By Amy B. LeBlancA few days before the graduation ceremony, the Lincoln High school student body had gathered to honor the graduates of their last class, as the students who had passed the exam had been announced.
But when the ceremony began, a group of students who weren’t part of the ceremony stepped up to speak, asking to be removed from the hall and the students were ushered away.
The students stood silently, their faces still flushed and their eyes still wet from tears.
Some of them said that they felt like they had been rejected.
“The whole school was really shocked,” said a student, “because they didn’t want us here.”
The students spoke to Buzzfeed about what they had experienced at Lincoln High, and what their experiences had been like.
“When the school was closed, I was told I had to leave because I was being bullied,” said one student.
“And when I got out, it was just like a shock.
I was so angry.
I had never been this upset about anything in my life.
I have never been treated like that in my entire life.”
“I’ve never seen so many kids crying,” said another student.
Another said that she had never seen students in tears.
“They all just started crying,” she said.
“I’m going to go into this school to study and not to be able to be around them.”
The school, Lincoln High in New Orleans, is a magnet school that trains more than 2,000 students in math, science, and English arts.
In the past few years, Lincoln has been in the news for its policies and practices.
On May 15, 2017, two students were found dead in the school cafeteria, and in October, three students were arrested after an altercation in which a teacher and a student were killed.
The school has faced intense scrutiny for its handling of the incidents, as well as for its response to the school shootings, including a string of suspensions and firings.
According to the Associated Press, in 2016, the school expelled more than 150 students after the school found a pattern of violence.
The New Orleans district, which oversees the school, has since closed its schools, including Lincoln.
A Lincoln spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment about how the school is handling the school’s current situation.
“Lincoln is a very accepting school, where we value our students and the way they conduct themselves,” said the school district’s director of community engagement, Kristi Young.
“We do our best to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.
We believe in supporting students to thrive and we encourage them to speak up when they feel uncomfortable.”
After the graduation, the students, many of whom were still crying, spoke about what their experience at Lincoln meant to them.
“It’s a very strong school, and there are lots of students from all backgrounds,” said Samia.
“But when they come here, they feel like they have to stand up for themselves and the community.
They are taught that you can’t fight for yourself and you have to fight for everyone.
They feel like this is their place to make a difference.”
“It was kind of a shock for me,” said Eunice.
“As a student who came here from Mexico, I felt like I had nothing to do with Lincoln High.
And I felt that I had no power.
I felt very helpless.
And this is my second year here, so I have experience.
So I knew that I needed to do something, to speak out.”
One student said that he was scared for the safety of his classmates.
“There are lots and lots of people here that are undocumented,” said Mandy.
I don’t know what they’re going to do,” he said. “
If it’s just my friends, I’m worried about my friends.
I don’t know what they’re going to do,” he said.
Mandy said that Lincoln High has “a lot of students with undocumented parents.” “But I don