Students from dozens of high schools across Delaware walked out of class Tuesday morning to mark the one-month anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. 3/14/18 Edited by Damian Giletto
EDITOR'S NOTE: The News Journal sent just about every reporter and visual journalist to schools across Delaware at 10 a.m. Wednesday to capture the school violence protest.
While many of the students who walked out of Delaware schools to protest gun violence Wednesday felt supported by school administrators, others felt their First Amendment rights were squelched and that school officials were effectively silencing them by threatening to punish them for participating.
The walkouts, which took place at dozens of mostly high schools statewide, were part of a national movement. At 10 a.m. in every time zone, teachers, students, administrators, parents and allies walked out for 17 minutes – one minute for every person killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day.
They advocated for both safer schools and gun control, as well as standing in solidarity with Florida students.
SOCIAL MEDIA:Delaware school walkouts
In the Seaford School District, officials were not in support of students participating. Despite that, a few left the building with posters and stood on the sidewalk chanting, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, NRA has got to go,” and “1, 2, 3, 4, we’re not safe in school no more.”
“Some seniors have been told, ‘We won’t let you graduate,’” said parent Debbie Buttridge, who stood outside the high school supporting the protest. The principal said students' absences were marked as unexcused.
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31 of 225![New Castle County Executive Matt Myer attends the gathering]()
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35 of 225![Senior Sofia Rose speak to her classmates at Dickinson]()
36 of 225![A student at Dickinson High School shares her experience]()
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44 of 225![Salesianum students walk out to protest gun violence]()
45 of 225![Salesianum students lit candles and gathered around]()
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50 of 225![Sanford students and faculty stand together in unity.]()
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52 of 225![Newark Charter students gather and listen to speeches]()
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57 of 225![Only 11 students walked out on Wednesday at Seaford]()
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59 of 225![The track clock was set at 17 minutes on Wednesday]()
60 of 225![Students at Brandywine High School head to the football]()
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63 of 225![Students bundle up in the cold weather at Brandywine]()
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89 of 225![Zack Strickland, a senior at Concord High, stands on]()
90 of 225![Concord High student holds poster during protest.]()
91 of 225![Concord High students hold up posters during protest.]()
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93 of 225![Dover high student leaders (from left) Nsadeem Boggerty,]()
94 of 225![Dover high school resource officer Vincent Green keeps]()
95 of 225![Dover High School senior Nadeem Boggerty welcomes more]()
96 of 225![Dover high junior John Eichler among more than 300]()
97 of 225![Dover high sophomore Azaria Lewis wipes tears from]()
98 of 225![More than 300 Dover high school students joined a nationwide]()
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101 of 225![Conrad School of Science students participate in walkout.]()
102 of 225![Conrad students gathering outside the school this morning]()
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107 of 225![Conrad School of Science students participate in walkout.]()
108 of 225![Padua Academy students stand in silence as photos of]()
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112 of 225![Padua Academy student Kennedy Crowder takes part in]()
113 of 225![Student Katie Giardinelli (center) leads the singing]()
114 of 225![Padua Academy students take part in a demonstration]()
115 of 225![Photos of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting]()
116 of 225![Padua Academy students stand in silence as they take]()
117 of 225![Students display signs and give impassioned speeches]()
118 of 225![A Padua Academy student holds a poster inspired by]()
119 of 225![Students at Newark Charter School participate in a]()
120 of 225![Students at Newark Charter School observe a moment]()
121 of 225![Dounya Ramadan speaks to students participating in]()
122 of 225![Students at Newark Charter School play Amazing Grace]()
123 of 225![Students at Newark Charter School participate in a]()
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126 of 225![Junior Kavya Beldona, left, and senior Shu-Jin Kust]()
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130 of 225![Students at Newark Charter School hold up a sign listing]()
131 of 225![“Bless those who have survived and heal their memories.”]()
132 of 225![“Bless those who have survived and heal their memories.”]()
133 of 225![“Bless those who have survived and heal their memories.”]()
134 of 225![Middletown High School junior Jordan Vaughan, who spoke]()
135 of 225![CRHS junior Selma Cemerlic said before the walkout]()
136 of 225![Seventeen students at Mount Pleasant High hold signs]()
137 of 225![Jordyn Arrington speaks to hundreds of Newark Charter]()
138 of 225![Students at Middletown High School rally under the]()
139 of 225![St. Mark’s students form a heart shape at end of rally.]()
140 of 225![Students at CAB, CSW stand for first 30-second silent]()
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142 of 225![“Enough,” said Dounya Ramadan to several hundred Newark]()
143 of 225![Jamie Guttenberg was 14, a dancer, gunned down at]()
144 of 225![17 white roses on the football field at St. Mark’s]()
145 of 225![Mayor Purzycki says he sees #dewalkouts as a national,]()
146 of 225![Students walking out for school safety at Mount Pleasant]()
147 of 225![Parents with kids in various area schools were barred]()
148 of 225![Padua students gather outside their Broom Street school]()
149 of 225![Newark High School students march around the school]()
150 of 225![Newark High School students marching.]()
151 of 225![Principal Terry Carson (center) joins students as Taps]()
152 of 225![Students at Seaford High School on Wednesday morning]()
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154 of 225![Students at Cape Henlopen High School near Lewes held]()
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172 of 225![Students at Salesianum School held a walkout in honor]()
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197 of 225![Students from Caesar Rodney High School in Camden,]()
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209 of 225![Asia Person holds a sign during a walkout event at]()
210 of 225![Elizabeth Tamba holds a sign during a school walkout]()
211 of 225![Students at Kuumba Academy walkout to mark the one-month]()
212 of 225![S’Nye Dillard reads information about Alaina Petty]()
213 of 225![Students at Newark High School join students across]()
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219 of 225![Newark High Principal Aaron Selekman]()
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223 of 225![Students from Howard High School of Technology participated]()
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“If they were concerned about safety, then walk them all to the football field for 17 minutes,” Buttridge said. “It is a small percentage of kids that want to have a voice. I’m really proud of them.”
Junior Noelle Kuhoric, one of 11 students, said she has a right to protest.
“It could have been a day of suspension, and I still would have walked out,” she said. “I think that for a lot of kids, it may seem like there’s nothing that we can do. It may seem as though only Congress can change this, but I think a lot of people don’t realize that even just coming out to an event like this where you can take action and have your voice heard, it really does make a difference.”
Earlier in the morning, representatives from each of the classes joined hands in the high school lobby as taps and "Amazing Grace" played over the loudspeaker for 125 seconds – one second for each life lost to school violence since the shooting at Columbine in 1999.
That event was fully supported by the district. High School Principal Terry Carson said she felt it was important to recognize all those lives and give students the opportunity to share their suggestions on how to make schools safer. Those suggestions will be shared with state elected officials, she said.
“We wanted to make sure that all victims were honored and that this was not a protest or a constitutional stand because that’s really not a school’s place,” she said. Students also will collect donations for a nonprofit through April 20, possibly the Beau Biden Fund, according to a press release.
“Some people will be doing this for all the right reasons,” Carson told a group of students. “My biggest worry is people not doing this for the right reasons and something bad happening. It’s not just about Seaford. You’re our hope, guys. You're growing up to be good citizens; doing the right thing is the only hope we have for this country. But the hope I have for the school of tomorrow is we’re still always going to be together and we’re going to be family. We don’t always have to agree.”
About 100 students braved the chilly, windy weather Wednesday morning to gather at the Caesar Rodney High School football field, though they were asked not to walk out as well.
IN WASHINGTON: House passes school safety bill as students protest inaction on gun violence
Max Cox, a junior, is one of the founding members of a group called CR Riders for Change, an organization created by students to share their voices.
"We are trying to create a way for students to voice their concerns to the administration," he said. "The district has been going through a lot this year. There hasn’t been enough communication between students and administration. We hope they can use our input to address problems and solutions."
The district dealt with two students who posted a photo of the school mascot holding a sign with a racial slur, and recently, in the wake of the news of a national walkout, the district deleted student comments that opposed the district’s decision not to support it.
“When we heard the school was not condoning the walkout, we didn’t look at it as bad news," Kate Henderson, a junior, said. "We looked at it as the district sweeping it under the rug. We thought if other districts are condoning it, why isn’t it safe and why can’t it happen here?”
Steven Ferrandino, a senior, said that he was told he could be suspended if he took part in the walkout.
"There was never a clear disciplinary action given, but I was told I could be suspended," he said. “I realized that doing it was worth the consequence."
The district denied The News Journal access to the walkout but allowed it access to a town hall meeting with local legislators held afterward. Access was also denied at Milford High School and William Penn High School near New Castle.
At Sussex Central High School, near Georgetown, students wishing to participate in the walkout were directed to the school cafeteria.
A Sussex Central freshman details not being allowed to leave the cafeteria during the National School Walkout on Wednesday, March 14. The school district had sent a letter home last week saying it didn't support the protest due to safety reasons. Produced by Megan Raymond
The decision upset Sussex Central freshman Taylor Truitt, who had planned on going outside. She said she was excited about exercising her First Amendment rights Wednesday, but she was disappointed with the school's reaction. Last week, the Indian River School District sent a letter to parents stating it did not support the walkout for safety and other reasons.
"We all started to go, walking down three minutes before 10 a.m. just so we could get there in time, and as I was walking by, school staff asked me if I had a pass," she said in an interview off school grounds. "I said, 'No, I'm going to the walkout,' and they said I was being redirected to the cafeteria."
As she was walking to the cafeteria, about 15 to 30 other students interested in walking out were also sent there, Truitt said.
"Not only do we have the right to protest, but it is also a matter of fact they refused to let us out by blocking each entrance and exit," Truitt said. "Even if we tried to go out, we couldn't."
All of the exits to the school were blocked by school administration, said Shannon Truitt, Taylor’s mother, who then signed her daughter out for the day.
"I did what I thought was best," Shannon Truitt said, "and I signed her out for the day. Under excuse, I put 'protest, no guns,' and I have no other recourse than to contact the Delaware ACLU at this point."
A spokesperson for the Indian River School District released a statement Wednesday afternoon that said students were not "physically prevented" from leaving the school.
"As was stated in Mark Steele’s letter on March 8, the expectation was that students would remain in the building during Wednesday's proposed walkout," said David Maull, Indian River School District public information officer. "For those who chose to participate, an alternate location was provided inside the school building to ensure their safety.
"At no time were students physically prevented from exiting the school building."
Students stand together
Other school districts, like Red Clay, did not promote the walkouts but told students they could participate and would not be punished for doing so. Some schools sent out press releases about their walkouts, which were attended by local officials and teachers.
At Cab Calloway School of the Arts and Charter School of Wilmington, which share a building, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki climbed the bleachers outside and told a crowd of hundreds that his generation had done a poor job regulating guns.
Students cheered when the mayor said school shootings cannot be seen as normal.
“When the torch is passed, you pick it up and run with it,” he said.
In an interview with The News Journal, Purzycki said the gun debate is not “a Wilmington-centric issue,” but a national one.
“This is people expressing solidarity with an issue that has touched a nerve across the country," he said. “Obviously, firearms and firearm deaths have a poignancy for our city, which is something I deal with, but I’m not certain that is what these kids are thinking about.”
Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, followed Purzycki’s speech and said that a committee hearing for a mental health gun bill would occur later in the afternoon. Then, to cheers from the crowd, he noted his support for a statewide “assault weapons” ban.
Dakota McCabe, a senior at Concord High School, said authorities need to rein in the availability of weapons that can fire many rounds at a rapid clip.
"There is no reason someone should be able to walk into Concord and shoot 30 rounds a minute," McCabe said.
At Mount Pleasant High School in Bellevue, hundreds of students quietly walked the school's outdoor track during a cold, wind-whipped 17 minutes of silence. They held signs with the Florida shooting victims' names
After the event, Rachel Kling, 17, one of the event's student organizers, said she was inspired by the large turnout.
"Being out there with everyone in the silence was surreal," she said.
Students at Ursuline Academy, a private school for girls in Wilmington, prayed, sang and demanded action from a yard on their campus.
“The message we are sending is one of hope,” junior Abby Rupert said. “We are rejecting the stereotype of complacency that has plagued students our age.”
They recognized each Parkland victim by name and took turns placing white flowers in a bucket.
Sophomore Molly Clark wrote and delivered a poem marked by frustration with the now-predictable response from politicians after a mass shooting: “It’s not the time to talk about” gun control.
If no gun control legislation is passed by next month, there will be another school walkout on April 20, she said.
At Middletown High School, an estimated 300 students gathered under the American and Delaware flags at the side of the school. Three students gave impassioned speeches as classmates Snapchatted and livestreamed their remarks to classmates who chose to remain inside the school.
Lacey Ford walked with a small, purple-and-orange sign that read, “I Feel Unsafe.”
“I do feel unsafe in school,” the junior said. “That’s why we are walking out because I would rather be outside of school than inside school. We hope to at least draw attention to our cause, even get people to try to fix gun laws.”
Junior Jordan Vaughan, who spoke to fellow students, had a tear trickling down his face as the group began to walk back inside.
“I’m emotional, but most of it is I’m happy because people actually took the initiative to come out here and use their voice for what they believe is a special change,” Vaughan said. “I truly feel like we’re growing up in a generation that is more knowledgeable, more aware, more conscious of things that are happening around us. … I think it was really important for us to be able to come out here and talk to other people in the class because educating others is the key to getting change started.”
Vyshnari Kosigishroff, a senior at Newark Charter, met with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School over the weekend while attending the United States Senate Youth Program in Washington.
“They made it real for me,” Kosigishroff said. “There isn’t any way to really feel that except through their eyes.”
Kosigishroff said the students explained to her how they were in lockdown for about three hours and watched bodies being dragged out.
“Today is the day we say enough,” Newark Charter's Dounya Ramadan told students standing in freezing temperatures, many wearing orange to show their opposition to gun violence.
She and Dickinson High School student Sofia Rose helped coordinate the walkouts statewide. Several of the students were scheduled to meet with Gov. John Carney at 4 p.m. to discuss gun violence prevention and school safety.
Students decry gun violence
At Padua Academy in Wilmington, about 500 teenage girls circled the school's flag and stood in silence. They didn't look or talk to the friends next to them. They didn't look on their phones.
When the clock hit 10 a.m., the walkout began with a prayer. And then came the names.
Passing a microphone around, students and teachers read the names of the Parkland victims. As they said the names, they raised a photo of the victim. The photos of the girls who died, some as young as 14 years old, looked like the students standing around Padua's flagpole.
Then, one of the student's led her classmates in the school's rally song, "We are One Body." The lyrics included: "We are one body in Christ, we do not stand alone."
For senior Kennedy Crowder, who helped organize the school's walkout, she didn't know what to expect. Kennedy helped make signs for the Women's March last year and bought shirts to support the Black Lives Matters movement, but she's never participated in anything like this before. When she saw the students flood the steps of the school, she felt proud.
"It kind of like we were part of something bigger. You know? More impactful," the 18-year-old said. "We can't be in Washington, D.C. and we can't go to Parkland, Florida. But standing here in our own special way made, it feel like we're making an impact right where we are."
During the walkout, Principal Cindy Hayes Mann looked on from the steps of the front entrance. The last time she saw a movement like this was when she was a teenager in North Carolina. She was one of the many young people to participate in demonstrations during the civil rights movement.
"I'm very proud to be a part of that era," she said. "And I'm very proud to impart those feelings to our girls, that they have a voice. And I hope and pray that the voices of all students today are heard."
Also in Wilmington, the entire middle school at Kuumba Academy Charter School held a 17-minute protest shortly before 10 a.m.
Melanie Thompson, a sixth-grade teacher, said her low-income, inner-city students, who wake up to gunfire, are gun control advocates by necessity. Last year, one of their peers, a 14-year-old, was shot while visiting her godfather. The girl survived, but the incident underscored Wilmington’s worst year for gun violence.
“They’re angry about it,” said Thompson, holding a fluorescent sign that read: My Students > Your Gun. “They realize there’s a serious aspect of fear.”
Grabbing the megaphone, Wilmington City Councilwoman Rysheema Dixon praised the shivering kids for expressing their solidarity at a time when 7,000 pairs of shoes laid on the Capitol lawn representing children killed by gun violence.
“This shows bravery, courage, which our state needs and which our nation needs,” she said.
A helicopter roared overhead as a boy wearing a Batman sweatshirt balanced a stark white sign on his oxfords: “Protect our kids not guns,” it demanded above a frowning, tear-stained face. “Stop killing each other.”
School should be a sanctuary, according to Taliyah Cooper, a sixth-grader who lives down the street from Kuumba.
“Why would you do such a thing?” she said with a puzzled look, addressing Parkland shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz. “If it was going so terrible in life, why didn’t you ask for help?”
“School is supposed to be a place where you can open up, get educated and do something with your life,” she continued, “instead of doing bad things.”
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