On Wednesday March 14th, 2018 at 9:50am, several Panther Creek students took part in their own National School Walkout, walking out of class and standing on the football field for 17 minutes to symbolize the 17 lives lost in the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. According to the Women’s March twitter page, the purpose of the walkout was to, “Demand congress take action to stop gun violence.”

When asked their opinions on the walkout, both in terms of agreement with it’s message and effectiveness, most students expressed support for the movement, Sierra Jones stated, “I support both the walkout and the desire for gun control, I sympathize with those fearful of the safety of both themselves and others.  I do not support banning all guns, but I do think it is necessary to rethink our approach to gun accessibility.” She also expressed sadness regarding the death of the 17 students and faculty members killed during the shooting, saying, “I support the effort to honor the Parkland victims and strive for some type of change.”

Lindsay Zhou also supported and participated in the walkout and expressed that she hopes the walkout will spark a bigger conservation about gun control, saying, “There is no excuse for the frequency with which such tragedies occur and at this point, I am both fighting and begging for reform. I think this walkout is a great first step to spark awareness, but we cannot stop here. We cannot simply make a statement and go. What I really hope to accomplish is a legitimate reform to America’s approach to guns and I can’t wait to see how people will take the messages of the walkout and translate them into change.”

Some students supported the right of students to participate in the walkout, however doubted it’s effectiveness, Trice Pickens said, “ I support the walkout as a remembrance of the lives lost in Parkland, however I do not support it’s message with regard to gun control. I believe the reforms proposed are misguided, specifically the ban on assault rifles.” He was also skeptical of the exact purpose of the walkout, saying, “ I am also skeptical of the notion that it is not anti-second amendment. I often hear ramblings promoting gun confiscation and repeal of the second amendment.”