Every semester for my “Participation in Democracy” class, I challenge my students to change their community.

It starts by identifying a problem in the school: Students typically tackle the dress code or delaying the school start time. They develop plans, form groups and then take action with petitions or public service announcements. The lesson lies in the difficulties of mobilizing people to make meaningful change.

This semester, a golden egg landed in the laps of my juniors.

Shortly after the Parkland, Florida, school shootings, students across the country began discussing a nationwide walkout. A few students asked if they could change their action plan topic. They wanted James Campbell High School to walk out.

I did the only thing I could: I let them go.

Ethan Porter/Civil Beat

Anybody who has children, or works closely with them, knows this is one of the most rewarding and worrying actions you have to take: I knew that their success or failure had to rest on their own shoulders. After all, if I had organized them, it would not have been a student walkout.

Over the following weeks, inter-class groups were discussing the logistics and messaging needed to create a meaningful action. This was assisted by vocal support from Superintendent Christina Kishimoto, who directed administrators to create designated walkout spaces on campus and enable students’ rights to free speech.

Principal Jon Henry Lee set aside the central Saber Hall Lawn for student action. Another teacher, Christine Russo, placed an announcement in the bulletin allowing students her room to coordinate the action for any interested students. I pointed it out to my class, but did not attend.

On Wednesday, at 9:45 a.m., some of my students asked to be excused to go to the Saber Hall lawn. Ten minutes later, I informed the rest of the class that I was walking out to show solidarity for my students in their efforts, and anyone could join me. Everyone did.

I felt anxious walking across campus. What if no one came? What if it was just a bunch of awkward teenagers standing around?

Ethan Porter/Civil Beat

Saber Hall stage, a raised cement half circle, was surrounded by 17 empty desks, one for each of the people who lost their lives in the Florida shootings. Each desk displayed a name of a victim, and a few flowers to honor their memory. The walkout organizers, equipped with a wireless mic and sound system, looked out as the lawn slowly filled with students.

A few of the organizers left the stage to pass out orange ribbons with safety pins as a symbol of solidarity. Two of the organizers spoke, words broken by the wind and connection interference. The gathered students listened quietly.

The organizers then invited any student in the crowd to speak.

I froze. All week leading up to the walkout I had heard the criticism. Yes, it may do more good if students walk up to someone they do not know instead of walking out of class. No, the students of James Campbell High School do not have to worry about school shootings the way students in other states do. Yes, they are just teenagers.

But they had things to say.