By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
Shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday hundreds of Newport High School students poured out of the building and braved temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, many just in shirtsleeves, to participate in the National School Walkout.
Newport High School students lined both sides of Sixth Street Wednesday morning in a silent demonstration to remember those killed and injured in the Parkland High School hooting. The 17-minute demonstration was in remembrance of the 17 lives lost in the Feb. 14 shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (photos by Mark Hansel).
They joined thousands of students from across the region and nationwide in a show of support and remembrance of the those killed and injured during the school shooting one month ago in Parkland, Florida.
Students lined both sides of Sixth Street in a demonstration that lasted for 17 minutes, one minute for each of those killed in the Feb. 14 shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The Newport High students got a head start on much of the nation, as the official start time for the coordinated event was scheduled for 10 a.m. The early start time was necessary because some students who wanted to participate would be at Gateway Community and Technical College, attending classes for college credit later in the morning.
Click here to view a short video of the demonstration.
Newport High School Principal Kyle Niederman said the school supported the project, in part, because students went about it the right way.
Newport High School Principal Kyle Niederman watches as students participate in a 17-minute silent demonstration Wednesday.
“The students had heard of the National School Walkout, in remembrance of Parkland, Florida, and they came to me about the possibility of putting something together,” Niederman said. “I was excited at the idea that they had come up with. It’s been student-owned, it’s been student-driven, it’s been student-organized and I’m very proud of our students for putting it together.”
Reaction to the call for a demonstration varied from school officials and administrators in the region. Some supported or endorsed the School Walkout, while others indicated student would be prohibited from participating or subject to disciplinary action if they walked out.
“Our students came together and it’s not a protest, and it’s not really even a walkout, it’s a remembrance of the 17 victims and that’s really where they sold me on it,” Niederman said. “If we can do things to help honor others, I’m all about that.”
While safety is always a concern when students are outside at unscheduled times. Niederman said the coordination helped minimize those worries.
“We’ve been very fortunate in working with our (student resource officer) and we have invited all of our local first responders,” Niederman said. “We’re very adamant that our first responders aren’t here to help monitor this, they are here to unify everybody. Our first responders would be right with us in providing and protecting school safety and their heart breaks for what happened in Florida, as much as ours do.”
Newport High School students, Mya Jones, left and Haley Kerlin were among those who participated in Wednesday’s demonstration. They said the Parkland, Florida, shootings have become a call to action from students nationwide.
Mya Jones, 18, is a senior at Newport High School. She said the support of the school administration means a lot.
“They were pretty much on board from the beginning,” Jones said. “We went to the school counselor first and she was very on board, and spoke with Principal Niederman. He agreed that we shouldn’t make it about gun laws or politics, or anything like that, it’s about not letting kids die.”
Jones admits that she was pleasantly surprised by the number of students who wanted to participate.
“Initially, just a few people wanted to do it and then we started getting our shirt sign-ups,” Jones said. “I tallied all the numbers and we had about 300 shirts and our school is 700, so that was like half of the student body. It was a very big deal and now seeing that it was basically our whole student body came out, it’s an even bigger deal.”
Students at some demonstrations chose to express themselves vocally during demonstrations but the Newport High School students remained silent for the entire 17 minutes.
“Sometimes you don’t have to speak – our signs (and) our shirts hold a lot of weight behind them,” said junior Haley Kerlin. “I feel like, just standing here and uniting as one is a very big movement.”
Students from Marshall County High School board a bus Wednesday to participate in a demonstration in protest of gun violence (photo courtesy of Facebook).
A group of students from Marshall County High School in the southwest corner of Kentucky traveled by bus Wednesday to participate in a rally in Frankfort in protest of gun violence. Two students were killed and 18 other people were wounded when 16-year-old Gabe Parker opened fire at Marshall County High School in January.
Jones said improved security at schools, which could include an increase in the number of on-campus cameras, and maybe even metal detectors, is needed to reduce the risk of future incidents.
“It seems that we kind of sit around and we let one happen, then we kind of forget about it until the next one happens,” Jones said. “Everyone, especially after the Parkland shooting, has been standing up and saying they can’t be the next. It makes you feel it in your heart because it’s so close to home, it could have been you. “
School shootings have become all too common, but the Parkland massacre has definitely elicited a nationwide response from students unlike any other.
“I think young people, honestly, we just started taking notice and decided we are going to stand up,” Kerlin said. “A lot of the other ones were before our time (or) when we were younger. Sandy Hook, I was in middle school and Columbine was before I was even born. This one has really resonated because it was people our age.”
The white shirts worn by many students had the words “March For Our Lives” on the front.
“That’s kind of the movement that has been happening,” Kerlin said. “The back of it says ‘Just Fix It’ from the dad of one of the students, who gave a speech.”
Many students also carried signs with the names of victims of Parkland, or other school shootings, which was meant to show that these are real people, not just statistics.
“Mine says Kelly Simon from Columbine High School, she was my age, she was 16,” Kerlin said. “It just kind of shows that these people died, to remember them – give names, an age, where they went (to school) – to make them a person.”
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com
1,000,000 young students participated in the 17 min demonstration in memory of the Parkland students killed in Florida. Now we read that some school officials threatened expulsion or reprisal for their actions….maybe these people who did this threatening are NRA members or even white neo Nazi individuals. It is obvious they are out of touch with their student body and 97% of Americans. Hurray for these students and their action!