Students Raise Awareness of Gun Violence in Schools

On Wednesday, March 14, 2018, students from around the world participated in a national “walk out” to commemorate the victims of the Parkland Shooting. Students stood outside for 17 minutes – one minute for each life lost at the school shooting in Florida on February 14, 2018.

Some of Platteview’s students took the opportunity to participate in the peaceful protest, hoping to raise awareness for a change in America’s education system. Some students say they want peace; others want to be guaranteed a safe place to better their education.

“At this point, I think something needs to happen,” says Christian Jewell, a junior at Platteview. “We’re not just standing by anymore.” Jewell was one of many students who participated in the walkout Wednesday. Students were escorted by a select group of Platteview administrators to ensure the students’ safety during their rally. Students gathered into groups and discussed their concerns and goals by participating in the walkout. “No child should die in the hands of another [peer],” says junior Kenzie Loncke.

Junior classmate, Katie Harder, says she personally is concerned for the safety of herself and other students with recent events. “I think our generation is going to start a change [for the better]. We have to have peace over violence.”

While the walk out was occurring across schools over the nation, other individuals created a new way to raise awareness for violence in American schools. Ryan Petty, a father of a parkland victim, said #walkupnotout. The idea of this protest is to walk up to fellow classmates who you usually wouldn’t, and socialize with them. The attempt is to create a safer education environment that cares about mental health. However, this hashtag creates a divide to either support mental health reform or gun reform – dividing two opposing protests to grow away from each other, making the reform more difficult.

– – –