MORE: School walkouts: Clark, Champaign county schools noting Columbine
In Springfield, students held a ceremony at the high school gym to remember the victims of both shootings. No students walked out of class at 10 a.m. like the protest called for.
On March 14, during the first walkout, about 30 students walked out of class at Springfield High School.
“We hosted an assembly at our high school to basically dedicate it to the victims that died in the Columbine shooting,” Springfield student Jacqueline Grayson said.
The ceremony was held to bring people together, student Isabel Perkins said.
“Our goal (Friday) wasn’t to make any political statements,” Perkins said. “Whether you are pro-gun or anti-gun, we are all on the same team. That’s why we brought everyone here.
The assembly meant a lot to the students who showed up, she said.
“There are people who stayed throughout the entire ceremony,” Perkins said. “There were so many audience members who wanted to speak out their feelings and that shows the impact of what we got done.”
EXTRA: Students begin school walkouts on Columbine anniversary
In Urbana, about 30 students walked out of class to protest gun violence, senior Brownyn Walker said.
“I am very happy that we did it,” Walker said. “This wasn’t school sponsored, and totally student led.”
She understands some people will not like students walking out of class.
“The idea that civil disobedience (is that) you are doing something you are not technically supposed to do,” Perkins said. “A lot of the people who went out, they are not able to vote, are not able to have their voice heard. This was a way for them to do that.”
At Southeastern, sophomore Mozie Van Raaij skipped the national protest and instead handed out T-shirts that read “Be Kind” on them to remind people their actions have consequences.
“I walked into a locker room and I saw some negative things written on it about fellow students,” Van Raaij said. “So I took the initiative to erase it and I wrote the words ‘be kind’ on the board.”
She took a picture of the board and posted it on her Instagram, she said. Making a positive difference in the world meant a lot to her, she said, so she decided to make the shirts.
“People have responded by messaging me and commenting and resharing it themselves,” she said. “And telling me how much of an inspiration I am for spreading kindness.”
Van Raaij used her own money to make the shirts, her family said, and she passed them out to classmates for free.
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