," said Storm's cousin, Liberty Lewis.

"I feel good. I feel good. I'm coming to do this little celebration for Stormiyah and that's all I have to say right now," said Storm's mom Pat Denson at the funeral.

Since Storm's death, there have been mounting concerns about reported safety issues, supervision and bullying.

Attendee Christopher Payne says Stormiyah's death has had a profound impact on those who know her and those who don't, as family and friends continue to question the cause of her untimely death.

"We don't have to do this type of stuff, the bullying over the internet, come on, it's out of control. We've just go to police our kids a little bit better, you know," he said.

A vigil was held for the young girl last Saturday outside The SEED School, which has come under fire since Storm's death after parents have reported rampant bullying issues they say went unaddressed by administrators.

Investigators are looking into the accusations of bullying at the school.

"It impacts the community in a great way. Myself, you don't have to know someone to have a following on what the impact is. Death is death, you know, we all can't escape it, self-destruction stuff that's going on, you know what I mean," said Payne.