This story by Briana Brady was first published in the Shelburne News on May 29.
Champlain Valley High School students walked out of class last week in protest of the federal government’s immigration enforcement policies and their local impact.
The students were part of a network of walkouts at high schools organized statewide with the support of the Education Justice Coalition of Vermont, a group focused on mobilizing students to promote equity in the education system. According to Alyssa Chen, a coordinator with Education Justice, schools in Montpelier and Brattleboro also held protests.
At Champlain Valley Union High School, the May 21 protest was particularly resonant. Last month, two of the students’ peers chose to leave the country in response to the federal government’s attempt to revoke the humanitarian protections granting them legal residence. The teens were originally from Nicaragua, a country that has been experiencing state-led violence and repression since 2018. They had been sponsored by a local family member and looked forward to furthering their education in the United States. Faced with potential deportation and an uncertain future, they chose to leave instead.
While, as with the two high school students, the impact of some of the changes in the Trump administration’s immigration policies have been acute in the district, the student protest rejected a broad swath of the federal government’s actions, including the administration’s challenge to birthright citizenship.
“We can’t control every decision made by those in power, but we can control how we show up for each other, and when we lead with empathy, when we choose compassion over fear, that’s when real change begins,” Lily Williams, one of the senior class co-presidents said to the students gathered.
Armed with signs bearing slogans such as “Borders shouldn’t define humanity,” and “Education not deportation,” the students marched down the sidewalk beside the school.
The school administration was on board with the student action. One of their librarians provided a speaker system and microphone. Other teachers and staff, decked out in reflective vests, helped guide the teens safely through the parking lot. Their principal, Katherine Riley, stood nearby.
For Olivia Ceiri, a sophomore and member of the school’s Racial Alliance Committee, this action was just one of many she encouraged students to take, suggesting that they build a habit of standing up for what they believed.
“If we are willing to commit our time, love and well-being to the betterment of others, we will not be denied. We pledge to each other our responsibility to act and agree to stand by our values no matter the cost,” Ceiri said.
The Education Justice Coalition of Vermont, which helped organize students across the state wanted to support the students to plan the walkouts themselves.
“I’ve been working with like, half a dozen youth leaders, and several dozen other youth who have been attending weekly meetings on and off to plan the walkout so that it’s coordinated and supported. And so, mainly, we created a toolkit,” Chen said.
In this way, the coalition wasn’t just leading the students in protest. As Ceiri wanted, they were teaching the kids how to lead each other in protest.
