Weston High School students participated in the National School Walkout Day on Wednesday, March 14, in droves, with approximately 600 high school students taking a stand against gun violence.
Elissa Teles, a Weston High School senior, organized the event through a Facebook group set up in the days after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
“I was so infuriated after the Parkland shooting,” Elissa said. “I decided to make a group and add people who may be interested, they added more people and it grew.”
Elissa, 18, along with fellow students Gabriella Reynolds, Matt Syndey, James Joyce, and Doran Sekaran, ended up taking charge and leading the movement of students who wanted to walk out to protest gun violence.
The National School Walkout Day was a nationwide event spearheaded by The Women’s March Youth Empower movement. Thousands of schools took part in similar walkouts across the country.
“The 17 lives lost in Parkland sparked a nationwide movement,” said Matt, 18. “We had around 600 people involved in our movement. I hope everyone was inspired.”
The walkout took place at approximately 10 a.m. and lasted a half-hour. Students went to the Weston High School track, where some students sang the national anthem while others read speeches they prepared for the event. The participating student body then walked a “unity lap” around the track
During the lap, a group of students held 26 teddy bears in honor of the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in a 2012 school shooting.
“We felt like it was the 26 victims walking in solidarity with us — that was the symbolism of that,” said Elissa.
The organizers said they were concerned about the possibility of students protesting the march, but that everyone remained respectful.
“People were against it but there wasn’t a counterdemonstration,” said Elissa. “It was ultimately about people whose lives were lost — everyone remained respectful.
Doran, 16, a member of the Weston Young Progressives club, said his main objective with the walkout was to open dialogue.
“People are talking about this now,” he said. “We don’t have all of the answers to the solutions, but this is now a dialogue that we are having.”
Gabriella, 18, said she thinks the walkout showed students how “easy it can be to voice an opinion.”
“The reason for this walkout is sad, but we need to channel that sadness to ensure that this type of violence doesn’t happen again,” she said. “I think we showcased that this generation supports those who have died from gun violence. I know that we’re all excited to be able to vote and have our voices heard.”
While stopping gun violence in mass shooting incidents is important to the organizers of the event, they emphasized that stopping gun violence in other ways should be a national goal.
“Gun violence isn’t exclusive to towns like this; we’re so close to Bridgeport, where gun violence is a huge problem,” said Elissa. “This type of violence isn’t common in towns like Weston but it can be a part of everyday life in other areas. We need to work to stop that, too.”
Speeches
Elissa, Gabriella and James spoke at the walkout. Each of their speeches touched on the importance of ending gun violence.
“I questioned the purpose of walking out. But students from all across this state, students from all across this country, are all walking out of their schools right now, not only in solidarity with the victims of the Parkland school shooting but in protest of our government’s inability to pass any meaningful gun control reform,” said James. “By walking out, we are all coming together to make our voices heard and demand change.”
James said the walkout allowed all students, whether “Republican or Democrat,” to come together and say that “enough is enough.”
Gabriella used her speech to remind her fellow students that voting is essential to helping shape the country they want.
“If you turn 18 before Nov. 6, register to vote now, and if you don’t, know that you are the voters of the future who will be affected by the decisions made by those in Congress,” she said. “Let them know that if they do not represent your values. If they do not protect your efforts to get an education without having to risk your life, then they do not deserve to have a say in your future.”
Elissa used her platform to discuss the specifics of the shooting in Parkland and what she views as a major problem.
“One person with one semi-automatic assault rifle that he never should have been able to get played a role greater than his own and took it upon himself to remove souls from this earth,” she said. “The bullet of an AR-15 obliterates the human body. Unlike the bullet of a handgun, whose enter and exit wounds are linear and minimal, a shot from a disgustingly powerful weapon is jagged and tears through flesh with no mercy. Nobody ever even stood a chance.”
Elissa told her classmates to think about their fondest memories and “imagine if all of that was cut short by a bullet.”
“You all know why we’re here: Our current institutions are flawed,” she said. “People are dying, and we are the generation to make change. It is so important that we are all here.”
‘Solidarity walk’
After the student march, a group of approximately 100 Weston residents and parents met at the Norfield Congregational Church and walked in solidarity with the student protest.
According to Dawn Egan, an organizer of the walk, the group wanted to silently show solidarity with the students.
“Our mission was to enhance the student walk, not to redirect the attention from students,” she said.
Egan said the group had a unanimous consensus that they’d like solutions to the issue of gun violence.
“We want the conversation opened and we want advancements in gun regulations,” Egan said. “Any politician that has the courage and conviction to open the conversation about gun violence has our support and our encouragement.”
Ultimately, Egan said, the group wanted to be “allies” to the student marchers.
“When we walked past the high school, people by the windows were cheering us on,” she said. “It was a good event and I hope we helped enhance their advocacy.”