On Wednesday, March 14, the majority of  Schreiber students joined thousands of other high schoolers across the nation as they walked out of their schools in response to the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

The Women’s March Youth EMPOWER group called for students, teachers, school administrators, parents and allies to take part in a national school walkout.  At 10 A.M., students protested for 17 minutes in light of Congress’ minimal response to gun violence in our country.  

This national walkout was organized to demand Congress takes action to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship.

“Students and staff have the right to teach and learn in an environment free from the worry of being gunned down in their classrooms or on their way home from school, and parents have the right to send their kids to school in the mornings and see them home alive at the end of the day,” said the Women’s March Youth EMPOWER group.  “…We want Congress to pay attention and take note: many of us will vote this November and many others will join in 2020.  Join us in saying #ENOUGH!”

The school had originally planned to hold a memorial in the Schreiber gym, but several students, including seniors Danie DiRuggiero, Sally Fried, Eve Harari, Laila Kramer, and Amanda Krantz, contacted the administrators and took action to turn this into a real student-run walkout.

By using social media to spread the word about their plan, a large majority of students decided to walk out regardless of the school’s approach.  

“Our school had organized only a memorial, and we didn’t feel like this was enough,” said senior Amanda Krantz, who helped organize the walkout.  “The families in Parkland, Florida don’t want our thoughts and prayers anymore, which is what a memorial is for. They want policy and change.” 

Hundreds of Schreiber and Weber students left their classrooms empty as they protested in unity.  While the motivations for the protest are unique to every student, they stood together for the overall betterment of our nation.

“The National Walk Out is meant to be run by students to show that we will not stand for gun violence in our schools anymore.  We will protest for better policies and get our voices heard,” said Krantz.  

The purpose of this event was to raise awareness, protest, and prevent the tragedy in Parkland from happening again.

Students are proud to be making a difference not only in their community, but throughout the country as a whole.  This empowering experience has inspired many students to take further action to promote the absolute need for school safety. 

“I think it’s really great that Schreiber is joining the movement and helping students to express their voices.  It’s amazing to see so many students and schools stand together with Parkland, and hopefully our Congress takes these actions into consideration,” said sophomore Maansi Shroff.

The goal of this walkout was to address the issue of gun control and get Congress’ attention.  After multiple similar events, the school shooting in Parkland sparked a national protest and brought forward recognition of the lack of change in gun policies.  The students of America should know that this walkout is only the beginning and there is plenty of work to be done on the issue of school safety.