The Hillgrove Student Walkout
Aria Miller
Aria Miller
After the school shooting at Parkland High School many people were upset and infuriated. They took these emotions and translated them into protests. One of the protests was planned for March 14, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. The whole idea is to walkout at ten during school hours and stay out for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 lives that were taken at Parkland. Many students here at Hillgrove were interested in getting a chance to voice their opinions.
Hillgrove students did a modification of the walkout to abide to the regulations of Cobb County School District and Mrs. Stewart. In the courtyard at eight in the morning we gathered with 17 balloons to represent the lives that were taken. We had a few speakers say words of sympathy and hope and released the balloons into the sky. It was more of a ceremony than a walkout, but it still honored the lives that were lost which is the main goal.
The day before the walkout I heard many discussions in the classroom and hallway over who was going to do what on March 14. Many of the administrative staff were anxious on what the students of Hillgrove would do. With so much worry from the adults and anticipation from students across the country, I wanted to hear some of the opinions of students the day before both of the walkouts would happen.
Upcoming senior, Mikayla Roberts, said, “For the 8 A.M. one, I hope that the walkout will really just allow students to feel what they’ve been feeling. I know that as students we aren’t really expected to take a moment and realize what’s going on in the world, but I feel that as students that’s our job. We need to educate ourselves with what’s going on and take a moment to feel everything.”
Blair Hadley pointed out an opinion that many people are having: “No [the alternate Hillgrove offered] is defeating the purpose. The purpose is to make a statement, and if we’re allowed to do it I don’t think that’s what people want.” Many feel that the point of the walkout is to protest and go against the expectations of both the school and government. People want to cause a disruption during the normal school day in order to be heard and to be seen.
On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 I went to go ask one of the main organizers of the planned walkout, Lauren Stenson, how she felt the walkout went. Stenson commented on if the planned school walkout had the same effect as walking out at ten: “When you do anything you have to plan it. I don’t think anything that would’ve happened at ten would’ve been planned. Unless someone took the initiative to plan it for it to have an impact, but at our school specifically I think we kind of took the reigns and compromised to do it at eight. I think that made the best impact.” Stenson also said, “I wanted to send the message that as a school Hillgrove doesn’t stand for gun violence and that we are promoting a safe place and want to create a save environment. We’re not gonna let this perpetuate and let this continue.”
March 14th was a day of the voices of the youth coming together to take a stand. No matter what political side you are on, we can all agree we never want this to happen again. At the end of the day, school should be a safe environment.
Hillgrove students did a modification of the walkout to abide to the regulations of Cobb County School District and Mrs. Stewart. In the courtyard at eight in the morning we gathered with 17 balloons to represent the lives that were taken. We had a few speakers say words of sympathy and hope and released the balloons into the sky. It was more of a ceremony than a walkout, but it still honored the lives that were lost which is the main goal.
The day before the walkout I heard many discussions in the classroom and hallway over who was going to do what on March 14. Many of the administrative staff were anxious on what the students of Hillgrove would do. With so much worry from the adults and anticipation from students across the country, I wanted to hear some of the opinions of students the day before both of the walkouts would happen.
Upcoming senior, Mikayla Roberts, said, “For the 8 A.M. one, I hope that the walkout will really just allow students to feel what they’ve been feeling. I know that as students we aren’t really expected to take a moment and realize what’s going on in the world, but I feel that as students that’s our job. We need to educate ourselves with what’s going on and take a moment to feel everything.”
Blair Hadley pointed out an opinion that many people are having: “No [the alternate Hillgrove offered] is defeating the purpose. The purpose is to make a statement, and if we’re allowed to do it I don’t think that’s what people want.” Many feel that the point of the walkout is to protest and go against the expectations of both the school and government. People want to cause a disruption during the normal school day in order to be heard and to be seen.
On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 I went to go ask one of the main organizers of the planned walkout, Lauren Stenson, how she felt the walkout went. Stenson commented on if the planned school walkout had the same effect as walking out at ten: “When you do anything you have to plan it. I don’t think anything that would’ve happened at ten would’ve been planned. Unless someone took the initiative to plan it for it to have an impact, but at our school specifically I think we kind of took the reigns and compromised to do it at eight. I think that made the best impact.” Stenson also said, “I wanted to send the message that as a school Hillgrove doesn’t stand for gun violence and that we are promoting a safe place and want to create a save environment. We’re not gonna let this perpetuate and let this continue.”
March 14th was a day of the voices of the youth coming together to take a stand. No matter what political side you are on, we can all agree we never want this to happen again. At the end of the day, school should be a safe environment.