MARYSVILLE – Students, staff, first-responders and community members are invited to #MPstronger – A Walk of Strength, a year after the tragic shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
The community-led effort begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and will include the opportunity to a walk around the high school, plant red-and-white tulip bulbs, and come together and reflect.
“An unimaginable event occurred in our community last year that changed lives forever,” Marysville School District Superintendent Becky Berg said. “But it does not define us. Instead, the Marysville and Tulalip communities are defined by our unity, our coming together to heal and to chart a course of recovery. We will never forget, but we are united and are working to create a better, more hope-filled future.”
Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring also reflected on the changes in the community this past year and commended the Marysville/Tulalip United group for its efforts to plan the community event.
“The events of Oct. 24 affected each of us in different and lasting ways,” Nehring said. “We will always grieve the immeasurable loss of that day while also remembering that we came together to help our friends and family, and we found ways to heal and grow stronger. The Walk of Strength is a safe, supportive way for our community to remember and reflect as we continue to move forward.”
Moving forward as a community is a message echoed by Mel Sheldon, chairman of the Tulalip Tribes.
“The Walk of Strength is an occasion for us to take steps, literally, together, and to demonstrate our unity as a community as each one of us continues to heal,” Sheldon said. “It’s an occasion for all of us to reflect and remember as we move forward together.”
Five students were killed in the tragedy when the gunman killed four students in the cafeteria before turning the gun on himself. The other shooting victim survived. Plans for a new eating area for students are being finalized.
Community members interested in participating in the #MPstronger walk can learn more about the event on the www.mtunited.org website.
