Wakefield High School Students Walk Out To Demand Gun Control

ARLINGTON, VA — Students at Wakefield High School in Arlington walked out of classes Wednesday afternoon to demand action on gun control in the wake of the shooting of 17 students in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14.

Students began leaving classes and crowding outside the school around noon. It was part of nationwide walkouts organized by Student Walkout Against Gun Violence.

ARLnow reports a few hundred Wakefield students and adults gathered at the school's athletic stadium.

Virginia's 2018 Teacher of the Year, Michelle Cottrell-Williams, Tweeted her support of the walkout.

Other schools in the area rallied as well, including a group of students from three Montgomery County, Md. high schools who marched to the Capitol.

The fatal shooting of 17 students with an AR-15 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 set off a huge nationwide debate about gun control, with Democrats demanding action to restrict access to guns and Republicans shifting the blame to mental illness.

Nationwide walkouts are planned again for March 14.

Photos by Michelle Cottrell-Williams, used with permission. First photo left to right: Anne Felipe, Lana Arrowsmith, Sarah Peck, Maddie Mearns. Second photo left to right: Esinam Fynn, Jorge Sanchez, Juan Martinez, Sophia Polisar, Gabby Gelaye, Kaiyah Fluitt.