“It could have been us.” Those were the words on a poster junior Victoria Scott carried Friday at the regional high school walkout.
“It could have been us.”
Those are the words from a poster high school junior Victoria Scott carried on Friday afternoon at the regional high school walkout to honor victims of the recent school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
“My heart really goes out to all the students and families and friends that were affected by it,” she said.
Last week, a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and killed 17 people. Young survivors of that shooting have since mobilized, igniting a national movement among students to end mass shootings.
The words on Victoria’s sign were grave, but she said she felt empowered participating in the demonstration. Victoria was in English class when she heard the announcement at 1:45 p.m. announcing it was time to head outside. She and hundreds of other students gathered in the cafeteria, then made their way out to the football field as it began to rain.
Students gathered on the football field and the regional high school flag was flown at half mast.
Students gathered on the football field and the regional high school flag was flown at half mast.
Sophomores Amelia Craig and Annabelle Cutrer hadn’t ever been activists before Friday. They collaborated to make a poster that said “Fear has no place in our schools.” Around that phrase, they wrote the names and ages of each of the victims of the Stoneman Douglas shooting.
“It’s just scary not knowing where you’re safe,” said Amelia.
They were both inspired by the voices of high school students who survived the Florida shooting.
“It’s cool to hear them speak out,” Annabelle said.
“Especially because it’s so hard for them,” Amelia added.
State Rep. Dylan Fernandes and state Sen. Julian Cyr were both on the Island for other meetings and attended the demonstration to show their support. Oak Bluffs police were present for security. The flag outside the high school flew at half staff.
Avalon Weiland, Annabelle Cutrer, Amelia Craig and Violet Cabot spoke loudly with their signs.
Avalon Weiland, Annabelle Cutrer, Amelia Craig and Violet Cabot spoke loudly with their signs.
Superintendent Matthew D’Andrea, assistant superintendent Richard Smith, high school principal Sara Dingledy, and many teachers watched the procession, but this was a student-led moment.
Junior class president Owen Engler and vice president Mackenzie Condon addressed the crowd from the announcer’s microphone, calling for a moment of silence.
“All of us here at this school including the students, including the teachers, and including the parents are all standing here in unification by the fact that we agree something should be done,” Owen said to the crowd. He noted that all of the students gathered on the field would be of voting age in the next few years. “We have a voice that deserves to be heard,” he said.
The Vineyard students will be sending a picture of their gathering to the students at Stoneman Douglas high school in Florida.
“It is the students that are in the driver’s seat now and no one is backing down until the demands are met,” Mackenzie told the Gazette after the demonstration. “With everyone showing up today it shows that we too, as a student body, are a part of the enormous group of advocates all over the country.”
Comments
This is the most encouraging
Barbara Loferski Providence RIThis is the most encouraging article I have read in such a long time. Our new generation is speaking up and making their voices heard.
Owen Engler, Junior Class President, and MacKenzie Condon, VP Class President, are great leaders.
And all the students who attended this movement are to be commended and praised.
What specifically are the
Caroline New YorkWhat specifically are the "demands that are (to be) met"?
What are the students not backing down from?
What are the students advocating?
I'm not trying to be rude, but I am serious. What do MVHS students expect to come from from their protest?
PS: Carry Love and Not Guns is not a plan.
As to your questions, really?
Howard West TisburyAs to your questions, really? I stand behind every student and protest they stage. They seem to be the only adults in the room at this time.
Sure, I stand with them too..
Richard Hurts MVSure, I stand with them too...but “love not guns” never saved anyone....sorry.
Caroline had legit questions.
Mike New YorkCaroline had legit questions. Your reply was idiotic.
They are advocating not
Ed EdgartownThey are advocating not getting murdered in their classrooms.
Ed, please, everyone
Caroline New YorkEd, please, everyone advocates for not wanting to be murdered in their classroom.
What specifically do these students want? What do they want to happen? What demands are they making? I would like for one of the people quoted in this article to respond in kind. Seriously.
What are these students being commended for?
I personally know a whole lot of NRA members on the Vineyard. Myself included, Lifetime gun owner, NRA member. Hunter. Legal gun owners respect the guns we carry. We respect the responsibility that comes with owning guns and I bet many of us would be willing to be the front line to tackle anyone who wants to do harm to students.
I am a huge proponent of teachers and administrative faculty bearing arms, of course only if they so choose to take on this responsibility. They can be well trained and will have to accept the fact that they could be the first line of defense. It's no easy ask but in today's day and age, it's about the only sound suggestion to secure our children.
The Florida shooter was a troubled man who was reported some 39 times to authorities. NO ONE DID A THING. Not social services. Not the police. Not the FBI. Yet all of a sudden students are the smart ones in the room because they want to ban guns? Where is their anger at the Florida police who didn't do their job? Where is their anger over the fact that this young man fell through the cracks - that everyone figured it was someone else's job to see he didn't explode. Well guess what - tragically, passing the buck didn't work.
Taking away guns from people who know how to use them properly only makes life easier for those who choose to do harm.
I await some cogent responses. Not snark.
Seems to me you're projecting
Ed EdgartownSeems to me you're projecting an awful lot on to these kids without much information. You brought the snark in with you "carry love" comment. If you know some island NRA members I would assume you might no some island high schoolers. Why don't you talk to them instead of rabble rousing in the comment section of a newspaper? The kids are tired of seeing their peers being killed and wondering what school will be next, it's pretty straight forward.
Ed, I think your missing the
John Aldeborgh EdgartownEd, I think your missing the point. No one is questioning the desire of the students to have a safe environment, this is common sense, nothing more; protesting however, without a clear solution statement is pointless and the reason millennials are often referred to as snowflakes. The hard issue is there has been an explosion of mass shootings in our schools but nothing has been done or proposed that has any chance of stopping these tragic events, just a lot of political hand ringing. Significantly, changing the gun laws and/or banning them altogether is mostly likely both unconstitutional and without question not practical. There are an estimated 270,000,000 guns in the US, in realty no one has any real idea, except that it's a huge number and practically speaking impossible to expunge, even if you could change the constitution, which won't happen any time soon. Trump has ignited a fire storm by proposing a concrete solution, there must be others but no one seems interested in a real discussion on practical and immediate solutions, it's narrative politics as usual and it's the students all across America that lose, while watching how idiotic their parents look, unable to solve what seems like a straight forward and important issue. You know what they say, you can't fix stupid.
Well said and Great question
Richard Hurts Martha's VineyardWell said and Great question .... Want to impress me....Protest on a Saturday...Not while hard working tax payers are paying for your education.
Nice name ^ I doubt you are a
Homer S. SpringfieldNice name ^ I doubt you are a hard working tax payer. But anyway, the high school kids on our island and across the country needed to do something to try to cope with yet another tragedy that hits close to home for them. For them to "give up" the last 20 minutes of a Friday on the day that school vacation starts is exactly the right time for this and I guarantee what they learned and the fire it will fuel is time and money well-spent. Go teens! Persist! Be the change you want to see in the world.
We were showing our support
A MVRHS studentWe were showing our support to people who lost loved ones. Any day is a day to protest, and I a sure so much money went into the last 20 minutes of school on a Friday before a vacation. we also aren't saying to ban guns but that there should be more regulation on them to try and stop this from happening again.
This article explains it
A.S. MVThis article explains it better:
https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2018/02/22/vineyard-students-stand-sol…
Caroline, you are making way
Dave Troy, nyCaroline, you are making way too much sense here to people who will not get it. They want to legislate through emotion, which is what liberals do.
The students know they are
Neil Off Island@Caroline @Dave The students know they are the children and we are the adults. They know it is the job of the adults to raise them to adulthood and to keep them safe while doing it. They know it is the adults who elect the legislators who make, or don't make, the laws that protect the children and everyone else.
The students say the adults are not doing their job; their evidence is they are being shot in their classrooms. The students want the adults to do their job.
Caroline, no one wants to
Vicki ChilmarkCaroline, no one wants to hear your self-centered tirade. We are listening to young people trying to get the attention of the people in power to take action. It's not about you and your guns. Do you pull wings off butterflies too, or just attack young people doing their best to be heard on an issue that affects their lives?
I want t hear
Richard sweat ChilmarkI want t hear
I definitely want to hear
Stacey ChilmarkI definitely want to hear what Caroline has to say. She wasn’t rude or snarky. Oh I forgot, Conservatives or anyone with a differing viewpoint aren’t allowed to have an opinion on Mv .
So proud of our students :)
Kelly Sullivan Oak Bluffs, MASo proud of our students :)
Thank you students....you are
Susan Desmarais Oak BluffsThank you students....you are the energy and hope for a better world.
I admire the students passion
Thomas EdgartownI admire the students passion. But let's not just blame the politicians et al, but blame one of there own who perpetuated this massacre. Why is one of their own doing this? What are you protesting? Passion is great , but focus on the problem, not politics.
As a student who participated
Julianne Joseph Martha’s VineyardAs a student who participated in the walk out, I think it was worth standing out in the rain to speak about a cause that killed students and teachers. We weren’t protesting the second amendment. we were showing respect to the victims and their families. We just want guns to be harder to get; not completely taken away.
Thank you Julianne and all
Marvin MVThank you Julianne and all those who took the time to express themselves. The way forward to a safer future is together. Gun-Control is only part of the issue, having a more fool proof mental health system is part of the solution as well! Most importantly, look out for one another! If you see a friend down and out or someone you don't know who needs a friend, reach out.
Thought this might be some
FYI EdgartownThought this might be some food for thought!
Democrat Joe Biden in 1990 introduced the "Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990".
Since then, 92% of large mass shootings have happened in "Gun Free Zones"!
This should be a show of
Thomas EdgartownThis should be a show of support not a protest. What exactly are they protesting? Some nut murdered innocent people. Blame him not anyone else.Stay in school, show your support by raising money to help the survivors.
Well if they mean they want
Ken Edg.Well if they mean they want to be safe from one of their classmates coming back into the school and gunning them down, Im with them. Both Sandy Hook and Florida the shooter was a student at the school at sometime. I think many of the other shootings were students too. Id like to see a solution for that.
Ban all assault weapons...
oaksbluff TisburyBan all assault weapons....period.
Why do we need them?
Hunting? No.
Fishing? No.
Assaulting people? Yes.
No one should own a gun unless they can prove that they are not crazy.
I have a feeling that a lot of law enforcement people (MV island excluded) probably would not pass the test.
Ages in 1776:
Neil Off IslandAges in 1776:
Marquis de Lafayette, 18
James Monroe, 18
Henry Lee III, 20
Aaron Burr, 20
Nathan Hale, 21
Alexander Hamilton, 21
What is "too young" to everyone here?
Semi automatic weapons that
Davif West TisburySemi automatic weapons that are meant to be used by the military should be banned. The people that want them feel they need to protect themselves from the government. This was not the original NRA intent but the NRA has been taken over by the Bumker Mentality. These people should dig themselves a big hole and stay there with their dehydrated food.
The school children must continue with their passion and not back down.
As a parent, grandparent, and
Sally C Rhode IslandAs a parent, grandparent, and perhaps more importantly in this case, a teacher, I’m saddened and angered to read that some adults refuse to acknowledge what those of us in schools have had to face for years. These young people have grown up performing lock downs, evacuations, and ‘active shooter’ drills, rehearsing for the possibility of dying in their classrooms! I have too often been the adult in the room trying to answer their questions and soothe their anxiety and fear with platitudes. Their protest seems to have been thoughtful and sincere, designed to show solidarity with others around the nation who have had enough of this insanity. How dare you criticize them unless you have stood in their shoes! I commend these students and stand with them in demanding the changes that must be made. #neveragain
I think you miss the point,
John Aldeborgh EdgartownI think you miss the point, it is the adults that have failed. This generation of Liberal, anything goes, undisciplined educators have done exactly NOTHING to stop these shootings. The only actions are to subject the kids to the drills you outline, which only serves to introduce stress and alarm. Please stop whining and actually do something concrete to stop this “madness”. Learn how to defend yourselfs, build a wall or anything, doing nothing and “protesting” isn’t a plan. It’s not someone else’s problem, it’s your classroom. If you want to protest, do it for something practical, concrete and actionable. In other words grow up and act like an adult and really teach the kids something, by example. Frustrated rant over, I’m so tired of seeing our kids die needlessly because we can’t move to acton, common sense has been lost. Shame on US.
These kids are supporting all
Linda ChilmarkThese kids are supporting all the kids and people who have been harmed, traumatized and lost in these shootings. They feel that adults and their government are not protecting them because this keeps happening. To all you NRA people, no one is saying you can’t have your guns....but assault weapons....those you should not have. And the majority of this country feels that same way.
It seems to me that the
Peter OBIt seems to me that the student who are on the front lines are trying to do what the adult s haven't done. They are working for more sane laws on gun safety.
Please try to be kind to one
Yuriel MinnesotaPlease try to be kind to one another. Support lawmakers who will push for a ban on assault weapons .And while we are waiting for these laws to be passed, we can boycott any store that sells assault weapons. Also..demonstrating kindness to one another in your words and actions will be a good start.
Shame on the “adults” who
Liz TisburyShame on the “adults” who expect teenagers to come up with a way to keep them from being slaughtered while in school; that we should expect them to sit back and “hope and pray” that they’re never in this situation. Shame that the RIGHT to guns is more important than keeping children and all of us from being slaughtered by a psycho who can easily access assault weapons. Kudos to this generation for standing up and saying enough! There is a reason the right to peaceful protest is in the 1st amendment and I wish you would protect that right as ferociously as you protect the one that comes after it. No one wants to take your guns or infringe on the 2nd amendment...the majority of this country wants sensible regulation, how can you not? Tell me again why universal background checks are bad? Why making bump stocks illegal is bad? Why you should be able to buy an assault style rifle before you’re legally able to buy a beer? Why, if you’re on the no-fly list you should have the RIGHT to carry a gun? Why, if you’ve been convicted of domestic assault you should be able to buy or own a gun? This problem needs comprehensive approaches and access to weapons thats sole purpose is killing humans must be a part of the solution. What’s your solution? Let me guess...arming teachers is the answer...that’s just CRAZY. If that’s the approach then we need priests armed, concert goers armed, movie goers armed and so on and so on....Oops...may be a problem since there have been armed folks around these shootings, yet they couldn’t stop our citizens from being mowed down. I am so proud of these kids and kids all over the country who have ignited dialogue that will hopefully bring about change desperately needed in this upside down world.
I applaud the energy of all
Lisa Nagy M D Vineyard havenI applaud the energy of all students who are interested in the two subjects of gun violence at school as well as the opiate addiction crisis. In my work and government agencies like and NIH and the congressional subcommittee on veterans health I have explained the connection between these two.
We must recognize people who have mental issues and piece together the reasons why and fix them before they get to the stage where they are violent or need drugs to get through the day. Environmental medicine speaks to getting to the cause of all illnesses mental or physical. For example if children are in a school with mold in the ceilings, pesticides, Wi-Fi, solvents in the ground because it was a toxic dump site previously the children will obviously be toxic at the cellular level. this toxicity can lead to nervous system damage. This nervous system damage leads to dysautonomia. That causes blood to pool in the legs and the heart to beat fast. It makes kids for their arms and legs when I stand up and feel tired and that they cannot think. So these children resort to stimulants to constrict the veins in the legs and keep the blood up in the head and chest to feel better. This is why children sometimes study when lying down to keep the blood in the brain. What I have seen in Martha's Vineyard high school is that kids got sick from mold exposure at home or in the school presumably and developed dysautonomia. The untreated dysautonomia over a year or two will bring out the adrenal gland and some get adrenal insufficiency. The fatigue and irritability that develops then is somehow made much better when they use heroin. I am speaking to the subject at our government agency the national Institute of health in July and bringing experts on toxic exposure and environmental medicine. What we need to do is to fix people so they feel well and are not impaired so that hurting others or themselves is not an option.
I have testified at the Massachusetts state house on bills for Julian Cyr and others related to the subject matter. I have videos on YouTube you can watch under Lisa Nagy or reach out. [email protected]
As a former social studies
Marge Harris Oak BluffsAs a former social studies teacher at MVRHS, I am so proud of the students who walked out to make a statement of concern and connection particularly but not only with the Florida students. This is what Democracy is all about. We are a nation of protest and discourse! This is how we can learn another piece of history. Of course, in the long run, this is not enough---but it is a beginning! Give the students credit for beginning a connection to their fellow students! Let the conversation, the planning, and the sharing of ideas and strategies continue onto their next chapter!
Students and young people are
Elizabeth Rosen New York, New YorkStudents and young people are being used by activists and politicians on the left who exploit the deaths of the Florida children. I want Hollywood to stop normalizing rape and murder, I want video game producers to give up their mansions-I want school prayer.
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