Students Support Day Of Action Against Gun Violence

Students at Greenhills School chose to support the National Day of Action Against Gun Violence in Schools April 20 as part of our annual all-school day of service. 

Activities included morning breakout sessions, led by students, discussing the political power of young people as seen in the #NeverAgain movement, followed by a rally featuring student and faculty speakers with a variety of viewpoints on the subject of guns. After the rally, students formed up around the school’s athletic track, with each student holding up one of 581 color-coded placards with the names of mass shooting victims dating back to the 1960s. A different color for each decade helped illustrate the dramatic increase in mass shootings in recent years.

About 150 students chose to spend the afternoon on anti-gun violence activism. These students marched down Earhart Road near the school, then returned to the school to make phone calls, write letters, and more. Other students departed Greenhills for unrelated volunteer activities at schools, parks, and nursing homes around Washtenaw County.

The events helped students mark the 19th anniversary of the Columbine school attack, which killed 15 people and injured 24 more, as well as more recent school violence. In keeping with Greenhills’ educational philosophy, the school supported all  students — those who chose to participate in these student-led events, and those who chose not to. The annual volunteer day is part of the school’s Service Learning Program, which students begin in the 6th Grade and continue throughout their careers.