The Stallion's Gallop
As the nation shakes the earth through its walkouts, the Green Run Stallions joined alongside, galloping out for the seventeen fallen in Parkland. Due to the political nature of this event, names will be left out.
After the shooting that happened Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, social media called to action a date that schools would nationally walkout and protest for legislation to protect against gun violence. Since this was a national event, I decided to record how the walkout happened in our school, Green Run.
I entered in initially believing that this protest was organized to commemorate the victims in Parkland. Seeing several students entering without posters or any signs that called for action, I found myself intrigued. Going around, I began interviewing students for their opinions, asking why they participated in the walkout. Answers varied greatly, ranging from political reasons to emotional reasons. Digging deeper, I found that there were divided groups within the protest, the two major groups being based on those two reasons.
Interviewing the politically minded students first, some students believed that this walkout was more of a political protest than an emotional assembly meant to respect the fallen. Several students advocated for better gun control, bringing up methods such as installation of metal detectors and mental testing for those applying for gun licenses. "It's not easy to control guns, but there should be restrictions placed."
Moving towards the less politically minded students, there was a shared sentiment of grief Some agreed with those leaning towards the political groups, some didn't, but the main focus was that the event was made to respect the victims of not just Parkland, but of victims of school shootings in general. Some also brought up that they participated in order to feel safe, being surrounded by staff and other participants. One student brought this up, saying that "It's a sad fact that people are [feeling safer outside] of school."
Clicking my pen, I retired from interviewing students in order to participate in the 17 minutes of silence, but I noticed a deafening lack of silence. While there were groups of students huddled together for political or emotional solidarity, there were groups of students huddled together for neither reason. Heading back into the thick of it, I tried to interview a student, who then abruptly ended the interview as soon as I asked questions of a political nature. Reaching towards another group of students, I asked them why they were participating. One of them told me that they didn't know, and that they were just following everyone else. A lot of people didn't seem invested in the event, most of them not even knowing what they're doing. As I was about to interview another student, however, a staff member with a megaphone announced that the seventeen minutes were up. I clicked my pen and began to follow the masses heading back to class until I saw something that surprised me.
A few students stayed behind, moving only to group up closer. I lingered a bit to watch this group sit down together, undivided by political stance or viewpoint, in complete solidarity for the victims in Parkland. The group of seventeen students stayed behind for another seventeen minutes, this time in complete silence. After the seventeen minutes were up, the students respectfully got up and re-entered the building with two staff members that also stayed behind.
As they entered the building, I took the chance to interview a student who stayed behind. Talking with her, I asked what she thought of the event and how she felt. She summarized everything as, "I feel we're trying to show respect."
As everyone began to go off to class, I walked around the hallways to interview some staff members to gather their opinions about the walkout. Most staff members remained tight-lipped, but the staff members that did comment spoke highly of the students, bringing up how peaceful the protest was. To quote, "The [assembly] was very appropriate, the students behaved well." Every staff member I've interviewed praised student voice.
I couldn't help but feel cheated at the notion that this was student voice. A few students I've spoken to who orchestrated the event at Green Run spoke of speeches being held, but nothing happened. A lot of students that spoke with me felt that most of the students that left used it as a lazy excuse to skip class. One student even brought up a connection between Tarkenton's assembly earlier in the year and the disruptive students during this assembly, stating that "Old habits die hard." Needless to say, I was frustrated. Checking in with a student at another school, I asked how the walkout went at Salem High School.
She brought up the walkout in a completely different light, bringing up the fact that there were people holding signs and posters. They even had speeches organized, delivered by the leaders of Salem's community. It wasn't a flawless protest, however, as some students used this event as an excuse to skip class, similarly to some students from Green Run. For the students who dedicated themselves to the walkout, however, didn't back down from their goal of commemorating the seventeen students. Similarly to the few in Green Run, they stood in solidarity. The main thing, she told me, was the fact that everyone was united, and that everyone bonded together as a school.
Looking at it from her point of view, Green Run's walkout didn't seem so bad. Though divided, during the walkout we all stood together as a school, united. For the students that didn't participate, they praised this act of student voice, one student stating, "It's cool that people my age voice their opinions, [and especially] that it's an option."
Among all groups that I've interviewed, it was a common sentiment that this event was a strong example of student voice. The students that stood there for Parkland, the staff members, even the students that weren't involved in the walkout appreciated that it was a great show of student voice. While there were some students that weren't there for the true purpose of the walkout and some division and rift between the groups that were there for the walkout, it still stands that we all united and bonded together as a school, even those who didn't show up. Those who didn't show up were still connected to the walkout, since everyone was talking about it. Everyone was affected, and everyone stood for each other. To quote a student, "Whenever a tragedy happens, we're here for our students, no matter what."
