SWFL honors memory of Parkland school shooting victims

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SWFL honors memory of Parkland school shooting victims. WINK News

Schools across Southwest Florida participated in a National School Walkout Wednesday in memory of the victims of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The walkouts, memorials and gun violence demonstrations took place one month after the shooting.

Prior to school starting, students at South Fort Myers High School organized a display of unity.

“The goal is to not only honor the victims, the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting but to create more and show unity within the student body,” said Dakari Harleston, of South Fort Myers High School.

Students lit up the sky for 17 seconds of silence after reading the names of each victim aloud.

“It really resonated that they’re all in this together, that they want to to make America a better place,” said Ed Matthews, principal of South Fort Myers High School.

While students said they can’t control what happens outside of school, they can bring change to their campus.

Students peacefully gathered in front of North Fort Myers High School and stood up in support of their peers in Parkland.

Organizers of a walkout at Mariner High School in Cape Coral said the day was not about protesting gun violence, but honoring the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

Other schools, like Charlotte County High School, took a different approach to the day.

Students and faculty held a memorial to honor the victims of the Parkland shooting.

“They showed themselves to be great humanitarians, very mature and just so kind hearted,” said Mike Riley, a spokesperson for Charlotte County schools. “It was just beautiful, it really was.”

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