Students at all three Valley Stream high schools walked out of class on March 14 as part of the National School Walkout to remember the 17 victims of the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School a month ago and to call for stricter gun control.
At North High School more than 300 students left the school building to participate in the walkout. Those who did not want to leave class listened to the public announcement system as the names of the 17 victims were read, according to Nithin Seelan. The students who took part in the walkout made posters and ribbons for the event, and had a moment of silence. Students also read the names of the victims, then Seelan spoke about gun control.
“We’re here to start a movement, make a change,” Seelan, a senior at the school, said.
“I was blown away by the support that we got,” Chen said.
At the walkout, Chen gave a speech, and another student spoke about her two family members that are students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The students also had a moment of silence for 17 seconds.
“It was to memorialize the students that were killed in Parkland,” Chen said. “They wanted people to take action.”
Chen added that gun control is why he decided to hold this walkout. “Enough is enough,” he said.
The school also held a memorial ceremony earlier in the day, which Chen felt was a way to deter students from walking out. “I really do feel like the principal and her staff didn’t want people to walk out, and that’s why she organized the program,” he said.
Superintendent Bill Heidenreich also said on Tuesday that any student who left class for the walkout would get an unexcused absence, but the students said they were not deterred. “I have no trouble getting in trouble for something I believe in,” Chen said. “There are some things that are bigger than a detention or a cut.”
Scott Brinton contributed to this story.