NORTH VERNON

Administrators and staff at Jennings County High School expressed support for the teens who chose to participate in what the students called “A Walk Together.”

More than 200 among the 1,200-student population voluntarily walked into the halls Wednesday morning to participate, principal Tom Black said.

While some students in other parts of the country used Wednesday to advocate for stronger gun laws, students in Jennings County were more focused on advocating kindness.

The Jennings County event, organized by high school senior Shelby Milspaugh, honored shooting victims at a Florida high school by having each student strive to perform 17 acts of kindness each week for the rest of the school year.

The number 17 represents the number of people who were killed, with an equal number wounded, during the Feb. 14 mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Wednesday’s demonstrations were conducted exactly one month after the killings.

Describing “A Walk Together” as the right manner for addressing concerns, Jennings County senior Blaich Blanton said everyone’s goal is to improve student safety, “which I believe starts with us, the students,” she said.

The principal said he agrees with Blanton.

It was the right manner, Black said, because the youngsters will continue to honor victims of student violence and promote school safety daily, instead of just for one or two days.

“Hopefully this will encourage a discussion for change,” senior Brady Shepherd said.

The brief observance was concluded by a moment of silence for all school violence victims everywhere before the students returned to their classes.

Plans call for spreading the message of kindness, along with school safety steps, into Jennings County grade schools over the next month, also to be organized by Milspaugh.

No demonstrations were conducted in public high schools in Columbus or Hope, since those students are on spring break this week.