On March 14, 2018,  various school walkouts took place across the nation to protest Trump’s new gun laws and try to enforce the country’s gun control system. North Clackamas students took action immediately to gather their fellow classmates and organize what would be a way for us to have our voices heard- although technically they weren’t heard at all.

At Rex Putnam at 9:58 classes were let out 2 minutes early for the protesters to make their way towards the courtyard; by 10 we all stood out by the flag and spent 17 minutes in silence except for the kind words quoted from the family and friends victims. However, this protest did not go as peacefully as intended- as students started flooding out of the schools doors into the courtyard, as did our fellow Trump supporting classmates. With flyers and posters flying into the air as did this particular one stating, “Gun control? Cause criminals follow laws, right?” decorating around this border was Trump stickers and a long with that at least a dozen school boys covering themselves with Trump stickers and merchandise. One of these boys happened to be our own Justin Bean, he states that making a stand to respect the victims in the Parkland Florida school shooting is something he fully supports, however, he claims to be against the thought that people have took a devastating event and turned it into a “political debate of their own opinions” he states. “I think the only thing everyone could agree on was that the 17 students from Parkland deserved their moment of silence”.

Many believe this act of speaking their opinion was offensive, some thought it was acceptable, and many have chosen to turn their heads n the other direction and let the debate take its own course, many believe that the teenagers of today are the future of tomorrow; this generation has showed what it truly means to take things into perspective and look at not only the situation and a short term solution but as well the whole picture in itself. No matter the opinion, everyone deserves to be heard.