The American high school experience is something we are told we will never forget. It differs from person to person, and from state to state, but there are many things that we have in common. We all look forward to Friday night football games in the fall, struggle through the increasing difficulty of homework, and begin to deal with the infamous college application. However, many of us also share an overburdening fear of gun violence.
On 14 February, 17 students at Parkland School in Florida were taken from what should have been a safe learning environment by the power of a bullet. People, especially other students, across the nation listened with sadness to the horrific news. And yet many of us were not completely shocked. School shootings have been engraved on our educational culture since the Columbine shooting in 1999, which killed 13 individuals. There have been at least 239 school shootings in the US since the horrific massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, according to research taken from the Gun Violence Archive. High school was meant to be unforgettable because of fond memories and new experiences, not tragedies and lockdowns.
With the constant possibility of another school shooting, many of us have grown up practicing what is known as a “lockdown drill”. This drill is practiced several times a year to prepare for an intruder entering the school. This serves many purposes and is not limited to an intruder with a firearm, but that has become the most pressing motivation. During a lockdown drill, (or in case of an actual lockdown), students are instructed to move to a position in their rooms away from any windows or doors. Crouching down to remain out of sight, they wait in intense silence. Teachers are required to lock the doors and turn off all lights to make the room seem as unoccupied as possible, to avoid being found by an intruder. Although routine to many older students, these lockdown drills can frighten younger elementary and middle-school aged kids. In an environment meant for education and learning, the preparation for such a horrific scenario creates a background of fear.
While security in schools varies across the country, there has been a definite increase in precuationary measures. Many schools have a “school resource officer,” who serves as a police officer dedicated to ensuring the safety of students and staff. Other schools have metal detectors at their entrances to check that there are no weapons entering the building. However, no matter what a school does, there is no way to guarantee safety from gun violence. That is in the hands of the legal systems that regulate firearms.
Many students feel helpless as they watch gun violence impact their peers around the country. It has been a problem in America for decades but the tragedy in Parkland ignited the resistance we see today. We have watched the survivors of the shooting turn their anger into advocacy. They are sending the message to students across the nation that we cannot remain quiet as lives are put at risk every day. Due to the fast pace of social media, this message has reached many people in a short period of time.
Seeing Parkland students stand up to take action against gun violence has motivated us to take on organizing our own high school walkout. With their guidance, we decided to join the fight against gun violence and begin advocating for reform.
Frankly, we are fed up. We believe that innocent lives are being lost as a result of a flawed system.
For our walkout on 14 March, we are focusing on three key ideas: honouring, advocating, and educating.
We want to honour the victims of the Parkland massacre, and honour all victims of gun violence throughout the country. One of the students speaking at the event, senior Jacob Baron, was personally affected by the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. “The magnitude of the scenario surrounding my personal experience is seemingly incomprehensible within our society” Jacob says. “Yet it has provided me with immeasurable reflection that fundamentally guides my thoughts, actions, and drive to positively impact and change the world around me.” While this is only a portion of his message, we hope that his speech will inspire people to take action and help prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
We are advocating for gun reform and inspiring the next generation of voters at our school to take action with their ballots. This is especially important for us as a school because our state, Illinois, is having its general election this November, and many of us still have yet to register to vote.
Then there is education. All of us researched gun violence in the United States. We have looked at dangerous loopholes in current legislation, and how the closing of these loopholes have significantly reduced the number of gun violence victims. By educating fellow students at our school about how gun violence affects everyone and how to prevent it, we hope to enable students to raise their voices and push for change.
We are not going to wait for a chance to be heard; we are making this time ours and speaking to the entire nation. We are the voice for change, because thoughts and prayers can only go so far. We, as both students and Naperville North High School’s Walkout organisers, recognise that no student or educator should ever have to walk into school considering this might be their last day. We deserve the right to feel safe in our school. It has become evident that the only way to achieve change is to be the change and make sure our voices are heard.
The NNHS Walkout Board is coordinating a walkout for students at Naperville North High School in Illinois as part of a national day of action against gun violence in the US.
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