GREENSBORO, N.C. — Students at Grimsley High School walked out Wednesday, with a fresh reminder of the pain caused by gun violence.
One of their classmates died last weekend.
Police said Ariyonna Fountain was shot and killed at a party Saturday.
They said the 17-year-old was shot in the head, on the front porch of a home on Ogden Street.
WFMY News 2's Jaelen Gilkey spoke with students at both Grimsley and Page High Schools.
GRIMSLEY HIGH WALKOUT
The students at both schools had all sorts of reasons for walking out, as part of a nationwide movement of more than 100 schools protesting gun violence.
“Even just recently we had a couple people come to our school with guns or weapons, and sometimes we heard about it and sometimes we didn't,” Grimsley High senior Kailyn Wright said.
“Some people don't take this as seriously as others. Some people joke about it because we are so desensitized to this kind of thing. But we do think about preparing for this kind of stuff. I know every day I go to school, I worry that something like this is going to happen,” Students Demand Action organizer Cece Foye said.
PAGE HIGH WALKOUT
The Whirlies weren’t the only students in on Wednesday’s protest.
Over at Page High School, students took advantage of the walkout to speak out against gun violence and show their support to those directly impacted.
“We're out here to bring a new voice to our generation. I feel that a lot of people in my generation are afraid to speak out because of everything that is going on. We have such crazy schedules and so much fear, but right now we should be raising our voices and being stronger together,” Page student Carolina said.
Students said their objective is a simple one - they want to put an end to gun violence because they never know when or where the next incident may take place.
Guilford County Schools Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley weighed in on the matter.
"Guns are too accessible and too easy to fall into the wrong hands, and while we cannot solve the nation's gun epidemic on our own, we must use our voices to advocate for common sense laws to keep our students and our staff members safe. We have to do it for our students, for our teachers, for our staff, and for our community," Oakley said.
The Triad was just a snapshot of the nationwide Call To Action today.
Students across the U.S. made their voices heard.
From coast to coast, thousands demanded more be done to end gun violence at schools.
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