Batavia High School students took part in the National Walkout Day held at high schools around the country on Wednesday March 14th.
BHS Principal Paul Kesler says about a third of the school population took part in the 17 minute walkout that started at 10:00a.m. There are 650 students at Batavia High School.
The movement was created after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida last month where 17 people lost their lives.
“We didn’t know what to expect, 30 or 300 students today,” says Kesler.
Kesler and Superintendent Christopher Dailey met with several students two weeks ago about participating in the nationwide walkout.
“We wanted to hear their voice, but we also wanted to create a situation where they could be safe doing this.”
The Batavia Police Department provided patrols on campus and in the area for safety.
All the students seem to have different ideas and different messages, but there was a respectful dialog among the students during the event.
“Frankly, I challenged them to do a better job in having divergent opinions and having that discussion respectfully then frankly we see from a lot of people that are adults in society.”
After the 17 minutes, students went about their normal school day, but the event may be the beginning of student’s voices being heard in the community more often after today.