One in two, and one in four. What could that mean? Well, around one in two people compete in high school sports or win some form of prize in the lottery; one in six people compete in a race or earn money from digital content creation. But despite all the shining accomplishments and achievements that one in two, or one in four people, gain in their lives, there is a much grimmer meaning to these ratios. 

In the United States, around one in two women and one in six men experience some form of sexual violence in their lives. To go further, one in five women experiences an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. These numbers are huge and garner national attention every year. Across all of America, marches and rallies are hosted to bring awareness to the sexual violence that plagues the country. On March 28, 2026, at 10:45 am, the Athens Drive student body hosted their own student-led walkout to bring awareness to Sexual violence. 

“ I am so thankful for all who came to support the awareness that needed to be spread, especially with how common harassment is and how normalized it is for our peers; we wanted to show a community of support and understanding for victims,” said Zee Miller, freshman and co-organizer of the event. 

The walkout occurred during the third period; hundreds of students got up during class and walked up to Jag Stadium, holding signs and chanting. While the event ran smoothly for a few minutes, it was quickly shut down after students in the crowd began throwing water and the police car on standby instructed students to go back inside. 

“ I felt like the execution was good. I was happy to be able to lead some chants. However, I am not pleased with the people who threw water bottles. I want to be clear that this wasn’t to skip class or to be disruptive; it was a peaceful protest,” said Miller. 

While Miller and co-organizer Paige Mahaffey were happy with the turnout of the walkout, not every student shared that opinion.

“A walkout is meant to be a way to speak out against [something],  and I feel like a better way to spread awareness about sexual assault would be through like a social media campaign, and based on what I’ve heard from the people who did go, a lot of the people there were just trying to get out of class,” said an anonymous Athens student.

The anti-ICE walkout that happened earlier this year, also co-organized by Miller, was done with the intention to protest the active involvement of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the area and the subsequent deportations of people in the community. While the protest looked quite similar to the most recent one, the reception has been quite different, with a popular opinion being that because there was no set instance that sparked the protest, just a general concept and idea, the walkout was just a way for people to skip classes. 

“It gets to a point where you have to question, ‘Does this start to lose its meaning?’ ‘How can we better plan and do the walkouts in a meaningful way that holds weight?’” said an anonymous student. 

Despite the controversy surrounding the intention, the turnout and the shutdown, the walkout itself is a representation of student activism in action. The ability of the students to successfully plan and see through a large-scale school walkout shows the power of student voices, especially for underclassmen like Miller and Mahaffey, who’ve organized multiple walkouts in their first year of high school. 

“ I think that walkouts are supposed to be a form of protest rather than a way of spreading awareness. [But] I think what they did was definitely well-intentioned and they were doing a good thing; I’m very appreciative because that’s something that definitely we do need to spread awareness on,” said Anonymous. 

To any student or community member who is experiencing, or has experienced any sexual violence, just know there is help out there. Either through the official RAINN website or through the national sexual assault hotline at +1 (800) 656-4673, do not be afraid to say something. No one deserves what has happened to them, and everyone deserves justice.