Dozens of students stood outside of Pocatello High School at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Some were taking pictures of themselves giving the peace sign. Others held signs made of cardboard and paper.

Students at Pocatello High School made up just a small percentage of the tens of thousands of students nationwide who participated in the walkout Wednesday morning to protest gun violence and honor the victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that occurred exactly one month before. The students stood outside for 17 minutes— one minute for each person who died during the Florida school massacre.

Other schools in the Pocatello area also participated in the nationwide walkout including Pocatello Community Charter School, Highland High School and Century High School.

Although Pocatello Community Charter School did have 12 students walk out, Michael Mendive, the school’s dean, said the school is also encouraging students to perform 17 acts of kindness and share them on a Facebook page the school has created called “What’s Your 17?”

“The thing about a walkout is that it kind of dissipates,” Mendive said. “After the walkout is over, then what happens? Hopefully with the 17 things, maybe kids are making some new friends that will last a lifetime. Maybe those kind gestures can be things that will last.”

Mendive said Pocatello Community Charter has also challenged the students at Connor Academy, a Chubbuck charter school, to perform 17 acts of kindness.

Mendive added that he challenged Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad to participate as well and the mayor agreed to do 17 acts of kindness on behalf of the city of Pocatello.

Participation in the walkouts varied in the Pocatello area. About 80 students participated in the protest outside of Pocatello High School, while nearly 20 students walked out of Highland High School and 30 Century High School students walked out. School officials said none of the students who walked out of Pocatello schools would face any disciplinary action.

During the walkout at Pocatello High School, senior class president Mikayla Morgan gave a speech to her fellow protesters, thanking them for participating and urging them to do more.

“We are here making a statement that we will not let this go silent any longer,” Morgan said. “And we all have a voice.”

At around 10:10 a.m. Wednesday, the Pocatello High School students participating in the walkout began chanting “gun control,” although the mantra died down after only a few seconds. A few minutes later, Morgan asked the participants for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Florida shooting.

Also participating in the walkout at Pocatello High School was state Senate candidate Mike Saville, D-McCammon, who talked with some of the students and expressed his support.

“I think it’s a great thing these kids are doing,” Saville said. “I think adults need to support them. We can’t have this. And I’m a gun guy.”

Not all of the participants were showing support for gun control, however.

Madison Line, a Century High School student who took part in the Pocatello High School walkout, said she participated to pay tribute to the victims of the Florida school shooting, not to voice opposition to the Second Amendment.

“I’m here to show that we are all people and we all have different opinions,” Line said, adding that Americans need to treat each other with more respect and bullying should not be tolerated.

She said that in addition to walking out, she planned to introduce herself to 17 new people and try to be kinder and more respectful toward others.

At the same time as the walkout about six other Pocatello High School students staged a counter-protest outside the school to support gun rights and the Second Amendment.

Counter-protest participant Conner Pittson, a Pocatello High School student who held a sign saying “I hate gun control, I hate school a bit worse,” said he was standing opposed to his classmates who were calling for more gun control during the walkout.

“I don’t like my Second Amendment being infringed upon by these cucks,” Pittson said. “I’m counter-protesting, dude.”

Some students at Nampa High School in southwestern Idaho also participated in the walkout to support the Second Amendment and push for the arming of teachers.

“I’m glad that the whole country’s not rolling over,” Pittson said. “I’m inspired. It’s a revolution, but it’s our revolution.”