Whispers around the school from a post from the social media post circulated back during Jan 22 by the dhswalkout26 account on Instagram concerning a planned ICE protest. Several Wichita schools began to speak out against ICE, but voices were prepared to speak out within Derby on the 28 among the chain of schools across the United States.

The goal of the protest was made clear by their post: peacefully walk out and voice their grievances towards ICE. 

“Our goal is to convey our message peacefully, and that’s my utmost priority. Please remember that this walkout is not an opportunity to skip class; it is intended to bring awareness,” dhswalkout26 said.

Although the goal was to keep it on the down low, talk of the protest quickly came to the ears of administrators, leading them to inform parents of the disciplinary consequences that would follow from missing school through a Skylert.

“We believe it is important to share how this would be handled so families can have informed conversations with their student(s),” Principal Gretchen Pontious said.

This led to several concerns from students who were on the fence about going.

“I am worried that the admin will take a more violent approach to it. You just don’t know how they’re going to like take it,” sophomore Emma Stuhlsatz said.

On the day of the protest, people’s concerns were quickly put to rest, and the large crowd was reassured by student coordinators guiding a peaceful protest.

While some questioned whether people planned on protesting for the message or the chance to get out of school, a sign among the crowd stating ‘We are skipping our lessons to teach you one’ stood strong among the crowd, expressing their true intent.

“The concept of ICE is good, but they aren’t just taking ‘violent criminals,’ they are taking innocent people who haven’t done anything wrong, including kids,” freshman Beronika Jurado said.

To these students, protesting meant speaking out for those who would be put at risk by doing so.

“I hope Derby has raised awareness of the atrocities being committed by ICE right now, and as a whole, I hope our country can finally make a good decision,” Stuhlsatz said.