School body mourning loss of teacher

Summer Bradley had a reputation for kindness and going above and beyond to help her students at Okolona High School.

Local school body.... w-t-v-a's bronson woodruff attended the candlelight vigil at shannon high school tonight... reporter intro: emotions are running high here at shannon high school, as family, friends, and the shannon school body are mourning the loss of a teacher, and a friend.

Of all the things people here said they will miss about summer bradley, the thing they said they'll miss most of a, will be her smile.

Take pkg: nat pop: "she wasn't just my friend... she was my sister in christ."

"it's been pretty rough, it was just so unexpected."

Special ed teacher leigh george said she and summer bradley started working at shannon high on the same day ten years ago.

Their friendship blossomed in that time, and bradley's love for her students did not go unnoticed.

"she went above and beyond for our students.

She would take them to get their driver's license, she drove them on the school bust to take their act."

George said the school has good counselors on-site, and is doing fairly well in coping right now.

She added bradley encouraged students unlike any other.

"she's just gone above and beyond what a lot of teachers would."

Shannon school would not comment on a cause of death, but the county coroner said it was nothing suspicious.

One speaker at tonight's vigil was assistant principal barabbas leasy.

Rather than mourn, he said tonight's vigil has a different purpose.

"tonight, we are here to celebrate the life of summer bradley."

However, he added bradley's loss is still surreal.

"this was a, uh, sudden thing for us, and it's something that we're still trying to wrap our heads around, but at the same time, we know that god's purpose is always higher, and we just appreciate the fact that we were able to share some time with miss bradley while she was here with us."

"she will not be missed because we know that her spirit is where it needs to be right now, but we love her, and we know that she still loves us."

Her friends, family, and the lives she touched will remember summer bradley and the lessons she taught about kindness for a long time to come.

"we're gonna miss summer, and it's really gonna be missing her smile, and the emptiness of her position."

In shannon, bronson woodruff, w-t-v-a nine news.

A spokesperson for lee county schools posted an update to facebook.

It said visitation will be at agnew sons' funeral home in verona tomorrow, september 18th from four p-m to seven p-m, and graveside service will be at porter's cemetery in tupelo on september 19th at two p-m.