Local Walk Out Day protest ‘civics lesson’

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Students in three Van Wert County schools were among those at an estimated 3,000 schools nationwide who participated in the School Walk Out event held Wednesday morning to honor the 17 students and staff killed at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14.

Approximately 175 VWHS students quietly participated in the event, with approximately 100 students gathering outside the building, with a Van Wert police cruiser providing security, and another 75 inside the gymnasium. A smaller group of Van Wert Middle School students also participated, with all students quiet and respectful during a 17-minute pause to honor the slain Florida students and staff.

VWHS freshman Isabelle Smith addressed both VWHS student gatherings and urged fellow students to become actively involved in reducing school violence, as well as the factors that can lead to it. Smith said students need to be nicer to each other, oppose bullying, and seek out and spend time with students who may be struggling with bullying and other issues.

Smith, who said she had posted online on social media about having an event at VWHS on Wednesday, joined two other students, sophomore Stephanie Geething and freshman LeTrey Williams, after the event so talk about the importance of the Walk Out event, and how important it is for students to voice their opinions on the subject of school safety.

“I want to see a change in a lot of things … not just government, but also in the local students,” Smith said, adding, “What we do every day does affect other people, and I feel like some people don’t think about that enough.”

“I’m tired of this,” said Smith, who said she hasn’t known a time when school shootings weren’t a way of life. In fact, none of the three students was even alive when the Columbine High School shooting occurred in 1999.

Although she said she was a little unsure at first about whether she would try to get involved, but finally felt she had to do something about the problem. “I’ve been living with this all my life.”

Geething said she wanted to empower local students to realize they can effect change.

“I believe it’s important for students to know they have a voice and that they can try to change things, even though they can’t vote or do the typical things adults do,” she said, adding that she was also pleased to see school officials were allowing students to stage a protest at VWHS.

“If our voices get muted, some kids might take bigger actions to be heard,” Geething added, “so if the school actually cooperates with us, it can be more organized and safer.”

Williams said it’s also important to remind students and adults alike that there are people who are concerned about the issue of school safety.

“We can spread awareness and let everybody else know that this could happen at any time,” he said. “If we voice our opinion, maybe everyone will start listening and see how concerned we are for everybody’s safety.”

Williams added that students also have a role in reducing the threat of school violence.

“I hope that everybody sees what can happen: the way you act towards other people can affect you and them at the same time,” he said. You don’t always have to be rude; you can brighten up people’s day with a smile.”

Smith and Geething agreed that students can play a big part in reducing school violence by just treating their fellow students better.

VWHS Principal Bob Priest said that, while he was a bit leery of how students might protest, but felt it was important for the school to allow students to express their First Amendment rights — although he did make student safety a priority.

“I thought it was important we allow that; it’s a constitutional right,” the former government teacher said. “Now getting up and walking out of school isn’t (a right) necessarily, but it’s a national movement over a tragic situation. There’s a lot of emotion involved and we, as a school, believed that it was important for students to exercise that.”

While the school allowed students to decide just how they would protest, Priest said he was relieved that students were respectful and protested quietly.

“I appreciated that,” the VWHS principal said, adding that he was a little leery beforehand on what might happen. “I couldn’t be more proud of our student body; it’s a tremendous civics lesson on how to take our rights and be respectful while exercising them.”

Two schools also had smaller Walk Out events. Vantage High School Director Tony Unverferth said approximately 20 Vantage students sat quietly in the school commons area during the 17-minute event, while Lincolnview also had a handful of students participate in a quiet event at that school.

Crestview was on a two-hour delay Wednesday morning after a tournament game for the school’s boys’ basketball team went late, so students weren’t in class when the protest was held at 10 a.m.