At 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 13, 2026, Rockville High School students walked out of their classrooms and joined together in the back parking lot, holding handmade signs and flags. Chants of “ICE out!” were accompanied by the beating of drums.

With such a diverse school and surrounding community, the recent uptick in ICE activity around the country has caused RHS students to be very concerned. Students took the initiative to organize and participate in a walkout to protest ICE, following similar actions from other MCPS schools in previous weeks.

“It’s important to show that we stand in solidarity with our immigrant students—[like] the ones that were affected at Blair, when ICE was on campus during the school day—and to show that students aren’t going to stay silent while they detain our peers,” said senior Thandi Labor, who made a speech at the walkout on Friday. 

Sophomores Mars Davis-Ford and Maddy Jackson, along with junior Max Dell, instigated the walkout by creating an Instagram account to spread the word to interested students, and soon contacted Ms. Pyles to approve the action. 

“Three students approached me during the lunch period and asked to schedule a meeting to discuss organizing a schoolwide walkout,” said Principal Pyles in an interview conducted over email. “My immediate response was to thank them for being responsible in coming to schedule a planning meeting.”

While the administration was aware of the walkout, the previously mentioned students and the RHS StudentsFAIR (Students For Asylum and Immigrant Reform) were the ones to spearhead the event, hosting a poster-making event and signing up to speak in front of a crowd that eventually filled the bus loop parking lot. The sheer number of students who showed up to walk out proved the power of student voice and protest. 

“Constitutionally, we have the right to make our voices heard,” said senior Jamie Mann. “We are legally allowed to assemble, and we have the right and the ability to make our voices heard and stand up for those who can’t.” 

Other student protestors agreed. 

“With the way our government is treating its citizens, it’s important that we continue to show that we care about our rights and that we won’t let them take advantage of us,” said sophomore CJ Murray. 

Students made impassioned speeches, in both English and Spanish, condemning the actions of ICE in the Rockville community, the DMV, and the United States. Around them, the crowd held up signs reading “No Human Is Illegal,” “How Are We Illegal on Stolen Land?,” and “The Wrong Ice is Melting.” 

“[ICE brutality] is really disheartening, and it’s important that people speak out about it instead of just looking at another video and then acting like nothing happened. It’s really important that we actually take action and assemble together rather than just seeing something and letting it pass us by,” said senior Rebecca Coleman. 

The importance of taking action was reflected in many of the speeches at the walkout, which encouraged students to contact their representatives, vote in upcoming elections, and continue their protest of ICE beyond the RHS walkout. 

“As a cornerstone of our school’s mission to foster responsible citizenship, we believe it is essential for students to recognize that they have a powerful voice and the right to use it to evoke change when they see the collective being wronged,” said Principal Pyles. “High school is more than just a place for academic growth; it is a vital training ground where students learn that they do not have to be silent observers of injustice but can instead act as catalysts for progress.”

Sophomore Mars Davis-Ford, one of the organizers of the walkout, expressed his thoughts on the importance of the student demonstration.

“I’m just happy we could get this level of momentum behind a much-needed and overdue demonstration at Rockville. Giving my speech in front of such a positive, roaring crowd has restored my faith even further in the fact that the student movement can win,” said Davis-Ford. “We just have to work as hard as possible, day in and day out, to reach our goals and protect our community members from the atrocities being committed by the federal government, and the complacency of the political establishment.”

Although the walkout simply demonstrated student disapproval of the actions of ICE, the movement will likely inspire students to continue to push for change in the community and in the world, emphasizing how crucial student voice is in times such as these. 

“At a time when the government is currently not abiding by the Constitution, it’s important that we remind them who made the Constitution and who it’s supposed to be for,” said senior Kai McMahan.