Kennett High students walk out of school to protest war with Iraq

Demonstration not sanctioned by school, participants will be punished as truants

About 30 Kennett High students left their classrooms Wednesday morning to protest the war with Iraq. The demonstration was not sanctioned by the school and the participants will be disciplined for truancy.The students, including freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, marched more than three miles with signs and banners to WMWV radio station in North Conway's Settlers' Green where three of them were invited onto the airwaves and appeared on the Drivetime show. They know they'll be punished for their actions but said it seems insignificant compared to what's going on in Iraq.Tom Posner, who will be graduating early this spring, was interviewed on the radio, along with Hannah Gaschott and Nikki Stacey. He felt students were able to get their message out and be heard. "This is such a huge subject," he said, "and we need the opportunity to voice our opinions. As young people, seeing the world around us today, it's vital for us to have a say."Posner said he's taken part in a few protests against the war. "I believe Saddam Hussein is not the only enemy to peace," he said. "The United States cannot afford to isolate itself from the world. This should be about oil and not following through with Operation Desert Storm... At times like this it's important to spread a feeling that not everyone agrees with this."Gaschott, a senior, said the walkout was organized by two sophomores. Flyers were distributed encouraging anyone who wanted to participate to gather at the school bus drop-off at 9:30 a.m. "I was approached by two sophomores who knew that Nikki and I had gone out and done a little protesting on our own," she said. "They said, 'We really want to do this and will you help?' I was actually flattered to be asked... I've always had strong enough feelings to accept consequences if it's something that I really believe in."Gaschott said there has been some discussion in school about the war, but feels there should be more. "We haven't been able to express enough how we feel in school," she said. "It always comes back that we're just kids and don't know what's happening."SAU 9 Superintendent Carl Nelson said staff and faculty at Kennett High were aware that a walkout might take place and efforts were made to discourage such actions. "It was not a sanctioned walkout at all," he said. "The students will be treated as if they were truant from class and we will deal with each one (based on the number of past truancies or first time offenses).""We were aware of the potential for a walkout and we did advise the students if they left their classrooms they would be seen as truant and we would have to deal with them as such," Nelson said. "As a staff we offered (students) proactive alternatives. On top of the walkout we had a medical emergency at the same time and had to do a lock down."Nelson said the student with the medical problem was okay but he could not elaborate. Nelson reiterated that the school district did not sanction the protest. "We also respect all students' rights to voice their opinions, but there needs to be a time and place, and during the school day is not that time or place."Lt. Sean Billert, of Conway Police Department, said the students acted in a peaceful manner. "We basically let them do their thing," he said. "They walked up and down Route 16 and wanted to have their civil disobedience. I heard they were fine and behaved themselves... I saw an E-mail where this was supposed to be a nationwide walkout (Wednesday). The kids here were fine -- no problems, very peaceful."Stacey believes there are other options besides war. "War," she said, "in my mind I never see it as solving anything. It's about loss, hurting and hate. Something needs to be done about Saddam Hussein, but in my heart there has got to be another way -- there has to be."