On Wednesday, March 14, Polo Park Middle School students walked out of their classrooms and into the courtyard during the nationwide call to action.
More than 865 students, along with teachers and staff members, gathered to remember the students and teachers who lost their lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month.
Members of the Polo Park Middle School student advocacy group planned the event, which included a banner with the handprints of every student at Polo Park and the words “our hands will lift you up,” a statement of support for those at Stoneman Douglas.
Students listened as their fellow students Jena Spies, Bella Moss, Samantha Byck, Jordonna Levin, Samantha Kalish and Sarah Garfield spoke and recited poetry, all expressing the sentiment that this should never happen again.
“I’m so proud of the work that these students did in remembering the lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The entire student body heard their powerful words,” Principal Ann Clark said.
There were 20 students involved in planning the event with the support of Clark, a strong advocate of student-centered learning. After spring break, the student advocacy group will plant trees as a living memorial to those lives lost and the promise and pursuit of change.
