Students participated in an organized walkout in accordance with nationwide protests to stop funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Jan. 30. The nationwide shutdown encouraged individuals to miss a day of work or school and refrain from shopping to protest ICE and their involvement with mass deportations and the recent killings of Alex Pretti, Renée Good, Keith Porter Jr. and Silverio Villegas González.

Head of Upper School Beth Slattery sent an email to parents and guardians regarding the walkout prior to it taking place. The email, titled “Possible Student Walk-Out Tomorrow,” acknowledged that parents will be required to submit an attendance note for students planning to participate in the walkout.

Slattery said that although the school is not endorsing the walkout, it will not stop any students from leaving during lunch.

“As you may be aware, some students have indicated that they plan to participate in a walkout at 11:45 A.M. tomorrow to protest ICE,” Slattery said. “The school is not officially supporting this walkout, but students will not be physically prevented from leaving campus should they choose to participate in the protest.”

This email was sent after increased discussion regarding a potential walkout and the creation of two Instagram accounts, @hwprotest and @walkoutjan30, promoting the walkout and sharing anti-ICE resources.

The owner of @hwprotest said they created the account after noticing a lack of movement regarding the Jan. 30 shutdown, but closed it down after feeling pressure.

“I didn’t want to lead it, but I just wanted [the walkout] to happen,” they said. “I didn’t see anyone starting it, so I decided to do it myself. But the next day, I decided it was too vulnerable and too much pressure, so I took it down. I’m glad somebody else stepped up and used the materials that I made to get people to participate, and it turned out really well.”

In a follow-up email to parents and guardians after the walkout, Slattery said some students participated in a peaceful protest during the lunch break, while others decided to miss school entirely.

“We estimate that 100-125 students participated in the walkout, with another handful of students choosing not to attend school at all today,” Slattery said. “The students who participated walked down Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Ventura Boulevard, carrying signs in peaceful protest.”

Hayley Ross-Settineri ’27 said she walked out to express her concern over recent ICE activity in the nation.

“I am horrified by what ICE is doing and wanted to show my support,” Ross-Settineri said. “If I am being honest, I hope there are impacts made due to these protests, but I am not expecting any huge change. I just view it as a way to show support and sympathy.”

Hudson Shen ’28 said he did not take part in the walkout because of attendance concerns, but still recognized the importance of the movement.

“I didn’t participate in the walkout today because I felt like attendance for class would also be important, especially considering I had recently been sick and didn’t want to miss more course material,” Shen said. “However, that being said, I was very much there in spirit and supported all of the people who participated in the walkout.

Summer Park ’27 said she walked out to be supportive of her fellow community members impacted by ICE activity.

“I wanted to show my support and be in solidarity with people in our community who are hurting and living in fear,” Park said. “I do believe that we are connected in our commonness as humans. I believe in our humanity to be able to respect all people, no matter their backgrounds.”

Hudson Phillips ’27 said that although the protest increased youth civic engagement and overall awareness about ICE’s actions, she believes there needs to be more done before justice is served.

“I was a part of both the protests and the walkout,” Phillips said. “I am opposed to ICE’s practices and the horrific events that have been occurring across the country. I do think that there were benefits from it, such as the fact that a lot of young people got civically engaged. Showing our legislators that we’re not gonna be silent is really what’s important. In the long run, I hope that students don’t just take this as a lunch break that they spend doing something different, but take it as a first step in a long line of civic engagement and political activism.”

Ivy Wang ’26, a first-generation immigrant, said she felt compelled to participate in the protest to spread awareness about immigrant rights and youth advocacy.

“As a leader of a first-generation immigrant club, we’ve spent the year looking for ways to help mobilize the community to fight and advocate for our cause,” Wang said. “We’ve been a pretty small club with attendance hovering around 3 to 4 people per meeting. But with the recent events, more people have focused their attention on immigrant rights, so the student-led protest was a great opportunity to spread the word. When I heard this was happening, I knew it was imperative that I attend, and others do too.”

Nelson LaBombard ’27 said he believes the protests are not just about immigration, but also about broader concerns regarding guaranteed constitutional rights.

“I hope that politicians will recognize their duty as representatives of the people to enact legislation that is in accordance with our interests,” LaBombard said. “While the issue of immigration control is subjective in my opinion, I hope people will recognize that our current system’s conduct is not sustainable for maintaining a democracy with human rights. For me, these protests aren’t about the issue of illegal immigration, but about maintaining the constitutional freedoms promised in the United States. Protections deemed essential in the 18th century are being stripped away from us, and these protests are to make sure that we don’t lose them 250 years later.”

Park said she wants to see legislative change as well as see community solidarity because there is not a simple solution to immigration.

“I hope our government can reform immigration policy to best support people in our community and abroad,” Park said. “I hope the walkout brings awareness to complex issues around immigration and leaders locally, nationally and internationally. We must come together to dialogue and solve this complex issue, because it’s not a one-person solution.”

Wang said she appreciated being a part of a youth-led movement that could bring change to the nation.

“What this protest really showed to me is that the youth do have power,” Wang said. “We do have a voice, and if we harness it, there’s a lot that can be achieved. We were able to interact with other people whom we don’t know. This showed everyone else that the younger generation cares and fights for what we believe in. So yes, we might not have changed entire policies in the government, but everything is one step at a time, and if you don’t take the first small step, you’ll never reach the end goal.”