February 14th marked the one year anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. This attack took the lives of 14 students, while injuring many more.
After this event, students throughout the nation felt compelled to take action and use their voices to encourage change. Pleasant Valley was one of the groups who wanted to do something. Pleasant Valley Senior Lily Williams and PV alumni Vashi Chintalapalli created a movement comprised of PV students demanding change. “School safety should always be a priority for our nation,” Williams said.
This group accomplished many events that aided in their fight for change. They lead the national School Walkout on April 20, 2018 for PV. They also participated heavily in the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence in the local VanderVeer Park on March 24th of 2018.
Chintalapalli said, “We’ve had a series of victories over the last year, but there are still many policies we can continue to support.” Since then, the conversation about this group has grown more silent; however, the issue has not gone away. “Gun violence is a preventable epidemic, we need to continue to create change,” Chintalapalli said.
This school year, Pleasant Valley sanctioned March for Our Lives as an official school club with English teacher, Kevin Gaffney, as the advisor and Lily Williams as the group’s leader. Because of its new status, the group will now have meetings at the school with an adult advisor.
Williams, along with the other 106 members, is excited for the future of this club and what will be made of it. “March for Our lives hopes to organize an event this spring to commemorate the march,” she said.
Many club members feel that although the movement’s momentum may be slow, the impact and importance of the issue should not be affected. Along with many others, Williams is confident this club will stay relevant and continue to fight for change. She said, “We must protect our future. I plead for my peers to stay involved and informed.”
