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18 | March 22, 2018 | The wilmette beacon School wilmettebeacon.com Regina walkout promotes just and peaceful community Eric DeGrechie, Editor ‘Standing together and showing their support’ For Regina Dominican students Gillian King and Beth Gillespie, sitting idle following last month’s mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., was just not an option. “I started seeing people talking about walking out on social media and I thought we have to do this,” Gillespie said. “As students, we see school shootings a lot, but what we see after is inaction and apathy to the problem. We as students have to take this into our own hands or nothing will get done.” King, a senior from Lake Forest, and Gillespie, a junior from Chicago, led the planning of Regina’s participation in the National School Walkout Day March 14 at the school. The studentdriven exercise began at 10 a.m. and lasted for 17 minutes, one minute for each student killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14. “The first reaction from the school when we talked about doing something was an undoubtable yes. There was a lot of talk about exactly what could be done,” King said. “Walkouts are very important for change and solidarity. We also wanted to do something to put pressure on Congress.” Students were dismissed from class to participate in four events occurring simultaneously. In the cafeteria, students wrote letters to Congress. In the chapel, students prayed, reflected and lit memorial candles. In the gymnasium, students Junior Maame Boateng speaks to the crowd during Regina Dominican’s National School Walkout activities March 14 in Wilmette. Photos by Eric DeGrechie/22nd Century Media Students (left to right) Anne Berg, Francesca Spagnolo and McKenna O’Brien sign cards of support for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School community. signed cards of support for members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School communities. “We wanted to have activities for students who didn’t necessarily want to go the political route,” King said. In addition, students gathered outside on the Panther Patio where they discussed what they were feeling about the day and held a moment of silence. Following the shooting last month, students wore red to school in honor of the students. The success of that initiative helped set the stage for Wednesday’s events. “Gillian and Beth put their passion for this issue at the forefront. One thing that always amazes me about our Regina girls is their confidence and drive,” said Eleanor Rich, enrollment and recruitment associate. “They have an ability to really put themselves out there and do something different. They speak their minds, state their opinions, but also have that respected by the other girls in the school.” Loyola students host walkout to call for change Michael Wojtychiw Sports Editor Assistant Principal Charles Heintz (from left to right), sophomore Ethan Torain and junior Sophia D’Agostino read the names of each Parkland victim in the pressbox of the Loyola football stadium March 14 in Wilmette. Diane Smutney/Loyola Academy On March 14, Loyola Academy, like many school across the nation, took part in the National School Walkout to bring attention to a unified call for change in the way our country addresses school safety, gun violence and adolescent mental health. At 10 a.m., students who wished to participate had two options. The first option was going to the football field, where, when entering the field, the band would play “An American Elegy,” Frank Ticheli’s 1999 musical composition dedicated to those who lost their lives at Columbine High School. Each student participating was given an orange name tag with the name and age of one of the 17 victims. After everyone entered the stadium, students stood together around the track and shared a time of quiet reflection as the football clock counted down from 17 minutes. Each minute, the name and age of one of the Parkland, Fla. shooting victims was read aloud and the Loyola choir closed in song. “The process (of the walkout) started when the administration got wind that students were starting to band together and do something about what happened in Parkland,” junior Sophia D’Agostino said. “The weekend after Valentine’s Day, I, and I think about 20 other students from different leadership outlets throughout school, got an email from Dr. Baal. We met three times with a group of administration, faculty members and students to discuss so many aspects about what was happening. “We really wanted to know how the school was feeling so we could unify completely, and after a few meetings, we finalized what was going to happen to try to best represent everybody at Loyola.” The second option was available to students who did not wish to participate in the walkout, but wanted to show their solidarity and unity. Approximately 300 students who felt that way went to the chapel and prayed the rosary. The names of the victims were read aloud and the service stood as a powerful collective prayer for peace, according to a press release from the school. “The environment was extremely powerful and I felt the community,” Loyola sophomore Ethan Torain said. “The main thing I recognized was the pride that the people had standing together and showing their support. I hope this made people feel more connected to the people of Parkland and helped them realize that our circumstances are somewhat similar so that they can go out and help in any way they can.” Torain was one of the students who got the ball rolling with administration by starting a petition with his classmates and presenting it to Loyola Principal Dr. Kathryn Baal. “The petition gave us numbers we could show Dr. Baal and help get her support,” Torain said. Student leaders said between 600-1,000 students, but closer to 1,000, participated in the March 14 walkout. For some students, like sophomore Catherine Flannery, it was their Loyola education and values that prepared them for an event like the this.
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