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National Student Walkout

How the Walkout Supported An Informed Teenage Citizenry

March 15, 2018 by Julia Bialek

March 14, 2018, Chappaqua, NY — It’s been a month since the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. And as is the paradigm, as the days since the tragedy have passed, so has the coverage of it.  However, after the slaughter of 17 innocent lives in a school building, our country has refused to remain silent. We have refused to allow this horrific event to become just another headline, we have refused to allow the victims to become just other statistics. Today specifically, the students of our nation refused to stay silent. Today we walked out.

Photo by ALEX LEVENTHAL, HGHS ’18

I could describe how it felt to have my phone alarm ring at 10 a.m. and watch nearly every student rise out of their seats to walk out of school, communicating with their actions that something must change. I could describe the goosebumps I received as a result of seeing the 17 empty desks displayed outside, a tribute to the 17 innocent lives taken. I could describe the sea of orange outside of our school’s doors, or the gut-wrenching speech given by two students affected by the tragedy. I could describe it all, but it wouldn’t do it justice, because today was bigger than just an isolated protest for gun-safety.

Today we united as a student body (and with student bodies across the country) to take a definitive stand against gun violence and prove that this issue will not just disappear without a fight. We walked out of school with the names of the victims on our tongues, and the prospect of change in our hearts. Too many communities are forever haunted by these harrowing events, too many hallways are stained with blood, too many innocent humans have become victims.

The overwhelming participation this event received at Horace Greeley, as well as at schools across the country, shows how vehemently our country’s youth will fight to change the policies surrounding guns. Even further, today’s walkout showed how passionately my generation will fight to change any policy that ails our country, rather than aids it. Although the point of today’s walkout was to communicate our feelings on gun-safety, a larger idea was communicated: our generation will not be silenced. Today the world witnessed our battle cry.

I take pride in participating in today’s walkout; it will be an experience I will forever value. This experience gave me an opportunity to stand up for what I believe in and stand in solidarity with the victims of the Parkland shooting. But I will also never forget this experience for another reason. By participating in this student-organized, student-led walkout, young people across the country showed that the ability to raise our voices and fight for what we believe is an aspect of our nation that we hold sacred. We expressed our desire to be informed citizens who participate in peaceful protests, a hallmark of our democracy,  in order to affect change. We formed a united front in order to confront an issue plaguing our society, and we continued our vow to take action.

Through our actions today, we demonstrated that we are committed to bettering our country, and truthfully, I have never been more proud to be an American teenager. My generation, the so-called “leaders of tomorrow,” is taking action today. And that makes me feel immensely hopeful.

Moreover, today’s walkout made me feel grateful to live in a community like Chappaqua. Instead of worrying about the consequences of participating in the walkout (expulsion, suspension, etc), I walked out of the school building knowing that I had a community that supported my decision to take action against injustice. Youth participation in our democracy flourished in Chappaqua today, because an environment of safety was fostered, and the expression of opinions was welcomed. Instead of condemning the walkout, instead of merely tolerating the walkout, my community supported this event, which is truly empowering.

I am so incredibly lucky to live in a town where my ability to speak out is encouraged; in fact, if every community encouraged youth participation in democracy like Chappaqua did today, the world would change for the better. We are the fuel for that change.

For 17 minutes today, our generation provided a glimpse into a time in the future when we will be tasked with the responsibility of leading. And we take that responsibility seriously. If today is any indication, when we inherit this country, it will be in many capable hands.

As long as young people keep deciding that our voices will be heard, as long as my generation yearns to affect change, as long as this moment transforms into a movement, I am certain that we have better days ahead of us. So let’s find our passions and fight for them; let’s raise our voices and refuse to be ignored; let’s educate ourselves and learn from others; let’s care about the future that will one day become our reality.

There’s no reason to become the leaders of tomorrow when we can claim those positions today.

 

 

Filed Under: New Castle News Tagged With: 17 Empty Desks, 17 Innocent Lives, Chappaqua, Chappaqua Teens, Gun Safety, Horace Greeley High School, Informed Citizenry, Leaders of tomorrow, National School Walkout, National Student Walkout

Why I Walked Out

March 14, 2018 by Inside Press

Before the walkout, 17 desks had been placed around the parking lot in honor of those who were killed in the Parkland shooting.  

Story by Ari Silver  Photos by Hannah Rosenberg
 
Chappaqua, NY, March 14, 2018 — My decision to walk out today was a simple one. I chose to speak and stand up for those who unfortunately no longer have the ability to. Though the walkout drew criticism from a handful of students who claimed that the event was a call to push a “liberal agenda,” this had no effect on my decision, or the choice to participate for the majority of Greeley students.

This issue of gun violence is much larger than politics, and it is not an issue that belongs to Democrats or Republicans. We all need to find a solution to the epidemic of gun massacres that are taking place far too frequently in our nation’s schools.

The walkout began promptly at 10 a.m., as directed by the student organizers. Students calmly filled the visitors parking lot and very quickly began to quiet down.

Before the walkout, 17 desks had been placed around the parking lot in honor of those who were killed in the Parkland shooting.  

The event began with a few brief speeches from a class president and two siblings who had recently moved from Parkland.

Hannah Fenlon (right), the student-body president, along with Sasha and Brandon Litwin, freshmen who moved from Parkland, Florida in 2015, shared stories from a victim of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and discussed what this walkout signified. Photo by Hannah Rosenberg

‘The students spoke of positivity, the call to action and the remembrance of the lives that were lost on February 14th. The students then walked a planned route, with some students shouting, “What do we want, Action, When do we want it, Now!” Several students held hand-made signs that had different political and non-political messages.

Photo by Hannah Rosenberg

Administrators and teachers surrounded the school to witness the march and to ensure students were safe. Since the event had drawn some security concerns, the district had assigned increased security personnel and members of the New Castle Police Department to the site. The walkout concluded inside the cafeteria, where students wrote messages on pieces of paper, each assigned containing the name of a victim of the Parkland shooting.

Overall, this was a very meaningful experience for Horace Greeley students. For myself and many others, emotions ran high. For me, the walkout comes two weeks after I had the opportunity to meet with Representative Nita Lowey and law enforcement officials in White Plains to discuss school safety. I feel that this walkout shows that my generation is beginning to become more involved, and my peers are starting to understand the powers that they possess to create change.

Ari Silver is a junior at Horace Greeley High School and a new writing intern for the Inside Press. Ari’s article about a Temple Beth El/Antioch Baptist Church civil rights trip for students appears in the current edition.

Hannah Rosenberg, also a junior at Greeley, is a Photo Intern for The Inside Press. Hannah photographed the ‘A New Beginning’ cover story of the current edition.

 

Filed Under: New Castle News Tagged With: Chappaqua, Gun Control Reform, gun violence, Horace Greeley High School, National Student Walkout, NY, Parkland shooting, Student Activist, Student Organizers, Walkout

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