Manchester students participate in National School Walkout
Danielle Blumenstien, one of the Student organizers of the Klager Elementary walkout read the names and ages of the 17 victims who lost their lives in the Parkland Florida school shooting last month. Photo courtesy of Luther C. Klager Elementary School.
Although they are young, Klager students participate in lockdowns and active shooter drills. Photo courtesy of Luther C. Klager Elementary school.
Last Wednesday, students all over the country participated in a 17-minute long walk-out to honor the 17 victims who lost their lives during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida one month before, and to protest Congress’s inaction in response to gun deaths, and the mass shootings specifically plaguing schools and public events. Students at both of Manchester’s schools participated in different ways.
Photo courtesy of Luther C. Klager Elementary School.
At Klager Elementary, 5th and 6th graders had the option to participate in the walk-out (and were supervised by participating teachers). The school reported, “Many 5th and 6th graders participated today in the 17 minute National Walkout at 10 am to honor the 17 individuals who lost their lives in last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Some even took the opportunity to send a message for change.” After walking quietly, student organizers read the names and ages of the 17 people who lost their lives.
At the high school, with permission of the school, students organized an optional event in the auditorium for the 17 minutes. School counselor Hollie Kolcz reported, “We estimated about 180 students participated. I didn’t see ONE student on his/her phone. Not one student talked, whispered, or giggled. No one spoke. There were signs around the auditorium; each one had a name of a victim from the Florida shooting. There were also signs that asked students to remain silent one minute for each victim. After the 17 minutes, one of the students who organized the walk out got on stage and invited students to sign a poster in support of the students in Florida.”
Kolcz, who planned to take a photo did not. Nor was she able to track down a photo of the event. “I don’t have a photo,” she stated, “It was weird…I brought my phone into the auditorium with the intention of taking a few pictures. But it was such a powerful experience that it felt inappropriate (actually, disrespectful) to pull my phone out. It was quite a powerful 20 minutes. Super proud of our kids.”
Community members protesting in support of students and staff next to Klager Elementary school.
As national organizers asked supporters to physically stay back from the school walk-outs for safety reasons, community members gathered next-door to show support for students and staff members and to call on Congress to act.
Photo courtesy of Luther C. Klager Elementary school.
The next day, Klager Elementary reported an event they connected directly to the topic of gun violence and the walkout the previous day, “My heart swells with pride as kindness and awareness continue to grow at Klager Elementary! Today–completely anonymously and without consulting administration–words of encouragement showed up on every single locker and door in the building. It’s not just a one time 17 minute awareness about school violence and exclusion–it’s a paradigm shift in our thinking. Thank you for being leaders, Klager Kids.”
While the events were occurring on Wednesday, a short distance away at the Manchester Middle School which sits vacant this year but will once again house students next year, police and firefighters from around the county trained to respond to a situation involving multiple injured patients from an active violent act like a school shooting.
Photo from the community member protest.
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