South Hills students participate in March 14 walkout
The Feb. 14 tragedy at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has served as a focal point for interest groups across the political spectrum.
But South Fayette Township High School students who participated in a national walkout one month later steered clear of addressing topics such as gun control or lack thereof.
“We felt that it was important that we kept it apolitical,” Dan Pollock, a 17-year-old junior, said following the conclusion of the March 14 school day. “We wanted to bring students together. By making it apolitical, we could bring everyone together and have them participate. We thought it could be a good moment for our school to remember the people who were lost in Florida.”
“They’re just like us, and they didn’t deserve to be taken so soon.” – Neha Joshi, South Fayette Township High School
South Fayette students joined their counterparts at thousands of schools across the nation in exiting their buildings at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes, representing one minute for each of the fatalities in the second-deadliest shooting at a U.S. public school. Pollock had joined fellow student government board members Neha Joshi, Kritika Verma, Sanil Sawlani and Rachel Dorfner in planning the walkout.
“Our main goal was to make sure we had a voice and that we could express what we stood for,” Joshi said, also speaking after the school day.
Visitors and members of the media were not permitted on campus during the walkout due to “safety reasons,” according to South Fayette School District Superintendent Ken Lockette and school resource officer Sgt. Jeff Sgro.
Jacob Calvin Meyer/The Almanac
Jacob Calvin Meyer/The Almanac
A South Fayette School District van and a South Fayette police cruiser block the entrance to the school district’s campus at Old Oakdale Road while high school students protest during the national walkout March 14.
At Mt. Lebanon High School, about 200 students filed out of the building shortly before 10 and stood below the walkway connecting the school building with the athletic facility, as could be observed from a Lebanon Avenue sidewalk just off school property.
Myles Greenbaum, a junior, said he created 17 signs representing each of the Florida fatalities and distributed them “to show a powerful image” as students stood outside under clouds with the temperature in the mid-20s.
“I was in the front and able to see everyone freezing and I believe that it was perfect conditions for the circumstances,” Greenbaum reported via email. “All of the students were freezing, in pain, wanting to go inside, but their pain is nothing compared to the families of the victims of Stoneman Douglas. We stood strong for all 17 minutes with everyone silent (excluding one very rude student).”
During the same period at South Fayette, 17 students read a description of each Parkland victim and released a balloon in his or her honor.
“It was a very somber mood,” Joshi said. “I saw tears welling up in some people’s eyes. It was moving to hear that people like us – students, teachers and coaches and whoever it may be – had to die in such a tragic manner. They’re just like us, and they didn’t deserve to be taken so soon.
“I think that idea resonated with us as we stood outside. We could feel the sadness that everyone shared at that time.”