By ADRIANA GUTH-BOROWSKI – On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Parkland High School in Florida in which 17 people were killed. The students of IHS joined together in remembrance of the people who lost their lives.
With over 100 people in attendance, students gathered on the Andrew Kuzneski field. Students stood together for six minutes and twenty seconds of silence, which is the time it took for the shooting to occur.
As the clock ticked down, the names of the victims were read. Junior Muhsin Wahi-Anwar said, “It was sad, and it made me think about the friends and family of the victims. Also, it was sad that some people die for no reason. That is just a tragedy.”
The assembly was organized by students Tian Schiera, Hannah Ushock, Connor McQuaide, Madeline Redhead-Kristen, Grace Woolslayer, Abby Walker, and Talia Mastalski. These passionate students worked with Mr. McElheny coordinate the event.
Junior Schiera stated, “Our motivation for organizing the assembly was rooted in our desire for change. The first step to any type of change in this kind of situation starts with bipartisan unity, and by organizing this assembly we hoped to exemplify that to all who attended.”
Even though the date of the assembly may seem random, it was actually very well thought out. The student organizers wanted the memorial to be for the 17 victims, so they chose 4/17 as the date for the event.
The turnout was over the expected amount, especially with the inclement weather. Sophomore Grace Woolslayer stated, “I felt very grateful and glad so many people came out despite the weather. I felt that the people who stood out in the cold, crappy weather actually cared and realized there needed to be a change.”
Students of IHS were able to come together to respect the victims of the shooting. This memorial pulled the school community together regardless of political beliefs.
Junior Ella Spadafora said, “The assembly did a great job of pulling people together. There were a lot of different political views, but it was nice to see that people are able to unify.”
[Photo By Erik Puskar]
Photo Caption: “The student organizers come together in unity for the Parkland shooting victims.”
