Up to 200 students staged a protest to honor the lives taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, but the press was banned from the premise.
On Wednesday at noon, Eastern Regional High School students walked out of their high school building in honor of the 17 lives taken during the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
The walkout, which lasted about 17 minutes, saw a turnout of about 100 to 200 students, according to Superintendent Dr. Harold Melleby, Jr.
Prior to the scheduled protest, The Sun received three emails from The Walkout Group at Eastern Regional High School encouraging the press to cover the event.
However, upon arriving at the walkout, the Voorhees Township Police Department informed The Sun and other news outlets that media were not be allowed on school property. The department was contacted by the district to put more officers on school grounds a few hours prior to the event, according to officers at the scene.
Officers also told the press that any questions regarding the walkout should be directed to the superintendent’s office.
In a call with The Sun following the walkout, Melleby said the protest was “very peaceful” with no discipline issues reported
“Students were well-organized and very orderly,” he said. “They were voicing their concerns, which we understand. … They have the constitutional right to express their feelings, and we honor that.”
According to the email invitations from The Walk Out Group, students planned speeches and songs in memoriam of the 17 lives lost in Florida.
As Eastern’s threat unfolded on the heels of the Florida massacre, the unofficial Walk Out Group sparked when a few close friends discussed the need for change in a Snapchat group chat.
Horrified by viral videos of Parkland, as well as perils that echoed through their own school’s halls, the friends decided to act.
“It just sat with me for a long time. It was marinating on my mind,” said junior Olivia Covington, the group’s founder and head organizer. “It disturbed me that it could happen to kids. They had lives like me. They were like me.”
Inspired by walkouts across the country, Covington, along with her friends, decided to designate a day Eastern would also make a wave in this greater movement.
Gradually, the group chat gained about 25 members. Through social media, fliers and word-of-mouth, the message spread that on Feb. 21, Eastern would not only honor the 17 lives lost but also advocate for federal gun regulations.
“We’re not even saying that they need to get rid of guns completely, but (the government) needs to be stricter with it. They need to enforce it more and be more strict,” said junior Jireh Davis, a co-organizer. “I feel like Parkland was just the breaking point.”
Because the group faced some students’ pushback, they weren’t sure if the walkout’s attendance would exceed 30.
But, as close to 200 students emerged from their classrooms at noon, the group knew they were a part of something much greater.
“We never in a million years were expecting the turnout in the end,” Covington said.
Covington and Davis say as more students filled the lobby, members of Eastern’s staff permitted the crowd to use the tennis courts.
“I know the administration was with us, and they supported us. But with school, they couldn’t really condone us being late to class or leaving class,” Davis said. “And I kind of feel like some of the administration was upset because they couldn’t control us, but I do feel they supported us, and they should.”
Melleby says teachers were told to take attendance during classes and students were responsible for missed work.
Stitched together by speeches and songs, the students say the atmosphere of the 17-minute movement was nothing short of uplifting.
“Everyone was passionate and solemn and mostly respectful,” Covington said. “I was surprised at how Eastern behaved. I didn’t expect people to be this passionate. People really want to make a change, and it was amazing to watch and be a part of it.”
“As long as we’re being heard and we’re being seen — that has a chance of having an impact,” Davis said. “You have to be positive. And no one at the walkout was negative.”
During the protest, additional officers stood about 200 yards from the crowd, according to Lt. Dennis Ober.
The press asked to speak with some protesters before they returned to class, but requests were denied by officers.
Ober addressed the media about the police department’s precautions and protocols with school security, particularly in light of the shooting threat Eastern faced last week.
“Our schools are one of the safer schools in the area. We have officers here around the clock. We have armed officers around the day,” Ober said.
On a daily basis, three armed officers are posted at Eastern, including one stationed at the front desk and two circling the halls. Throughout Voorhees, the department has a regular rotation of 16 armed officers manning about six schools, according to Ober.
“We have somebody here 10 hours a day. Any day school is in session, we have it covered,” Ober said.
The school also performs regular lockdown and lockout drills.
Since it is an ongoing investigation, Ober said he could not specifically comment on Eastern’s recent shooting threat, which was reported to police on Feb. 15 after 18-year-old student Jacob Finkelstein said he was going to “shoot up the school.”
But, he urges the school to promptly contact police when such threats are made either verbally, online or through another method.
“The general protocol is (the school) should definitely be notifying us,” Ober said.
Melleby also did not explicitly comment in detail about the incident, but says threats like that are always reported to the police.
“Everything is is taken seriously, and the police are contacted immediately,” Melleby said. “In this case, they investigated and found reason to charge and arrest the individual.”
According to the police department’s Feb. 16 press release, Finkelstein was arrested on and charged with one count of second-degree false public alarm and one count of third-degree terroristic threats. He was remanded to Camden County Correctional Facility pending a court appearance.
Melleby says the administration hears their worries and will continue to keep the large body of students and staff as safe as possible.
“I think the students that were there are sincere,” Melleby said. “We support them, and we support the cause. It’s very tragic what’s happening in this country.”
The Walk Out Group plans to constitute itself as an official organization, planning protests and other forms of advocacy. As a generation rising towards the legal voting age, the power is falling into their hands. They show no signs of ceasing this mission, gaining more and more momentum everyday.
“If we want to make a change, we can make a change,” Covington said. “We a want to address the students’ voice without teachers assistance. We are the change. We are the next change.”
