Our involvement in the national walkout was initiated and led completely by students. It started with small conversations between some friends and I, voicing our anger and sadness about the Parkland tragedy. And then it spread across classroom discussions, showing the passion and desires of the student body to participate alongside the rest of the nation. Our mission statement for the walkout wasn’t influenced by administration in any way, it was the direct words of five kids sitting in the small auditorium, discussing the concerns our peers and teachers shared to remember the victims of the Parkland tragedy and encourage our classmates to get involved in demanding for a stronger presence of safety at Stamford High.

So why did we speak to administration in the first place? What was their role in our walkout? Our concerns and reasoning for approaching administration were advisorial, using Manka and Forker’s experience with engaging our student body to provide us the resourcesto shape our walkout with an emphasis on an educational and engaging purpose. We were scared of having a walkout where the issue being protested isn’t directly received, which could lead to focusing on opposing ideologies instead of our concern for school safety. From the minute we first approached Manka about involving Stamford High in a walkout, he and Forker supported us in every endeavor, happily listening to our ideas to make sure that the response we want from the walkout would come through loud and clear. The coddling that they are accused of was pretty much nonexistent, their only influence being gathering in the large gym instead of Boyle Stadium, which was a conversation we also had asked about beforehand and encouraged if the weather would be a problem. They also approached us about Mayor Martin’s presence, which we agreed on as a way of getting the district involved in our strives for greater safety. If our administration system encourages our engagement in student activism and have direct experience with demanding for enhanced safety measures at our school, why should we isolate our movement to only have the viewpoints of students? There is strength in numbers, and power from a large united front. So why should we ostracize the viewpoints of the teachers and administrators that agree with our movement? What strength comes from dividing our voices?

As the #NeverAgain movement, spearheaded by teenagers just like us, continues to demand legislative action for gun violence, our role in being apart of the change is more important than ever. There’s no denying the passion of our current generation: we are here, we are upset, and we want change. But with us are faculty members, who are just as affected by gun violence in schools, and who also wish for the safer environment we envision. Therefore, we should use our similar situations to unite our voices together for Stamford High’s safety. It is through our cooperation that we can see a more effective difference happen faster for the sake of all lives in our schools.