During activity period on Wednesday, March 14, administrators silently herded students into the auditorium for an assembly about the “prevention” of school shootings. An idea brought up by students for the good of students, was addressed by administration who took matters into their own hands. The nationwide student planned walk out was deemed an unsafe procedure due to the risk to the students safety and rightly so as it would leave us out in the open exposed to the unknown. It was decided that this needed to be an organized event, but there was no need to cut the students’ participation from the message. Safety is a big factor and should always come first and deciding to have an assembly in the auditorium was a brilliant idea to keep us safe and still give us an opportunity to hear what the adults had to say on such a sensitive matter. However the intention of the assembly was meant to be the students’ voice heard not only by the student body but also by the adults in our community and instead it was entirely orchestrated and carried out by the adults and only the adults. What should of been a collaborative assembly between the adults and the students ended up as a lecture. We were informed on how the school is already doing its part and how it still plans to do more. We were shown videos that talked about how action can be taken and that we can be more prepared. The superintendent talked about how this is a “regrettable situation” that they should never have had to talk about. We were told we should reach out to each other and become closer as a student body. It was talked about how our words matter and how our voices matter but we didn’t get to say a thing. When the idea was first being discussed we talked about how we the students need to have a voice and how this is our time to shine but when the moment arrived we had no power to say or do anything. While the adults had the best intentions and the right idea, they completely overlooked the reason we were gathered together in the first place, to show that no one person is too small to have a voice. The administration wanted to do was inform us and make us aware; they talked about things that needed to be talked about but the real question is whether or not anyone listened. Being talked to and being talked at are not the same and it is usually being talked to that makes the biggest difference. Maybe administration will reconsider and let our voices be heard.