Story by Emmy Trivette, Staff writer
Video by Arabella Saunders, Editor-in-Chief
On Wednesday, March 14, First Flight students will participate in a national school walkout to honor the victims of the Parkland shooting and to promote unity and awareness against gun violence in schools. The walkout is in line with #ENOUGH: National School Walkout – a country-wide movement organized by Women’s March Youth EMPOWER.
Across the country, students will walk out of their classrooms from 10 a.m. to 10:17 a.m. – 17 minutes to honor each of the 17 victims of the shooting that took place one month ago. Thanks to a supportive administration, First Flight students have been allowed to hold their demonstration in the rotunda.
At 9:55 a.m., students who wish to participate are asked to walk out of their classrooms and report directly into the rotunda, forming a circle around the center to leave room for speakers. Students in first-floor classrooms will remain on the first floor, while students on the second floor will ring the upper level of the rotunda.
Beginning at 10 a.m., seniors Arabella Saunders, Kiersten Lewis and Leslie Jennings, as well as principal Tim Albert, will deliver brief speeches. At 10:16, junior Shane McKenna will lead a moment of silence.
“When I saw the tragedy that happened at Parkland, I just couldn’t believe that this is still happening, and that we’re just letting it happen,” Jennings said. “I realized that we can’t just sit around and not do anything about it any more.”
The walkout has been approved by Central Office staff and Albert, and all teachers have been notified that students may choose to participate. No student will be penalized for participating, and those who do not wish to participate will gather in classes supervised by a teacher.
Students also are encouraged to wear orange to protest gun violence.
In addition to the walkout, senior Emma Bancroft will be leading a voter registration drive during all three lunches from Wednesday to Friday. Students must be 16 years of age or older to register. A driver’s license number and last four digits of your Social Security Number are needed to register.
The walkout is First Flight’s nonpartisan way of responding to the tragedy at Parkland High School. Students hope to make a statement in a way that will reach their peers, and hopefully their community. A statement which is, “This is where things change, and this is where the violence stops.”
“We need to focus on ways that we can, within our school, do things to help students who might feel bullied or who might feel that they’re isolated,” Albert said.
Anyone interested in the walkout who would like to RSVP can use the link below:
For more information about the movement, please visit https://www.womensmarch.com/empower/
Sophomore Emmy Trivette can be reached at trivetteem0626@daretolearn.org .
