The Oceans are Rising and so is Hawken
“The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not.” This quote is not from a futuristic sci-fi movie, but instead how Greta Thunberg ended her speech at the UN Climate Action Summit. This line reflects the sentiments of climate activists around the globe; the world will either change for the better if we take action or change for the worse if we do nothing. Fortunately, there is still hope, as students like Greta Thunberg are taking action.
On Friday, September 20th, around 150 Hawken students and faculty walked out of school to join millions of other students worldwide striking to protest lack of climate action. Overall, the walkout was a positive event that got students talking about climate change and how we can stop it, but many students had misconceptions about the walkout.
I’ll start by explaining the beginnings of the walkout. I heard about the international climate strike on the 20th and knew I wanted to participate in it. Because of how spread out Cleveland and its schools are, I thought that hosting a strike at Hawken would be the most effective way to have the most students participate. I talked to Mr. Faturoti and Mr. Newman about my idea and they told me the procedures of the gun control walkout hosted two years ago. After making an announcement in school meeting, I connected with Lola Garlicka, a junior exchange student from Poland. Back home, she had participated in many Fridays for Future school walkouts, and wanted to start a Fridays for Future Club at Hawken. Together, with the help of other juniors, we organized the schedule of the walkout, found speakers, made signs, and promoted it.
Unfortunately, no idea can exist without critics, and our walkout was no exception. Originally, I decided to sacrifice the spirit of the event to increase numbers by scheduling the walkout during afternoon break. Many pointed out the error in this, and Lola and I chose to host the walkout in the last 10 minutes of the first block on Friday. Still, some thought it was a pointless strike, but the many people that walked out would disagree. The walkout allowed students to stand in solidarity with the millions of youths around the world striking and make a statement about climate change. Importantly, the walkout amped up the conversations about sustainability within Hawken, got students excited about climate activism, and put our new Fridays for Future club in the spotlight.
One of the biggest misconceptions of the walkout was that Hawken orchestrated it as a cop out for being more sustainable. I am here to tell you that Scott Looney did not plant this idea in my head to improve Hawken’s reputation. Students planned this whole event, and while I did talk to deans about it, they told us students would be responsible for any consequences of missed class. Furthermore, our club Fridays for Future is working to make Hawken more sustainable with new initiatives, such as recycling and limiting plastic. In the future, we will work together with Hawken to limit the school’s impact on the environment, and it all starts with us, the students. This walkout illustrated students’ desire for action and brought more awareness to the climate crisis.
Looking past the negative comments, I am very pleased with the walkout, and the environmental buzz it created. I felt such a sense of pride as I watched students from all grades chant “Our climate, our future” as we walked to the pool lobby, clever signs in our hands and fire in our hearts. Yes, there still is a lot of work to be done to prevent the demise of our planet, but seeing how many students cared enough to march, I believe that our generation will be able to save the world.