On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 10:00 a.m., hundreds of Santiago High School students took part in a walk-out and congregated in the quad as a peaceful form of anti-gun protest and solidarity with the victims of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida earlier this month. Participating students united with thousands of others standing up for the same movement across the nation, with the occurrence even coining the name “National Walkout Day” and gaining extensive media coverage. The entire event was student-coordinated, but Santiago’s own administrative team supported their students in their constitutional right to use their voices and challenge the current political and social climates regarding the issue of gun violence.

To ensure the safety of the students and faculty, contributors to the walkout were informed to stay on campus and remain respectful as a moment of silence was held for the victims. Towards the end of the event, Vanessa Vega (12) somberly repeated the names and ages of those who had passed in the Parkland shooting. “I was very honored to be able to read aloud the victims’ names today,” Vega commented after the matter. “I don’t ever want them to be forgotten or covered up by new, unrelated media. It’s so important we remember their names. It hits home when you realize that some were our age or younger.”

When asked why they were walking, students brought up the idea of change and the vital role of today’s youth in this movement. “I’m dedicated to making it known to our society that, even as kids, we’re willing to stand up, speak on, and even walk out for what we believe in. We are going to make a difference,” claimed Victoria Maas (12), a participator at the scene. Although Santiago’s administration requested no verbal protests in order to maintain an heir of peace, this was the ideology many participants carried with them throughout the display. Several that didn’t partake in the event still took to Twitter to express their support with the hashtag #NeverAgain. The walkout lasted seventeen minutes before students respectfully returned to class following the demonstration.