Aspen High School students protest gun violence
Students organized a walkout in wake of Evergreen High School shooting
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Aspen High School students organized a walkout on Wednesday afternoon to protest gun violence in the wake of last week’s Evergreen High School shooting.
A crowd of students left mid-class, at about 1:30 p.m. They walked down and protested at the bridge just south of the roundabout at the intersection of Maroon Creek Road and Colorado Highway 82, before returning to their studies later in the afternoon. A number of Aspen Middle School eighth-graders also participated in the protest, a student-organizer said.
“No student should have to feel unsafe in school,” said Aspen High School Senior Ella White, one of four student-organizers of the walkout. “School should be about learning and getting an education rather than having potential for something horrible to happen.”
She and the other students stood in solidarity with Evergreen High School students, who on Sept. 10 saw one of their classmates shoot and critically wound two students before fatally shooting himself.
With the walkout, Aspen High School students accompany other student-led protests across the state following the Evergreen shooting, which White hopes will inspire lawmakers to institute change.
“The more that we put our minds and our voices out there, the more chance that people will hear us,” she said. “As this is a statewide walkout and protest, there’s hope that our policymakers and our lawmakers will hear us and will understand that there does need to be change around gun laws, and there does need to be change around the safety of students at school.”
White said she and other students on Monday informed the Aspen High School administration, who told them they must have a safety plan and inform them of the details of their walkout.
Though Aspen School District Superintendent Tharyn Mulberry said administrators and staff must “remain neutral” regarding the walkout, a school resources officer and safety team oversaw the protest to ensure everyone’s safety, and the district informed local law enforcement of the event. The protest was not school-sponsored or school-sanctioned, and students who missed class for more than 10 minutes as a result of the protest received unexcused absences, according to Mulberry.
But regarding the protest itself, he said he honors students’ right to civic participation.
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Aspen High School students march along Maroon Creek Road to raise awareness about gun violence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School students march along Maroon Creek Road to raise awareness about gun violence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School students march along Maroon Creek Road to raise awareness about gun violence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School students march along Maroon Creek Road to raise awareness about gun violence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School students march along Maroon Creek Road to raise awareness about gun violence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School students march along Maroon Creek Road to raise awareness about gun violence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School students march along Maroon Creek Road to raise awareness about gun violence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
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Aspen High School students march along Maroon Creek Road to raise awareness about gun violence on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
“I encourage any sort of civic participation that students are willing to participate in,” he said, “If they’re passionate about something, it’s hard for me not to honor that.”
He also released a letter last week to the Aspen School District’s families and community after the Evergreen and Charlie Kirk shootings, extending the district’s deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to all impacted by the events.
In the letter, Mulberry informed the community that the district will increase law enforcement and student-resources.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we will be extra vigilant, and you will notice an increased presence of law enforcement across our schools to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” he wrote. “In addition, school counselors will be available to support any students who may need help processing these events.”
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.
Aspen High School students protest gun violence
Aspen High School students organized a walkout Wednesday afternoon to protest gun violence in the wake of last week’s Evergreen High School shooting.
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