A memorial ceremony was held on March 14 in the auditorium to honor the 17 lives lost at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Students and faculty gathered to read each of the victims’ names, followed by a moment of silence.

Student Council President Matthew Lussier led the event with the help of various members of Student Council. The students read a victim’s name and told some background about the individuals’ characters, lives, and future plans.

Matthew Lussier called for action from his classmates: “Walk up to a kid alone at lunch and ask them to join you. Say hello to someone who looks lonely. Make eye contact and actually listen to people.” He encouraged students to make everyone feel apart of the community.

Although walkouts demanding gun control took place across the country at the same exact time, the memorial took place to strictly honor the victims. “If the event is school sponsored, then I don’t think there should be any political statement made,” said senior Ashley LaPatin.

Students were able to opt out of the event by staying in class or gathering in the cafeteria, according to Principal Lisa Nemeth. Although they had the option of not participating, the vast majority of students gathered in the auditorium to honor the fallen individuals.

“I thought the memorial was really meaningful. By listening to each of the victims’ stories and having a moment of silence, we were able to think about the gravity of what happened. It really could’ve happened to any of us,” said senior Ashley Krupa.

These 17 people’s lives were lost on what was expected to be a regular school day:

Alyssa Alhadeff, 14

Scott Beigel, 35

Martin Duque Anguiano, 14

Nicholas Dworet, 17

Aaron Feis, 37

Jaime Guttenberg, 14
Christopher Hixon, 49

Luke Hoyer, 15

Cara Loughran, 14

Gina Montalto, 14

Joaquin Oliver, 17

Alaina Petty, 14

Meadow Pollack, 18

Helena Ramsay, 17

Alexander Schachter, 14

Carmen Schentrup, 16

Peter Wang, 15