By Nadia Boyea
March 26th, 2018 - Greenville, New York
Opinion
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Last Wednesday, on March 14th, 2018, students throughout the High School participated in the walkout digitally organized by the Women’s March Organization. Greenville was not alone in their participation; in hundreds of schools, thousands of students walked out of their classes to recognize and protest gun violence in schools. In 2018 alone, there have been 21 incidents where “a firearm discharges a live round inside a school building or on a school campus or grounds.” (https://www.abc15.com/news/data/school-shootings-in-u-s-when-where-each-shooting-has-occurred-in-2018).
In the week following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, there were over 50 threats of gun violence in school campuses throughout the country, including online threats through social media. (CNN.com) Just this week on March 20th, there was another school shooting in Maryland with two students injured by the shooter, one in critical condition.
These have become regular headlines in the news. We hear of the most recent act of violence or hate, and it’s just another day. These headlines should not be something we blindly overlook, sending out mindless condolences through Facebook or Twitter, forgetting a day, or even a week later, letting it slip your mind as though nothing happened. Nobody talks about what happens after these shootings, until now. Emma Gonzalez is a senior and survivor from the Parkland shooting, and is just one example of the courage and bravery of the students from this incident. Just one of many from Parkland, Emma and her peers have spoken to political figures and have spoken out on social media, voicing their passion for change. Something changed this time around and these students aren’t letting anyone forget what happened. They sparked a movement; the time for change is here and students across the country, and beyond, are supporting them and speaking up about needing change.
In Greenville, there were students from each grade level at the walkout. It lasted from 10:00 until 10:17 AM, taking one minute for each of the 17 victims from Parkland. The walkout was a time for students such as Seniors Donal O’Flynn and Kayla Murphy, Junior Caila Benning and a few others to speak in front of the group that gathered in the library about their own ideas on gun violence that is happening in schools around the nation, and what we can do about it. There’s no question that this an epidemic. It’s important that students get involved in these walkouts and other types of peaceful protests, not only to educate themselves on what is happening but also to make themselves aware that they can make a change.
Senior Callie Pfleging spoke briefly during the walkout and talked about that you don’t think that something like this could ever happen here in Greenville or to you at all. It doesn’t seem like it would be possible, but nobody thinks it will happen to them until it does. There were some students who did not fully understand what the walkout was about, and some that just wanted to get out of class. The mature discussion that happened during the walkout was educational for some, and for others it was a reassurance that they weren’t alone with their viewpoints in this small town. The discussion acknowledged the fact that these protests aren’t about wanting to take away every firearm from everyone that owns one, it’s about the violence that is happening in schools. Students are passionate about keeping each other safe; the purpose of the #NeverAgain movement isn’t to abolish guns outright, it is about protecting students.
This is our reality and responsibility now, as students, to be aware that this can happen. It’s on us to let everyone know that we aren’t okay with not feeling safe in school. School is meant to be an environment where you worry about getting your homework done on time, or doing well on a test- not where you are worried that someone will commit an act of violence toward your, your friends and peers, and your teachers. There have been threats to the safety of students in this area, places closer to home than most would like to admit. In addition to that, I personally know of friends who were in lockdown in New Jersey just a couple weeks ago, after the Parkland shooting. The lockdown extended past school hours. Lockdowns are no longer just a drill, they are practice for our genuine safety and practice for potentially saving our lives.
There will be marches across the country this weekend on the 24th, even in areas as local as Albany and Highland. I encourage students, teachers, parents and members of the community to get involved in these marches; it is important to know how real these incidents are. Some say that marches and walkouts don’t do anything, but look at the noise it has created. The refusal to not let this be another forgotten shooting started in Florida and has spread faster than anyone could have imagined. It is crucial that students voices are the ones being heard because we are first handedly and second handedly experiencing this violence. We are growing up to recognize this as “normal” and nobody should be okay with the terror this violence is causing. There is another walkout day on April 20th; educate yourself on your rights as a protesting student to make sure you do the right thing.
My message to parents or family members of a student would be that shielding your kids from these horrific things will not be beneficial. Providing them correct information on these incidents and educating them on how they can get involved in helping their future selves and peers, if they aren’t already aware and involved, these are just a few ways to educate them outside of school and social media. Let them know what happening is not okay and their voices can actually help make a change so that this stops happening. My message to students would be to know your protest rights and act accordingly. Violence is certainly not the answer, and don’t be doubtful that you will contribute to the movement. Change is made by people joining together with a united voice, and I personally believe we as students are most certainly making noise. Adults all over the country are outraged that students walked out of their classes to protest, and why? Because we are only 15, 16, 17, 18 years old? Maybe even younger... The thing is, we are the same age as these kids who have been killed and injured by this unnecessary violence; we are standing up for each other. How many more innocent students, teachers and administrators will be injured or killed before somebody decides that enough is enough?
Get involved on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other social media
with these activism groups to stay updated on the marches and walkouts:
#NeverAgain
#MarchForOurLives
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