• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
    • Subscribe/Donate to Inside Press Magazines During the COVID-19 Crisis
    • Issue Archives
    • Site Map
  • Cover Stories
    • Chappaqua Cover Stories
    • Armonk Cover Stories
  • Happenings
    • Westchester
  • Inside My New Castle
  • Just Between Us
    • Chappaqua Just Between Us
    • Armonk Just Between Us
    • From the Editor
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Health & Fitness
  • Single & Smart
  • Et Cetera
    • Worth a Thousand Words

The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

  • New Castle News
    • New Castle Releases
  • North Castle News
    • North Castle Releases
  • Subscribe/Donate
  • Gotta Have Arts
    • Book Excerpts
  • Lifestyles with our Sponsors
    • Sponsor News!
    • Words & Wisdoms From Our Sponsors
  • Advertise
    • Answers to Your Questions, or Contact Us!
    • Subscribe/Donate to Inside Press Magazines During the COVID-19 Crisis
    • Online Advertising

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

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Support The Inside Press

Follow our Social Media

The Inside Press

Instagram

Visit Our Sponsors

Desires by Mikolay
William Raveis – Chappaqua
William Raveis – Armonk
Hickory & Tweed
Houlihan Lawrence – Armonk
Houlihan Lawrence – Chappaqua
Annie B. Shop
Compass: Miller-Goldenberg Team
Compass: Natalia Wixom
Compass: Kori Sassower
World Cup Gymnastics
Northern Westchester Hospital
Douglas Elliman Chappaqua
Douglas Elliman Armonk
Your CBD Store
Sotheby’s – Stacee Massoni
Mount Kisco Child Care Center
New Castle Physical Therapy
Beecher Flooks Funeral Home
The Westchester Bank
Le Jardin du Roi
First Congregational Church
Houlihan: Alicja Bohmrich
Bueti Brothers

Download our Latest Issues

Inside Chappaqua PDF Inside Armonk PDF Inside Briarcliff PDF Inside Pleasantville PDF Discover New Castle PDF

Join Our Mailing List


Search Inside Press

Links

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe

Footer

Recent Posts

  • VIRTUAL DUMPLING CLASS WITH DALE TALDE OF GOOSEFEATHER
  • Two Holocaust Education Events Planned for Late January
  • Governor Cuomo Announces Impaired Driving Crackdown During Holiday Season
  • Westchester County Announces Additional Funding for Local Businesses, Nonprofits
  • Tara Mikolay Jewels and Generosity Add a Special Sparkle through the Holidays
  • Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center Memory Keepers: GenerationsForward Speaker Series-Sandra Mehl

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Did you know you can subscribe anytime for the print editions of either Inside Chappaqua, Inside Armonk–or both?

Voluntary subscriptions are most welcome, if you've moved outside the area, or a subscription is a great present idea for an elderly parent, for a neighbor who is moving or for your graduating high school student or any college student who may enjoy keeping up with hometown stories.

Subscribe Today

Copyright © 2021 The Inside Press, Inc. · Log in