Hawthorne Junior High students supported their fellow students during the March 14 National Walk Out Day.
Mallory Jimenez photos
Some local students took part in the National Walk Out Day last Wednesday as many around the country staged protests and walked out of class to take a stand against gun violence.
Standing for a moment of silence at 12:17 p.m., the students were provided with “17 Acts of Kindness – Ways to Remember Students Who Lost Their Lives” from Safe School Professional Kathy Trujillo.
The list started with the first item being, “Thank hot lunch staff and janitors for their hard work.” Number 7 was: “Try to make sure every person in a group conversation feels included” and the last one being, “Thank a teacher for helping you in the classroom.”
More importantly were the students who chose to assemble outside on the playground and speak out against violence in school settings.
Standing strong, Rylie Houser addressed her peers, “We need to understand that even joking about this is not okay. The 17 lives that were lost was a great devastation that is not to be joked about. What happens when somebody makes a threat to our school? What happens if we end up being the next school? We all need to keep in our minds that anything can happen.”
“A football coach in Florida died while trying to save so many students. If it weren’t for him, more than 17 people could have died. While he was trying to close the door to his classroom after letting students in, he was fatally shot. He waved so many lives in place of his own and it is safe to call him the hero of America. He has inspired so many people including myself and the others around me and he is the greatest human America could have been blessed with. To the families of the victims, we are here for you and we are sending love and support to you from Hawthorne, Nevada. Are we next?” Houser concluded.
Mateo Jimenez also spoke, “It’s not the gun that kills. It’s the gun placed in the wrong hands that kills. Also, if placed in the right hands, it also will save lives. I’m protesting and preaching to the wrong crowd of people. We need to email our congressmen and president. They are the ones that need to hear our voices!”
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