By Elizabeth Youssef

On October 19 three students, two teachers and one filmmaker came to Reynolds. What separates these students from you and I? One event. An event that will never leave them for the rest of their lives.

   On February 14, 2018 there was a mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 17 people were murdered by 19 year old Nikolas Cruz.

   The community and school were rocked but instead of isolating themselves in their grief they chose a different route. Students from Stoneman Douglas attended March For Our Lives in Washington D.C. and advocated for more gun control legislation. The filmmaker, Gina Onori travelled with the students to March For Our Lives and documented their journey.

   I had the chance to get to know Lizzie Eaton and Florence Yared during their trip in Winston. They both openly shared their stories with me about where they were when the shooting occurred and the aftermath.

   Talking with them about the shooting and about other things happening for us (such as college apps) really personalized the shooting for me in a way that other shootings had not been before. I think it is really easy to distance yourself from the tragedies you hear about but I am so glad that I did not do that this time. They let me step in their shoes and understand their perspectives and that changes everything.

   Hearing them and seeing them advocate for change has encouraged me to do the same and fight for what I believe in. Another thing I learned from Lizzie, Florence and Ashley is that this is not a republican versus democrat issue, it is a human issue. They all have different political beliefs but after witnessing the rampage of slack gun laws first hand they all agree that more law and restrictions are necessary.

   What struck me most about them, however, was their response to the shooting. They decided that they wanted to advocate for every student and every American so that what happened to them would never happen to anyone else.

   Junior Zoe Brockenbrough also got to speak with the students and was encouraged by their stories.

   “Meeting the students was such an inspiring experience,” Brockenbrough said. “I liked the film in that in documented the students’ journey to D.C. well, as well as how they used their voices to advocate for what they believe in.”

   History teacher David Wainwright also had the chance to meet the students and teachers.

   “It was really just an honor to meet them and get to listen them and hear their stories,” Wainwright said. “It also made me concerned about the safety at our campus because I don’t think we have enough security measures in place.”