“It is no longer acceptable to sit back and complain that we don’t have a voice as students—because we do,” declared Solon High School senior Pranav Iyer through a flurry of bitter cold and thousands of snowflakes. “We have a voice, we will be heard and we will not stop pushing forward until we see change.”

Snow was falling, but voices were rising. Despite the harsh temperatures, SHS students and faculty streamed out of school by the hundreds and gathered on Stewart Field on March 14, 2018 at approximately 9:50 a.m.

The program consisted of seniors Pranav Iyer and Alice Wu delivering moving speeches, seniors Emma Ehasz and Naiya Patel reading the names of the Parkland victims, Music in Motion singing a portion of their ballad “You Have More Friends Than You Know” and the crowd uniting in moments of silence to honor victims of the Parkland shooting.

Solon High School students were among thousands who walked out of school nationwide to show support for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and to demand stricter gun control legislation. Many SHS students and staff wore a “March for Our Lives” t-shirt or orange clothing in support of gun control. Students held signs, some reading “Thoughts and prayers do not save lives,” “#BeKind,” “Our lives are more important than your AR-15s,” and “Why are we afraid to go to school?”

The walkout was student organized, student led, sponsored by Student Council and endorsed by the following extracurricular programs at SHS: Junior Statesmen of America, UNICEF, Girl Up, Young Democrats, Young Conservatives, Speech and Debate, Mock Trial, Diversity Acceptance Program, The Courier and Students Against Violence Everywhere. Although the walkout was run by students, administration organized security and ensured that no student who participated would receive disciplinary action.

Student leaders of the walkout said they wanted students from across party lines to unite under the common goal of creating safer schools for themselves and future generations. Many claim that it is not only important to honor the victims of Parkland, but to also ensure that no one would ever have to bear the loss of innocent children and adults again.

“[The Parkland shooting] involves all of us, because without our cognizance and awareness of what Parkland, Florida, is going through, or of the turmoil that our country is experiencing, we may soon find ourselves once again back at an event such as this to mourn the preventable deaths of human beings that we failed to save,” Wu said in her speech.

Wu’s sentiment reflects those of students across the country who fail to understand why mass shootings have become seemingly routine. As mentioned in “Want to Talk Gun Control? Use this Letter,” according to EveryTown, a movement working to end gun violence, there have been 290 shootings at school since 2013, ranging from accidental firings to mass shootings. Historically, Republicans and Democrats often butt heads over gun control, making it harder to pass legislation. Some students also cite interest groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) as the reason for a lack of meaningful gun control laws.

“The only reason [gun] reform fails is because of NRA opposition by buying congressional seats,” Iyer said to the crowd. “This issue is no longer political, it is about students coming together to protect our safety, our lives and our futures.”

Iyer’s frustration with congressional inaction is shared by Americans nationwide. Many Americans believe some congressmen oppose gun control legislation merely to avoid losing NRA funds. Ohio’s own senator Rob Portman (Republican) has received over 3,000,000 dollars from the NRA.

Besides pleading for sensible gun reform, Iyer asked students to be conscientious of how they treat each other.

“Little, random acts of kindness can go a far way in changing someone’s mentality and only when working together, united, is change possible,” Iyer said.

To continue the gun control conversation, SHS student leaders are planning a gun control debate (which will take place on March 21 in the lecture hall) and a voter registration drive. They are also urging classmates to be kind and to contact their congressional representatives.

“Remember the shooting on Feb. 14, 2018 as a horrific, monstrous, and atrocious event that should never be repeated ever again,” Wu said to the student body. “But remember today, March 14, 2018, as the day when you realize that your life is not your own. Your words, your actions and your decisions affect the world around you. So choose to use each word you speak, each action you take and each decision that you make to add good into this world [and] to put others before yourself.”