On April 20th, students at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School walked out of class to take a stand with the March for Our Lives and #NeverAgain movements. This student-led walkout was organized by Amy Russell ‘18, and it displayed the power and determination that these students have in changing the world.

“Gun violence in schools has become such a huge problem, and we continue to ignore it as a society,” said Russell.

In addition to a group moment of silence, students created a banner with personal messages about how they are changing the world, and students over sixteen years old were able to register to vote.

As he addressed the students taking part in the walkout, Assistant Head of School, Josh Bubar reiterated the importance of being an active member of our democracy, “Registering to vote is an incredibly powerful way to make change happen, and to express your opinion to the people that make change happen on a legislative and executive level,” said Bubar.

The Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School administration was contacted by Russell weeks before the walkout, and they decided to work alongside the students, allowing their voice to be heard.

“There are schools around the country that are disciplining students that are taking place in the walkout, and that was not something that we were going to do,” said Kelly Walsh, Director of 9th and 10th Grade Programs. “We agreed as a community that we are going to support students who want to take part in this.”

As the walkout neared an end, one student held up a sign that read, “Hold hands, not guns”, inspiring nearly all students to hold hands and stand together.

The overall message of the walkout was about the power that these students have. As Russell looked around at her classmates holding up hand-made signs, locking arms and registering to vote, she summed it up, “We really are going to change the future.”