Florida school shooting: Selbyville Middle creates banner of support

Students at Selbyville Middle School wanted to show support to peers in Parkland, Florida.

So as the students returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday after a gunman killed 17 people on Feb. 14, a banner from the Indian River district school awaited.

"We wanted to create awareness and tell Florida that we care about them here," said Vasilia Diakos, an eighth grade student at Selbyville Middle School. "It's a big cause and we wish them the best with their school year."

The banner was signed by nearly every single Selbyville Middle student who saw it, said Jesse Bare, athletic director at the school.

The banner started when teachers at Selbyville Middle wanted to do something to show their support to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Diakos said.

And the students jumped at the idea.

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The banner was created on Friday, and students spent their lunch periods writing letters of encouragement to their peers in Florida on Monday.

"We wanted to show our support for our fellow students," Bare said. "Even though we are hundreds of miles away, we still care and wanted to show our empathy."

Selbyville Middle School picked the colors for the banner to be the colors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — red and black, Bare said.

Bare overnighted the banner to Parkland to ensure it got there when students come back to school on Wednesday, the first day the student population will be back in school after the shooting.

What the students wrote on the banner showed how much the Selbyville Middle School community cared about what happened in Florida, said Mallory Anderson, an art teacher at Selbyville.

"The students said in our thoughts, thinking about you, praying for you and stay strong," Anderson said.

The quote Selbyville Middle School picked for the banner is a quote from Rikki Rogers, reading "strength doesn't come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming things that you once thought you couldn't."

"We just want to let them know we're here to support them throughout their situation that they are having," said Olivia Sananikone, an eighth grade student.

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Reading the quote coupled with the names of students, teachers and parents who signed the banner at Selbyville Middle School, Bare said, will hopefully remind the students in Florida that they can "overcome this tragedy."

Those who signed the banner at Selbyville Middle School signed with compliments, said Emma Ruley, an eighth grade student, to show that they care about those in Florida.

The banner shows how strong of a community Selbyville Middle School is, Bare said.

"We are very caring, heartwarming and we truly care about others," said Mary Hess, an eighth grade student.

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