On February 14th 2018, 17 high school students were killed in Parkland High School in Florida. These students were attending a public school when an armed gunman used an AR-15-style rifle to take them away from their community, family and friends.

Many young people of this generation are beginning, yet also continuing the journey for reformation. One step in this process has been peaceful protesting the gun violence in schools. This is simply the right to join with fellow citizens in peaceful assembly and to give our condolences to the 17 lives recently lost. This remains vital to the current happenings, and is critical to a functioning democracy. While at the core of the First Amendment, a small group of girls seeking to take another baby step in this journey has developed at Waterloo High School. We are asking you to sign the petition in hopes of gaining a vast amount of students to take part in the movement.

A future plan has been discussed and will be carried out on March 14th at 10 AM sharp. This will be during 4th period. We ask that you quietly and respectfully leave your class and promptly arrive in the gym lobby 5 minutes before, at 9:55 AM. This will give us time to proceed onto the next step, continuing outside. We are not limiting this action to the high school. Waterloo Middle School is welcomed and encouraged to join. Signs will be distributed throughout their campus, as well.

During this time, we will make our way to the turf and sit on the stadium bleachers. This is a time to be calm and respectful to other students that may be participating. Signs are encouraged and we will only promote the sayings that remain true to the intention behind this peaceful protest. We ask that you please do not bring harmful or disrespectful items or signs of any kind, as it has the potential to be emotionally damaging and may result in further consequences. Please ask us if you are in need of ideas or assistance in any way to create these posters, we will be more than happy to offer help.

As of tomorrow, the Finger Lakes Times will be well aware of this event. As it is nation wide, we know that it is also important to use social media to our advantage as we spread awareness. While many are fearing possible disciplinary action, take note that this plan is being submitted to administration prior to the event. They will be aware. However, we are requesting that you stay on the Waterloo High School property. If you take advantage of the true intentions of this protest, it is very possible that a consequence will come into play, as we are not promoting the action of leaving the school grounds.

As stated, this is a memorial protest in honor of the young lives lost in Parkland. Gun violence is a topic that we feel strongly towards. Our young generation has hopes of no longer limiting ourselves to silence. We want our voices to be heard, we want our thoughts to be spread, and we want to be the change.

We would appreciate it if you would sign our petition, as it will be distributed to our school administration. Thank you for reading and please consider joining us on March 14th.