Hundreds of Enloe students walked out of school at 12:14 p.m. Friday to demand action against gun violence in schools.
The Enloe walkout was conducted in coordination with the nationwide walkout arranged by Students Demand Action, a national student-led group against gun violence. The organization posted via Instagram calling for students to walk out at noon local time Friday to demand change regarding gun violence.
The original Students Demand Action post came following two students’ deaths and 21 injuries at a Minneapolis school shooting on Aug. 27. While the recent shooting was the walkout’s proximate cause, many students noted the pattern of gun violence in schools that prompted them to call for action.
“When something is a pattern, that’s when the government needs to be held liable,” said senior Stella Paccione at the walkout. “This has been a pattern far too long.”
The simultaneous walkouts at Enloe and other participating schools in the area, such as Millbrook High School, Leesville Road High School and Sanderson High School, were primarily organized via Instagram. The account @enloe_walkout_2025 communicated information for Enloe’s walkout, encouraging students to gather at the football stadium during second lunch, from 12:14 p.m. to 12:49 p.m. The account also called for students to wear orange. Orange is the color associated with National Gun Violence Awareness Day, observed every first Friday of June. The color is also worn throughout the year to demand action against gun violence. School administration allowed students to use a specific section of the stadium for the walkout, and several staff members were present in the interest of safety, per @enloe_walkout_2025.
Many students made signs supporting the cause against gun violence. Some were written on pages ripped from notebooks, while others were on poster-sized cardstock. Phrases included “How Many More Children Need To Die? Is 3294 Enough?”, “Silence = More Death” and “Thoughts + Prayers Don’t Save Dead Kids.” Walkout participants held the signs up to a news helicopter that flew over the stadium.
Junior Kylie Jenkins held a handmade sign reading “protect students, not guns.”
“People in power tend to focus on the right to own guns, rather than children’s lives,” she said. “It’s really important that we try to rewrite that.”
Students’ chants filled the stadium, shouting phrases including “books not bullets;” “hey hey, ho ho, gun violence has got to go;” and “we are the people, we have the power.”
Students positioned in front of the stands led the chants.
“We are stronger together than we are alone,” said one such student, senior Danielle Tucker. “I’m trying to make sure everybody is collected and aware of what they can do to be creating change.”
Several individual messages were also shouted in the stands. Near the end of the demonstration, senior Geo Yionoulis yelled “This should’ve ended with Columbine” in reference to the 1999 Colorado shooting.
Mr. Gooding, one of Enloe’s world history teachers, brought his third period class to the walkout.
“It’s really important, regardless of whether or not you’re in support of everything that’s going on, to be able to witness this,” he said. “Young people taking action and standing up for what they believe in, that’s what leads to change in the world, not just right now, but throughout world history.”
Many students walked out on their own accord.
“I come to school to learn,” said Paccione when asked why she joined the walkout, “not to be on the wrong side of a gun.”
Sophomore Eliceia Brown echoed a similar sentiment.
“I have escape routes for every class,” she said, “and that’s something that a 15-year-old teenage girl should not have to do.”
Junior Emily Crawford said she hoped to draw the attention of North Carolina legislators.
“This is a problem that kids are aware of, and it’s a problem that kids are not okay with,” she said. “If [politicians] don’t do something to ban assault rifles [and] get weapons out of our schools, then we’re clearly going to get upset about it, and we’re clearly going to demand action.”
Senior Camm Fyfe said he encourages students to show up at the NC State Legislative Building on Sept. 22, when the NC House of Representatives will vote to override Gov. Stein’s veto of Senate Bill 50, the Freedom to Carry NC act.
The law will legalize concealed carry without a permit, Fyfe said, “making it easier for dangerous people to obtain guns, carry them at will and commit violence.”
Crawford also advocated communication with legislators.
“If you want real change and real action, you have to contact your representatives,” she yelled to the crowd. “Tell them that you want to protect kids, not guns.”
The legislators who represent Enloe’s geographic district are Abe Jones in the North Carolina House of Representatives, Jay Chaudhuri in the North Carolina Senate and Deborah Ross in the United States House of Representatives.
Works Cited:
Kadlubar, Ally. “Triangle Students Unite in Nationwide Walkout to Demand Action against School Gun Violence.” WRAL.com, WRAL, 5 Sept. 2025, www.wral.com/news/local/triangle-students-nationwide-walkout-school-gun-violence-sept-2025/
Accessed 5 Sept. 2025.
Nace, Aki, and Bettin, Anthony. “Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting Leaves 2 Children Dead, 17 People Injured.” cbsnews.com, 27 Aug. 2025, www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/south-minneapolis-incident-august-27-2025/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2025.
“Senate Bill 50 (2025-2026 Session) – North Carolina General Assembly.” ncleg.gov, 2025, ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S50. Accessed 5 Sept. 2025.
“Students Demand Action Walkout Activation Toolkit.” Students Demand Action, 13 Sept. 2023, studentsdemandaction.org/report/walkout-activation-toolkit/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2025.
“Wear Orange.” Wear Orange, wearorange.org/about/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2025.
