April 29, 2025
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Students protest at South Elgin High School over concerns about gun violence

By Rick West - Daily Herald Media Group
Hundreds of students walked out of South Elgin High School Thursday as part of a nationwide Students Demand Action campaign by young activists committed to ending gun violence in their communities.

Hundreds of students walked out of South Elgin High School Thursday as part of a nationwide Students Demand Action campaign by young activists committed to ending gun violence in their communities. (Rick West)

Holding signs with messages like “Protect kids not guns” and “Why is my dress code stricter than your gun laws,” hundreds of students walked out of South Elgin High School Thursday as part of a nationwide effort by young people to help bring an end to gun violence.

“We are so tired of the silence,” said junior Izzy Edwards, who helped organize the walkout with her twin sister, Genevieve. “The longer we wait, the more children that are killed. We do not have time to wait.”

The effort was in conjunction with the national group Students Demand Action. It urged high school students to protest after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two adults were killed.

Mitchell Kariuki takes the megaphone to address the crowd at South Elgin High School who walked out of school as part of a nationwide effort to end gun violence. "It breaks my heart that I have to go to school everyday wondering if I'm safe. Every practice drill doesn't feel like a practice drill, it feels like real life," Kariuki said.

Mitchell Kariuki takes the megaphone to address the crowd at South Elgin High School who walked out of school as part of a nationwide effort to end gun violence. "It breaks my heart that I have to go to school everyday wondering if I'm safe. Every practice drill doesn't feel like a practice drill, it feels like real life," Kariuki said. (Rick West)

Walkouts were planned at other suburban high schools, including in Community Unit District 300.

South Elgin High School students spent about 45 minutes outside the school, marching around the building and chanting, ending up back in front of the school where speakers took turns with a megaphone. One asked, “We are the future. Aren’t they going to protect the future?” Another said, “We should not be fearing for our safety in our schools.”

The protest ended with 31 seconds of silence; 21 for those killed in Uvalde and 10 for those killed in last week’s shooting in Buffalo, New York.

Students at South Elgin High School hold signs at the school Thursday after a walkout in protest of gun violence.

Students at South Elgin High School hold signs at the school Thursday after a walkout in protest of gun violence. (Rick West)

Sophomore Mars Clements described the experience as “intense” with many students shedding tears.

“Everyone was very passionate,” Clements said. “Everyone has a connection to the story. It was a lot of sharing of personal experiences.”

Genevieve Edwards said she and her sister were compelled to act after the Texas shooting.

“Each time after a tragic event such as this, it gets talked about for a couple of days, and then we move on with no change,” she said. “Thoughts and prayers are simply not enough. We need action and change, which begins with us.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20220526/students-protest-at-south-elgin-high-school-over-concerns-about-gun-violence

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