On Wednesday, March 1, several West Delaware students participated in a statewide student walkout.

This past month, Governor Kim Reynolds brought forth a bill that bans discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in elementary and middle schools. After this information was released, groups of students around the state decided to take a stand.  

Senior Alex Rattenborg participated in a brief walkout shortly before the end of the school day. “It frustrated me how inconsiderate our state government is being,” Rattenborg said. “As a member of the transgender community, I wanted to do something about it. I saw a post on TikTok, so a few friends and I went and talked to Mr. Felderman.”

Principal Tim Felderman was more than happy that students spoke to him before the walkout.

“I appreciated that a student asked for permission, even though it was not necessary,” Felderman said. “They came in and explained what was going on and handled the situation in a very mature manner.”

This was the second walkout to happen since Felderman has been a principal at West Delaware, and he was pleased with how the students responded and respected their peers. 

Superintendent Dr. Kristen Rickey was also on board with the walkout and excited to see students engaged in the democratic process.

“I was very proud that our students were knowledgeable about current events and that they care about them,” Rickey said. “I hope they continue to be involved in current events throughout their lives and that this event helped them to learn one way to do so.”