Contributions made to this page by: Maddie Gransden, Daniela Plata, Alexis Engalson, Sophie Key, Bennett Ange, Darcy Meehan, and Lucas Casterline
After the recent Minneapolis shooting, students around the country have started to get increasingly angry with politicians who are not recognizing the increasing gun violence in schools.
Students Demand Action, a nonprofit organization, called for students around the country to organize walkouts at their own high schools. These walkouts happened on Friday, September 5th at 12:00 pm.
There are several students who are very passionate about this at Leesville, Sofia Rodriguez Quintas, senior, and Hannah Allen, Senior are some of such students. Both of these students planned to walk out on Friday.
“I plan to participate in the walkout.” Said Allen. “It stands for rights in schools for children, so we’re not affected by gun violence in America.”
I asked both Allen and Quintas who was in charge of the Leesville protest and neither of them knew.
I then went to Mrs. Jacobs to get her perspective on the walkouts and it turns out she didn’t know much about them. “I am familiar with it, but I don’t know where or when it is taking place.” Said Jacobs.
“I am on board with the spirit of young people getting involved about a societal issue that I feel like is becoming more and more normalized. I want you [the students of Leesville] to get involved,” said Mrs. Jacobs.
Because no one was leading it, Daniela Plata, senior, and I stepped up and said we would be happy to.
An hour later, Plata and I met up in Mrs. Jacobs’ office, where she had arranged a plan. We, the students of Leesville, would meet in the football stadium, we would have from 12:00 until 12:42, and the rest was up to us.
We had a lot of planning to do, so we went home and got straight to work. I got supplies to make posters for the walkout, and Plata was in charge of finding a megaphone. Plata also made an infographic for us to post on Instagram, so people would be informed of what was happening. We spread the word to the students of Leesville by word of mouth and social media.
The next day, Friday the 5th, we had to get everything set up for the walkout. We made more posters and communicated with our teachers that we would need to leave early. Everyone was very supportive. Plata and I also prepared speeches.
Why Start?
On August 27, 2025, a school shooter killed two students and injured 21 others in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The students attended Annunciation Catholic School and were participating in Mass when the shooter attacked. The shooter barricaded the doors and fired in through the glass windows to make escape impossible for those inside.
This shooting is the latest in an ongoing problem in our country. According to Education Week, there have been 229 school shootings in which at least one person has been killed or injured since 2018 — just 7 years ago. In those 229 shootings, 409 people have been injured, and 144 have died.
The Minnesota shooting drew the attention of Students Demand Action, a student-led organization campaigning for stricter gun laws in an effort to end gun violence. The organization was formed in 2018 after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 and injured 17.
School shootings are a serious problem in the United States. Students have decided to take it into their own hands and have started walkouts and protests across the nation. They hope to raise awareness about this cause and pressure our lawmakers to bring about change.
Why Walkout?
A nationwide walkout of students against gun violence was a powerful statement to legislators around the United States.
Walking out draws attention. If big groups of people are halting a daily activity, the disturbance must be addressed. News stations, such as WRAL, covered the walkout through push notifications, articles, and on-air segments. The thousands of students participating in a school walkout give the news a reason to put a spotlight on the cause.
A group fosters a sense of community and unity against a cause. The Leesville Student Section was echoing one message: “no more” deaths. Walking out of class gives people with the same goals a chance to show their support for one another.
The Leesville walkout provided many students with the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings about gun violence. The stage was set for students to speak on a topic that is often brushed off in a classroom.
A walkout is a simple way for students to unite for a common goal — making schools a safer place to learn and grow.
Everyone in the Mycenaean Newspaper class was super supportive in making posters and filming the walkout.
When we got to the stadium at 11:50, we had no idea what to expect. We expected maybe 100 students to show up. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw several hundred students there.
Some people made their own signs and had beautifully prepared speeches; the most notable was Abner Sanabria-Cruz, senior. This was his second time doing a speech about gun violence and it was very moving.
Rachel Fuller, junior, and Alexander Cole, junior, also stood up and talked to the crowd about their perspectives.
The WRAL news chopper showed up about 20 minutes into the walkout, broadcasting the protest to those watching the Sky5 livestream. Leesville was also featured in an article on the school walkouts shortly after.
In total, seven schools from Wake County participated in these walkouts, and many more around the country stood together to protest gun violence in schools.
Take Action
Students Demand Action organized this nationwide walkout. The activist group came together in 2018 after the Parkland school shooting, with the goal of ending gun violence. They have expanded their political and social involvement in the gun violence issue, working to elect Gun Sense Candidates, educate citizens on gun safety, and organize grassroots campaigns in every state.
If you are concerned about the issue of gun violence, activist groups like Students Demand Action and Sandy Hook Promise provide opportunities for every citizen to take action. Here’s what you can do:
Students Demand Action:
- Join the organization
- Petition Congress to ban assault weapons
- Petition Congress to oppose the Federal Concealed Carry Mandate
- Find an event or protest near you
- Join the Text Team or Call Team to have conversations with voters and peers
- Start a grassroots Student Demand Action group in your community
- Donate to Everytown
An easy action you should take right now is signing the petitions to Congress, which include a section for you to write a personalized message to your lawmakers. Additionally, laws start with who we elect, so when election season comes around, make your vote count towards the fight against gun violence.
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