In the wake of the Parkland shooting in Florida, a single man walked into a school, and 17 children were killed. Now, schools nationwide are performing a walkout, in which students and teachers, will walk out of schools in order to honor the lives of the 17 people who died in Parkland.
Both the faculty and student leaders at Wando High School are working together to make sure the students are able to participate in this walkout, and keep the day orderly and safe for students who are not.
The walkout is part of a national movement. On March 14, faculty members and students all over the country will walkout as a memorial to the 17 people who died during the Parkland shooting.
Assistant Principal Steven Legette is spearheading the effort on the faculty side to organize the walkout.
“I, along with Dr. [Sherry] Eppelsheimer and Mr.[Jeff] Blankenship, all met with some student leaders to begin the process of planning this, because I understand logistically it’s not just a simple quote on quote walkout, we have to plan for the safety of the 4000 students here at Wando High School,” Legette said. “This is a student driven thing.”
The students are walking out to keep the memory of the people who died in Parkland alive. Wando itself isn’t taking a side politically here, it will simply be keeping the students participating in the walkout safe.
“Every kid has their own reasons for doing this or not doing this, but as Wando High School we are not taking a side politically, we are just remembering the 17 members of the educational community that were lost on that day,” Legette said.
The Wando walkout, begins March 14th, at 10:17 a.m., second block for Wando. Students will stand for 17 minutes in silence while the names of the victims of the shootings are told every minute.