Local students call attention to gun violence in schools

From staff reports

This morning at 10 a.m., students from several Leelanau County and Traverse City area high schools joined a nationwide school walkout on the one-month anniversary of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

They included students from The Leelanau School near Glen Arbor, Leland School and Glen Lake School.

Leelanau School students walked to the school entrance along M-22 for their demonstration. In Leland (pictured to the right), several parents, supporters and administrators hung back, while the students led the walkout on their own. At Glen Lake, about 25-30 students walked 1.5 loops around the school buildings, then took part in a discussion about school safety with counselors and staff, according to superintendent Sander Scott.

Students in Traverse City schools also joined the walkout. They included students from TC West (pictured to the right) and TC Central.

Photos courtesy of Marshall Collins, Ellen Fred and Julie Povolo.

Students observed 17 minutes of silence—one for each death from the mass shooting on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle that he had legally purchased to fire indiscriminately throughout the school.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas students have since led a national movement against gun violence in schools.

If students from your school participated in the walkout, and you’d like to add pictures to this story, please email them to editorial (AT) glenarborsun (DOT) com.