A walkout is planned for Wednesday, March 14, at the St. Rose School in Chelsea. The student-organized event aims to draw attention to federal government policies regarding gun violence and school safety.
Eighth grader Trinity Hoffman, 13, explained that she and her peers wanted to participate in the nationwide initiative. The effort calls for students to leave classes for 17 minutes in memory of the 17 victims of a recent Florida high school shooting.
“We just really want a lot of people to hear how we feel about this and how the government is failing to deal with the problem.”
According to Hoffman, participants will exit their classrooms on March 14 and proceed along Broadway toward Chelsea City Hall, where they will observe the 17-minute commemoration taking place at schools across the country. A similar action is being organized by students at Revere High School.
Following the observance, St. Rose students will return to their classes. The walkout is expected to involve approximately 50 students from the school’s 7th and 8th grade classes.
Hoffman noted that organizers are inviting students from other Chelsea schools to participate.
Teacher Cristina Rivera stated that the school’s staff supports the student initiative and views it as a valuable educational opportunity.
“It came about because of conversations that we were having in class,” Rivera noted. “Students were very concerned about Florida and about an incident that happened in Wakefield. Even though it wasn’t credible, students came back to St. Rose and initiated a discussion. We had heard about the March 14th date already and we let the students vote on it and they wanted to do it.”
According to Rivera, the students have taken responsibility for creating signs, planning the route, and organizing the event. She emphasized that the school considers this a meaningful learning experience for students, particularly regarding civic engagement.
“We feel it’s really an important part of learning democracy and something we want to support in our students,” she added. “In four years, our oldest students will be allowed to vote. However, having a voice and learning to participate starts before that. Exercising their right to assemble freely on an issue they are passionate about is the start of learning about this democracy.”