Cherry Hill Students Carry Silhouettes In Protest: Report

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Students at both Cherry Hill high schools were among the students across the country that walked out of class on Wednesday to mark the one-month anniversary of the massacre at a Florida high school. Walkouts took place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with 17 minutes of silence to honor the 17 students and staff killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Valentine's Day.

Students from Cherry Hill High School West carried silhouettes to represent the victims of the Florida shootings, according to the Courier Post. They walked around the football stadium’s track 17 times and waves signs. Speeches were held in the high school due to the cold weather.

"It's incredible to see the students come together as a united group, sharing their voices and perspective," Cherry Hill School Superintendent Joseph Meloche told the newspaper. Meloche attended the walkout at Cherry Hill West.

“I applaud the courage of the students and teachers who are standing in unity with their peers in Parkland, Florida, by participating in walkout demonstrations across Camden County," Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. "This generation is demanding that their voices be heard, and they are demanding that something be done to keep their schools, their friends, and their loved ones safe. These incredible young adults, in our communities and across the nation, are setting an example for generations to come, and for those that came before them, of what it means to participate in the democratic process and how to propel a call for change across the nation. I will gladly stand beside them and demand that our representatives in Congress and President Trump finally enact common sense gun reform and reduce the number of senseless gun deaths in this country. We need to ensure that the voices of our children are louder than the campaign donations of the NRA and the gun lobby.”

It is the third time since the shootings that students at Cherry Hill East have staged a protest, and the first for Cherry Hill West.

Cherry Hill East students, expressing outrage about the reported suspension of an AP History teacher at the school who voiced his own concerns about the lack of security in the district's schools first staged a protest in the hallways of Cherry Hill High School East followed the next day by hundreds of students walked out of class. Those protests drew national attention, and a former student was inspired to write a letter to the district defending her teacher.

While the reported suspension of Timothy Locke inspired the protests, Cherry Hill East students are deeply concerned about their safety, as are students across the nation. Following the protests, the Cherry Hill Public School District announced that it would enhance its security across the school district by adding “fully equipped” police officers, among other security measures.

Security is a concern for students in schools across the country, which is what the walkout on March 14 was about. Calls for a nationwide student walkout to demand stricter gun laws began just days after the mass shootings that killed 14 students and three staff members and injured 16 other people. They have been met with mixed responses from school administrators across the country. Some have threatened suspensions or even expulsions, while others have staunchly backed the students' walkouts.

In Gloucester County, that decision was taken out of the hands of school administrators in the Clearview Regional School Disrtrict when an unspecified threat resulted in school being canceled on Wednesday. Read more here: Threat Closes South Jersey School District On Walkout Day

Meloche’s reported participation in Wednesday’s walkout is a turnaround from Cherry Hill East Principal Dennis Perry’s initial threat of being suspended or not being allowed to attend prom for participating in the previous protests. He later rescinded that threat.

The attached image was provided by Katelyn Mendoza: Left to right: Maggie Balderstone, Katelyn Mendoza, Lium Reilly

Anyone who has photos from Wednesday's walkout and would like to submit them to Patch can send them to Anthony.Bellano@patch.com.

See related: Public Confronts Cherry Hill BOE Over Security, Communication