Lee County high school students walk out to support Parkland shooting victims

Lee County high school students walked out of class at noon Wednesday in support of the victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Students at Riverdale and Lehigh Senior high schools left classes at 10 a.m.  Students at other Lee County schools — Cape Coral, Island Coast, Mariner, Ida Baker, North Fort Myers, Fort Myers, Oasis, Cypress Lake and Estero — walked out at noon.

The Lee County School District did not encourage or advocate for students to leave class, said Rob Spicker, a school district spokesman. 

"However, we recognize that these actions are important to some of them today and since the students have the right to free expression, we did work with our principals to establish some guidelines that will keep the students safe on campus and encourage them to get back to class with as little disruption to the day as possible," he said.

North Fort Myers High School

About 20 students walked out of North Fort Myers High School to bring awareness to gun safety issues facing our country.

The protest lasted 17 minutes as planned.

School officials at North Fort Myers quickly shut the gates to all entrances and exits at the school, preventing more students from protesting.

At one point the protesters chanted "We want change" for about 30 seconds.

When the clock struck 12:17 p.m. school officials opened the gates and let the student protesters back on the campus.

A school official informed the group that they had to report to the main office.

Oasis High School

About 200 students at Oasis High School, a charter school in Cape Coral, left  their classrooms to congregate on the school’s tennis courts in support of the Parkland students lobbying legislators in Tallahassee and victims of violence in schools everywhere.

“Our presence is here in Oasis High School, but our hearts are with the kids in Tallahassee,” said Oasis junior Edward Pedraja, who organized the 17-minute walkout for the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week.

Speaking to his peers, Pedraja called for more security in schools and more resource officers. He said he was motivated to organize the walkout by seeing other students coming together, and wanted to get the word out that Oasis students are there for the Parkland students.

“I want them to know that we stand with them,” he said, adding that he was “beyond ecstatic” to see his peers participate in the walkout. Several other students took turns speaking about taking action and staying unified.

Junior Shane Durepo warned the crowd about bullying, saying that students who make fun of others cause them to feel isolated and that they often lash out when they’re pushed too far. He said there needs to be a societal change, including with students, to stop this.

“We can stand up here today, and express our support, and then do nothing,” Durepo told the crowd. “Or we can change.”

Jacquelin Collins, superintendent of the Cape Coral charter school system, and other staff attended the walkout, which took place during a passing period of the school day. She said it’s wonderful to see students vocalizing what’s important to them.

“I support it 100 percent,” Collins said. “I’m glad they had the gumption to get up and speak, and I’m very proud of them.”

She said she’s glad to see the students “taking this cause to a higher level, peacefully.”

Cole Logan, a sophomore, said that despite stereotypes about young people, his generation could be “the next step toward a better future.”

“I see this as an opportunity to be able to show that we are a very successful group of individuals who are not just stuck on our phones constantly,” Logan said. “We are people that want to see change in the future and want to … make the world a better place.”

He said the criticism students elsewhere have faced for protesting — that they’re wasting their time or were simply influenced to act by others — is not true.

“I think people don’t believe that our generation can be motivated,” he said. “This is a good way to show that we have our own beliefs.”

Pedraja told the crowd that the more unified young people are, the more their voices will be heard, and the bigger impact they can have on the world.

“Change — it doesn’t start tomorrow; it starts today. It starts with us. It starts with the students!” he said, to cheers and applause from his peers.

Cypress Lake High School

 At Cypress Lake High School, students stopped traffic as they protested the gun violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High last week. 

Deputies made sure the students stayed off the roadway. 

Junior Sabine Sanchez said the school administration tried to keep the walkout centered in the school's field.

But Sanchez, 17, got a group of her friends to walk out of campus to Panther Lane and Cypress Lake Drive. 

"It's about everyone hearing you," Sanchez said. "If it stays in the campus no one will hear you." 

Seventeen-year-old Rachael Dominguez said the walkout was organized on social media and quickly spread. 

"We wanted to politicize this as much as possible," Dominguez said. "Change needs to happen. Kids are dying." 

Isabella Cintrona, 18, said the walkout was for adults who work at the school, too. 

"Teachers shouldn't have to risk their own lives in order to protect ours," Cintrona said.

Hannah Gatof, a senior, agreed. 

"It's ridiculous that politicians are sitting not taking action because of the NRA," Gatof said. "Our representatives have nothing to say except prayers for the families.This goes beyond saying prayers for them."

Fort Myers High School

Students gathered at the school sports field, talking about the Parkland shooting. One student held up a sign saying “We need a change, right now.”

“It’s uplifting, to say the least,” said Sarah Brown, a senior at Fort Myers High School, where students walked out at noon.

"It's amazing. I've never been as proud of my school as I am today," said senior Eren Sisk. "I feel like we're united in something, like we can really make a difference. We want change, and I fully believe we can attain it." 

Check news-press.com for continuing coverage of this breaking story.

The News-Press staff writers Mark Bickel, Ed Reed and Thyrie Bland and Fort Myers High School contributed to this report.