Graduation Speech: The Parkland School Massacre

On a day that was supposed to be filled with love, a tragedy occurred that broke the hearts of millions. In Florida, a Parkland school shooting took place on February 14, 2018. 17 were killed and 17 were injured- making it one of the deadliest school massacres. Across the nation, many students and faculty members were affected heavily and questioned the safety within their schools, so they realized it was time to do something to make a change.

I'll admit- when I first say my peers creating flyers mentioning protests and marches, I thought it was a bit crazy! I mean, we are only kids; what more can we do? However, once I noticed that many were taking this seriously, I felt proud of my community and others around me. Each were creating banners against gun violence, planning school walkouts to honor the lives lost, and spreading awareness about school safety. Many smaller events were happening following up to the day of the National Walkout on March 14, and I couldn't wait to see voices be heard and lives being honored. …show more content…
It's sad that most districts weren't able to have students use their freedom (even teachers couldn't share their opinions on the topic), but I understand how they are implementing the idea that actions have consequences. When the bell rang for the event, some students left while others remained in class. I personally did not go due to the weather and restrictions, but I made sure to remember these victims in my alone