At 9:43 on Wednesday morning, hundreds of teens gathered in front of the high school to honor the 17 victims of the school shooting in Florida.
The occasion was solemn. Students were missing class, but that didn’t appear to be the incentive for gathering in the cold.
Many students have purchased orange ribbons to show their support for the families who are grieving and to raise money for the victims who are recovering from their injuries. Students may have been wearing their ribbons during the walkout, but they were covered by jackets and coats. Some teens held signs.
The students at the walkout heard a brief description of each person who died in the Parkland shooting.
Ana Martinez (right), a high school senior, represents the student body on the Board of Education. At the walkout, she read a statement that she had shared with the board in February. “They were just like us,” she said of the students killed in Florida.
Before returning to class, the students observed a minute of silence. Some quiet tributes are over quickly. This one lasted a full 60 seconds.
