Building 21High School

Allentown Students Design and Participate in a National Day of Student Advocacy for School Safety

Allentown Students Design and Participate in a National Day of Student Advocacy for School Safety
Posted on 03/14/2018
The Allentown School District would like to congratulate our extraordinary student population who organized and took part in a day of remembrance marking the one month anniversary of the tragic events in Parkland, FL.
In honor of those who have lost their lives due to gun violence in schools, Allentown High Schools developed a series of guided activities to raise awareness about the importance of school safety. 

Allen High School began their demonstration of solidarity at 9:55 am. Students who wanted to participate were guided to the auditorium to engage in conversations led by student council members.  Others were encouraged to stand up and answer questions on what changes can they as a school make to help prevent such a situation from happening in Allentown. This collaborative exchange was live streamed on the Allentown School District Facebook page. 

At Dieruff High School a moment of silence was held at 10:00 am, followed by the school bell ringing 17 times – one for each victim of the Florida school shooting. The DHS Student Council organized school wide small group discussions that allowed students to remain in their classrooms, but openly share and discuss the topic of school violence and how it impacts their community.  Throughout the day, students were invited to wear orange or school promoted t-shirts that read: Unite for a safer pack – Husky strong #SaferSchool. 

Building 21 had over 300 students participate in a town hall led by Student Council members who previously met with Superintendent Parker. Building leaders shared district and school level plans on how to improve safety and security. Founder of the Building 21 network in Philadelphia, Chip Linehan attended the town hall which took place in the cafeteria. 

On a day where thousands of students came together across the nation, the Allentown School District challenged its students to find ways in addition to protest to engage in the community and find positive solutions to prevent gun violence.  We congratulate our students, administrators, and school community members who demonstrated a true commitment to excellence in support of this national cause. We will continue to encourage this positive community building approach to giving student voice as a means of bringing about impactful change.