[CRIER
School MARCH FOR OURMunster LIVESHigh MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR OR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIV UR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR CH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES IVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR 8808 Columbia Ave. Munster, IN 46321 OR OUR LIVES MARCHIssueFOR OUR MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH 7 Volume 53 Feb. 15, 2019LIVES
[
A MOVEMENT OR A MOMENT ? A year after Parkland, students and staff reflect on effectiveness of March For Our Lives story by
[Mimi Brody] Editor-in-Chief
“Seventeen slain by gunman at Broward County School.” “A Detestable Act.” “Death Toll is At 17 and Could Rise in Florida Shooting.” These were all headlines bannering newspapers the morning of Feb. 15, exactly a year ago today, when a gunman open fired at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The death toll was 17, but an infinite number of family members, friends and fellow Americans were deeply affected by the tragedy. “Unfortunately with all the school shootings that have taken place in my short lifetime, there’s still that numbness feeling,” Mr. Morgan Nolan, Assistant Principal, said. “Especially when it happens at a place like Parkland that is very similar to us in nature. My ears perk up and I think about my own students here— I think about my kids.” What happened in Parkland was not an isolated incident. BBC News reported this year alone, 188 people died of school shootings. Not wanting to become “another statistic about mass shootings,” a handful of Parkland students banded together to form
[Inside look] pg. 5
Battle of the Bands
March for Our Lives, a gun reform advocacy group. The student-led group held nationwide school walk-outs and marches, even inspiring students 1300 miles away in Munster to take action. Since March for Our Lives was established last February, CNN reported 67 bills aimed at curbing gun violence were passed in 26 different states and the District of Columbia. One of those states was Indiana. Students like Ella Uylaki, senior and March for Our Lives advocate, find March for Our Lives to be an effective campaign. “I think it’s been effective because it’s getting people to question (potential gun control), even if that’s not ‘let’s get rid of guns,’” Ella said. “Even if they’re not agreeing, it’s still being talked about. It’s still being heard.” Ella originally planned to take part in the nationwide walkout, but instead participated in the school-wide rally after the bulk of fellow protesters opted out in fear of punishment. “I felt that it wasn’t as effective to get the message across because no one else was walking out at that point. Everyone kind of backed down, which is understandable because there was punishment involved,” Ella said. Administration did not support students’ plans to walkout for multi-
pg. 7
Boys Basketball plays at Andrean tonight 7 p.m.
ple reasons, including safety, planning and worries the walkout would only serve a niche group of students. Upon reflection, Mr. Nolan believes if similar desires to walkout are expressed in the future, they could be accommodated with proper planning. “It’d be like ‘What are our goals?’ ‘What are we trying to accomplish?’ ‘How can we get there?’ If we need to make compromises when it comes to safety, security, rules, procedure or operations here at school, then let’s do that,” Mr. Nolan said. The Parkland shooting also led administration to reflect on ways to keep our school safer. Strict enforcement of existing policies like locking doors and entering designated entrance points occurred in the months following Parkland. New changes, like the formation of the Student Advisory Committee, and the first issuing of a school climate survey in a decade were also seen starting this school year. Students’ concerns also prompted the
school to create a safety presentation students will see in coming weeks. “Probably the biggest outcome from Parkland was students standing up and saying this isn’t about school safety, this is about us, this is about our school which I thought was powerful and good,” Mr. Nolan said. The protests not only sparked legislative change, but changed youth participation in politics. Regardless of the cause, Ben Peters, senior, feels the movement has forced politicians to consider youth issues. “I feel like March For Our Lives definitely got our voices heard as students,” Ben said. “For AP Government, I had to watch a C-SPAN congressional hearing about gun laws and the legislators were talking about the kids speaking out and saying ‘we need to do something now because it is getting out of hand.’”
[Continued on Pg 2] [photo illustration by Elizabeth Fonseca and Robert Young]
[Upcoming] Turnabout Dance tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Fieldhouse. Bring Student ID.
Students have school Monday, Feb. 18 due to cancellations