By Devin Dubon
On March 14, students at Miami Lakes Educational Center showed their support for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by walking out of class for 17 minutes—one minute for every death caused by the tragedy.
Jaguars marched out of class at 10:00AM, and met at the bus loop—the remnants of the protest held nearly a month before still present in the form of “Never Again” spelled out on the fence.
It was in the shadow of this statement that nearly 1000 students congregated to protest the deaths of these students.
Many students created posters and banners demanding gun control, expressing remorse for the deaths, or listing the phone numbers of Florida senators, and recommending students call them to express their desires.
There were also speakers during the event. Valeria Bula spoke about how students need to strive for change in the aftermath of the shooting. This was followed by Alexandra Reboredo and Student Government Association President Natasha Fernandez reciting the names of the 17 victims, and then a moment of silence for their loss, with prayer circles forming, and students bowing their heads in respect and prayer.
The protest was organized by the speakers, as well as SGA. These three got the approval of administration, and, with the help of JSA, constructed posters to advertise the event. They also made announcements and traveled the school in order to inform students of the protest, and it was because of them that the protest achieved such a high turn out.
“The protest went better than I anticipated,” said Alexandra, “ Amongst the crowd, which was made up of a majority of the student body, were posters with powerful messages. JSA met after school yesterday and gave students the tools to make posters. Everyone was very respectful of each others’ views. It was a huge task organizing the school, and, in the end, I hope it enlightened individuals to speak up.”
Staff members also showed up to support the cause and the students, helping to protect them, as well as participate in the protest.
“I think today’s action was very representative of our student body and the degree to which they are engaged with our community and the issues that affect us,” said Activities Director Helena Castro, “I was very proud to be witness and part of today’s events.”
The protest also received the support of MLEC’S principal, Lourdes Diaz, who issued a school-wide email to all faculty ensuring that no teachers stopped their students from exiting. She was also seen at the event safeguarding the area the students were in.
“I was really proud that our students organized and carried out such a large scale event to express their beliefs in a matter that was both peaceful and impactful,” she said.
This event was only one of thousands of similar protests countrywide, as hundreds of thousands of students marched out of their classes to stand in solidarity with the students of MSD, and the victims of the shooting.
