After teen's death, 4,300 pledge Web site boycott

Friends of a West Islip High School soccer player who committed suicide said Wednesday they are honoring her memory through activism, fundraising and tribute tattoos.

In a protest of the social networking Web site Formspring.me, where dozens of insulting comments about 17-year-old Alexis Pilkington were posted in the days before, more than 4,300 people have shown support for a movement on Facebook to boycott the site. Other friends of the star student-athlete said they will make bracelets to sell for a scholarship in her name. Another group of girls vowed to get tattoos honoring her.

Formspring representatives could not be reached Wednesday. T-shirts in neon orange, a color Pilkington wore frequently, were being made with the slogan, "Boycott Formspring," students said.

The district has had initiatives in place to deal with cyberbullying, Lenz noted. An Internet safety committee was formed by students this school year and a bullying prevention committee made up of parents, teachers and administrators was formed two years ago, Lenz said. A parents' guide about bullying, which was being printed before Pilkington's death, will be mailed in the coming days, she said