March 15, 2018 -- On March 14, students across the country walked out of class to commemorate the victims of last month's school shooting in Parkland, Florida. At 10am, Ukiah High School students gathered at the center of campus for 17 minutes of silence. They stood in the rain, holding up signs with the names of the dead. We could hear birds chirping and jackets rustling. Afterwards, students in Michael Riedell's Creative Writing class went on the record with their thoughts and plans. Many of them will be old enough to vote in the next election, and they sound like they know what they want.
I couldn't get all their insights and passion into one short story, but I am deeply grateful to Mr. Riedell and all the students in that class, for inviting me to share their time on such a meaningful day.