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The first time I heard about a school shooting and really understood it was in 2012, when I read news about Sandy Hook Elementary School.
I was 11 at the time. I had never thought about a school shooting as something even remotely possible, had never considered participating in a protest, and definitely didn’t know what gun reform was.
What I remember from hearing about Sandy Hook is being confused. How could this happen? More importantly, why did this happen and why wasn’t it stopped?
I was 11 then, but I have to admit that after the Parkland shooting, I had the exact same questions. I’ve walked out of M-A once before after the 2016 election, but this time felt different.
I know that my classmates have the exact same questions as I do, and I know that we are all scared. But I also know that many of us are not going to sit back and watch this happen again, and in the past couple of weeks I have seen the M-A community work harder than I ever expected to advocate for gun reform and raise awareness of what we, as high school students, can do to make sure that everyone feels safe at school.
The bravery of the students from Parkland has made me realize how powerful teenagers can be, and has led me to have meaningful conversations with my friends about the need for stricter gun laws in our country. I’ve honestly never talked so much with my friends about politics, and seeing those students fight so courageously after tragedy makes me more sure than ever that our generation will make the world a better place.
I have already seen my friends take on new roles as activists, from organizing voter registration at school to holding a memorial for the Parkland victims in this week’s Unity Week at M-A, and I’m excited to see what we accomplish next.
Sarah Lehman is a junior at Menlo-Atherton High School. She has been writing for the M-A Chronicle for two years.
Read The Almanac’s coverage of the high school walkout event here.
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