Local school's hold vigil honoring Marjorie Stoneman Douglas victims

On February 14 at 6:17 p.m. students from various Miami Lakes’ schools came together at Picnic Park West to pay tribute to the 17 people who lost their lives at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting last year. At the vigil, 17 students from fifth to tenth grades shared words, poetry and music focused on love, kindness and service.
This vigil was initiated and led by the students themselves who coordinated the logistics and worked on the program. The idea came about from twin sisters Sophia and Susanna Inguanzo who a few weeks before started to think about a way to honor the victims of the Parkland tragedy. “We wanted to do something that would honor their legacy – to love, be kind always and service to others”, said Sophia Inguanzo.
They shared their idea with their classmates and other members of the student council at their school and began a social media campaign to invite students from all Miami Lakes area schools to attend the vigil. The outreach was successful as over 200 people attended, including Senator Bob Graham and his wife Adele, Mayor Manny Cid and Councilmembers Luis Collazo, Josh Dieguez and Marilyn Ruano, as well as various law enforcement officers from several jurisdictions.
Senator Graham shared that it was “an inspirational evening led by young people in honor of those who lost their lives so tragically last year – I am very proud of these students.”
Miranda Cabarga, an eighth grade student at Bob Graham Education Center choose to read a poem written by a student who wrote it just two weeks before he passed away in Parkland. Nina Castro-Bosch, a tenth grade student at Barbara Goleman Senior High sang “Imagine” and dedicated the song to all who are victims due to gun violence. Susanna Inguanzo spoke the final words at the vigil and encouraged all students to “practice random acts of kindness often and daily and to serve others with honor.”