STORY BY KENZIE CHESROWN (’18), MAP BY ELIJAH SMITH (’18)

Following the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, local students and school administrators are taking action to create a safer school.

“Yet again, the country stands together, broken-hearted and hurt beyond belief,” senior Nick Maxwell said. “While it’s important to mourn, it’s essential that we act.”

A group of individuals has met with Principal Matt Durst to discuss the “National School Walkout” on March 14. This march will last for seventeen minutes to bring awareness to the seventeen lives lost during the Parkland shooting.  

This generation has the power to create change, according to Durst.

“I think your generation is uniquely poised right now,” said Durst. “I think people are listening, and, if you guys do this the right way, you could be catalyst for changing things.”

The Florida shooting has caused many students to speak out in the name for a safer tomorrow.

“Complacency isn’t an option when our country is the only one where this still happens,” Maxwell said. “We need gun reform. We need it now,”

Unfortunately, many Ohio schools are on high alert after copycat threats.

“The same drum beat has been heard for two decades,” Durst said. “We’ve been hearing the same thing, but that drum beat hasn’t created anything significant in the name of change. I’m sure policy and legislation has been altered but it hasn’t reduced lives lost to the measuring stick,”

Administrators have put precautions in place such as keeping doors locked and teachers monitoring the doors to ensure the school’s safety.

Students are not sitting back and waiting when it comes to reforming this major issue; many have strong opinions and are ready for change.

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“We live in a country where we we can’t drink alcohol for health reasons until 21, yet are allowed to buy AR-15 rifles at 18 that can kill 30 people in a matter of seconds,” senior Ethan Shaw said.

Local colleges have reached out to students in order to illustrate their support of lawful protest.

The Ohio State University sent an email detailing their stance.

“We will always support the right of our students to lawfully express their views and to speak out about issues that are important to them,” Ohio State’s email said.

March 14 marks just one of the many organized protests in the name of gun reform.

The Parkland tragedy will in no way be forgotten– the youth will make sure of it.