Students walk out at Mountain View in Orem, where they know reality of school violence
Mar 14, 2018, 9:48 PM | Updated: Mar 15, 2018, 12:50 am
OREM— It was a somber walkout at Mountain View High School, as students gathered in the front of the school, and stood quietly to protest school violence.
“We are the ones in danger and that we should and we should be the ones that like they should be listening to because these our lives are at stake,” said Elizabeth Vogel, a junior at the school.
The walkout was personal for many of the students. Many remember the terrifying day when a 16-year-old student stabbed five of his classmates at Mountain View in November 2016.
“It has never been the same, we have always had that scary feeling walking past the boys locker room,” said Marisa Crist.
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The students say they have felt even more vulnerable to violence.
“Students don’t feel safe at school, we have to do drills and so being able to come out here and to remember those who have been affected by gun violence was important for us as students,” added Desi Crane, who organized the walkout through word of mouth and social media.
The students stood quietly for seventeen minutes. As each minute passed, the name of a victim of the shooting in Florida was read aloud.
The students who walked out say they want to lend their voices to what they believe is an important conversation in the nation right now.
“So the main point of the walkout was to get Congress to notice, this is happening all over the nation,” said Jeniel Zimmerman.
That is why some of these students who will soon graduate, believe it’s up to them to help protect the students of the future.
“We believe there is an issue in our school system where students are scared to go to school. My mom is a teacher and I am scared for her to go to school, because I don’t want one of my classmates or my mom to die while at school,” said Sarah Whitehead.
Knowing 17 people died at a school in Florida a month ago, was enough for the students to take a stand against gun violence.
“There’s power in numbers, when everybody came together to show their support it really meant a lot and I think it shows how strong we are as a school,” added Crist.
The school said that 242 students walked out. While it was not a school sanctioned event, administrators allowed the students to gather on the lawn, so they had a safe place to demonstrate.
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