Karli Wallace
Staff Writer
Mira Costa administration held a Day of Expression and students organized a walkout on Mar. 14 during A.M. office hours to honor the 17 victims of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14 and to express their views on gun control.
Students were silent for 17 seconds in order to honor the lives of the students and staff who were killed by Nikolas Cruz, a former student, who opened fire on the school on Feb. 14.
“I wanted students to be able to have a way to express themselves if they didn’t want to walk out,” Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale said. “Every kid needs to be heard, so we wanted to have a way for them to be heard.”
Costa’s Mustang Morning News recorded 17 second videos of students calling for stricter gun laws to send to the California’s Congressional Delegation. According to senior Katharine Rogerson, the point of this was to inform the viewers of the messages the event as a whole displayed. Students could also express themselves artistically with sidewalk chalk.
“I really liked the Day of Expression at Costa because it allowed students to voice their own opinions and talk to lawmakers about what can be done,” junior Kendall Lebbin said. “Students have the ability to really make a change in our country regarding gun control.”
The Mustang Club planted 17 rose bushes next to the student parking lot and auditorium to honor the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting. Additionally, Costa’s Wind Symphony performed “Symphony No.3 MVMT 2,” by Vittorio Giannini during the ceremony.
“We’re definitely being conscientious about students and their safety,” English teacher Shannon Vaughan said. “We’re providing safety, but we’re also providing a means for our students to express themselves. It’s important that student’s voices be heard and vocalized, especially now.”
Dale also read the names of the 17 victims and read biographies detailing their hobbies and characters.
“I thought the students were fantastic,” Dale said. “Everyone was respectful, everyone was passionate and I think everyone understood that it was a day to be heard and a day to feel like you made a difference.”
Hundreds of students honored the lives of the victims in front of the administration building before walking along Artesia Boulevard as a part of the national walkout. Students wore red, the school color of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and orange, the official color of gun violence awareness.
“Time after time, tragedies occur and adults are the only ones whose voices are heard,” senior Jayin Patel said. “When it concerns student health and safety, it is really important that students get involved because we are so often overlooked. We are directly affected by this issue more than anybody else.”
Parkland community members and families of the victims organized March For Our Lives, a nationwide protest that will take place tomorrow to demand that student lives and safety become a priority and gun violence ends. Students across the nation are beginning to organize the Second National School Walkout on Apr. 20, the anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, to protest gun violence.
“People may say that student’s efforts won’t make a difference, but it does when everyone comes together to make it happen,” Manhattan Beach City Councilman Steve Napolitano said. “Our kids are speaking with more clarity than the adults, and I think that we need to start listening.”
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