Dobie students walk out in protest
Walkout was to protest school violence
April 20, 2018
Dozens of Dobie Jr. High School students participated in a national walkout today to protest school violence and advocate for gun control. The protest started at 10 a.m. Teachers and administrators who watched over students during the protest estimated that about 50 students participated in the protest.
“I walked out knowing one of the biggest school shootings happened 19 years ago and still, 19 years later, nothing has stopped this problem!” said Hope Carl, 8th grader.
“Personally I never thought I would be part of a walkout, I really had no idea about the walkout until right before. The teachers really didn’t condone the event, but they definitely didn’t tell us to hide our opinions. Voices need to be heard,” said Camille Jackson, 8th grader.

Some students walked out of their classrooms to the front of the school and some walked to the back of the school. Students stood silently together as administrators and teachers watched over them. Students were told to return to class after 17 minutes. No students will have absences because of the walkout because SCUCISD decided not to give negative consequences for the protest.
Darian Lester, an 8th grade Dobie student who protested, said she was excited about the protest and she’s glad she did it. “It was calming, yet nerve-wracking,” she said.
Many students said they stayed in their classes for fear of negative consequences from the school or at home. “I didn’t walk out because my dad is a cop. If he would have found out I did it I would have gotten in huge trouble,” said Madelyn Cordova, 8th grader.
Mr. Vernon Simmons, Dobie Jr. High School Principal, spoke to some of the students. He told them about how students can make a difference by showing kindness, and even if there is a small change it could make a difference in society. “I’m not against a walkout, but if we have a voice, we need to make a change. Swap the negative to the positive,” Mr. Simmons said in an interview after the walkout.
Word about the protest spread on social media. Arianna Baldwin, 8th grader, chose not to walk out because she didn’t want negative consequences. “It was all over social media. Kids were talking about walking out at exactly 10 a.m. to protest.”
Salvador Ramos, 8th grader, said he heard about the protest from one of his friends. “I realized I had to attend because I do believe in stricter gun laws,” he said.
Simmons said that school and district officials had been preparing for the walkout. “We have been talking about it, the district figuring out how to handle it. We as a district decided to encourage the kids to do something positive,” he said.
Some Dobie students were confused and didn’t know what the purpose of the walkout was. A few students found out about the protest during class and followed the crowd.
Autumn Yoder, 8th grader, said the protest had special meaning to her because gun violence in Florida affected her personally. “I lost a long time friend in the shooting; it was heartbreaking to find her name on the victim list. Seeing people out there made me cry because I remembered Cara,” she said.
Local media coverage shared news coverage about high schools participating in the protests that were on the 19th anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine, Colorado.
When asked about his thoughts on gun control, Simmons said preventing gun violence was complicated.
“The stricter laws . . .we can put laws in places to make it more difficult, but people who want guns, they’ll find a way to get guns. And it’s not all mental health issues,” he said.
Nevaeh Riojas, 7th grader, said students should take steps to make a difference in their own ways. “Simple acts of kindness could save lives,” she said.
Arianna Baldwin • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:09 am
I really liked this article, it was really informative and helped me better understand others view on the protest.
Ashleigh • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:09 am
You guys got this out right in time! This is such a good article! Its great that you got real opinions and quotes from students and administrators.
neaveh riojas • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:08 am
this was great! i don’t regret walking out and the information you gave was amazing!
Seraphim Wright • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:08 am
I think this was a great article! I especially liked how you put the quotes in, and I think they had a lot of information!
Kalea Wright • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:08 am
great article.I like the way you put the quotes in the exact order of the story. lots of information about the walkout and what it was about.
Ashleigh • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:07 am
You got this out right in time! This is such a good article! You got real quotes and opinions on the matter from students and teachers.
desiree • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:06 am
i love this article because i was there to see for myself, and i also love all the detail yall added!
Ayana Freeman • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:06 am
It’s very touching.
Leilani Barajas • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:06 am
There are so many great quotes in this article!
Ayana Freeman • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:05 am
It’s an amazing article. It’s very touching
asedeya • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:05 am
I really liked this article expect how it said protest when really it is not a protest
Jayden Parkhurst • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:05 am
Nice article. Good job showing different points of view and INCREDIBLE job doing it all in one class period!!!!
Aaliyah Scafe • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:04 am
Nice article, I walked out too!
Leah B • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:04 am
This is a good article, I like how you have many quotes. Good Job.
Matthew Wilis • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:04 am
This is an interesting article. Good job writing it.
Leila Johnson • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:03 am
The article is very good. I like the quotes in the story
Kamryn Lovett • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:02 am
Great job on giving information! Very descriptive!
Madelyn Cordova • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:02 am
Really like the info that you put in the story. And of how fast you posted that after it happened.
Camille • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:01 am
This was very well written and summarized. It’s important to stand up for what you believe in.
Kennedy Freeman • Apr 23, 2018 at 10:00 am
Great article I loved it
Isaac Mokrane • Apr 21, 2018 at 12:57 pm
I walked out at 10 o’clock and there were exactly 17 kids!! Some of the teachers were out there too and ms. Navarro was crying. My group stood in a circle and held hands
Emma Parker • Apr 20, 2018 at 3:16 pm
really good information I was curious about what happen.
Jenna Baglio • Apr 20, 2018 at 3:16 pm
I really enjoyed this article. I hope all these walkouts will make a difference!
Kelsea Duff • Apr 20, 2018 at 3:14 pm
Touchy subject, but amazing story
Blake Thompson • Apr 20, 2018 at 3:12 pm
great article, love the detail!
Kobe Gonzalez • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:56 pm
I should’ve walked out. I didn’t know!!!!
John Andrade • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:55 pm
I should have walked out to support!
Jocelynn Klein • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:54 pm
this is a very interesting article!! it really shows how we, as students, care about gun control laws and those who have pasted because of them.
Kayla Looney • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:52 pm
This is a great article. The information given is amazing. I love all the good quotes. I love how this article is put together. Good job!
Kenedi Johnson • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:51 pm
This was such a great article because there’s so much detail. Great job!!!
Darien Thomas • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:49 pm
Good job on the article. was good to see multiple students working together.
Hailey Davis • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:48 pm
I love the article and I really love what it is about. I also love how quickly this got put up.
sandra • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:44 pm
I didn’t even know a walk out was happening, cool I guess.
Sophie Garza • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Nice article, I walked out too.
Davis Donicht • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Nice Article i enjoyed all the information about the walkiout
Nicolas Dziewit • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:43 pm
I loved all of the quotes and information you put into this story. Keep it up!
trevon parker • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:43 pm
this is a great article and i love the detail
Aubrianna Kline • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:43 pm
This is a really good article 🙂 I liked how there were different point of views from different people. Good job:)
alisza • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:41 pm
Great article!!! The walkout was so brave and the kids who protested about it have courage. Im proud of our school and standing up for this becuase i truly do need a change. This article is fantastic!!!
Sophia Huskanovic • Apr 20, 2018 at 2:39 pm
Nice article! I participated in this with my friend Natasha and it was very fun! I would do it again.
Paris Brooks • Apr 20, 2018 at 1:52 pm
This is SUCH a good article!!! I like all of the interviews you did and how you worded them. Good job!!!!!
journee green • Apr 20, 2018 at 1:51 pm
Very nice article! I loved all of the info