Colorado students walked out of school today to protest gun violence. Here’s what that looked like.
Thousands of students across Colorado poured out of their schools Wednesday to protest gun violence and to remember 17 victims of last month’s deadly shooting in Florida.
By Erica Meltzer and Yesenia Robles, Chalkbeat
Thousands of students across Colorado poured out of their schools Wednesday to protest gun violence and to remember 17 victims of last month’s deadly shooting in Florida. Chalkbeat’s Melanie Asmar walked with students from East High School to the Colorado State Capitol, where Gov. John Hickenlooper and Speaker of the House Cristanta Duran urged them to remain politically active.
The protests took different forms at other schools — and not everyone wanted the event to be political. There were balloon releases, voter registration drives, and public “die-ins” at major intersections. And in one Denver area school district, a surge of threats cast a pall over events.
Here’s a look at #NationalWalkoutDay from around the region.
Students at Skinner Middle School in northwest Denver marched in silent solidarity.
In northwest Denver, Skinner Middle School students dressed in black walk in silence with a police escort. #NationalStudentWalkout #edcolo pic.twitter.com/ti03cENXTF
— Eric Gorski (@egorski) March 14, 2018
In Colorado, teenagers can register to vote before their 18th birthday.
#Boulder High students passing around clipboards so those who are at least 16 can register to vote #Nationalwalkoutday pic.twitter.com/a1mZx5AxLp
— Mitchell Byars (@mitchellbyars) March 14, 2018
At schools in the Adams 12 district north of Denver, a big uptick in threats the night before – and a warning letter from the superintendent – led many students to skip school altogether.
One student who is not participating in the walkout has informed me many of his classmates did not come to school today for fear of the reported threats. #Enough #NationalStudentWalkout
— Peyton Garcia (@peytonmgarcia) March 14, 2018
Students at McAuliffe International School in northeast Denver spoke with their shirts. Instead of “Thoughts & Prayers,” they asked for “Policy & Change.”
Students at McAuliffe International School made these shirts for today’s student walkouts. The students here are going to make a big heart on the field in just a couple of minutes. They will also read off the names of the Florida students who died one month ago. @DenverChannel pic.twitter.com/AS3TZpuFyz
— Meghan Lopez (@Meghan_Lopez) March 14, 2018
But their event was not all about politics. They formed a heart with their bodies and read the names of the dead.
Here’s a look at the heart that the students formed. They are now reading the names off one by one of the students who died in Parkland High School. @DenverChannel pic.twitter.com/E2VkWg6oG9
— Meghan Lopez (@Meghan_Lopez) March 14, 2018
At Jefferson Jr./Sr. High School, students promised to work to change school culture.
Students at Jefferson Jr/Sr High School honored the Parkland community with moments of silence and commitments to change the school culture at Jefferson. https://t.co/VLoKEUik1e #NationalWalkoutDay #walkout #ParklandStrong #JeffersonStrong #JeffcoSchools pic.twitter.com/3M6HWz8VC2
— Edgewater Echo (@edgewaterecho) March 14, 2018
Many schools released balloons to honor the victims and found other ways to advocate for change.
Our students decided to gather, and walkout together in unity. We released 17 balloons to honor the Florida school shooting victims, and are now returning classrooms to write a note to our policymakers. #MSDstrong #WestyStrong pic.twitter.com/Lt2ZR7QdES
— Westy Wolves (@WolvesWesty) March 14, 2018
Unlike some Colorado districts, St. Vrain didn’t officially condone the walkouts, but students at Longmont schools walked out anyway.
Skyline High School students on Pace Street in #longmont #nationalwalkoutday #colorado #svvsd #enough pic.twitter.com/FMtDgGTo42
— Matthew Jonas (@photojmatthew) March 14, 2018
Students at Denver’s South High School have been vocal about gun violence. In a recent visit from U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, they rejected the idea that armed teachers would make them safer and demanded that lawmakers do more.
South student Sole Garcia with her self -made sign asking for school safety #ENOUGH pic.twitter.com/0wF96k6n29
— monte Whaley (@monteWhaley) March 14, 2018
Students from one of Colorado’s KIPP charter schools used their bodies to send a message at a major intersection in west Denver.
A “die in” at Federal and Alameda. #schoolwalkout #Denver pic.twitter.com/KneVwal0NY
— Kevin Beaty (@KevinJBeaty) March 14, 2018
Students of color in Denver reminded the public that gun violence is not limited to mass shootings.
Mateo, a senior at STRIVE Prep SMART Academy, says that the conversation on guns in the mainstream is dominated by white people. pic.twitter.com/NOaMm3OKpd
— Kevin Beaty (@KevinJBeaty) March 14, 2018
Students aren’t just marching. They’re also writing their representatives. State Rep. Faith Winter, a Westminster Democrat, tweeted a picture of her inbox full of emails from students.
My email box is full of over 100 emails from students at @WPSNewsNow. Each personally written, each heart felt, each calling for action to end gun violence. To the students your voice is heard, I stand with you. The young people give me hope. #coleg pic.twitter.com/y4oyTAhBEc
— Rep Faith Winter (@FaithWinterCO) March 14, 2018
Colorado carries the legacy of the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School, where a memorial asks urgently as ever: “How have things changed; what have we learned?”
At the Columbine High School memorial this morning. “It brought the nation to its knees, but now that we’ve gotten back up how have things changed; what have we learned?” pic.twitter.com/94PqoJL4JS
— julieturkewitz (@julieturkewitz) March 14, 2018
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.