Students all across southern Colorado walked out to end gun violence

Thousands of students across southern Colorado participated in a school walkout on Wednesday to protest gun violence and commemorate those students lost in the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting last month.

At 10 a.m. on the dot, these students joined the hundreds of thousands across the nation walking out of school hoping to make a difference.

“Our goal was to really try and show that kind of solidarity and send a message of hope and love to the victims over in Florida,” said Sam Blake, a senior at Rampart.

Alanna Jackson, a junior at Centennial High in Pueblo told KRDO, “We are empowering students and teaching them that they should stand up for things they are passionate about and most importantly standing against school violence.”

Some schools, like Coronado, ensured the safety of their students by keeping outsiders off campus. Other schools like Rampart, Centennial and Janitell Junior High allowed media to get into the mix.

The walkout lasted 17 minutes to represent the 17 students killed in the Parkland shooting exactly one month ago.