Skip to main content

Letter to the Editor: ASB President Javon Hinton on SHS Awareness Day

To Whom It May Concern:

            As ASB President, I would like to formally address the controversy that resulted in Wednesday’s participation of Awareness Day. This was a student-led event with support from administration. We understand that the activities offered might not have been what everyone was hoping for. However, our intent was never to cause conflict within our student body. Our goal was to support other schools that have been affected by school violence. For lack of better words, “Love and Unity” seemed to symbolize the approach we intended to take. In no way, shape, or form did we “disrespect” students in Florida who organized the day as Walkout Day. We simply chose to peacefully show support for them and their movement without politically getting involved in the controversy our nation faced on March 14th. This entire debate is devastating for the fact that we even have to discuss safety within our halls. This issue isn’t something that will change overnight just because schools all over the nation skipped class for one day. This is an ongoing problem within our country, and not just schools. Our goal was to bring awareness to this, and reassure students that Snohomish High School cares about its student body. Snohomish High School will do everything in its power to protect its student body. And we as a student body need to choose to come together and make the change that we preach. We as a student body can protest violence and hate, every day, by choosing to walk up instead of walk out. Walk up to those who are in need of a friend and befriend them. Walk up to your teachers after class and thank them. Walk up to new people and cultivate new relationships. Walk up to those you already know and nurture pre-existing relationships. Walk up to 17 new people and ask them how their day is going. What’s your 17? Snohomish High School may not have addressed gun violence and may not have presented opportunities to protest it, but it opened the conversation of how we can change the epidemic of school/gun violence. It all starts with us. We can take action and make our school a better place, or we can complain and watch it fall apart. What will you choose?

Sincerely,

Javon Hinton

ASB President