“I think our generation is the generation that will make a difference,” said senior Marshall Peters. “Us being out here doing this might be a small step, but it is a step forward, and it is a step in the right direction.”

On March 14, 2018, Chamblee students gathered in front of the flagpole to honor the lives of the 17 students killed in the mass shooting that occurred at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“I wanted Chamblee to stand with Parkland and let our voices be heard,” said walkout organizer and sophomore Lucy Adelman.
Many Chamblee students chose to participate in the walkout to express their outrage and concern about school shootings in America.

Senior Maria Anastasia, who carried a sign that read “Am I Next?”, was one such student.

“I fear for our future,” she said. “I feel like we have so much preventable gun violence happening that really could be avoided with correct reform.”

Junior Blair Varney walked out for similar reasons.

“If school is supposed to be the sanctuary that we all want it to be, then we cannot be having fellow students come in out of anger and aggression to fight and kill all of us,” she said. “[Parents] should not be nervous to send us to school.”

Some parents found that participating in the walkout created a great sense of unity amongst the Chamblee community. “It [a walkout] is a great way to show that we are all in this together…to have people hear us that we want to be safe at school,” said PTSA Co-President Liz Daunt-Samford.

Additionally, many students attended the walkout to voice support for gun reform to local lawmakers.

“I think it is a serious issue, and if we had started gun reform 15 years ago, then maybe things like this would not be happening today, but we have to focus on now,” said senior Camden Young.

“These walkouts may be an exercise in futility, just based on the political climate we have and nothing getting done, but not participating in the walkouts is [condoning] that futility.”

Senior Bryce Messer was interested in seeing gun reform policies implemented as well.

“As a proud member of the NRA, I think it is our job to protect citizens, and not just the right to bear arms, but the right to safety,” said Messer. “The Second Amendment was made a while ago, and I do understand that times have changed, so we do need to revise some of our laws to prevent tragedies like Parkland from happening again. It’s really an issue that both sides have to face.”

Students felt frustrated about what they viewed as a lack of action on the part of policymakers.

“I think it is disgusting how lawmakers refuse to make a change and only offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ that fix nothing,” said junior Ginger Whaley. “There are numerous amounts of problems that have happened due to lack of gun control.”

However, other students were hesitant to take part in the walkout because of how these calls for political change were mixed with remembrance of the victims of school shootings.

“Even though these walkouts are against gun violence, they’re obviously going to be made political, and I’m not for that,” said freshman Lincoln MacDonald. “I know they asked us to wear red or orange for that day, but I would rather wear black to mourn the students that died. I don’t want to achieve someone else’s political agenda while forgetting the students who actually passed away.”

Before the National School Walkout occured, the superintendent of DeKalb County Schools, Dr. R. Stephen Green, released a statement that allowed students to express their First Amendment rights without punishment from administration. Many students were astounded when they first heard of the statement.

“I was incredibly relieved because I had heard that Gwinnett County might punish those who participated in this, so I was very pleased with [the statement],” said Peters.

Others students were not pleased with the idea that punishment could have even been an option for students who chose to protest.

“The statement made me really happy, although after I thought about it I think all schools should be able to protest, because it is a right and it does not harm anyone,” said Whaley.

Emotions ran high throughout the event but came to a calming close with kind words from Chamblee’s student body president Jake Busch and the echo of one final chant: “No more silence, end gun violence.”