“Enough is enough.”
That was the message delivered by hundreds of Cohoes High School students on Wednesday as they joined a national movement to honor the victims of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and advocate for political action on gun violence.
“A walkout is, more or less, a form of silent protest,” senior Jalen Torres said. “It’s a way to say that we aren’t happy with the way certain
things are run.”
Torres and other school leaders addressed a crowd in the high school gym and read brief bios for each of the 17 victims of the Parkland, Florida shooting. Then at 10 a.m., students marched up Madeline Hickey Way to Harmony Hill School and back, a walk that took approximately 17 minutes. A similar assembly was held at Cohoes Middle School, minus the walkout
“You may not see it right now, but we are living history,” said Torres. “Sometime in the future they will write about the walkouts on this day and how it sparked something in the youth in America, and how it brought about something so impactful that in changed the country forever.”
During the march, members of the Cohoes Police Department closed the road to all vehicles and escorted students. Administrators and teachers supervised the students to ensure their safety. None of the students left campus during the assembly. Students were respectful and safely returned to their classes after the walkout.
The district would like to encourage families to have ongoing conversations with their children about school safety. Consider asking your children how they feel and about what happened today at school. If you have questions, please contact you school’s principal or a guidance counselor.
More photos from the event can be found in our public Drive folder.